Application to the School of Computing’s Computer Science Master of Applied Computing program requires official GRE scores for both US and international applicants. This requirement cannot be waived.
Additionally, students applying to the Computer Science Master of Applied Computing should know that School of Computing funding is reserved for PhD study. Because of this, applicants admitted to the Computer Science Master of Applied Computing should expect to pay full tuition. For a database of external funding opportunities, click here.
The Master of Applied Computing (MAC) program is designed for students without a computer science background who wish to obtain that background as well as a sequence of graduate-level courses in a specific interest area and combine those studies into a single degree. We intend for this program to expand access to graduate degrees in computing and to allow students to be classified as degree-seeking and qualify to receive financial aid and/or employer tuition benefits throughout the entire program.
The MAC program combines the 12 credit hours of computer science background of our MSCS Ready program with 30 credit hours of advanced coursework for a total program requirement of 42 credit hours. The MAC program is coursework only. MAC students who later become interested in thesis research should talk with the MAC Program Coordinator about a change of degree program into the M.S. in Computer Science.
The program is designed for entry in a Fall semester, and completion as a full-time student will normally require two academic years and the intervening summer. Part-time students should plan to complete the degree within six calendar years.
Students with a baccalaureate degree in any field may apply. However, students who want to follow the Visual Computing track should have a good background in mathematics including linear algebra. Students who want to follow the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning track or the Data Science track should have a course in statistics in their background or take the STAT 8010 course at Clemson in their first semester. Questions related to application and selection can be sent to mscs@clemson.edu.
Students must pick one of six tracks within the degree. Each track is 15 credit hours, and individual track requirements are given below. Students who are interested in more flexibility in course selection should talk with the MAC Program Coordinator about a change of degree program into the M.S. in Computer Science.
For the course description of each course, please see the "Courses of Instruction" tab in the current Clemson graduate catalog. For syllabi, please see the university's syllabus repository.
Credit hours:
Courses outside the School of Computing: Courses offered by other departments must be preapproved by the MAC Program Coordinator to be applied to the MAC degree. The courses appearing in the lists above are already preapproved. Please note that courses offered by other departments may have field of study restrictions and/or prerequisites that individual instructors may not wish to override. Therefore, we cannot guarantee enrollment in the courses offered by other departments to our MAC students. Please note that each track can be fulfilled by taking CPSC and HCC courses only.
Transfer Credits: Students may include up to 9 credits of approved computing courses transferred from another university. Transfer courses will be listed as CPSC 6999 or 8999 on the GS2.
Course Exclusions: Of the 42 credits of approved courses required for graduation, students may not include credits for CPSC 6890, 74xx, 8880, 8910 95x0, 9810, 9910; DPA 6000-6030, 6810-6830, 8600, 8800, 8910; or, HCC 8880, 9500, 9910. Additionally, only six credits of CPSC 6820 or CPSC/DPA/HCC 8810 can be included.
Each student must submit three course-related artifacts and accompanying self-reflection prior to your advisory committee being approved. Please see the MAC Assessment page for details
For advising, please make an appointment with Prof Carrie Russell here - Book time with Carrie L Russell