Joint B.S. & M.S. Program

Overview

This program allows Wake Forest University undergraduates pursuing a B.S. degree in Computer Science to also complete a M.S. graduate degree in Computer Science with one additional year of study. It is ideal for students aiming for an industry-focused career, offering a blend of graduate coursework and professional internship experience.

Students will start graduate-level CS courses in senior year, complete an approved internship the following summer, and finish the remaining graduate coursework in the subsequent academic year.

Application Requirements:

Eligibility: You must be a Wake Forest University undergraduate pursuing a BS in Computer Science.

Application Deadline: Apply by the spring semester of your junior year.

Coursework: Before applying, you need to have completed 18 hours in your major, including CSC 251 (Computer Systems), CSC 201 (Data Structures and Algorithms), and one of these linear algebra courses: MST/MTH 121 or 205.

GPA: Maintain a 3.25 GPA or higher in both your major and overall coursework at the time of application and undergraduate graduation.

Credit Hours: Demonstrate the ability to complete at least 129 credit hours by the end of your senior year (120 for your BS and 9 separate graduate hours).

Recommendations: Submit three letters of recommendation through the Graduate School; two must be from Wake Forest CS faculty.

GRE: The GRE is not required.

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Program Requirements

This program allows you to earn both a Bachelor of Science (BS) and a Master of Science (MS) in Computer Science. To qualify, you need to meet the standard BS degree requirements, including at least 120 credit hours and an overall GPA of 3.25 or higher.

On top of your undergraduate work, you’ll complete 33 credit hours of graduate-level coursework:

Graduate Coursework Breakdown:

• Core Courses (9 hours): All students must take CSC 631 (Software Engineering), CSC 641 (Operating Systems), and CSC 721 (Theory of Algorithms) which will account for 9 of the 33 hours listed below.
• During Senior Year (9 hours): You’ll take at least 9 hours of graduate computer science courses that don’t count towards your undergraduate degree.
• Summer Internship (6 hours): After you finish your bachelor’s degree, you’ll complete 6 hours of approved computer science graduate internship coursework during the summer.
• Following Academic Year (18 hours): The remaining 18 hours will be completed during the next academic year. These must be selected from graduate computer science courses, with at least 6 of these hours from 700-level courses.

You cannot use CSC 791 (Research I), 792 (Research II), or 795 (Project) to fulfill the requirements for this program.