MS | Degree Requirements
Overview
The central requirement for the MS CS degree is completion of at least 45 units that represent an approved academic plan. The concrete representation of that academic plan is your program sheet, which lists the courses you intend to use to satisfy the 45-unit requirement. MS CS students have 3 years or 9 non-summer quarters to complete degree requirements, which begin when the student’s MS CS plan is active.
Enrollment: Master's students are required to enroll in at least 8 units per (Autumn, Winter, and Spring) quarter.
The following exceptions apply:
- Summer enrollment is optional, and during the summer, you can enroll in 0-10 units.
- HCP students can enroll in as few as 3 units in Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters.
- The last quarter before graduation, a student can enroll in as few as 3 units by submitting a Request for Graduate Part-Time Enrollment eForm.
Leave of Absence: The MS CS program allows students to take a Leave of Absence, for any reason, for up to one year. This translates to three non-summer quarters. The one-year maximum leave for the MS CS program is counted starting when students have an active MS CS plan. The one-year limit is cumulative; if you take a leave for one quarter, for example, then you have two quarters of leave available to you. If students request leave, this time away counts toward the 3 years to complete the MS CS degree. A leave of absence does not stop the clock for the time given to complete the MS CS degree requirements. If you are not ready to return to Stanford after your Leave of Absence is exhausted, you should discontinue your program. When you are ready to return, you can apply for reinstatement into the MSCS program. The CS department is not obligated to accept you back into the program. But as long as you left Stanford in good academic standing, we want to see you come back. Please visit the Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures (5.4.1 Program Discontinuation and Reinstatement: Policy) to learn about the process for withdrawing from the program and applying for reinstatement.
Note: CS Master's students must complete 45 units at Stanford. Units cannot be transferred from a different institution. Coterm students must complete 45 units that are unique to their MS program.
Ready to apply to graduate (i.e., to confer your degree) in CS? Please see our CS Conferral Checklist for step-by-step instructions on what needs to be completed to graduate/confer your degree!
Graduating CS-Coterms: If you are conferring both a BS and CSMS degree, please make sure you have completed the relevant steps for your UG and MS degree conferral processes. Additionally, please ensure all courses are listed on the correct degree transcript. If courses need to be transferred, complete the CS Course Transfer Process before the Late Application to Graduate deadline.
Important Note: Once you’ve conferred your undergraduate degree, you’ll no longer be able to move courses to your graduate program. Students can move courses up until the Late Application to Graduate deadline for the quarter they're in, but not after that.
Overall Requirement
Foundations Requirement
Significant Software Implementation (SSI) Requirement
Breadth Requirement
Depth Requirement
Elective Requirement