BSCS/MSCS Program
This program allows a student to earn a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Computer Science in five years. It is open to current undergraduate Computer Science majors, who typically apply to participate in the second semester of their sophomore year.
Participants earn the B.S. degree in the typical four-year time frame and graduate with their class. They then continue their studies in the fifth year to complete the M.S. degree. Normally, earning both degrees would take six years of full-time study. The time savings is achieved by applying select graduate courses to both degrees.
Students in this program must satisfy all requirements of the Computer Science major, except that they:
| Take | Instead of |
|---|---|
| CSC 8310 - Linguistics of Programming Languages | CSC 1800 - Organization of Programming Languages |
| CSC 8510 - Theory of Computability | CSC 4170 - Theory of Computation |
Participants can also use a third graduate course to fulfill an elective for both degrees. Any approved elective for the M.S. degree can be used for this purpose. These substitutions give the student a head start on satisfying the remaining M.S. Computer Science degree requirements.
If participants are on track to meet the B.S. requirements within four years or less, presumably through a combination of AP credit, summer courses, and overloads, then they may take a fourth graduate course during that period. This would lessen the number of courses that must be taken in the final (fifth) year. However, this fourth graduate course could count for at most one degree: either the BS or the MS, but not both.
This program has financial benefits as well. For the two or three graduate courses taken during the initial four-year period, the standard undergraduate tuition applies. Also, each student is granted tuition remission for the final nine credits of the program. Furthermore, students are also eligible to apply in their senior year for full competitive graduate assistantships for their fifth year.
To be eligible for this program, students must have strong academic credentials: a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 and a GPA of at least 3.5 in the major. The GRE exam is waived.
To apply for the program:
- prepare a one-page statement explaining your career objectives as they relate to this program
- arrange for at least two academic letters of recommendation (obtain the forms from the CSC main office)
Have your references send their recommendation letters to:
Dr. Don GoelmanDepartment of Computing Sciences
Villanova University
800 Lancaster Avenue
Villanova, PA 19085-1699
