BS+MS in Computer Science

In order to complete both degrees in five years, the student must be very well-prepared as an incoming freshman, ready to take our core CS courses. They must plan from the outset to follow a tightly packed, challenging, three-year course schedule, plus satisfy all the conditions (see below) before the end of the junior year in order to be certified for early admission to our MS program.

The course requirements for the BS+MS program will total 138 credits. They are based on the currently existing requirements for each program separately.

Why You Should Join the BS+MS Program

• An MS degree in CS:
  • Gives you more knowledge/expertise
  • Allows you to focus more on a specialization
  • Exposes you to CS research
  • Some jobs explicitly prefer MS students, especially senior positions
• In the BS+MS program:
  • Taking either CS 1510 or CS 1511 counts as both a BS elective and an MS required course
  • MS credits in Year 4 count toward the 120 required credits for the BS degree
  • Total time for both degrees is 5 years, compared to the 5.5 - 6 years for the BS then MS degree

Required Progress in Undergraduate Studies

A computer science major must have achieved the following in (approximately) three years of study toward the BS degree at Pitt:

• Completion of 96 credits of coursework (out of 120)
• At least 38 CS credits required for the BS degree (out of 47)
  • Must include CS 1510 or CS 1511
  • Must include CS 1520 or CS 1621
  • Must include CS 1550
  • Must include CS 1503
• 11 to 12 credits in Math/Stat required for the BS degree
  • Math 0220, Match 0230, and Linear Algebra
• The particular CS courses (22 credits) and the particular Math/Stat courses (18 credits) that are specified as prerequisites for admissions to the MS program
• All but 2 General Education courses
• All of the above with a QPA of at least 3.3, both overall and in computer science.

The application also requires two faculty reference letters. The GRE exam is not required. 

Early Entry into the MS Program

If a student meets the conditions, a computer science faculty committee will cerify that fact and admit them to the MS program.

• Admission will be formalized using a minimal procedure based on the completion of reveant parts of the regular graduate application form and a special checklist form idenifying all above-specified requirements, including those in general education.
• Upon certification of a student’s admissibility, the following offices will be notified: CS Graduate Programs, SCI, and the Registrar.
• The student will have approximately one year of study remaining to complete 24 credits toward the BS degree and to get started with selected graduate-level courses.
• One year will remain for study dedicated to the MS degree program.

Degree Requirements

• One of the required courses for the MS degree, either CS 1510 or CS 1511, should be taken among the 96 credits of undergraduate coursework, thereby leaving only 27 credits necessary for the project-based MS degree;
• Only one course may be counted towards both CS-BS and CS-MS degrees.  The course must be either CS 1510 or CS 1511;
• All cross-listed courses, such as CS 1510 and CS 2012, may be counted only once;
• As a senior, the student can register for up to three graduate courses (nine credits) in some pattern distributed over the two terms of an academic year;
• For the project-based MS degree, the balance of 18 credits of required courses (as described in the MS degree requirement) must then be taken during the fall and spring terms of the fifth year of study;
• For the thesis-based MS degree, the balance of 15 credits of required courses (as described in the MS degree requirement), and 6 credits of CS 2000 must then be taken during the fall and spring terms of the fifth year of study;
• The summer term between the fourth and fifth years can be used by the self-supporting student to get a head start on the three-credit MS project. Use of the sumer is only an option, not a requirement.

Summary of Course Requirements and Prerequisites

• Core CS courses (16 credits): CS 0401, CS 0441, CS 0445, CS 0447, CS 0449
• Upper-level required courses (9 credits): CS 1501, CS 1502, CS 1503
• Upper-level electives courses (18 credits): At least six additional 1000-level courses with "C" or better course grades
• Required Math courses (6 credits): MATH 0220, MATH 0280 or MATH 1180

Prior to graduation, all CS majors must satisfy the Capstone Experience requirement. Students must also satisfy their General Education requirements. 

MS Program Requirement

Course Requirements

The MS degree requires 30 credits of formal course work. The 30 credits include a total of 24 credits plus an MS thesis, CS 2000; or 27 credits plus an MS project, CS 2910.

The 30 credits must include one course from each of the following foundation areas:

Theory and Algorithms

• CS 2150 - DESIGN & ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS or
• CS 2110 - THEORY OF COMPUTATION or
• CS 1510 - ALGORITHM DESIGN (must be taken among undergraduate work) or
• CS 1511 - THEORY OF COMPUTATION (must be taken among undergraduate work)

Architecture and Compilers

• CS 2410 - COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE or
• CS 2210 - COMPILER DESIGN

Operating Systems and Networks

• CS 2510 - COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEMS or
• CS 2520 - WIDE AREA NETWORKS

Artificial Intelligence and Database Systems

• CS 2710 - FOUNDATIONS OF ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE or
• CS 2550 - PRINCIPLES OF DATABASE SYSTEMS

In addition to the 12 credits needed to satisfy the foundation area courses, a student has to complete additional coursework based on one of the two following options:

• Thesis Option: six credits for the MS thesis + at least 12 additional credits of graduate Department of Computer Science courses.
• Project Option: three credits for the MS project + at least 15 additional credits of graduate Department of Computer Science courses.

General Requirements

• All courses except the project or thesis must be taken for a letter grade.
• Th student must recieve a grade of B or better in each of the Foundation Area courses, a grade of B- or better for all other courses, and must maintain an overall average of B or better.
• The additional coursework cannot include independent or directed study courses (CS 2900, CS 3000), MS thesis (CS 2000) or project (CS 2910), graduate internship (CS 2900), cooperative (CS 2905), or research courses (CS 2001, CS 2002, CS 2003, and CS 3900).
• Two CS 20XX courses are allowed as additional coursework, the remaining additional courses must be 21XX or higher.
• One course may be taken outside the department if approved by GPEC. The outside course will reduce by one the number of allowed CS 20XX courses.

BS+MS Schedule

• Years 1,2, 3
  • Preparation and application
  • Completion of 96 BS credits (including CS 1510 or CS 1511)
• Year 4
  • Completion of 24 total credits
    • 9 gradutate credits
    • 9 CS UG credits (last 2 UG electives + capstone)
    • 6 General Education requirements
  • Earn BS degree
• Year 5
  • Completion of 18 remaining graduate credits
    • Including MS Thesis or MS Project
  • Earn MS degree