Application Requirements

  • Available to US Citizens, green card holders, or other status permitting US work and study
  • US Equivalent Bachelor’s degree from any country
  • Submit additional personal documentation (we will send you further instructions after you apply)
  • Pass entrance exam (see details below)

Entrance Exam

Standard 18-month Track

  • Take our online Math Placement Test (demonstrate pre-calculus competency with minimum score of 76)
  • Take an additional math test upon arrival to campus. To maintain acceptance, students will need to verify their Math score with a proctored test on campus soon after arrival.

Accelerated 12-month Track (optional – after acceptance into Standard Track)

  •  Pass our JavaScript Coding Test — NOTE: This second entrance exam is only required if you are interested in our 12 Month Accelerated Track.

Note:

if you are accepted into the program and feel you have a strong coding background, then you will have the option to apply for our 12 month accelerated program track.

Note:

Next Entry:

February 2023

Admissions Steps

Visit our Admissions Steps Checklist

Need Assistance?

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(641) 819-3013 — (call or text)

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MSD Academic Policies

MSD Standard Track

To continue after finishing the foundational semester (first 6 months):

We will assess your programming abilities at the end of the first semester based on your GPA (Grade Point Average). A GPA of 3.3 or higher will be needed to continue in the MSD program.

In the case that a student has a lower GPA, they can:

  1. Take additional time to strengthen their programming skills by switching over to the Bachelor’s program and pursuing a 2nd Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.
  2. Repeat or take additional courses to improve their GPA before they can continue with the MSD program.

MSD Accelerated Track

To continue in the accelerated track:

Students must maintain a 3.00 GPA in each semester of the accelerated track.

CS305 is a foundational course. Students must pass the course with a grade of B+ or better.

  1. If a student finishes the CS305 course with a grade of B, they may be advised to switch over to the Standard track as per their faculty advisor and program director’s decision.
  2. If a student finishes the CS305 course with a grade less than B, they will be switched over to the Standard Track.

Graduation Requirements

To graduate, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.00

Students must also sucessfully complete a total of at least 60 credits consisting of:

  • 4 credits or more of STC
  • 12 credits or more of foundational courses that must include CS203 OOP and CS221 Data Structures, or advisor-approved replacements. This requirement can be waived via aptitude assessment when a student is accepted to the accelerated track
  • 44 credits of MSD core courses, five courses of which must be at the 500 level, including 2 credits from MGT 5321 Career Strategies Workshop.