The Computer Science (M.S.) master’s degree at UNH equips you with the skills and knowledge to excel in the tech industry, whether you're advancing your career or entering the field for the first time. At a university recognized with the highest classification for research activity, you can specialize in key areas like software development, data science, and cybersecurity while gaining hands-on experience in the world-renowned UNH Interoperability Lab, a leading data and network testing facility. Our graduates continue to success and have gone on to work at tech giants like Apple and Google..
Credit Hours: 30 | Courses: 10 | Program Length: 1-2 years
Why get a Master of Science in computer science?
Looking to strengthen your computer science skillset or jump into a new career path with an outstanding job placement rate? The computer science M.S. at UNH is the right choice for you. If you don’t have a computer science degree, this program will provide the tools to ensure you’re set up for success. Already have a degree in the field? This program will increase the breadth and depth of your computer science knowledge, strengthen your software development proficiency and advance your research experience. Our graduates go on to high-paying jobs with companies such as Apple, BAE Systems, CA Technologies, Cisco, Dell, Fidelity Investments, Google, IBM, Liberty Mutual, Microsoft, NetApp and others.
Why Choose UNH’s Computer Science Program?
Our program will give you the best of both the professional development and research worlds. It’s housed on the same campus as the UNH InterOperability Laboratory, where the world’s top technology companies come to test their networks and products. Our professionally oriented students are well-prepared for success, completing industry internships, obtaining leadership positions or completing doctorates. If you’re seeking a research-rich experience, you can complete a thesis working closely with a faculty mentor. Our faculty are internationally known in artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, information retrieval, cybersecurity and computer networking.
Potential career areas
- Full-stack developer
- Machine learning engineer
- Systems architect
- Software developer
- Software engineer
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Computer Science Master's Student Creates AI For an Online Card GameBryan McKenney is a computer science accelerated master's student. He recieved his undergraduate degree in computer science here at UNH, and his hometown is in Newmarket, NH. 1. Why did you choose UNH for a computer science graduate program? I chose to stay at UNH for my M.S. degree in computer science because I was in the accelerated master's program, so…Learn More -
Mapping a New CareerLynette Davis, a graduate student pursuing dual degrees in computer science andLearn More -
Mapping the Ocean through Artificial IntelligenceAlex Brown graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a bachelor of science degree in computer science in 2018. The Madison, New Hampshire native was accepted into the accelerated master’s program in the Spring of 2017 and aims to work in artificial intelligence and robotics in the New Hampshire and greater Boston areaLearn More
Frequently Asked Questions
A strong academic background is required. Professional experience is not considered for admission but may be considered for assistantships.
We take a holistic view of all your application materials, so we do not have an absolute GRE or GPA minimum. However, in most cases applicants should have a GRE Quantitative and Verbal scores above the 50th percentile, a GRE Analytic Writing score of at least 3.0, and a GPA above 3.2 on a 4-point scale. For international students, UNH requires that an applicant's TOEFL (Internet Based) score be at least 80, an IELTS score of at least 6.5, or a Duolingo score of at least 105.
The department has a limited number of assistantships available. These assistantships are generally awarded to PhD students and awarded on an academic year basis, beginning in the fall. Any application that is received by March 1, will be considered for funding, there is no separate application process. Applicants will be notified of assistantship offers usually by the end of April.
The majority of our master’s students are self-paying. Computer Science is considered a professional master’s degree at UNH so the tuition rate is the in-state rate + 10%. This makes it much more affordable.
Students who are interested in research assistantships should contact the faculty member with whom they would like to work. Contact information can be found on the CS department website.
The department receives a large volume of applications each semester. Application reviews take place January-April for Fall intake and September-December for spring intake.
The department has a rolling application process. For the fall semester, application reviews begin in January and run through April. For the spring semester, application reviews begin in September and run through December. Applications completed after the deadlines (April 1 and December 1) will not be reviewed. Due to the number of applications for our programs, we may close the application window early. We encourage potential students to apply early.
The program is designed to be a full-time and in-person program. Students may complete the program as a part-time student; however, the majority of the classes are between 9-5 so it may not be possible to take classes while working full-time. All courses are in person; there is no remote option.
- Applications must be completed (not just submitted) by the deadline. We recommend that students apply early so as not to miss the deadline for completion.
- Applicants should make sure that all documents are legible. Many of the transcripts we receive are too blurry to read.
- Low GRE scores (less than 150V, 155Q, and 3AW), low GPA, and multiple failing grades on transcripts that demonstrate inadequate academic preparation.
- Students who are interested in research assistantships should contact the faculty with whom they wish to work and plan to apply early (January 1) to increase their funding chances.
- The CS department does not grant GRE waivers. Requests will be denied. English Proficiency waivers may be granted to students who attended a previous institution in a country where the official language is English (not merely the language of instruction).
Curriculum & Requirements
The M.S. program is designed to help students increase the breadth and depth of their computer science knowledge, strengthen their software development skills, and build their research skills. Professionally-oriented students often complete industry internships, and the program has an outstanding job placement record for its graduates. Research-oriented students complete an M.S. thesis under the guidance of a faculty mentor, which usually leads to publication and provides clear evidence of the developed research skills useful for obtaining a leadership position in industry or to go on to do a Ph.D. Applications are welcomed from students whose undergraduate degree is not in computer science. In this case, a well-defined set of undergraduate prerequisites must be completed as part of the M.S. program of study.
The M.S. program has three options: thesis, project, and exam.
