Computer Science
MS Application Process

  How to apply
  Regular versus provisional status
  PDR status

How to apply

Admission as a graduate student at BSU has two components: admission to the Graduate College and admission to a particular program. To apply for admission to the Graduate College, complete the following steps:

• Submit the Boise State University Graduate Admission Application, along with a $55 application fee, to the Graduate Admissions Office. The application form is contained in the BSU Graduate Catalog, which may be obtained by contacting the Graduate Admissions Office at (208) 426-3903, or 1-800-824-7017 or by email at gradcoll@boisestate.edu, or for international students, interntl@boisestate.edu. 
• An on-line admission form is located at http://www.boisestate.edu/gradcoll/0001.html.  
• Arrange for official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended to be sent directly to the Graduate Admissions Office.

To apply for admission to the graduate program in Computer Science, you will also need to complete the following additional steps. Note that it is not necessary to complete the full admission process for the program before starting to take graduate computer science courses.

• Take the GRE General test and arrange for the scores to be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office. If you have an undergraduate degree in computer science or computer engineering, the Computer Science Subject Exam is optional. If you do not, the exam is required. A good score on the subject exam would help the committee in giving a regular status to someone who may not have a undergraduate degree in computer science.
• Arrange for three letters of reference that address your preparation for graduate study in computer science to be sent directly to the Computer Science Graduate Committee in the Department of Computer Science: 

                                              Computer Science Graduate Committee
                                              1910 University Dr.
                                              Boise, ID  83725-2075

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Regular versus Provisional status

Completed applications will be reviewed by the Computer Science Graduate Committee.

Applicants who meet the stated requirements and whose computer science background is deemed sufficient will be admitted to the program with Regular status.

Applicants whose computer science background is deemed deficient may be granted admission with Provisional status. In this case, the applicant will be required to complete specified undergraduate computer science courses in order to remove the deficiency and be granted Regular admission status.

Unless otherwise specified, all deficiencies must be removed within two years of Provisional admission to the program. Time spent in Provisional status counts toward the limit of five years (or up to seven years if an extension is granted) allowed for completion of the degree.

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PDR (Pending Department Review) status

It is not necessary to complete the full admission process for the program before starting to take graduate computer science courses. Students may be admitted to the Graduate College under the PDR status, pending admission to a particular degree program. PDR students may still take courses in the degree program (providing they meet the course prerequisites), and may count up to 9 credits earned while PDR towards the requirements of that program.

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