Computer Science

Penn State is a leader in higher education and carries out its mission of teaching, research, and service with pride and focus on the future.

Our leadership in administration, faculty, and staff make our mission come alive every day. The Board of Trustees reviews and approves the budget of the University and guides general goals, policies, and procedures from a big-picture perspective. The President’s office ensures that all aspects of the University are running smoothly and promotes overall principles that students, faculty, and staff abide by for the long term. The University Faculty Senate represents the Penn State faculty with legislative authority on all matters regarding the University's educational interests.

As Pennsylvania's only land-grant university, Penn State has a broad mission of teaching, research, and public service. But that mission was not so grandly conceived in 1855, when the Commonwealth chartered it as one of the nation's first colleges of agricultural science, with a goal to apply scientific principles to farming.

Courses:

• Theory of Computation

• Design and Analysis of Algorithms

• Advanced Operating Systems

• Formal Methods for Software Engineering

• Advanced Programming Languages

• Computer Security

• Advanced Topics in Database Management Systems

• Artificial Intelligence

• Evolutionary Computation

In addition to the general Graduate School requirements, applicants must present a baccalaureate degree in Computer Science or a related field from a regionally accredited institution. A minimum GPA of 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) is required. While a bachelor's degree in Computer Science is not required, admission without deficiency requires that an applicant has completed courses in analysis of algorithms, operating systems, database, and linear algebra. If these courses are not taken before admission to the program, they may be taken at Penn State Harrisburg, but the student will receive at most 3 credits toward the MS degree for these courses.At the discretion of the program, applicants may be required to provide scores from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and/or the GRE subject test in computer science. In addition, applicants must provide three letters of reference, at least one of which is from an academic source, and a letter outlining significant work experience and academic and career objectives. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 TOEFL paper-based test score : 550 TOEFL iBT® test: 80

Accreditation

Penn State is ranked at No. 46 for 2014 in the Center for World University Rankings, up from No. 50 in 2013. The list includes national and international schools. Criteria for the rankings are: quality of faculty, publications in top journals, highly influential research, citations, patents, academic training of students, and professional future of alumni.