Master's Admissions

Overview

The MS program is excellent preparation for a career as a computer professional, or for future entry into a PhD program at Stanford or elsewhere. Individual programs can be structured to consist entirely of coursework or to involve some research. Students more interested in research, may pursue a "MS degree with distinction in research". See the "Research or Project Requirement" section of the Stanford Bulletin for more information.

Entering the MS program is by no means a guaranteed path to a PhD at Stanford. Admission into the PhD program for current MS students is far from assured. However, students admitted into the MS program may gain experience to demonstrate academic potential at Stanford, and perhaps to align with a faculty member in research.

Eligibility

To be eligible for admission in a Stanford graduate program, applicants must meet:

• Degree level. Applicants must hold, or expect to hold before enrollment at Stanford, a Bachelor's degree from a U.S. college or University accredited by a regional accrediting association.
  • Applicants from institutions outside of the United States must hold the equivalent of a United States Bachelor's degree from a college or University of recognized good standing. See detailed information by region on Stanford graduate admissions website. 
• Area of undergraduate study. While we do not require a specific undergraduate coursework, it is important that applicants have strong quantitative and analytical skills; a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science is not required.
  • We advise prospective applicants to review the CS Foundation requirements and Stanford ExploreCourses to evaluate prerequisites for graduate-level courses in Computer Science.

Any questions about the admissions eligibility should be directed to admissions@cs.stanford.edu.