Master’s Program Comparison
ICS offers two kinds of master’s programs, as outlined in the table below: Research-oriented M.S. and Professional Master’s.
| MSCS | NetSys | MSWE | Informatics | Stats | MCS | MDS | MECPS | MSWE | MHCID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Master of Science in Computer Science | Master of Science in Networked Systems | Master of Science in Software Engineering | Master of Science in Informatics | Master of Science in Statistics | Master of Computer Science | Master of Data Science | Master of Embedded and Cyber-physical Systems | Master of Software Engineering | Master of Human-Computer Interaction and Design |
| Classification | Master of Science | Professional Master | ||||||||
| Focus | Research | Professional Career | ||||||||
| Target population | Graduates of Computer Science and/or Engineering | Graduates of Computer Science and/or Engineering | Graduates of Computer Science and/or Engineering | All graduates | Graduates with background in statistics, mathematics, or computing | Graduates with experience in programming, discrete mathematics, linear algebra and statistics | Graduates with experience in programming, mathematics, linear algebra and statistics | Graduates of Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering | Graduates with programming experience | All graduates |
| Target careers | Research & Advanced Development, and Academic Careers | Computer Scientists, Software Engineers | Data Scientist | Embedded Systems Engineers | Software Engineers | UX and Product Designers | ||||
| Attendance | On campus | On campus | On Campus | On campus | On campus | Online (Mostly) | ||||
| Units / Courses | Minimum 47 / 14 | Minimum 44 / 11 | Minimum 48 / 12 | Minimum 56 / 14 | Minimum 49.5 / 12 | 50 / 13 | 48 / 11 | 48 / 11 | 49.3 / 17 | 36 / 9 |
| Time to degree | 5-6 quarters (normative time 2 years) | 5 quarters | 5 quarters | 5 quarters | 5 quarters | 4 quarters | ||||
| Tuition | 2023-2024 Tuition and Fees (reg.uci.edu/fees/2023-2024) | 2023-2024 Tuition and Fees (reg.uci.edu/fees/2023-2024) |
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| Health insurance | GSHIP (bit.ly/uci-ship) is required and part of all tuitions/fees, unless you're approved for a waiver. | GSHIP (bit.ly/uci-ship) is required and part of all tuitions/fees, unless you're approved for a waiver. | Not required | |||||||
| Part-time allowed? | Yes, Domestic students only | No | Yes for domestic students | No | Yes, mandatory for domestic students working full-time | No | ||||
| Financial aid | Domestic students only: Federal and private loans | Limited, domestic students only | Limited | Limited, domestic students only | Limited | Limited | ||||
| TA/RA | Possible | Possible | ||||||||
| Schedule | Day | Evening (Mostly) | Evening (Mostly) | Day | Late afternoon | n/a | ||||
| Exit | Thesis or exam | Thesis or exam | Thesis | Thesis or exam | Thesis or exam | Capstone project | ||||
| GRE required? | 2023-2024 GRE Requirements (https://apply.grad.uci.edu/portal/admin_gre-test) | 2023-2024 GRE Requirements (https://apply.grad.uci.edu/portal/admin_gre-test) |
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| TOEFL / IELTS required? | Yes, international students only | Yes, international students only | ||||||||
| Career development | UCI Division of Career Pathways | Dedicated career development team | Dedicated career development team | Career counselor | Dedicated career development team | Mentors from industry | ||||
| Contact | Prof. Gene Tsudik | Prof. Ender Ayanoglu | Prof. Crista Lopes | Prof. Melissa Mazmanian | Prof. Yaming Yu | Jessica Shanahan, Program Director | Bryan Munoz, Program Director | Halle Gonzales, Program Coordinator | Connie Cheng, Program Director | Prof. Anne Marie Piper, Faculty Director |