| 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), the academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the PTE Academic 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: | |
| - Academic IELTS: an overall band score of 6.5 with no individual score below 6.0; or | |
| - TOEFL: 550 on paper-based or 81 on Internet-based; or | |
| - PTE Academic: 53; applicants requesting funding consideration must have 68. | |
| Recommendations required: | Two (2) recommendations required. 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 GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 hours of coursework; two courses in mathematics beyond pre-calculus; one year of science with laboratory; courses in computer science using a structured language, discrete structures, data structures, and computer architecture. |
| All applicants should 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, and English language requirements. |
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 12 credits in required courses and 18 credits in elective courses. Thesis option—30 credits, including 12 credits in required courses, 12 credits in elective courses, and 6 credits in thesis.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| CSCI 6201 | Software Fundamentals * | |
| CSCI 6202 | Computer Systems Fundamentals * | |
| CSCI 6203 | Mathematical Fundamentals of Computer Science * | |
| CSCI 6212 | Design and Analysis of Algorithms | |
| Electives | ||
| At least 24 of the 30 credits required for the degree must be CSCI courses taken at the 6200 level or above. As a rule, any course taken below the 6200 level must be a Computer Science (CSCI) course and must be eligible to be taken for graduate credit, according to the course description in this Bulletin. Any course below the 6200 level and any non-CSCI course taken at the graduate level must also receive the prior written approval of the advisor. | ||
| Thesis option | ||
| Students pursuing the thesis option take the following courses, set up a thesis committee and defend the thesis. ** | ||
| CSCI 6998 | Thesis Research | |
| CSCI 6999 | Thesis Research | |
*Students have the option of taking placement examinations in their first semester to waive CSCI 6201, CSCI 6202, and CSCI 6203 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.
**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 is 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.