About Master’s Program,
The department offers a master of science degree, a master of engineering degree, and a doctoral degree in computer science. In addition, by satisfying additional requirements, any of these degrees can be awarded with an annotation in the student’s transcript with a bioInformatics option. We also have certificates available in data analytics, urban computing, and human-computer interaction.
Be aware that the set of rules and constraints for your degree program are actually a combination of policies defined by the CS Department, the Graduate School, and sometimes other entities such as the Registrar’s Office. This site presents these rules and constraints as you must satisfy them, without necessarily explaining who is the ultimate authority for any given one. It is possible that you will seek an exemption to some rule or requirement. This is when it becomes important to find out who “owns” that rule. In general, the Graduate School defines a framework for a degree program, and a Department fleshes this out. For example, the Graduate School requires that all PhD students take a Preliminary Exam and a Final Exam. The Department is free to define the mechanics of these exams, but not their existance, nor the scheduling process. So for example, it is a Graduate School rule that there must be a certain minimum amount of time between a Preliminary Exam and a Final Exam. So only the Graduate School would be able to grant an exemption (if they were so inclined).
Master’s Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
The Graduate School has minimum requirements for an application to be considered.
We follow those published minimums. Perhaps the most important is the requirement that students from non-native English speaking countries have a minimum combined score of 90 on the internet TOEFL exam or 6.5 overall on the IELTS. All students must have the equivalent of a 3.0 minimum GPA.
Our primary admissions criterion for the MEng program is our expectation regarding your ability to successfully complete the program. We base our assessment on the academic record (amount of computer science background, where previous degrees were obtained, class rank and grade point average, and scores on standard exams such as the GRE general exam and TOEFL), proficiency in English speaking and writing, letters of recommendation, and prior internship/work experience.
Master’s Funding Coverage,
Even as students, computer scientists are in demand. The vast majority of Blacksburg research track graduate students were on full-time support. (Depending on the funding source, that typically means a 20 hour per week work obligation as a GTA or GRA.) GTAs and GRAs include tuition, most (but not all) fees, and a stipend of about $2500/month for nine months. Note that cost of living in Blacksburg area is low compared to most major metropolitain areas in the United States.
In addition to GTAs and GRAs, there are scholarships and fellowships available for graduate students. Here is information on local job opportunities near Blacksburg.
Of approximately 350 research track graduate students at the Blacksburg campus during Fall 2023, we hired over 150 Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) and about 100 Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs). Many others were hired by other units on campus or at the nearby Corporate Research Center, or had funding through their government, company, fellowship, etc.
Master’s thesis and Ph.D. students who receive departmental support in their first year can normally expect to receive continued support during the remainder of their course of study (typically two years for master’s; four or five years for Ph.D.), as long as their job performance and degree progress are good.
Note that we no longer have a master’s of science coursework-only option for non-Ph.D. students. Our coursework-only degree for non-PhD students is the Masters of Engineering (MEng) in Computer Science. MEng students do not receive funding from our department.
Application Requirement,
Transcripts
Letters of Recommendation
Graduate School Testing Requirements
Application Deadline,
Dec 15, 2025
Application Fee,
Degree-seeking students must include a $75 fee with their application,
