M.S. in Computer Science
In the ongoing AI revolution, skilled computer scientists are shaping the future - building intelligent systems, securing digital infrastructure, and solving complex challenges that impact billions of lives. Be one of them.
Apply Now | Request Info Program available in Newark, Jersey City, and Online
Program Summary
The M.S. in Computer Science program (MS-CS) offers a well-rounded advanced education in Computer Science. Students acquire theoretical knowledge and technical skills that enable them to pursue various types of careers in computing and technology. Students can shape their coursework based on their interests and professional needs, by selecting courses from various areas, including Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Computer Algorithms, Data Management, Programming Languages and Environments, Systems, Software Engineering and other advanced topics.
Studying CS at NJIT
NJIT offers an exceptional educational environment that combines academic excellence with unparalleled opportunity. As a top-50 public university and R1 research institution situated just 20 minutes from New York City, NJIT provides students with access to both outstanding education and the vast professional network of the metropolitan area. Students join a diverse and vibrant community, with flexible options including online learning or NJIT's state-of-the-art Jersey City location.
Essential Information
Detailed curriculum and requirements for the MS in Computer Science is available in the MS-CS catalog. Answers to frequently asked questions can be found here.
The MS program in Computer Science requires an undergraduate degree in computing. At a minimum, such a degree must have exposed the prospective student to object-oriented languages, and to materials from at least four from the following courses:
- UCSD: Introduction to Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science
- Google: Data Structures and Algorithms
- Udacity: Introduction to Operating Systems
- Stanford: Databases: Relational Databases and SQL
- Coursera: Introduction to TCP/IP
- Imperial College London: Mathematics for Machine Learning
For students not eligible for direct admission, NJIT offers a Graduate Certificate in Computer Science, which provides a pathway to the MS program. Earning the certificate with a GPA of 3.0 or higher guarantees admission into the MS program.
All applicants are required to submit:
- Transcripts from a prior degree in computing
- At least one letter of recommendation
Certificates of completion of online computing courses, are taken into consideration.
All international applicants are required to submit scores for the following standardized tests:
- GRE
- TOEFL, or IELTS, or Duolingo
Score reports do not have to be submitted directly by the companies that administer the tests (e.g. ETS etc.) The scores can be reported by the applicant, by either uploading a pdf with the official score report or by sharing a link to their score report.
Test Waiver: International applicants who hold a degree from an accredited US institution can ask for a waiver of standardized tests. To request a waiver, please first submit your application and then contact the NJIT admissions office, by directly emailing our staff responsible for international recruitment.
Apply Now
After completing the program, graduates will be able to:
- Comfortably assess the run-time efficiency of a given computer algorithm and identify common logic errors in software design, while designing new data structures and algorithms for new use cases.
- Acquire full-stack software development skills to build reliable and scalable software systems for real-world applications in a variety of environments on a variety of devices.
- Build a robust and secure database system – from design to implementation – for a wide range of purposes.
- Construct networked applications that can quickly and safely transmit and process data, taking advantage of parallel and cloud computing.
Campus Options
- The online program is available to both U.S. residents and international students
- The online rates are available only to students fully enrolled to the online program
- U.S. residents can choose a combination of face-to-face and online courses
- The Jersey City program is not available to F-1 international students
- F-1 students can take at most one course per semester online, or at Jersey City
Tuition & Fees by Campus (based on AY 2024-2025 rates)
- Online: $34,290
- Jersey City: $34,504-$37,200
- Newark, NJ residents: $36,426-$46,450
- Newark, non-NJ residents: $44,748-$63,120
For Newark students, the ranges reflect different course loads per semester:
- Highest amount: Based on taking at most 3 courses per semester, no summer courses
- Lowest amount: Based on taking 4 courses in two different semesters
- Additional fee savings are available for summer semester courses
For Jersey City students, the lower amount assumes the student takes two courses in each of two different summer semesters.
For details, see NJIT's Tuition and Fee Schedule.
For information about cost of living see Tuition and Costs at NJIT.
All applicants are automatically considered for financial support during admission, with no need for additional communication. However, guaranteed financial support for MS students is limited and typically reserved for doctoral candidates.
After enrollment, MS students can apply for campus jobs such as grading, tutoring, research assistantships, or roles in the library and academic departments to help offset expenses.
Well-performing students are often hired as graders, earning up to $9K annually. In 2023-2024, the CS department paid over $600K to MS graders.