Graduate application deadlines are February 1 for fall semester and September 1 for spring semester.
Graduate Student Handbook

Graduate Degree Programs

Our master’s degree programs will enhance your critical thinking, writing, and research skills, preparing you for success in your career or your pursuit of a doctoral degree. In our doctoral degree programs, you can collaborate with top researchers on the most pressing problems in your field of study.

Computer Science

• Accelerated Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Program (4+1 M.S.) Learn more
• Master of Science in Computer Science
• Ph.D. in Computer Science

Software and Security Engineering

• Master of Science in Software and Security Engineering
• Master of Software Engineering
• Ph.D. in Software and Security Engineering

Data Science

• Master of Science in Data Science

Graduate Certificate Programs

Gain knowledge in a specialized area of study by earning a graduate certificate, either online or in a traditional classroom setting. The goal of Graduate Certificate programs at NDSU is to provide course experiences that form a distinct knowledge or skill set identified as a named certificate.

• Software Engineering Graduate Certificate
• Cybersecuity Certificate
• Computer Science Education Graduate Certificate Aimed at high school teachers in need of credentials to teach "dual credit" courses in their schools. (view requirements.)

HOW TO APPLY

Graduate Student Dates and Deadlines

 Application deadlines are February 1 for fall semester; September 1 for spring semester

Spring admissions are given only occasionally, depending on funding and faculty research needs. If there are no spring openings, spring applicants are automatically considered for the subsequent fall semester. There are no summer admissions for any Computer Science program.

Graduate Program applications are processed through the NDSU Graduate School. 

Graduate Student Dates and Deadlines        Pathway to Degree Completion

Continuous Enrollment

Students are required to register for at least one credit each semester (fall and spring) until all degree requirements are completed, including Graduate School approval of the thesis, paper, or dissertation. Students may request a Leave of Absence if they must interrupt their graduate studies. 

Starting fall semester 2022: there must be one full semester between a doctoral student’s preliminary and final examinations. Graduate College policy states “At least one academic semester must elapse between the comprehensive/preliminary examination and the final examination.”

Comprehensive Exam

Fall 2023 Comprehensive Exam: Monday, Nov 6, 2023 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in Sudro Hall, Room 22.

Comprehensive Exam Info

Odd and Ends

The English requirements are given in the table below. You must satisfy at least one of the three categories: TOEFL, IBT, or IELTS.