How to Apply - Computer Science Bridge, MS | University of San Francisco

Application Instructions

The application process is entirely online. Please complete and/or upload all of the items listed below to your application account. There is no need to mail items to our office.

Bachelor's Degree

A bachelor's degree is required, preferably with previous quantitative coursework experience. The program accepts three-year bachelor's degrees from international applicants.

Applicants are required to have completed at least one college-level introduction to computer science course that introduces variables, control structures, structured data types, and functions.

Required Background
Introduction to Programming

Preferred Background
Data Structures
Calculus

Research and Work Experience

Demonstrating you are a strong student through extensive academic and research experience can make up for missing background. Make sure you include transcripts for all other degrees and courses completed in your application, and describe any research projects you worked on in your CS background essay.

We will also consider work experience related to software development when evaluating your background. Please include this experience on your resume or curriculum vitae, and describe the programming projects you worked on (with the languages and tools you used) in your essay.

Statement of Purpose

For the statement of purpose, please provide a background essay that describes your educational background, relevant research and work experience, and why you are interested in pursuing graduate education in computer science. This statement is used in conjunction with your other application items to evaluate your eligibility for admission and scholarship. Topics in your essay may include:

Software development projects in which you have been involved. Please describe the project, its purpose (commercial, academic, or just for fun), and your role and contributions
Research projects in which you have been involved. Please describe the project, whether it resulted in any publications, and your role and contributions
Significant skills and interests you have beyond computer science, especially those that demonstrate creativity and problem solving
Experience in communicating technical material in English, such as teaching or making presentations
Management or team leadership roles you have held
Experience in public or community service projects

If you had low scores in the past, include an argument and alternative evidence that you will be able to maintain a 3.0 GPA or above in the program.

The essay should be one to three pages single-spaced in 12 point font with one-inch margins. Essays that do not conform to these specifications will not be read.

Tests Requirements

For international applicants, an English Language exam score is required. For more information on accepted test formats and exceptions please visit the English Language Proficiency page. The GRE general test is optional.

USF school code for GRE and TOEFL is 4850.

Letters of Recommendation

A minimum of two recommendation letters are required for your application (four letters maximum). Follow the instructions in the online application to provide the contact information for your recommenders.

You may submit your application before your recommenders upload their letters.

Interview

Applicants may be invited for an interview via telephone or video-chat. Admission interviews should not be requested, as they will be determined by the admission committee.

International Applicants

Scholarship Eligibility

International students are eligible and automatically considered for all MSCS scholarships. See our Financing Your Education page for details.

Accelerated Path

The MSCS Bridge program can be completed in 2.5 years for qualified students. You can qualify by your interview performance, academic performance, and a character recommendation from faculty. You can indicate your interest in your application or if you have questions please email ComputerScience@usfca.edu.

Receiving a scholarship from USF does not influence the ability to obtain a visa. We encourage you to apply for a visa as soon as you receive your I-20. Students may need to try several times before successfully obtaining a visa, so we encourage students to try multiple times if necessary.

Work Eligibility

The majority of international students are able to work on-campus, and are eligible to work off-campus via the MSCS practicum option after one academic year.

Learn more on ISSS

Review Process

Start

Your application will not be reviewed until it is marked as completed. You must upload all required documents before submitting your application. Once you submit your application, it will be considered incomplete until we receive your letters of recommendation and your application materials are verified.

Review

When an application is marked as complete, it will be sent to the MSCS Admission Review Committee. The review process takes approximately three to six weeks after the application is completed. For fall admission, completed applications are reviewed starting in early January.

Some applicants may be invited for an interview via telephone or video-chat.

Applications are accepted and reviewed after the deadline until the program is full, and we maintain a wait list until mid-summer. Please note that international applicants should apply early so that there is ample time for the visa application process.

Notification

Applicants are notified by email when an admission decision has been made and posted to the applicant's online account.

Admitted Students

Deposit

If you are admitted, an admission deposit of $700 is required to reserve your space in the program. The deposit is applied toward your first-semester tuition.

The program has limited space. If you do not deposit by the deposit deadline, your space in the program is offered to someone on the waiting list.

Acceptance Letter

If accepted into the program, applicants will receive an acceptance letter via email and an admission package in the mail. Your admission packet will include information on the required deposit, registration, and orientation. If you are awarded a scholarship, details will be included in the acceptance letter.

Registration

Students register for courses online during orientation. Tuition payment is made immediately after registration. Visit our Student Enrollment Services Office for more information. You must pay for courses or sign up for a payment plan by the payment deadline. See the Billing and Tuition page for more information.

