Admissions
Admission to the program is highly selective; there are many more qualified applicants than there are places in the program. The challenge for the College every year is to select a class from a highly qualified pool. The College looks for compelling reasons to admit candidates, and the Statement of Purpose, letters of recommendation, test scores and GPA are all reviewed carefully. Having a strong undergraduate background in computer science, including C programming, is highly recommended for applicants. The Admissions Committee welcomes additional pertinent information that will aid in making objective and informed decisions.
Students are admitted to the Master's Program only once a year. The application deadline is February 1 for admission to the following Fall semester.
Application Requirements
- Completion of the on-line application.
- Receipt of three recommendation letters (requested within the on-line application).
- Scores from the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are required. Applicant scores are expected to be at least 500 in the Verbal, 700 in the Quantitative, and 3.0 in the Analytical sections for the MS program.
- The desirable minimum GPA is 3.0/4.0, though most candidates score higher.
- The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for candidates from non-English speaking countries who have not studied in the United States for at least one year. The minimum accepted score is 100 for the internet based TOEFL exam, however most candidates should be above this score.
A student who is enrolled in another graduate program of the Institute may pursue an MSCS while that student is also pursuing his or her degree in the other major. To be granted permission to pursue the MSCS, a student must submit to the Graduate Student Affairs Office in the School of Computer Science the material required for admission to the MSCS program. This includes transcripts, letters of recommendation, and GRE General Test and Computer Science Subject Test scores (subject test suggested but not required). If the student is approved by the faculty M.S program coordinator to pursue the MSCS, the student will be notified in writing. At no time will a student outside the College be allowed to pursue a concurrent degree without prior permission of the MS program coordinator of the College of Computing.
FastTrack Admissions
Each year, a limited number of highly-qualified applicants from the Georgia Tech College of Computing Bachelor of Science program may be admitted under a streamlined admissions process known as FastTrack. This program exists to motivate our top performing students to continue their education in our graduate program. Persons who do not meet these criteria should not apply to the FastTrack admissions process, but may apply through the normal admissions process.
Eligibility:
- The applicant must have earned the B.S. in Computer Science from Georgia Tech with at least a 3.4 overall grade point average (not just in the major).
- The applicant must start the MS program within one calendar year of graduation.
- The applicant must complete the standard online Georgia Tech application for admission to graduate school and pay the appropriate fee.
- The applicant must submit one letter of recommendation from a Georgia Tech College of Computing professor which attests to the applicant's potential to do graduate work. Enter Fast Track on the two additional required lines under “Letters of Recommendation.”
- Applicants need not submit GRE scores if they meet the requirements stated above.
- A personal statement of purpose as part of the online application.
Application Deadline:
- Applications for the FastTrack Program are due prior to the drop day of the semester before the student wishes to begin study. Applications for Spring are due by the drop day of the Fall semester, applications for Fall are due by the drop day of the Spring term.
- Note: These deadlines are only applicable to Fast Track applications.
FastTrack Program of Study Requirements:
- The student agrees to maintain full-time student status until completion of the MS program.
- The student must meet all existing MSCS degree requirements (e.g., minimum 3.0 GPA to graduate)
- The student must choose either the "project option" or "thesis option" to graduate; the student may not graduate under the "courses-only option."
Decisions about admission to the MSCS program under these terms are at the sole discretion of the MSCS admissions committee. Applicants who apply through this program but are not admitted may request that their application be evaluated with the pool of "standard" applicants, pending receipt of additional application materials (letters of recommendation, GRE scores).
GT-L 2/1 Option
Qualified applicants to the Master's program in Computer Science have a unique opportunity to gain international experience by participating in the Georgia Tech Lorraine 2/1 option. An alternative to traditional enrollment at the Georgia Tech Atlanta campus for MSCS coursework, a limited number of highly qualified applicants will be initially admitted to the GT Lorraine campus in Metz France where they will spend their first two semesters. Their third and final semester will be completed at the GT Atlanta campus where students will receive the same MSCS degree as if they had attended the Atlanta campus for all three semesters. If you are interested in attending the GT Lorraine campus under the GT-L 2/1 option, please indicate that preference on your application.
