Which Washington DC area school would you recommend for a masters degree in computer science?

Question

I'm doing research on which grad school I should go to in the Washington DC area. I'd be going part time as I have full time employment as a software engineer in the metro area.

Answer 1

Not that i have any direct experience at the school but i have head nothing but good things about the computer science masters programs at George Mason. So you should check them out.

Answer 2

George Mason University is usually ranked as having roughly the second best CS department in the state of Virginia (William and Mary is usually ranked as #1 and UVA is usually ranked as #3). They're largely a commuter school, so you'll be one part-time, working student among many if you go to their grad program.

In fact, they have separate Masters programs for Computer Science (http://cs.gmu.edu/programs/masters/cs/) and Software Engineering (http://cs.gmu.edu/programs/masters/swe/). So if you're a professional programmer and not interested in doing original research and getting published, you'll probably want their Software Engineering program rather than their Computer Science program.

Answer 3

I know that in VA, you can't go wrong with GMU. In the district, I hear that GWU is pretty good (if a little pricey). In Md, I understand the UMUC is good.

Answer 4

I went to UMCP for my PhD and MS, and was pleased. It's probably the best program in the area. (UVA and VT aren't in the "DC Area")

Answer 5

I also went to UMUC for both my undergraduate degree in IFSM as well as a masters degree in software engineering. The software engineering capstone project is the best since it gives you practical experience in the entire SE process for a real project with an actual client.