How to Apply — Online MS Program

How to apply to the online MS program.

All students submit a University of Massachusetts Amherst Graduate School application for admission to the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences.

Reapplying? Log into your SPIRE account and add an updated SoP. Please leave your reference documents blank and after you submit your application, email gradreference [at] grad [dot] umass [dot] edu (gradreference[at]grad[dot]umass[dot]edu) to request the reference letters be moved over to your new application. 

  • Online Application 
  • Personal Statement (suggestions below)
    • Share your research and/or industry experiences.
    • Share situations in which you have contributed to computing for the common good or how you plan to in the future.
    • Share situations in which you have contributed or had a positive impact on increasing diversity in a STEM field.
  • Transcripts — unofficial for the application 
  • 2 Letters of Recommendation
    • References will be requested through the online Graduate School application once an applicant submits the application.
    • Applicants should choose letter writers who are able to provide information about a research project, a community service experience, or work experience. 
  • English Exam scores for international students
  • The GRE test is optional for the MS program; choosing not to submit GRE scores will not harm an applicant's chances of admission.
  • Applications that are missing transcripts will not be evaluated until the unofficial transcripts are uploaded to the application.
  • Current Five College undergraduate students applying to a master's only program do not have to pay the admission fee.

We strongly recommend that you submit all required materials to the Office of Graduate Admissions before the deadline to ensure timely consideration. All application material questions should be directed to the Graduate School at gradadm@grad.umass.edu. 

GRE

  • The GRE test is optional for the MS program. Choosing not to submit GRE scores will not harm an applicant's chances of admission.

***Please read the temporary COVID update to accepted English proficiency exams here.

  • English exams are required for many foreign students.This is a University Graduate School requirement. 
  • TOEFL may be waived if the applicant has attended on a full-time basis an American college or university for a period of at least two academic years immediately preceding the anticipated entrance date.
  • TOEFL scores are valid for two years from expected entrance date.
  • The University of Massachusetts Amherst also accepts the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) and PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English). The official test scores must be sent to the Graduate Student Service Center. The minimum combined IELTS score needed is 6.5; minimum score for PTE is 75.
  • Be sure to have your TOEFL score sent to the Graduate Admissions Office as soon as possible. The ETS University code is 3917; there is no department code.
  • Your test score must be valid upon the start of the CICS program. Waivers of this policy will not be granted.

The most important qualification for graduate study in computer science is good undergraduate preparation.

Course Preparation

The more related courses, and the better the performance in those, the more likely the student is to compete successfully for admission to the program. However, if a student's performance overall convinces the admissions committee of his/her qualification for graduate study, minor deficiencies in undergraduate preparation are acceptable, provided these deficiencies are removed during the first year in Graduate School.

Incoming students should have taken courses equivalent to COMPSCI 121, 187, 220, 230, 250; MATH 131, 132, 235, and either MATH 233 or STATS 515.

We receive many inquiries from prospective students with little or no undergraduate preparation in computer science. In most cases, we recommend that such students enroll as non-degree students here or elsewhere to learn the undergraduate core of computer science. A year spent in this fashion allows students to discover whether they do indeed have the requisite skills and deep interest in computer science, and it provides us with the necessary data to determine whether they qualify for admission to the graduate program. We occasionally make exceptions to this rule but only if a student wishes to pursue interdisciplinary studies in computer science and has shown exceptional ability in a complementary discipline such as math, electrical engineering, physics, linguistics, neuroscience, or psychology.