Frequently Asked Questions

1. Must I take the GRE to be admitted?
2. These are my GPA and test scores. Will I be admitted?
3. My sponsoring agency requires a letter of conditional admission. Can you give me conditional admission?
4. What is the application deadline?
5. How much is tuition?
6. Do you admit students who have a 3-year degree from an Indian college?
7. What is the English language requirement for admission?
8. Can I get financial aid?
9. What must I do to register?
10. Who is my advisor?
11. I took a course at another institution. How do I transfer it and apply it to my Stevens degree?
12. How can I get CPT (Curricular Practical Training)?
13. Is there a limit on the number of WebCampus courses I may take?
14. How can I maintain full time status in my final semester?
15. Does Developmental English count towards my MS degree?
16. Do "foundation courses" (CS550, CS570, CS590, MA502) count towards my MS degree?
17. I'm being prevented from registering for a course because I haven't taken the required prerequisite course at Stevens. However, I've taken an equivalent prerequisite course at my undergraduate institution. Can I register for the course?
18. What will cause me to be placed on probation? If I am placed on probation, what must I do?
19. Can I substitute a different course for one required for a certificate?

1. Must I take the GRE to be admitted?

For admission to any of the department's MS programs, the GRE general exam is recommended but not required. If you submit a score, it must be no more than five years old.

2. These are my GPA and test scores.  Will I be admitted?

The admissions committee considers each application individually and in its entirety.  There are no minimum test scores or GPA level, and there are no scores or GPA that guarantee acceptance.  To find out if you will be admitted, you must apply.  You can apply here.

3. My sponsoring agency requires a letter of conditional admission. Can you give me conditional admission?

Stevens does not provide conditional admission.

4. What is the application deadline?

Stevens uses "rolling admissions," meaning that applications are always being reviewed. There is no specific deadline. As a practical matter, allow at least one month for review of your application after it is made complete. International students must also allow additional time following the review period to obtain a visa.

5. How much is tuition?

The Computer Science department web site provides only academic information about computer science programs. To learn about tuition levels or any other general university matter, please visit http://www.stevens.edu and use the search feature. Graduate tuition and fees are shown at http://www.stevens.edu/sit/graduate/tuition

6. Do you admit students who have a 3-year degree from an Indian college?

No.

7. What is the English language requirement for admission?

International students must demonstrate their proficiency in English by scoring at least 550 on the TOEFL paper test, 210 on the TOEFL computer-based test, 80 on the Internet-based test, or 6.0 on the IELTS test. The score must be no more than two years old. Persons holding an H-1 visa need not submit language scores. Persons holding an H-4 visa must submit language scores.

8. Can I get financial aid?

There are two forms of financial aid available to MS students: teaching assistantships and research assistantships.  Assistantships are offered only to full time students.

It is rare for an MS student to be hired as a research assistant, but it does happen.  In order to qualify, you must stand out as an outstanding student in some course and have that course's professor approach you about joining his/her research group.

A teaching assistantship is more attainable.  Teaching assistantships are given only to full time students who have been on campus at least one semester.   To qualify as a teaching assistant, you must have strong command of the material of the course you are assisting, and you must be fluent in English, articulate, and able to relate well to students.

9. What must I do to register?

Meet with your advisor prior to the semester, preferably at the departmental advising meeting held a few days before registration starts, fill out your study plan in consultation with your advisor, then register via Web For Students.

10. Who is my advisor?

The advisor for the Engineer degree is Prof. Wetzel.

The advisor for the MS degrees in Service Oriented Computing and Enterprise and Cloud Computing is Prof. Duggan.

The advisor for the MS degrees in Multimedia Experience and Management and Game Design and Simulation Programming is Prof. Kamberov.

The advisor for the MS degrees in Cybersecurity and Enterprise Security & Risk Management is Prof. Nicolosi.

