BS/MS Five Year Program

Currently the department supports two BS/MS programs. These programs allows a student to earn a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science and a Master of Science (M.S.) in either Computer Science or Software Engineering, in just five years. The programs are open to current undergraduate Computer Science majors, who typically apply to participate in the second semester of their sophomore year.

Participants earn the B.S. degree in the typical four-year time frame and graduate with their class. They then continue their studies in the fifth year to complete the M.S. degree. Normally, earning both a B.S degree and an M.S. degree would take six years of full-time study. The time savings is achieved by applying select graduate courses to both degrees. Students are typically allowed to apply three such graduate courses towards the undergraduate degree. Details on each program are provided below.

These programs have financial benefits as well. For the two or three graduate courses taken during the initial four-year period, the standard undergraduate tuition applies. Students entering the program will receive remission for the final six credits. Furthermore, students are also eligible to apply in their senior year for full competitive graduate assistantships for their fifth year.

To be eligible for these programs, students must have strong academic credentials: a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 and a GPA of at least 3.5 in the major. The GRE exam is waived.

To apply for a program:

• prepare a one-page statement noting which of the two 5-year programs you are applying for and explaining your career objectives as they relate to this program
• arrange for at least two academic letters of recommendation: no special form required

Have your references send or email their recommendation letters to:

Dr. Frank Klassner or Dr. Giorgi Japaridze
Department of Computing Sciences
Villanova University
800 Lancaster Avenue
Villanova, PA 19085-1699

BSCS/MSCS Five Year Program

This program allows a student to earn a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Computer Science in five years. Students in this program must satisfy all requirements of the Computer Science major, except that they:

Participants can also use a third graduate course to fulfill an elective for both degrees. Any approved elective for the M.S. degree can be used for this purpose. These substitutions give the student a head start on satisfying the remaining M.S. Computer Science degree requirement.

BSCS/MSSE Five Year Program

This program allows a student to earn a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Software Engineering in five years. Students in this program must satisfy all requirements of the Computer Science major, including CSC 4700 (undergraduate Software Engineering), except that they:

Participants can also use a third graduate course to fulfill a requirement for both degrees. The following substitutions are permitted:

These substitutions give the student a head start on satisfying the remaining M.S. Software Engineering degree requirements.

BIS/MS Integrated Program

Part time students who are working on a BIS (Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies) in Information Systems can extend their studies to earn a Masters in Software Engineering.

BIS with a MS in Software Engineering