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UCI MCS

Program Overview​

This is a professional program that does not allow extensions, and it operates on the quarter system (no starting internships in May + fast pace squeezes job hunting time + exams every three months + some professors also complain that the quarter system doesn't allow them to teach effectively).

It's best to enter this program with work experience and some job search preparation -- in other words, you should already be fully prepared to find a job in the US. The MSWE program is better than MCS in several ways: for example, the first quarter has no exams which means less pressure, and the curriculum is more practically oriented. MCS is only suitable for students who already had 300+ LeetCode problems solved before coming to the US, or those with full-time work experience. Overall, it's not as good as MSWE. If you want to pursue a PhD, check out the UCI MSCS program instead.

Admission Preferences & Data Points​

A GPA around 3.5 gives you a good chance. Indian students typically come with 3+ years of work experience, while students from mainland China generally have no full-time work experience. The MCS program does not favor UCI's own undergrads (there have been multiple reports of UCI CS undergrads with 3.8+ GPA being rejected, reportedly because MCS coursework is nearly identical to undergraduate courses, with even the same grading requirements).

  1. Tianjin University EE undergrad, GPA 3.56, with State Grid and small company internships
  2. University of North Texas CS undergrad, GPA 3.85
  3. UCI CS undergrad, GPA 3.98
  4. Gonzaga University Math + CS undergrad, GPA 3.9

Job Outcomes​

The 2022 internship landing rate was 89%, mainly because many Indian students with 3+ years of experience pushed the rate up. The landing rate for Chinese students is not as optimistic.

  1. UCI CS undergrad, no internship, landed a small company Android developer position
  2. Gonzaga University Math + CS undergrad, landed Smartsheet internship
  3. Tianjin University EE undergrad, no internship
  4. Indian classmate, Barclay Center three years full-time, landed Pure Storage intern, new grad went to Meta
  5. Indian classmate, one year full-time, landed Veeva Systems intern (local Irvine small company) and successfully converted to full-time

Drawbacks​

Quarters end in late June, meaning you cannot start an internship in May or early June. As a result, you can basically only intern at large companies (an Indian classmate received an offer starting in early June but couldn't get CPT, causing the offer to be rescinded).