University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, Grainger College of Engineering

Online Master of Computer Science, Data Science Track (MCS-DS)

Awarded degree: Master of Computer Science in Computer Science — Data Science track (MCS-DS)

Master'sMCSDS concentration Fully online

Overview

A 32-credit-hour, non-thesis online Master of Computer Science from the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, delivered through Coursera with Illinois faculty assessment. The data science track requires coursework in machine learning, data mining, data visualization and cloud computing within the standard MCS requirements.

Official program name: Online Master of Computer Science, Data Science Track (MCS-DS)
Awarded degree: Master of Computer Science in Computer Science
Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Degree level: Master's
Program classification: Related degree with a data science concentrationNamed option: Data Science track (MCS-DS)A related degree (computer science, statistics…) with an officially named data science concentration, track or specialization. The awarded degree is the related field.
School: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, Grainger College of Engineering
Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Location: Champaign, ILWhere the university is located. Study is online; this is not a residency requirement and does not decide whether you may enroll from your state.
Required credits: 32 credit hours (8 courses of 4 credit hours), no thesis
Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration: as little as one year or as many as five years (pace chosen by the student)A minimum under the stated conditions, not a typical length.
Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Start terms: Fall, Spring, Summer
Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

The MCS is also offered on campus in Urbana-Champaign and in Chicago; the catalog names the data science track as an option for online students.

Why this program is listed

Officially named data science track within the online Master of Computer Science.

Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026

We list data science bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees — dedicated, joint, and (separately labelled) related degrees with an officially named data science concentration. Eligibility rules

Format and attendance

Delivery, required in-person attendance, class schedule and study intensity are shown separately, each only as the university states it. “Fully online” appears only when official wording supports it.

Academic delivery: Fully onlineAll coursework is online and the university states no required in-person attendance for this program.
Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026
In-person attendance: No required campus visits (stated)
Source: catalog.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Class schedule: Not verified
Study intensity: Not published

Curriculum

The MCS-DS track requires coursework in machine learning, data mining, data visualization and cloud computing, with no additional credit hours.
Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Other

Diploma and transcript read Master of Computer Science and do not mention online delivery.
Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Academic calendar

Courses follow the fall, spring and summer semester schedule; a course may run up to 15 weeks.
Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the university states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Prior degree: RequiredBachelor's degree equivalent to one granted by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Source: catalog.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Minimum GPA: RequiredMinimum 3.2 — Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.20 (A = 4.00)
Source: catalog.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Programming prerequisites: RequiredProficient computer programming
Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not required
Source: catalog.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the university printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadline
October 30 · for Spring 2027
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
June 15 · for Fall
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
February 15 · for Summer
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Tuition for this online program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Funding

Funding policy and awards exactly as the university publishes them. Available assistantships do not establish guaranteed funding; loans must be repaid and are not scholarships. Understanding funding

Funding classification: Funding not verified

We have not verified an official funding policy for this program. That does not mean funding is unavailable.

Scholarships, fellowships or assistantships for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation and enrollment restrictions

Two separate questions: is the university institutionally accredited, and does it publish restrictions on who can enroll (for online programs, usually by state of residence)?

Institutional accreditation

Higher Learning Commission (HLC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

Programmatic accreditation

No programmatic accreditation verified for this program. Institutional accreditation does not imply it.

Published enrollment restrictions (state authorization)

Not verified — check the university's state authorization page before applying from outside Illinois.

International applicants

All requirements are satisfied online and no I-20s are issued.Source: siebelschool.illinois.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 11, 2026.

catalog.illinois.edu/graduate/engineering/computer-science-mcs/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 11, 2026
DAPIP — HLC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
siebelschool.illinois.edu/academics/graduate/professional-mcs/online-master-computer-science — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
siebelschool.illinois.edu/admissions/graduate/application-deadlines — Official admissions page, verified October 11, 2026

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Data Science Degrees is independent and not affiliated with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the university.