Are you a prospective student interested in pursing a Master’s degree in computing, but don’t have a prior background in the field? Are you considering applying to a bridge program at one of our member institutions that will allow you to do so? Learn more about all the different options that you have!
Frequently Asked Questions
Each program offered by our member institutions is unique, with different admissions requirements, different curricula, and different modalities. Here are some of the key aspects you should consider when choosing a program that meets your needs.
Ask us if you want more information or connection with a school that has specific features! Reach out to c.kidder@northeastern.edu.
We define bridges as a short-term academic program designed to prepare students who have already earned a Bachelor’s degree — usually in a non-computing field — to successfully complete a Master’s degree in a computing related field (computer science/CS, artificial intelligence/AI, data science/DS, cybersecurity/CY, etcetera). Some institutions refer to bridges as accelerated pathways or alternative pathways into an MS program.
It depends! Some institutions offer graduate certificates, badges, or other formal credentials that can be used to apply for admission to an MS program, while others simply offer automatic admission into a specific MS degree upon bridge completion.
Most programs last for 9 months to 1 year, and involve taking an average of 4 courses or 15 credits.
On average, in-state tuition cost for a bridge is about $13,000, and out-of-state tuition (and private institution tuition) is about $18,000.
Each program approaches this differently. Most commonly we see:
- Automatically admitted to a Master’s program upon bridge completion
- Conditionally admitted to a Master’s program (usually requires a certain GPA earned in the bridge to become admissible)
- Must apply again to the Master’s program after completing the bridge
Each program offers different options – across our member institutions, bridge programs are offered on-campus/in-person, online, or hybrid (some in-person, some online).
Many bridge programs offer specialized courses designed to provide accelerated learning of core content relevant to a specific domain of computing (e.g. CS, AI, cybersecurity, etc). Other programs use existing undergraduate courses that bridge students are eligible to take.
All bridge programs require that students have earned (or will complete by the time of matriculation) a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education. Most programs require at least some college-level mathematics experience, and many have a minimum bachelor’s GPA requirement. Many will take into account work or independent coursework when evaluating applications for admission.
Some programs offer flexible year-round start dates, usually via asynchronous online coursework, while others are cohort-based, meaning they admit students at certain times of the academic year (e.g. Fall, Winter, Spring or Summer academic term start dates).
No – the shared goal of all bridge programs is to broaden access to graduate computing education to students from a variety of academic backgrounds (not just students who earned a bachelor’s degree in computing).