NEWS RELEASE

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David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Mike Williams
713-348-6728
mikewilliams@rice.edu

Rice to offer online Master of Computer Science degree

HOUSTON – (April 15, 2019) – Rice University will offer a unique online Master of Computer Science degree program for the first time in Fall 2019.

Scott Rixner. Photo by Jeff Fitlow

The program run by Rice’s Department of Computer Science, ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 by U.S. News & World Report, offers professionals a Rice degree that will enhance their current careers or help them pivot to new ones.

“We’re living in an increasingly technological society,” said Reginald DesRoches, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering. “As a result, computing education is essential in today’s world. This program will give you access to a wide variety of high-paying, meaningful jobs. It will accelerate your ability to advance.”

The transformative degree offered by the George R. Brown School of Engineering, itself among the nation’s top engineering programs, is part of Rice’s commitment to engage and empower Houston as part of its Vision for the Second Century, Second Decade.

The program will offer Rice’s world-class education in a flexible, online format so that working adults will be able complete the degree. The program will have small class sizes and be customized to the needs of working professionals.

“There are other online computer science programs, but none I’ve encountered incorporates the level of personal interaction we are offering our students,” said program director Scott Rixner, a Rice professor of computer science. “Taking what we have learned from almost a decade of teaching online courses, we’ve designed a program that gives every student an effective and engaging learning experience.”

Professionals who gain advanced training in computer science will in turn help advance Houston industries. By reaching new audiences, the department intends to strengthen ties with the city and help build a more technologically adept workforce.

Learn more about the Masters of Computer Science online program or apply at https://www.cs.rice.edu/onlinemcs/.

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https://news2.rice.edu/files/2019/04/0415_COMPUTER-1-WEB-2jvs2xo.jpg

CAPTION: Scott Rixner. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.