Admission deadlines: Fall - January 15
Spring - September 1
Summer - March 1 (non-F1 visa seeking applicants)
Standardized test scores: The GRE General Test is optional for all applicants. For applicants who want to submit scores, they must be submitted officially from ETS using the institutional code 5246.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the Academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is required of all applicants except those who hold a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from a college or university in the United States or from an institution located in a country in which English is the official language, provided English was the language of instruction. Minimum scores:
- TOEFL: 550 on paper-based or 81 on Internet-based; or
- Academic IELTS: an overall band score of 6.5 with no individual score below 6.0; or
- PTE Academic: 53; applicants requesting funding consideration must have 68.
Recommendations required: Two (2) recommendations required of applicants. If possible, one recommendation should be from your advisor at the institution from which you earned your highest degree.
Prior academic records: Transcripts are required from all colleges and universities attended, whether or not credit was earned, the program was completed, or the credit appears as transfer credit on another transcript. Unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended must be uploaded to your online application. Official transcripts are required only of applicants who are offered admission.
If academic records are in a language other than English, a copy in the original language and an English language translation must be uploaded. Transcript evaluations should not be uploaded. Applicants who have earned a degree from an Indian university are required to submit individual semester marksheets.
Statement of purpose: In an essay of 250 to 500 words, state your purpose in undertaking graduate study at The George Washington University; describe your academic objectives, research interests, and career plans; and discuss your related qualifications, including collegiate, professional, and community activities, and any other substantial accomplishments not already mentioned.
Additional requirements: Bachelor's degree with a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in the last 60 hours of coursework.
All applicants must choose an area of focus that most closely matches their interests and note this on the online application. All applicants must submit a resumé or CV.
International applicants only: Please follow this link - https://graduate.admissions.gwu.edu/international-student-application-requirements - to review the International Applicant Information carefully for details on required documents, earlier deadlines for applicants requiring an I-20 or DS-2019 from GW.

For additional information about the admissions process visit the SEAS Admissions Frequently Asked Questions page.

Contact for questions:

engineering@gwu.edu
202-994-1802 (phone)
202-994-1651 (fax)

Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday

The following requirements must be fulfilled: Non-thesis option—30 credits, including 9 credits in core computer science courses, 9 credits in core security courses, 6 credits in security electives, and 6 credits in general electives. Thesis option—30 credits, including 9 credits in core computer science courses, 9 credits in core security courses, 6 credits in thesis, and 6 credits in security elective courses or general elective courses, depending on the thesis topic.

Students have the option of taking placement exams in their first semester to waive CSCI 6201 and CSCI 6202 in the required curriculum. For each of the placement exams the student passes, the 3 credits associated with the course are deducted from the total number of credits in required courses and added to the total number of credits in elective courses, and the course becomes an elective option. If a course is a prerequisite for another course or courses, passing its placement exam satisfies that requirement.

Students must take CSCI 6203 or CSCI 6212. A passing score in the CSCI 6203 placement exam cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.

Required core computer science courses
CSCI 6201Software Fundamentals
CSCI 6202Computer Systems Fundamentals
CSCI 6203Mathematical Fundamentals of Computer Science
or CSCI 6212 Design and Analysis of Algorithms
Required core security courses
CSCI 6431Computer Networks
CSCI 6531Computer Security
CSCI 6541Network Security
Electives
Non-thesis students take a total of 12 credits (four courses) in electives. 6 credits (two courses) must be security electives selected from the list below; 6 credits can be additional security courses or they can be general electives.
Thesis students take a total of 6 credits (two courses) in electives. If a student’s thesis topic is not security related, both courses must be security electives selected from the list below. If the thesis topic is security related, students are not required to take security electives, though they can choose to do so or they can take general electives.
For non-thesis and thesis students, general electives can be any SEAS courses taken at the 6000 level or above.
Security electives
The courses listed below are preapproved as security electives. With their faculty advisor's prior written approval, students can take alternative security elective courses offered by any GW department or through the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area. The advisor must determine if a proposed alternative course has a sufficient focus on security, privacy, or cryptography to count as a security elective.
CSCI 6331Cryptography
CSCI 6345Introduction to Quantum Computing
CSCI 6532Information Policy
CSCI 6533Introduction to Usable Security and Privacy
CSCI 6542Computer Network Defense
CSCI 6545Software Security
CSCI 6548E-Commerce Security
CSCI 6907Special Topics *
CSCI 8331Advanced Cryptography
CSCI 8531Advanced Topics in Security
ECE 6160Secure Computing Systems
EMSE 6540Management of Information and Systems Security
Any topic course taken to fulfill the security elective course requirement must focus on security, privacy, or cryptography and must be approved in advance by the advisor. Non-security special topics courses can, with approval, be counted as electives.
Thesis Option
Students pursuing the thesis option take the Thesis Research courses below; set up a thesis committee (see below); and defend the thesis. If the thesis is security-related, it can replace two security electives; otherwise, it replaces other electives.
CSCI 6998Thesis Research
CSCI 6999Thesis Research
Students must obtain the written approval of their thesis advisor before enrolling in Thesis Research.

Master's thesis committee

  • A master’s thesis committee must consist of at least three members, including the research advisor and any co-advisors.

  • The committee must have a presiding chair, who must be a regular full-time faculty member with a primary appointment in the Department of Computer Science. The committee chair cannot be the student's research advisor or co-advisor.

  • The committee must be approved by the chair of the Department of Computer Science.

Graduation and Scholarship Requirements

Students are responsible for knowing the university’s minimum GPA requirement for graduation and scholarships. Please visit the Graduation and Scholarship Requirements section on this site to read the requirements.

Students should contact the department for additional information and requirements.