For the MS degree in Computer Science, your advisor is determined by the last three digits of your student ID. For students who entered the program before Fall 2012, the advisors are:

• 000-333 Prof. Mordohai
• 334-666 Prof. Klappholz
• 667-999 Prof. Nicolosi

For students who entered the program in Fall 2012 or later, the advisors are:

• 000-249 Prof. Mordohai
• 250-499 Prof. Klappholz
• 500-749 Prof. Nicolosi
• 750-999 Prof. Hua

To learn your student ID if you do not know it:

1. Login at mystevens.stevens.edu
2. Click on "Show my CWID"

Prof. Naumann is the director of the MS Computer Science program. While he is not an advisor, he oversees the general health of the program. Please contact him with any non-advising issue about that program.

11. I took a course at another institution.  How do I transfer it and apply it to my Stevens degree?

The course may or may not be accepted toward your Stevens degree. Contact your advisor.  He/she will direct you to the faculty member who teaches the Stevens course that most closely resembles the course you took. Fill out this form and submit all possible documentation about that course (texbook, syllabus, assignments, exams, etc.) for that professor's consideration.  He/she will determine if the course is equivalent to a Stevens course.  If it is, you can apply the course toward your degree.  A maximum of 3 outside courses can be applied toward a Masters degree; a maximum of 1 outside course can be applied toward a graduate certificate.

12. How can I get CPT (curricular practical training)?

The Computer Science department offers two ways for a student to participate in CPT: cooperative education and our dedicated CPT course, CS 703.

Students who are admitted to the coop program will have the opportunity to interview with employers who have been invited to advertise their open positions to Stevens students. The interview may or may not result in a job offer. A coop position is a full time one-semester paid position at the sponsoring company. Despite working full time, the student's status as a full time student is preserved.

The second path to CPT is CS 703, a graded one-credit course. Enrollment in this course permits a student to have an off campus job provided that the job activity supports the student's educational program. Students enrolled in this course must submit several written reports and one oral report for grading.

The advantage of CPT via co-op is that the student need not seek a job him/herself; the disadvantage is that there are eligibility requirements (such as GPA and courses taken) that the student may not meet. The advantage of CPT via CS 703 is that there are no GPA/background requirements; the disadvantage is that the student must locate his/her own job.

13. Is there a limit on the number of WebCampus courses I may take?

There is no limit on the number of WebCampus courses that a US student may take.

International students are required to take at least 6 credits of classroom courses per semester. Since most graduate courses are 3 credits, an international student registered for 9 credits may take at most one WebCampus course that semester; an international student registered for 12 credits may take at most two WebCampus courses that semester.

There is no limit on the total number of WebCampus courses that may be applied to an international student's degree, only a per-semester limit implied by the 6-credit rule.

14. How can I maintain full time status in my final semester?

Full time status for an international student is defined to be 9 credits, with the exception of the final semester.  For example, if you have taken 9 credits in each of your first three semesters then it is acceptable to take only 3 credits in your final semester.

15. Does Developmental English count toward my MS degree?

Developmental English courses (those with ELC numbers) do not count toward your MS degree. However, in your first semester (only) the course credits do count toward the 9 credits required to achieve a full time course load. If you take English courses in later semesters you must submit a reduced load form.

16. Do "foundation courses" (CS 550, CS 570, CS 590, MA 502) count toward my MS degree?

Yes.

17. I'm being prevented from registering for a course because I haven't taken the required prerequisite course at Stevens.  However, I've taken an equivalent prerequisite course at my undergraduate institution.  Can I register for the course?

Yes, provided that the course you have taken is equivalent to the Stevens prerequisite course.  Discuss your situation with the instructor of the course you wish to take.  You may be asked to document your undergraduate course as described in point 11 above.

18. What will cause me to placed on probation?  If I am placed on probation what must I do?

You must maintain a 3.0 GPA and not receive any F, otherwise you will be placed on probation.  If you are placed on probation you must meet with your advisor and develop a "remediation plan," which is a set of courses to pass, with a sufficient GPA, in the upcoming semester.  If you do not raise your GPA to or above 3.0 in the next semester, you may face dismissal.

19. Can I substitute a different course for one required for a certificate?

Your advisor may allow substitution of another course, given sufficient documentation that the courses are very close in content. Otherwise not.

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