The Master of Science in Computer Science provides a broad background in the practical and theoretical foundations of Computer Science appropriate for those interested in research or in advanced career opportunities. 

The M.S. in Computer Science offers the following areas of specialization:

• No Concentration (Default)
• Artificial Intelligence
• Cybersecurity
• Computer Systems
• Thesis Track

The Computer Science (MS) also offers an Accelerated Master's Pathway for Undergraduate students to complete their Graduate studies in a fifth year.  Further details of the AMP, including the suggested sequence of courses, can be found under the Curriculum tab.

Related Programs

Curriculum

The Master of Science in Computer Science requires a total of between 30 and 43 credit hours (typically 10-15 courses).

Foundation courses Comp 400A-E can be waived based on prior or current undergraduate or graduate coursework; these waivers will be determined by the Graduate Program Director. If one or more foundation courses are waived, the corresponding number of credit hours will be subtracted from the degree requirements. A student cannot both receive a credit-hours reduction for having a course waived and also receive credit for taking that course.

Besides the traditional Master's program, the Computer Science (MS) is also offered as an Accelerated Master's Pathway where exceptional students can complete the program in a fifth year.  A suggested sequence for the AMP can be found below.

To achieve depth and breadth, Computer Science students must complete the following.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Foundation Courses
COMP 400A	Object-Oriented Programming 1	3
COMP 400B	Data Structures I 1	3
COMP 400C	Data Structures II 1	3
COMP 400D	Computing Tools and Techniques 1	1
COMP 400E	Discrete Structures 1	3
Required Courses
COMP 417	Social and Ethical Issues in Computing 2	3
COMP 460	Algorithms & Complexity 2,5	3
Track/Major Requirements		12
No Concentration (Default)
Required Course
COMP 413	Intermediate Object-Oriented Development
Select three of the following:
COMP 410	Operating Systems
COMP 433	Web Services Programming
COMP 436	Markup Languages
COMP 439	Distributed Systems
COMP 442	Server-Side Software Development
COMP 443	Computer Networks
COMP 453	Database Programming
COMP 464	High-Performance Computing
COMP 471	Theory of Programming Languages
COMP 473	Advanced Object Oriented Programming
COMP 474	Software Engineering
Artificial Intelligence 3
Required Course
COMP 479	Machine Learning
Select one of the following:
COMP 429	Natural Language Processing
COMP 487	Deep Learning
COMP 488	Computer Science Topics 4
Select two of the following:
COMP 406	Data Mining
COMP 429	Natural Language Processing
COMP 458	Big Data Analytics
COMP 487	Deep Learning
COMP 488	Computer Science Topics
Cybersecurity 5
Required Courses
COMP 401	Computer Security
COMP 447	Intrusion Detection and Computer Forensics
COMP 448	Network Security
COMP 452	Introduction to Computer Vulnerabilities
Computer Systems 3
Required Course
COMP 410	Operating Systems
Select three of the following:
COMP 405	Database Administration
COMP 413	Intermediate Object-Oriented Development
COMP 439	Distributed Systems
COMP 443	Computer Networks
COMP 451	Enterprise Networking
COMP 462	Advanced Computer Architecture
COMP 464	High-Performance Computing
COMP 472	Compiler Construction
General Elective Courses		12
Total Hours		30-43

¹

May be waived based on prior or current undergraduate or graduate coursework; these waivers will be determined by the Graduate Program Director.

²

Either required course above can be substituted with another graduate course under the discretion of Graduate Program Director if students had their equivalent in their undergraduate program.

³

Students may petition the Graduate Program Director to substitute COMP 460 with a fifth course from this list.

⁴

COMP 488 counts as an AI restricted elective only if the GPD determines that the course in question is related to Machine Learning. 

⁵

For the Cybersecurity concentration, Comp 460 is not a required course.

For students who have taken Computer Science coursework at Loyola: many 400-level courses in the department are cross-listed with 300-level analogues (e.g. COMP 443 Computer Networks and COMP 343 Computer Networks). Students who enter the MS program after taking a Loyola course in this category must choose to take 400-level courses that are not cross-listed with any 300-level courses taken earlier, unless granted specific permission by the Graduate Program Director. 

If a student has had a foundation course waived, departmental assistance will usually be necessary to allow the student to register for any other course having that foundation course as a prerequisite.

General Electives

General electives can be any COMP 400-level class, except the foundation courses listed above.  The elective course options are common for all programs, differing only in the total number of credits required. There are numerous options for independent study, including a programming project, research, or a service-oriented project. Students may take up to a maximum of 6 credit hours of COMP 490 Independent Project and/or COMP 499 Internship to fulfill electives.

Thesis Tracks

MS in Computer Science students may elect to craft a master's thesis. Course work is strongly recommended over the thesis option, especially for those not planning on a research-oriented career. Many students pursuing the thesis option would be considering a PhD program.

