The Department of Computer Sciences will consider applications from graduate students who have uniformly excellent graduate records in CS courses for addition to the CS major, with the intention of completing a second master’s degree, in CS. In order to obtain an MS in Computer Sciences, students must fulfill the requirements stated in the CS Graduate Guidebook.
Applications for a second major MS in Computer Sciences are accepted three times a year, following the deadlines below:
- Spring Term: December 20. The department will access updated transcripts once grades post.
- Summer Term: the last day of classes in Spring term for admission in Summer term
- Fall Term: One week before the start of classes in the Fall term for admission in Fall term
Decisions concerning admissions will normally be made within four weeks of each application deadline. Admission into the program is not guaranteed, and there are no retroactive admissions.
To be eligible to apply, you must have obtained grades of AB or better in at least three CS courses numbered 500 or above in three different areas of computer science. At least one of these courses must be at the 700 level (not including CS 900). These courses must have been taught by a CS department faculty member. Click here to find core and affiliate faculty.
- At least one of these courses must have a significant amount of programming in a structured language.
- See below for all areas and which courses belong in each area.
If the student meets the course requirements above, complete the following to apply for to the CS Masters:
- Complete the add/change major form and their student record to the CS graduate coordinator, along with the other application materials described above.
- Fill out the Google Form internal department tracking. You must be logged in with your wisc.edu account.
- Have two letters of recommendation from CS department core or affiliate faculty members; at least one must come from a core CS faculty member. These letters should attest to the student’s satisfactory performance in CS courses completed to date and their ability to complete a master’s degree in CS. These letters must be emailed directly from the faculty to Mollie Stolbov, Graduate Program Manager, at stolbov@wisc.edu.
- Submit a letter from their major department Graduate Coordinator attesting to their status in that program, indicating the expected completion date for their terminal degree.This should be emailed directly to Mollie Stolbov, Graduate Program Manager, at stolbov@wisc.edu.
*Note that a student in dissertator fee status who is admitted to the CS master’s program loses his or her dissertator fee status. Dissertators who add a program or a certificate program must enroll and pay fees as a regular graduate student. This is a Graduate School rule.
*Students doing two or more masters degrees must adhere to the graduate school’s policy on double degrees.
If you have any questions, please email Mollie Stolbov, Graduate Program Manager, at stolbov@wisc.edu.
Areas – Note: this list is subject to change.
- Artificial Intelligence
- CS 534 – Computational Photography
- CS 540 – Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
- CS 545 – National Language and Computing
- CS/ECE 760 – Machine Learning
- CS/ECE 761 – Mathematical Foundations of Machine Learning
- CS 762 – Advanced Deep Learning
- CS 766 – Computer Vision
- CS 769 – Advanced Natural Language Processing
- Bioinformatics
- CS/BMI 576 – Introduction to Bioinformatics
- CS/BMI 776 – Advanced Bioinformatics
- Computer Architecture
- CS/ECE 552 – Introduction to Computer Architecture
- CS/ECE 752 – Advanced Computer Architecture I
- CS/ECE 755 – VLSI Systems Design
- CS/ECE 757 – Advanced Computer Architecture II
- CS 758 – Advanced Topics in Computer Architecture
- Computer Graphics
- CS 559 – Computer Graphics
- CS 765 – Data Visualization
- Computer Networks
- CS 640 – Introduction to Computer Networks
- CS/ECE 707 – Mobile and Wireless Networking
- CS 740 – Advanced Computer Networks
- Computer Security
- CS 542 – Software Security
- CS 642 – Introduction to Information Security
- CS/ECE 782 – Advanced Computer Security and Privacy
- Database Systems
- CS 564 – Database Management Systems: Design and Implementation
- CS 764 – Topics in Database Management Systems
- CS 784 – Foundations of Data Management
- Human Computer Interaction
- CS 570 – Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction
- CS/ED PSYCH/PSYCH 770 – Human-Computer Interaction
- Numerical Analysis
- CS/MATH 513 – Numerical Linear Algebra
- CS/MATH 514 – Numerical Analysis
- CS/MATH 714 – Methods of Computational Mathematics I
- CS/MATH 715 – Methods of Computational Mathematics II
- Operating Systems
- CS 537 – Introduction to Operating Systems
- CS 736 – Advanced Operating Systems
- CS 739 – Distributed Systems
- CS 744 – Big Data Systems
- Optimization
- CS/ECE/ISYE 524 – Introduction to Optimization
- CS/ISYE/MATH/STAT 525 – Linear Optimization
- CS/ISYE 635 – Tools and Environments for Optimization
- CS/ISYE 719 – Stochastic Programming
- CS/ISYE 723 – Dynamic Programming and Associated Topics
- CS/ISYE/MATH/STAT 726 – Nonlinear Optimization I
- CS/ISYE/MATH 728 – Integer Optimization
- CS/ISYE/MATH 730 – Nonlinear Optimization II
- Programming Languages and Compilers
- CS/ECE 506 – Software Engineering
- CS 536 – Introduction to Programming Languages and Compilers
- CS 538 – Introduction to the Theory and Design of Programming Languages
- CS 701 – Construction of Compilers
- CS 703 – Program Verification and Synthesis
- CS 704 – Principles of Programming Languages
- CS 706 – Analysis of Software Artifacts
- Theory of Computing
- CS 520 – Introduction to Theory of Computing
- CS 577 – Introduction to Algorithms
- CS 710 – Computational Complexity
- CS 787 – Advanced Algorithms
- CS 880 – Topics in Theoretical Computer Science