Department Of Computer Science | Makerere University

The MSc in Computer Science program is a two year evening program spread out in four semesters. Each semester has fifteen weeks of studying and two weeks of examinations

The program has two areas of specialization i.e;

Software and Systems Security
Artificial Intelligence and Data Science

A student pursuing a MSc in Computer Science is required to specialize in one of these tracks.

The MSc in Computer Science program puts strong emphasis on research, transdisciplinarity and problem solving using advanced computational thinking skills.

The program is made up of two plans - Plan A and Plan B.

Plan A: Plan A is made up of two semesters of coursework (40 credit units) and two semesters of research and writing of a dissertation (20 credit units) and Seminar Series (2 credit units). The minimum total credit units (graduation load) for Plan A is 62.
Plan B: Plan B is made up of three semesters of coursework (58 credit units) and one semester of developing a project (10 credit units). The minimum total credit units (graduation load) for Plan B is 68.

Tuition fees for privately sponsored students is 5,000,000 Uganda Shillings per academic year for Ugandans and 12,780,000 Uganda Shillings for International students.

Admission Requirements

To qualify for admission to the MSc. in Computer Science, a candidate must fulfill the general Makerere University entry requirements for Masters Degrees, and in addition, the candidate must be a holder of either:

A minimum of Second Class (lower division) undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a closely related field from a recognized university/institution
A minimum of Second Class (lower division) postgraduate diploma in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering or a closely related field from a recognized university/institution.

Candidates from closely related fields should have taken core computer science courses in undergraduate or postgraduate diploma studies including: compiler design, automata and complexity, object-oriented programming languages, data structures and algorithms, computer architecture, mathematics particularly in linear algebra, statistics and calculus.

Upgrading from Postgraduate Diploma

If a candidate holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Science of Makerere University of at least a Lower Second class, he/she may apply to join in the second year of the Master of Science in Computer Science provided they have followed equivalent courses in the post graduate Diploma.

In such a case, the applicant is expected to undertake research in the second year and any remaining course units to meet the minimum requirement for the award of the MSc. in Computer Science Degree.

The upgrade of the PGD Computer Science to the MSc.Computer Science described above must be supported by relevant academic documents attained for the PGD Computer Science of Makerere University.

This must be done for purposes of analyzing the relevant academic courses that must have been attempted as per the current MSc.in Computer Science curriculum.

Any courses that were not attempted by the applicant as per the first years course load of the current MSc.in Computer Science curriculum must be taken.

When a student graduates with a Postgraduate Diploma of Computer Science of Makerere University with a classification of Pass, s/he can apply for the Master of Science in Computer Science but is admitted to the first year of the MSc. in Computer Science program.

General Information