Students wishing to do a thesis should discuss this option as early as possible with the Graduate Program Director. These may involve research in purely theoretical computer science (for example, development or analysis of algorithms), the development of a software package, or instrumentation, measurement, and analysis of existing systems (for example, studying network performance). Because of this wide range, there is no one formal course in research methods. Courses in the electives list contain a significant component of area-specific integrated research methods material. Students interested in writing a thesis are strongly urged to seek advising as early as possible as to which electives will be the most appropriate for the student’s proposed area of research.

1. Identify a faculty advisor and select a tentative topic or area of research. The existing program allows you to take up to 6.0 hours of COMP 490 Independent Project. You will typically begin your research program in such a course, though you may also identify an advisor and select a tentative topic as part of a conventional classroom.
2. Secure permission to pursue the thesis option from the Graduate Program Director. The Graduate Program Director, in consultation with you and your chosen advisor, recommends a thesis committee to the Graduate School. The committee will consist of at least three faculty members; normally the committee chair will be the advisor.
3. Once required courses are concluded and a thesis committee is approved, you maintain full-time status by enrolling in the zero-credit-hour COMP 605 Master of Science Study or COMP 595 Thesis Supervision.
4. You will then prepare a formal research proposal, in consultation with your advisor. This proposal must be submitted to your committee for review. Any research involving human subjects will required IRB approval or exemption before the Graduate School approves your proposal. After this step you are now ready to “conduct research” for the project.
5. Upon completion of your thesis, you will be required to formally defend your research. Schedule this with your committee. Your thesis should be in nearly final form. Typically you should give the committee three weeks to read the final draft of the thesis before the defense date. Once approved by your committee, the GPD will submit the ballot for Graduate School approval and the student will submit their thesis for publication in the university eCommons.

Suggested Sequence of Courses

Traditional Master's Program

This sequence assumes starting in Fall and taking one Internship in the following Summer.

Plan of Study Grid

Year 1
Fall		Hours
COMP 400A	Object-Oriented Programming 1	3
COMP 400B	Data Structures I 1	3
COMP 400D	Computing Tools and Techniques 1	1
COMP 413	Intermediate Object-Oriented Development	3
COMP 417	Social and Ethical Issues in Computing	3
Elective 1		3
	Hours	9-16
Spring
COMP 400C	Data Structures II 1	3
COMP 401	Computer Security 1	3
COMP 460	Algorithms & Complexity	3
Restricted Elective 1		3
Restricted Elective 2		3
	Hours	9-15
Summer
COMP 499	Internship	3
	Hours	3
Year 2
Fall
Restricted Elective 3		3
Elective 2		3
Elective 3		3
	Hours	9
	Total Hours	30-43

¹

May be waived based on prior or current undergraduate or graduate coursework; these waivers will be determined by the Graduate Program Director.  If course is not waived, students should meet with Graduate Program Director to reallocate coursework load.

Accelerated Master's Pathway

Students can take up to 12 credit hours in the senior year with admission to the AMP.  These credits are shared between the Bachelor's and Master's programs.

Students may take any 400-level course that is cross-listed with a 300-level course, as a replacement for that 300-level course in the BS program. For example, students may take Comp 413 and thereby satisfy an bachelors requirement for COMP 313.  If a student wants to take a 400-level course that is not cross-listed with a 300-level course, they should consult the Graduate Program Director for the corresponding undergraduate credit. For students whose undergrad major is outside of COMP, the 400-level courses will have to serve as undergraduate electives.

The COMP-MS program has a no-concentration option and also three concentrations, in AI, Cybersecurity and Computer Systems. Students interested in the no-concentration plan for the COMP-MS should take COMP 413 (or 313) as an undergraduate.  Students interested in the AI concentration should take COMP 479 (or 379).  Students interested in the Cybersecurity concentration should take COMP 401 (or 301).  Students interested in the Computer Systems concentration should take COMP 410.

The below list of courses are for students without concentration.  Students should consult with the Graduate Program Director if pursuing a concentration.

Plan of Study Grid

Senior
Fall		Hours
COMP 413	Intermediate Object-Oriented Development	3
COMP 417	Social and Ethical Issues in Computing	3
	Hours	6
Spring
COMP 460	Algorithms & Complexity	3
Restricted Elective 1		3
	Hours	6
Master's
Fall
Elective 1		3
Elective 2		3
Restricted Elective 2		3
	Hours	9
Spring
Elective 3		3
Restricted Elective 3		3
COMP 499	Internship	3
	Hours	9
	Total Hours	30

STEM Designation

With a national shortage of professionals trained in STEM-related fields, employers are actively pursuing STEM degree holders. Distinguish yourself in technology with a STEM-designated degree.

