The University of San Francisco Prepares Students for Careers in the Tech Industry

The M.S. in Computer Science (MSCS) program at the University of San Francisco is designed to give students a broad background in the major disciplines of computer science and internet engineering, with the main focus on software development. Students in the MSCS program complete an intensive project in either research-based or commercially funded software development or software engineering. Courses include network design and programming, distributed computing, advanced systems, artificial intelligence, and web systems and algorithms.

Students in the program also have access to and participate in the maintenance of the W. M. Keck Computer Cluster, one of the most powerful computers at a liberal arts university. Student-faculty interaction is an integral aspect of these programs. Direct work with experienced faculty members and receiving their personal attention is critical to the success of the computer and web science graduate student experience.

USF in the Heart of San Francisco and the U.S. Tech Industry

Home to Twitter, Zynga and Salesforce.com, San Francisco is only minutes from Silicon Valley where Apple, Google, Facebook, YouTube, Oracle, Sun, Adobe and Cisco are located. To take full advantage of its location, the MSCS program has developed a Practicum Option where eligible graduate students gain valuable work experience, make professional connections, and help pay for graduate studies by working at Silicon Valley businesses during their studies. Practicum internships have been with such organizations as Adobe, BEA, Intel, Internet Archive, Lawrence Berkeley Lab, SAP, and Technorati.

USF Master's in Computer Science for the Student without a CS Background

The MSCS program offers an optional three-year MS in Computer Science Bridge program that provides an opportunity for motivated students from a non-computer science background to pursue a Master’s in Computer Science. Students in the MSCS-Bridge program complete a first year of preparatory classes and then continue in the standard two-year MS in Computer Science program.

More information is available about the College of Arts and Sciences and applying online, as well as information for international graduate students.

"USF Is Your University -- San Francisco Is Your Campus"

USF was founded in 1855 as the first university in San Francisco and is ranked in the top tier of national universities (U.S. News & World Report, Tier 1 national university, 2016). USF is a private, Jesuit university with a distinguished history in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts, finance, and business management. Of the 10,828 students at USF, 37% are graduate students. USF is composed of five graduate schools -- Arts and Sciences, Management, Education, Law, and Nursing. The university offers rigorous and innovative graduate programs with truly extraordinary faculty members -- professors who are experts in their fields and passionate about research. USF's faculty are dedicated to providing high-quality, personalized attention to their students through small class sizes. Students enjoy the rich experiences available in San Francisco, one of the world's most vibrant, cosmopolitan and beautiful cities. As the financial, cultural and technological center of the West Coast of the U.S., the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most economically advanced regions of the world. San Francisco's diverse population draws people from around the world, while the Pacific Ocean climate of the city is moderate all year round. Outside the city, USF students experience California's many other attractions, such as the Napa Valley wine country, the Redwood forests, Pacific beaches, the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe, and the Big Sur Coast.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Computer Science Master of Science (MS)

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees 20
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? Yes
• Evening/weekend programs available? No
• Distance learning programs available? Not reported
• Terminal master's degree available? Not reported

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees Thesis optional
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Tuition & Fees *
• Tuition & FeesNot Reported
• *Average dollar amount (tuition & fees) required to complete the degree
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitFAFSA
• Application deadlines for financial awardsMarch 2
• Types of financial support availableCareer or Field-Related Internships, Federal Work-Study

• Gender
• Total Graduate Students58
• Female Percentage33%
• Male Percentage67%
• Participation
• Total Graduate Students58
• Part-time Percentage5%
• Full-time Percentage95%
• Race/Ethnicity
• Hispanic / Latino2%
• Black / African American0%
• White / Caucasian3%
• American Indian / Alaskan Native0%
• Asian7%
• Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander0%
• Two or more races7%
• Unknown or International Student81%

• Faculty Breakdown
• Total Faculty6
• Full-time Percentage83%
• Part-time Percentage17%
• Female Percentage67%
• Male Percentage33%

• Existing Research
• Focus of faculty researchSoftware engineering, computer graphics, computer networks
• Externally sponsored research expenditures last yearNot Reported