Established in 1898, Northeastern University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education classifies NU as an R1 institution for the “highest research activity” among doctoral institutions, and the school offers both undergraduate and graduate programs at its main campus. NU also consists of satellite campuses in San Jose, Seattle and Charlotte that only offer graduate degrees. The Princeton Review consistently ranks Northeastern University among the top schools in the country for career services, including four years in the number one spot.

Northeastern University Accreditation Details

Northeastern University is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). In addition, the B.S. in Computer Science degree program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

Northeastern University Application Requirements

Application requirements for the College of Computer and Information Science will vary depending on the degree sought. Students should consult the school’s website for specific information as it pertains to the degree. However, high school students should complete a Common Application or a Coalition Application and submit a nonrefundable application fee of $75. Teacher and guidance counselor recommendations are also required as are secondary school transcripts with final grades. Candidates pursuing the early decision route should send their documents as soon as they are available. The school also requires official ACT or SAT scores to be sent directly to the university from the testing agency.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Undergraduate tuition costs $46,720 per year, excluding $933 in fees and $15,050 in room and board expenses. Tuition is based on a standard curriculum of 16 semester hours per term and includes the undergraduate student fee, the student activity fee, the student center fee, a residence hall activity fee and a recreation fee.

More than 75 percent of Northeastern students receive some type of financial aid, and in the 2016-2017 school year, NU offered $253.8 million in scholarship assistance and grants. However, the only way students will know if they are eligible for financial aid is to apply by completing the FAFSA and PROFILE applications. Possible forms of funding may include the Federal Work-Study program, subsidized Stafford Loans, Federal Pell and SEOG Grants and the Northeastern Grant.

Computer Science Degrees Available

The College of Computer and Information Science (CCIS) at Northeastern University offers a number of degrees at varying levels within the field of computer science. At its foundation, the school prepares students for success via undergraduate degree programs that help students develop strong technical skills while deepening their understanding of how computer and information science theory applies across industries and disciplines. All CCIS undergraduate degree programs integrate co-op and experiential learning, so students may gain up to 18 months of hands-on professional experience. Northeastern University has university-wide requirements for all undergraduate degrees, including a minimum of 128 total semester hours per degree. Students must maintain a minimum of a 2.00 GPA and earn at least 64 Northeastern University semester hours in order to receive their bachelor’s degree.

Undergraduate computer science degrees include a B.S. or B.A. in Computer Science, a B.S. in Data Science, a B.S. in Information Science, a B.S. in Computer and Information Science and combined B.S. and M.S. options. The B.S. in Computer Science focuses on the fundamentals of computer organization, software development, program design, networks and systems, principles of languages, theories of computation and advanced data and algorithms. This degree is also offered with a concentration in Cyber Operations. The B.A. in Computer Science is similar in terms of its curriculum, although there are fewer computer science requirements, allowing students to have a wider choice of electives or to study a foreign language if they choose. The program also offers a strong foundation in science and mathematics while providing a variety of humanities and social science courses to complement the discipline.

The CCIS at Northeastern University offers an M.S. in Computer Science as well as master’s degrees in information assurance, health informatics, game and science design, data science and health data analytics. The M.S. in Computer Science is designed to prepare students for a number of careers in the industry, and it combines both important application domains and computing. Students further develop their broad-based knowledge in the field while focusing on one of the following concentrations: theory, systems, software engineering, security, programming languages, networks, graphics, game design, database management, computer-human interaction and artificial intelligence. M.S. graduates will learn how to design and maintain large application software, master basic theoretical computer science principles and algorithms, maintain network infrastructures and demonstrate their abilities in software design and advanced programming. Future careers may include a software engineer at Microsoft, a consultant at Deloitte or a software development engineer at Amazon.

In addition to offering doctoral degrees in network science, personal health informatics and information assurance, students may also earn their Ph.D. in Computer Science. This program prepares students for careers in academia as well as within the industry, from publishing and presenting papers to conducting research and developing systems. The rigorous curriculum provides advanced courses in a wide range of focus areas and a broad background in the fundamentals of computer science. NU boasts a diverse faculty of 62, and 17 faculty members are also associated with other schools and colleges in the fields of media and design, health sciences and arts, social sciences and humanities, business, science and engineering. The school is located in the heart of Boston, a city that consists of more than 50,000 graduate students, 10,000 researchers and a leading startup community. Ph.D. students may attend lectures and talks on cutting-edge research either at the school itself or at other research labs and universities that are easily accessible from Northeastern. Future careers may include positions at Mozilla, Harvard, Google, Microsoft and GE Global Research.

Students may also wish to earn a CCIS graduate certificate in either health informatics or data analytics. The former offers specialized, high-quality training in a number of health informatics fields in just eight months. The latter is designed to provide Northeastern University students with a foundational knowledge in data science, including visualizing and communicating data, statistics, data mining, machine learning and data management. Regardless of a student’s current experience in both the professional sense and the academic sense, Northeastern University offers a computer science degree program to meet a range of educational needs.

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