Admission Requirements-Masters and Ph.D

Students entering the Master's program in Computer Science are generally expected to have a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or closely related discipline, with a grade point average of 3.0 out of 4.0. Students who have very little computer science background should apply to Kent State as a Post-undergraduate Student (see "Types of Admission to the Master's Program" below).

GRE is strongly recommended for admission and used as one of the criteria for financial aid consideration. International applicants must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and receive a minimum TOEFL score of 527 (paper base), 197 (computer base), 6.0 (IELTS), or 71 (IBT).

Students entering the graduate program must have completed the core components of an undergraduate computer science curriculum. Students are required to have successfully completed coursework equivalent to Computer Science I - Programming and Problem Solving (CS 13001), Discrete Structures (CS 23022), Computer Science II - Data Structures and Abstraction (CS 23001), Operating Systems (CS 33211), Computer Architecture (CS 35101), and Design and Analysis of Algorithms (CS 46101). Students should also have successfully completed coursework equivalent to Calculus I (Math 12002), Calculus II (Math 12003), and Linear Algebra (Math 21001).

Types of Admission to the Master's Program

Students who meet all of these requirements are usually granted full admission into our Master's program. Full admission allows a student to take graduate courses toward a Master's degree, and qualifies the student to receive a graduate appointment (see Applying for Financial Aid).

Students who have met ALL BUT ONE OR TWO of these requirements, and who have a strong academic background, are sometimes granted a Conditional Admission after applying to our Master's program. A Conditional Admission admits them into the Master's program, subject to their completing the missing coursework (which does not count toward their Master's degree). However, students with a Conditional Admission can not receive a graduate appointment.

Students who have NOT MET MOST of these requirements might want to apply to Kent State as a Post-undergraduate Student, take these courses (and possibly their prerequisite courses as well), and then apply for admission to the Master's program at a later date. A post-undergraduate application form can be obtained through the Office of Admissions. (Post-undergraduate students should also see Choosing an Advisor and Advice for Post-Undergraduate Students.)

Admission to the Doctoral Program

A student entering the Doctoral program should hold a Master's degree in Computer Science or closely related discipline. Students with a Master's degree in a closely related discipline must fulfill the admission requirements for a Master's degree in Computer Science. All students must pass the Preliminary Examination within 12 months of entrance into the Doctoral program.

Students with a very strong undergraduate degree in Computer Science may be admitted directly into the Doctoral program but must fulfill the requirements of both the Master's and Doctoral degrees. The time limits for the Preliminary Examination and CS 89191 Doctoral Seminar are extended to 18 months for these students.