Orientation

All computer science graduate students must attend a one-day MSCS program orientation before classes begin. Details will be provided in your admission packet. All new students are also encouraged to go to the Graduate Student Welcome Reception for all graduate students. International students must attend the International Student Orientation as well.

Prerequisites

We do not have conditional admission at this time. Whether or not you have a formal CS background, you need to be prepared to take and pass the same set of core courses as everyone else if admitted.
No, applicants interested in switching programs must follow the same application procedure as everyone else. However, we will consider the courses you have already taken at another program in your application.
No, as a general rule we do not offer transfer credits for graduate courses. This is a university-wide policy.
Yes, you may still apply as long as you have an equivalent background to match the majority of the prerequisite courses required for admission. This may be through extensive work experience in software development, or by taking equivalent courses at other institutions (such as state universities or community colleges). We also consider extensive academic and research experience if you already have other graduate degrees.

Whether or not you have a formal CS background, you need to be prepared to take and pass the same set of core courses as everyone else if admitted.
It is feasible for students already in the United States to take some of our undergraduate CS courses as a visiting student. However, many of these courses have prerequisites and our undergraduate majors have registration priority. We cannot guarantee space in those courses, or admission into our program.
We will accept three-year bachelor's degrees from international applicants for admission review.
You may still apply if you have a bachelor's degree in an non-CS field, but need to demonstrate you have an equivalent background to match the majority of the prerequisite courses required for admission.
Yes, please include transcripts for all other degrees and courses completed in your application, and describe any research projects you worked on in your essay. Demonstrating you are a strong student through extensive academic and research experience can make up for missing background.
Yes, we consider work experience related to software development. Please include this experience on a resume or curriculum vitae, and describe the projects you worked on (with the languages and tools you used) in your essay.
While experience with those languages can help strengthen your application, they do not count as high-level or object-oriented programming languages for the required background.
We prefer to see transcripts from state-level universities or community colleges for the prerequisite courses required by our degree, but elective courses taken at places like Coursera, Udacity, or EdX will help strengthen your application.

Application Requirements

See our How to Apply page for more information.
There is no strict GPA (grade point average) requirement for admission to the graduate program. However, applicants with a GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a scale of 4.0) will have more competitive applications and a higher chance of receiving a scholarship.
Yes, you may still apply if you have a low GPA. Please address your GPA in your essay and provide an argument that, if admitted, you will be able to maintain the minimum 3.0 GPA necessary for our graduate program.
International applicants must provide a TOEFL or IELTS score. The USF school code for the TOEFL and the GRE is 4850. See below for more details. The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general exam is optional.
Yes. For details on the waiver policy for TOEFL or IELTS scores, please see the International Graduate Students page (look for the "Exception Policy" listed under "Test Scores"). Please contact the Office of Graduate Admission for the College of Arts and Sciences for questions.
The USF school code for the TOEFL and the GRE is 4850.
The USF school code for the TOEFL and the GRE is 4850.
The average TOEFL score of our Fall 2014 cohort is 86. The minimum required TOEFL score is 79.
No, you need at least two letters of recommendation. Applications missing this requirement will not be reviewed.
Yes, you can send in a recommendation letter from a supervisor (but not colleague). However, we recommend at least one recommendation letter be from a professor if possible.

Application Process

Applications are submitted online. Please see the Office of Graduate Admission for the College of Arts and Sciences How to Apply page for more information.
You can check the status of your application by logging into your online application account. You will also receive an email when an admission decision is posted.
Submitted and completed applications are reviewed by the MSCS Admission Committee, which is chaired by the graduate director. The entire application is considered during review, including transcripts, test scores, recommendation letters, and the essay. We typically begin reviewing applications in late December and early January. During that time, it usually takes between four to six weeks for an admission decision to be made.

Unsubmitted or incomplete applications remain in the Office of Graduate Programs, and are not reviewed until the application is submitted, all of the letters of recommendation are received, and the application is marked as complete.
We usually begin accepting applications for fall admission in September, but do not begin reviewing applications until much later. We do not admit students for the spring semester.
We typically begin reviewing applications in late December and early January.
The final application deadline is March 1st. We do not admit students for the spring semester.
Yes, we will consider applications until the program is full and maintain a waitlist until mid-summer. Please note that international applicants should apply early so that there is ample time for the visa application process.
No, only submitted and completed applications are reviewed for admission. Submitted but incomplete applications are not reviewed for admission. Please check your application status frequently, and please contact the Office of Graduate Admission for the College of Arts and Sciences for questions.
Please contact the Office of Graduate Admission for the College of Arts and Sciences with application questions.
Many, but not all applicants are invited to interview. Those invited to interview complete an online technical interview with a member of our faculty. The interview consists of questions drawn from our prerequisite subjects and also serves as a chance for applicants to ask questions about the program.

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