Loyola's master's degree programs in Computer Science have been granted a STEM designation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The program achieved STEM designation because of its emphasis on teaching students how to solve computer science problems with a suite of quantitative and technological tools.

Under this STEM classification, international students can extend their training in the U.S. by working in their field of study. Students can qualify for a 24-month OPT (Optional Practical Training) Extension, bringing the total OPT time granted to 36 months.

Responsible Conduct of Research

All PhD students and students in thesis-based Master's degree programs must successfully complete UNIV 370 Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship or other approved coursework in responsible conduct of research as part of the degree requirements. It is strongly recommended that students complete this two-day training before beginning the dissertation/thesis stage of the program.

Guidelines for Accelerated Master's Pathways

In Accelerated Master’s Pathways, students share limited, authorized credits between their Undergraduate and Graduate degrees to facilitate completion of both degrees in a shorter amount of time. Shared credits are Graduate level credit hours (400-level or higher) taken during the Undergraduate career and then applied both to the Undergraduate degree and towards Graduate program requirements.

Admission and Matriculation

Accelerated Master's Pathways are designed to enhance opportunities for advanced training for Loyola’s Undergraduates. Admission to these programs is competitive and will depend upon a positive review of credentials by the Graduate program. Accordingly, the admission requirements for these programs may be higher than those required if the Master’s degree were pursued entirely after the receipt of a Bachelor’s degree.

Students enrolled in an Accelerated Master's Pathway who choose not to continue to the Master’s degree program upon completion of the Bachelor’s degree will face no consequences.

Ideally, a student will apply for admission to an AMP program as they approach 90 credit hours in their Undergraduate career.

Students will not officially matriculate into the Master’s degree program and be labeled as a Graduate student by the university, with accompanying changes to tuition and Financial Aid (see below), until the Undergraduate degree has been awarded. Once admitted to the Graduate program, students must meet the academic standing requirements of their Graduate program as they complete the program curriculum.

Advising and Registration

Students in their final Undergraduate year will work with Advising in the home School of their Bachelor's program(s), as well as the Graduate Program Director of the Master’s program. Any 400-level or higher courses that the student plans to enroll in should be reviewed by both advisors to ensure that these courses will complete requirements for both degrees.

Registration in Graduate level courses during the Undergraduate year may require assistance from the Graduate Program Director and/or the student’s current academic advisor to enroll.

Shared Credits

Only courses taken at the 400-level or higher will count toward the Graduate program. At the Undergraduate level, students are restricted to enrolling in and sharing up to the number of Graduate level credits explicitly indicated in the catalog for their selected AMP program.

In general, Graduate level coursework should not be taken prior to admission into the Accelerated Master's Pathway. Exceptions may be granted for professional programs where curriculum for the Accelerated Master's Pathway is designed to begin earlier. On the recommendation of the program’s Graduate Program Director, students may take one of their Graduate level courses before they are admitted to the Accelerated Master’s Pathway if they have advanced abilities in their discipline and course offerings warrant such an exception.

Degree Requirements and Conferral

Undergraduate degree requirements are in no way impacted by admission to an Accelerated Master’s Pathway. Students should not, for example, attempt to negotiate themselves out of a writing intensive requirement on the basis of admission to a Graduate program.

The program’s Graduate Program Director will designate credit hours to be shared through the advising form and Master’s degree conferral review process. Graduate credit hours taken during the Undergraduate career will not be included in the Graduate GPA calculation.

If students wish to transfer credits from another university to Loyola University Chicago, the program’s Graduate Program Director will review the relevant syllabus or syllabi to determine whether it meets the criteria for a 400-level course or higher.

Programs with specialized accreditation requirements that allow programs to offer Graduate curriculum to Undergraduate students will conform to those specialized accreditation requirements.

Degrees are awarded sequentially. All details of Undergraduate commencement are handled in the ordinary way as for all students in the School/College/Institute. Once matriculated in the Graduate program, students abide by the graduation deadlines set forth by the Graduate program. Students in these programs must be continuously enrolled from Undergraduate to Graduate degree program unless given explicit permission by their program for a gap year or approved leave of absence. In offering the option of an Accelerated Master’s Pathway, the university is making possible the acceleration of a student’s Graduate degree completion. It should be understood that students may not request deferral of their matriculation into the Master’s degree program. If students would like to delay their Graduate studies after earning the Undergraduate degree, they may apply for admission to the traditional Master’s degree program. Any application of Graduate credit earned while in the Undergraduate program is subject to the policies of the Graduate degree granting school.

Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations

Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will gain a broad background in the practical and theoretical foundations of Computer Science.
• Students in a specific concentration will gain mastery in that area, which students who pursue the thesis option will gain deep expertise in their research area.