Master of Computer Science

Yes. Students admitted to the degree program, who complete all degree requirements, will earn a Master of Computer Science degree and diploma from the University of Illinois.

To earn the accredited degree, you must be admitted as a degree-seeking student through the Graduate College at the University of Illinois. However, you may begin taking courses and Specializations on Coursera at any time, including prior to admission into the program. For more information, visit here.

You may either apply and commit to the full Master of Computer Science program immediately, or start with a Data Mining or Cloud Computing Specialization on Coursera and build toward the full degree. If you’re sure you want to earn an accredited Master of Computer Science, apply for admission to the degree program. However, if you’re not certain that the full program is right for you, you can complete one or more Specializations prior to applying. If you decide to apply later, you’ll still need to complete the for-credit courses to earn your degree, but you won’t need to take the Specializations again.

If you’re even a little bit interested in the full degree program, we suggest requesting more information by completing the form above. This option allows you to learn more about the application process and program requirements with no immediate commitment.

Coursera financial aid is available for the Specializations component of the program.

Domestic students may qualify for Federal Student Aid, since the Master of Computer Science, like all Illinois degrees, is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Yes, each course or Specialization is available separately.

To earn credit from the University of Illinois, you must be admitted as a degree-seeking student and registered for credit-bearing course(s).

We expect Masters-level CS students to be able to learn new languages in order to use the best tool to solve a problem, but we try to be flexible with languages when possible to allow students to program in the language in which they are most comfortable. Students should already be proficient in at least one compiled object-oriented programming language.

Sign up here to request more information. Additional details about applying to the Master of Computer Science are available at here.

If after reviewing all the information on our website and you have questions, you can email the Illinois MCS team at online-mcs@cs.illinois.edu.

An advisor is available online every Friday (other than campus holidays), 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM U.S. Central Time, to answer your questions. Several options are available to join these sessions: Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/537909850​ Or one-tap mobile: +16699006833,,537909850# US (San Jose) or +19292056099,,537909850# US (New York)

Or Telephone: Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) or +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) , Meeting ID: 537 909 850 International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/aboFoPVVco