The application season has started again, and computer science is still a popular choice for students. Today, let’s have a deep understanding of the application status of computer majors in top universities in various countries~

Due to its promising job prospects and a large number of applicants, the competition in computer science and engineering applications in the United States has always been very fierce. So in the preparation of the application, it is recommended that students’ TOEF and GRE scores meet the requirements of the school and strive for high scores as much as possible.

Standardized grades

The minimum GPA required for official applications in computer science at foreign universities is generally 3.0. However, if you want to be more competitive in your application or to be admitted to a higher ranked and professional institution, it is recommended that your classmates have a GPA of 3.6+. GPA scores are a very important factor in science and engineering applications.

In terms of undergraduate professional background requirements, if the undergraduate major is computer science or related, such as information engineering, applying for computer science will be more advantageous.

In addition to accumulating and learning theoretical knowledge, students who want to apply for computer science majors should also have relevant internship and research experience, which is a great bonus.

Especially for some students who are positioned in non CS general directions and want to apply for a specific subdivision direction, such as computer vision, machine learning, etc., they also need to accumulate corresponding background for these subdivision directions, including school or individual research projects, company internships, academic exchange projects, international professional conferences, and so on.

Prerequisite course

The computer major can be said to be the easiest profession for international students to find employment in the United States, and it also attracts more and more students from other majors who want to switch to the computer major. Although this is difficult, it is not impossible.

Firstly, students majoring in science and engineering need to complete the preparation for the prerequisite courses before transitioning to another major. For computer science majors, there is no need to understand complex data structures

As long as you understand the basic knowledge of LIST, ARRAY, TREE, etc., and also learn some Object Oriented Programming, the basic introductory courses include data structure, computer composition principles, C++/Java, etc. Suggest going to the official websites of various universities to learn about the list of relevant textbooks, and the one that appears the most frequently is the one that is recommended.

On this basis, other relevant courses can be supplemented according to one’s own abilities and situation, such as

networks(Computer Networks by Andrew Tanenbaum)

operating systems(Operating Systems by Andrew Tanenbaum)

Attention:

1. Supplementary prerequisite courses can be supplemented through second degree, minor degree, American summer school, online courses, and other means. Commonly used websites: coursera, Edx, MOOC, Udacity, etc.
2. The courses and content in China are not entirely consistent with those abroad, and some may cover the following course content, such as advanced mathematics covering calculus and linear algebra, computer basics covering computer basics, data structures and algorithms using JAVA, etc. It is recommended that students consult the teacher for course selection suggestions before proceeding with course learning.

Recommended course resources for CS beginners:

·   An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python – Rice, Coursera

·   Introduction to Databases – Stanford, Stanford Online

·  Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python – MIT, edX

·  Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures (e.g., CS 2110) – Cornell

·   CS161 Design and Analysis of Algorithms-Stanford

·   Data Structures and Functional Programming (e.g., CS 3110) – Cornell

CS Advanced Courses

·   Machine Learning – Stanford, Coursera

·   Statistical Learning – Stanford, Stanford Online

·    Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science – MIT, edX

·    Functional Programming in Scala – EPFL, Coursera

·    Mining the Massive Datasets – Stanford, Coursera

·    Artificial Intelligence – UC Berkeley, edX

Stanford Specialization:

·    Artificial Intelligence

·    Biocomputation

·    Computer and Network Security

·    Database Systems

·    Human-Computer Interaction

·    Numerical Analysis/Scientific Computation

·    Real-World Computing

·    Software Theory

·    Systems

·    Theoretical Computer

·   Computer System Organization and Programming (e.g., CS 3410) – Cornell

·    Discrete Structures (e.g., CS 2800) – Cornell

·    Basic Calculus and Linear Algebra – Cornell

Scientific research and activities

On campus scientific research: It is recommended that students actively perform in class during their school years, strive to do scientific research with their supervisors, or participate in competitions at or above the school level. Professional competitions: College Student Data Modeling Competition (Domestic and American Competition), National College Student Mathematics Competition, ACM International College Student Programming Competition, China and Robotics Competition, National College Robot Competition, and other competitions.

