Program: Computer Science, M.S. - William & Mary

Mar 31, 2025

2024 - 2025 Graduate Catalog

Students must submit a 2-year plan of study at the beginning of their first semester in the M.S. program, which must be endorsed by their faculty advisors and then approved by the Graduate Admission Committee.

Computer Science, M.S.

The total credit hour requirement for the M.S. in CS (non-Thesis option) is 32 credits, which must be accumulated by completing a program of courses approved by the Department.

Computer Science, M.S. - Thesis Option

The total credit hour requirement for the M.S. in CS (Thesis option) is 30 credits, which must be accumulated by completing a program of courses approved by the Department. Six credits of CSCI 700 are required as part of the 30 credits. No more than 6 credits of CSCI 700 can be used to satisfy the requirement of 30 semester hours of graduate credit.

Course Requirements

CSCI 653 - Analysis of Algorithms
At least two additional 600-level courses
A student cannot use the following courses to satisfy degree requirements without prior written approval of the student’s advisor and the Graduate Admissions Committee:
- Courses taken in another department
- CSCI 666 - Directed Studies
- CSCI 685 - Colloquium
- CSCI 690 - Readings in Computer Science
- CSCI courses designated as Computational Operations Research courses (last digit in the course number is an 8)
- Not more than 12 credits from courses numbered below 600 may be counted towards the degree.
- CSCI 700 - Thesis

Thesis Requirement

Students may choose to write a thesis or not.

Students who choose the thesis option must complete CSCI 700 - Thesis , in addition to 24 credit hours, and defend their thesis at an oral examination, open to the faculty and to whomever else the department may invite. CSCI 710 - Research Project cannot be applied to the 24 credits. Additionally, neither CSCI 690 or CSCI 790 can be applied toward the thesis option M.S. degree.

Students who do not choose the thesis option must include CSCI 710 - Research Project as part of their 32 credit hours. At most, one offering of CSCI 690 or CSCI 790 can be applied toward the non-thesis option M.S. degree.

Comprehensive Exam Requirement

See the Graduate Regulations.

Foreign Language Requirement

There is no foreign language requirement.

Satisfactory Progress

To be eligible to graduate, all students must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in all courses undertaken for graduate credit at William & Mary after admission to a degree program. Students with less than a 3.0 average may appeal in writing to the department’s Committee on Admission, Retention, and Financial Aid to remain in the graduate program. The committee normally rejects appeals from students with less than a 2.75 grade point average. No credit toward a degree will be allowed for a course in which a student receives a grade below C (grade point = 2.0).

All requirements for the master’s degree must be completed within six years from the first term of enrollment in the master’s program, excluding periods of approved leave and military service. Requests for extension beyond the six-year limit must be filed following the procedures outlined in Time Limits for Degrees and Extensions in the Graduate Arts & Sciences Catalog.