<p>Im an international student currently enrolled in a double major in Economics and Business while minoring in Government and Computer Mathematics. The college Im attending is widely considered to be one of the best (if not the best) in my country (Colombia), and Im at the top of my class, yet it isnt recognized internationally. And while Im very happy with my current academic path, Ive always been deeply interested in pursuing a professional career in applied sciences, specifically in computer science (for which undergraduate degrees were unavailable in my country). </p>
<p>Ive been looking for good graduate programs in CS in the US, yet Im worried about my possibilities given that my undergraduate degree isnt related to pure sciences, math or engineering. Ive taken (or planning to take in the next 2 years) Calculus (1,2,3), Linear Algebra, Abstract Algebra, Structural Math, 2 programming courses and an algorithm class - plus the specific optimization and probability courses required by my majors, but I still dont think those fit the quantitative requirements of the top CS master degrees. </p>
<p>I was wondering if you guys had any ideas on my possibilities. Do I stand a chance for a good and competitive CS master degree at a top 5, top 10 or top 15 school? Stanford or MIT seem like a no-no, but what about somewhere else? What school or program would you recommend, considering Im interested in CS rather than IT? Considering an small academic background in CS, what would you recommend for a prospective student like me?</p>
<p>I thank you in advance for your time, I would be grateful for any comment you all might have on this.</p>
You have plenty of quantitative classes. I am much more concerned about your lack of technical and systems classes: computer organization, operating systems, programming languages, compilers, etc. Most CS programs are willing to admit non-CS majors into their graduate program and let them take “remedial” undergraduate CS work, but even those typically require at least some exposure to the core areas prior to admission.</p>
<p>If you were an American student, I would suggest that you take a few computer science classes as a non-degree seeking student before you apply to graduate school. Unfortunately visa restrictions don’t make that possible for international students.</p>
<p>Your best bet might be to go through a list of graduate computer science programs and check their admission requirements. Most programs are pretty explicit about the minimum requirements. For example, Cornell is looking for the following courses: discrete math, data structures, computer organization, operating systems. UT Austin is looking for computer architecture, operating systems, programming languages or compilers, and theory of computation or algorithms. Without further technical training, you might have to resort to programs that are less selective than what you were initially hoping for.</p>
<p>Another alternative would be to consider graduate programs that are more quantitative and less technical in nature than computer science: applied mathematics, scientific computing, computational ___, etc. You might be a much stronger applicant in these areas, and they align much better with your previous training.</p>