SLU's Gateway programs support students from any undergraduate major who wish to prepare and advance to a cutting-edge Master’s program in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or Software Engineering. Students admitted to a gateway program complete preparatory coursework in computer science and mathematics, and with grades of B or higher in those courses they automatically advance into their chosen MS program.
Students may complete the preparatory coursework either in accelerated fashion as a full-time student, or as a part-time student over a longer period of time. Students may apply for Federal Direct loans for up to 12 months while in this formal graduate preparatory program (as per 34 CFR §685.200).
Careers
Careers related to computer science are routinely found on various "best jobs" lists because of their wonderful combination of excellent pay, satisfying work-life balance, and personal reward in seeing the great impact that computing can have throughout society. As a sample of such listings:
- U.S. News 100 Best Jobs list for 2020 named Software Developer as No. 1. The top 100 also included IT Manager (No. 12), Web Developer (No. 23), Database Administrator (No. 30), Information Security Analyst (No. 38), Computer Systems Analyst (No. 53), Computer Network Architect (No. 60), Computer Systems Administrator (No. 63).
- Glassdoor's 50 Best Jobs in America list for 2020 named Front-end Engineer as No. 1, Java Developer (No. 2), Data Scientist (No. 3), DevOps Engineer (No. 5), Data Engineer (No. 6), Software Engineer (No. 7) and Mobile Developer (No. 8). Also included in the top 50 were Applications Engineer (No. 18), Systems Engineer (No. 27), Scrum Master (No. 29), Software Developer (No. 32), Cloud Engineer (No. 33), UX Designer (No. 38), QA Engineer (No. 39) and Network Engineer (No. 49).
- Indeed.com's Best Jobs of 2020 named Software Architect as No. 1 and Full Stack Developer as No. 2. Also included in the top 25 were Java Developer (No. 7), Data Scientists (No. 8), IT Security Specialist (No. 9), Data Engineer (No. 12) and Cloud Engineer (No. 20).
Admission Requirements
Successful applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, typically with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale and evidence of strong analytical and quantitative skills. Required materials include:
- Completed application
- Transcript(s) from previous educational institution(s)
- Personal statement that explains relevance of MS program to career goals
- Résumé
- Letters of recommendation are optional
- GRE general scores are optional
Prepatory Coursework
The preparatory coursework depends upon which MS program the student wishes to complete, as detailed below. Students with previous transfer credit or professional experience may be admitted with appropriate waivers for some courses. Grade of B or higher is required in all gateway courses in order to successfully advance to the MS level.
MS in Software Engineering:
- CSCI 5001: Object-Oriented Programming
- CSCI 5002: Data Structures
- CSCI 5003: Object-Oriented Design
- MATH 1660: Discrete Mathematics
MS in Artificial Intelligence:
- CSCI 5001: Object-Oriented Programming
- CSCI 5002: Data Structures
- MATH 1660: Discrete Mathematics
- MATH 1320: Differential and Integral Calculus
- STAT 3850: Foundations of Statistics
MS in Computer Science:
- CSCI 5001: Object-Oriented Programming
- CSCI 5002: Data Structures
- CSCI 5003: Object-Oriented Design
- CSCI 5004: Introduction to Algorithms
- CSCI 5005: Introduction to Operating Systems
- MATH 1660: Discrete Mathematics
- MATH 1320: Differential and Integral Calculus
- STAT 3850: Foundations of Statistics
More Information
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