Off campus scientific research: major research institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Microsoft Research Asia, well-known Internet companies such as Tencent AI Laboratory, Alibaba Dharma Institute, Baidu Deep Learning Institute, etc. are open to applications every year and can be followed at any time.

In the United States, the computer industry is a well-established high paying industry. According to statistics from the US Department of Labor, the average annual salary of Computer and Information Technology is $82860, and those with a master’s or doctoral degree can reach $111840, which is quite tempting.

The computer industry is also the primary profession recognized by the H-1B visa (Special Occupations/Temporary Worker Visas) in the United States.

The academic strength of computer science in American universities is also second to none, and many students who want to pursue graduate studies in computer science will give priority to choosing American universities.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Project:  MS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

Faculty：Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science

Duration：1.5 year（30 points）

Students can choose from one of the tracks below.

Computational Biology

Computer Security

Foundations of Computer Science

Machine Learning

Natural Language Processing

Network Systems

Software Systems

Vision, Graphics, Interaction, and Robotics

MS Personalized

MS Thesis

Application requirements:

Professional background requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related disciplines.

Prerequisite requirements: If the undergraduate degree is in a different field, it is necessary to complete at least four computer science courses, including basic and basic programming in the field, as well as two mathematics courses. For example, Introduction to Computer Science (coms w1004 or coms w1007), Advanced Programming (coms w3157), Data Structures and Algorithms (coms w3134 or w3137), or/and Discrete Mathematics (coms w3203)

GPA：3.5 or higher

TOEFL：minimum TOEFL, IELTS

• 99 or lower on the TOEFL internet-based test; or
• 6.5 or lower on the IELTS

GRE：Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test Scores* Optional for Spring and Fall 2022 applications

Class profile：

Enrollment: About 200 students, with 40 to 60 Chinese students. Most of them have switched majors, accounting for about 60%. Many students have work experience, ranging from six months to five years.

Domestic students come from Tsinghua University, Beihang University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Huake University, Nanjing University, and many from overseas. The majority of students who switch majors include those with high relevance to communication, machinery, and EE, as well as those who switch majors in mathematics and chemistry to CS.

笔记

Carnegie Mellon University

The computer science program at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a unique presence, and CMU’s computer science (CS) program is truly famous, recognized as one of the most valuable programs in the United States.

CMU has a large School of Computer Science, covering seven major fields, including software research, machine learning, and human-computer interaction.

Computational Biology Department 

• Master of Science in Automated Science: Biological Experimentation
• Master of Science in Computational Biology

Computer Science Department 

• Fifth Year Master’s in Computer Science
• Master of Science in Computer Science
• Human-Computer Interaction Institute

Accelerated Master of Human-Computer Interaction

• Master of Educational Technology and Applied Learning Science
• Master of Human-Computer Interaction
• Master of Science in Product Management

Institute for Software Research

• Master of Science in Information Technology – Privacy Engineering 
• Master of Software Engineering 
• Master of Software Engineering – Embedded Systems
• Master of Software Engineering – Scalable Systems
• Master of Software Engineering Online

Language Technologies Institute

• Master of Computational Data Science
• Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Innovation
• Master of Science in Intelligent Information Systems
• Master of Science in Language Technologies

Machine Learning Department 

• Fifth Year Master’s in Machine Learning
• Master of Science in Machine Learning

Robotics Institute 

• Master of Science in Computer Vision
• Master of Science in Robotics
• Master’s in Robotic Systems Development

Project:  MS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

Faculty：Computer Science Department

Duration：Three semesters

Application requirements:

Professional background requirements: A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science is not required, but it is necessary to meet the technical requirements of the field

TOEFL： iBT score of at least 100；A TOEFL score of 100 is equivalent to an IELTS score of 7.

GRE：Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are highly recommended. If you cannot provide them, please briefly explain in your application. GRE scores are waived for applicants who have graduated from, or are enrolled at, Carnegie Mellon University.

Computers in the UK can be subdivided into several majors, such as computer science, information management and systems, data science, artificial intelligence, and network security.

Computer Science: This major is relatively basic, and many computer majors in the UK accept cross disciplinary applications from students who do not have a clear direction during their undergraduate studies. It is more suitable for students who do not have a clear direction to choose from.