M.S. Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CS 900 | Graduate Seminar | 1 |
| Select eight CS graduate courses of at least 3 credits each 1 | 24 | |
| CS 899 | Master's Thesis 2 | 6 |
| Total Credits | 31 | |
- 1
The courses must satisfy the following requirements:
- Two courses must be implementation intensive (see list below)
- All students must take CS 845 Formal Specification and Verification of Software Systems or CS 858 Algorithms
- At least two courses must be above 900
- At most one can be CS 998 Independent Study
- Students must take courses taught by a minimum of five different faculty
- 2
The student must complete a thesis under the supervision of a thesis adviser and a thesis committee of at least three members.
M.S. Project Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CS 900 | Graduate Seminar | 1 |
| Select ten CS graduate courses of at least 3 credits each 1 | 30 | |
| CS 898 | Master's Project 2 | 3 |
| Total Credits | 34 | |
- 1
The courses must satisfy the following requirements:
- Two courses must be implementation intensive (see list below)
- All students must take CS 845 Formal Specification and Verification of Software Systems or CS 858 Algorithms
- At least three courses must be above 900
- At most one can be CS 998 Independent Study
- Students must take courses taught by a minimum of five different faculty
- 2
The student must complete a project under the supervision of a faculty adviser.
M.S. Exam Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CS 900 | Graduate Seminar | 1 |
| Select ten CS graduate courses of at least 3 credits each 1 | 30 | |
| Comprehensive exam that includes four different examination topics (see list below) 2 | ||
| Total Credits | 31 | |
- 1
The courses must satisfy the following requirements:
- Two courses must be implementation intensive (see list below)
- All students must take CS 845 Formal Specification and Verification of Software Systems or CS 858 Algorithms
- At least three courses must be above 900
- At most one can be CS 998 Independent Study
- Students must take courses taught by a minimum of five different faculty
- 2
One topic must be from the Theory topic area. The other three should be selected from three different topic areas (which can include a second theory topic). The topic areas are as follows: a) Theory: Formal Specification and Verification; Algorithms, b) Distributed Systems, c) Artificial Intelligence, d) Computer Graphics, e) Computer Networks, f) Information Retrieval, g) Machine Learning, h) Computer Security, i) Robotics, j) Parallel and Distributed Programming, k) Cloud computing.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Implementation Intensive Courses | ||
| CS 812 | Compiler Design | 4 |
| CS 820 | Systems Programming | 4 |
| CS 830 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence | 4 |
| CS 835 | Introduction to Parallel and Distributed Programming | 4 |
| CS 853 | Information Retrieval | 4 |
| CS 870 | Computer Graphics | 4 |
| CS 881 | Data Science for Knowledge Graphs and Text | 4 |
| CS #953 | Data Science for Knowledge Graphs and Text | 3 |
This graduate program is approved to be taken on an accelerated basis in articulation with certain undergraduate degree programs.
General Accelerated Master's policy, note that some programs have additional requirements (e.g. higher grade expectations) compared to the policy.
Please see the Graduate School website and contact the department directly for more information.
Graduates of the UNH M.S. CS program will have an ability to:
- Apply computer science theory to increase the breadth and depth of their computer science knowledge.
- Utilize advance software development skills.
- Carry out guided computer science research.
- Obtain an advanced position in industry or continue onto a PhD program.
Deadlines
Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:
- Fall: March 1 (for funding); April 1 (final)
- Spring: Dec. 1
- Summer: N/A
- Special: N/A
Applications will be accepted until the deadline or until the program is full.
Application fee: $65
Campus: Durham
New England Regional: No
Accelerated Masters: Yes (for more details see the accelerated masters information page)
New Hampshire Residents
Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission, or you will not be able to register for classes.
Transcripts
If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC.
If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.
If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:
- Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
- Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.
Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.
Letters of recommendation: 3 required
Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.
Test Scores: GRE Required
GRE General test scores are normally required but may be waived for students who have taken computer science courses at UNH. If required, request official test scores to be sent directly to the Graduate School by the testing service. Test scores more than five years old are not acceptable. Student copies and photo copies of scores are not considered official. Our CEEB code is 3918.
For general information about test scores required for admission into our programs please visit our Test Scores webpage.
Personal Statement/Essay Questions
Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding:
- Reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives.
- Your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field.
Important Notes
All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.
International Applicants
Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.
International applicants to this program with low TOEFL scores may be eligible for our Bridge Program.
Prerequisite requirements for students without a Computer Science degree
The computer science graduate program is designed for students with a B.S. degree in computer science. However, applications from students whose undergraduate degree is not in computer science are also welcome. In this case, a well-defined set of undergraduate prerequisites must be completed as part of the M.S. program of study. The prerequisites include an introduction to computer science, object-oriented programming, data structures, machine organization, operating systems, and computer science theory.
These prerequisites can be satisfied at UNH by the following undergraduate courses:
CS 415, Introduction to Computer Science I
CS 416, Introduction to Computer Science II
CS 515, Data Structures
CS 520, Assembly Language Programming and Machine Organization
CS 620, Operating System Fundamentals
CS 659, Introduction to the Theory of Computation
Some students may need to take additional mathematics classes.
Students without a B.S. or M.S. in computer science are not normally admitted directly into the Ph.D. program, but it is possible to transfer from the M.S. program to the Ph.D. program.
Applicants must submit current scores (within five years) for the general test of the GRE. Students who have taken computer science courses at UNH can request a waiver of this requirement.