Software engineering: It is generally divided into software design, programming language, and software testing. The admission quota is relatively large, and the difficulty is relatively good. Moreover, the market demand is large, and employment is not a problem.

笔记

Artificial Intelligence: This major is relatively comprehensive and covers many small areas of computer science, such as machine learning systems, computer language, image processing, human-computer interaction, robotics, and so on. The requirements for applicants’ computer science background are relatively high, and the recent popularity is high, and the competition is quite fierce.

Big data: The requirements for programming are not high, but work experience is important. It is difficult for students who have just graduated as a database management engineer without work experience to be competent. In terms of learning content, everything from theoretical relational databases, cloud databases, to SQL is within the scope of learning.

 University of Oxford

Oxford University ranks second in this year’s QS World University Rankings and places great importance on applicants’ academic performance, ability to handle mathematical symbols, programming skills, and interview procedures. Cross disciplinary applications are not recommended.

Project Name: MSc in Advanced Computer Science

Department: Computer Science

Project duration: 1 year

Curriculum:

Advanced Security  

Advanced Topics in Machine Learning  

Quantum Computer Science 

Categories, Proofs and Processes 

Computational Complexity 

Database Systems Implementation 

Computational Learning Theory

Probabilistic Model Checking 

Application requirements：

GPA：minimum GPA sought is 3.7 out of 4.0.

Language：IELTS Academic  7.5 ；TOEFL iBT, including the Home Edition 110 

GRE General Test scores：

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

Imperial College London 

Imperial College of Technology also has very strict requirements for admitting students. In addition to an excellent academic background, the school also places great emphasis on applicants’ independent learning and research abilities, and prefers applicants who hope to strengthen computer technology or become professionals in the IT industry.

The computer program at Imperial College of Technology is not limited to the applicant’s professional background. Since there is no limit to the professional background, it must reflect why you want to study computer science in the graduate stage, how your past experience meets the requirements, whether you have programming experience, and what your career plan is after obtaining your degree. These are all very important.

Project:  MSc Computing (Software Engineering)

Faculty：Department of Computing

Duration：1 year

Application requirements：

GPA：Our minimum requirement is a first-class degree in a subject with a substantial computing component.

Language：7.0 overall (minimum 6.5 in all elements)；100 overall (minimum 22 in all elements)

There are six universities in Hong Kong with computer related majors, namely the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Hong Kong Baptist University.

University of Hong Kong

The Department of Computer Science at HKU is one of the largest computer science departments in the world, with professors holding doctoral degrees. Focusing on research and development in computer theory, computer networks and systems, artificial intelligence, database systems, and computer vision and graphics.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The computer science department of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has an advantage over China in terms of professor resources and book resources. The professors are very dedicated and the course content is very valuable.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

The official says that computer science is the best program in Hong Kong.

City University of Hong Kong

City University has won numerous international awards in various fields such as science and engineering, and the School of Science and Engineering is not only the largest institution on campus, but also consistently ranks among the top in research paper quality in Hong Kong.

University of Hong Kong (HKU)

Master of Science in Computer Science

Four Specialties：

General Stream

Cyber Security Stream

Financial Computing Stream

Multimedia Computing Stream

Duration: 1-2 years

Tuition fee: approximately HKD 150000 per academic year

Application requirements: relevant professional background; IELTS 6.5 (minimum score of 5.5) or TOEFL 90.

Master of Science in Electronic Commerce & Internet Computing

Duration: 1-2 years

Tuition fee: 13000/6 credits (72 credits required)

Application requirements: relevant professional background; IELTS 6.5 (minimum score of 5.5) or TOEFL 90.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Master of Science in Big Data Technology

Duration: 1 year

Tuition fee: HKD 210000

Application requirements: Professional background in computer and mathematics related fields; IELTS 6.5 (each item not less than 5.5) or TOEFL 80

Master of Science in Information Technology

Duration: 1 year

Tuition fee: HK $155000

Application requirements: relevant professional background; IELTS 6.5 (no less than 5.5 for each item), TOEFL 80.

The application season is approaching. If you have any questions about your application, please feel free to come and inquire. We have been working on it all along~