CS Honors Program

The CS department honors program consists of an honors track and honors graduation requirements.

Honors Track

The computer science department offers a special honors track to qualified students. Submit your application to indicate that you are interested in graduating with departmental honors( see below). Students should normally apply not later than by the end of the first semester of their junior year. Students in the honors track will have their progress reviewed by the honors committee, and are expected to earn B's or better in their advanced CS courses (300 level and above). Students who successfully complete the honors track with a GPA in their CS courses of at least 3.6 will qualify for graduation with honors in computer science.  The student should inform the honors-chair of a proposed course plan to meet honors graduation requirements, subject to the approval of the CS honors committee. The form is for the department to track interest. It is not for admission. 

Online Application Form 


For additional information, send e-mail to honors-chair@cs (add .rutgers.edu when sending email from outside Rutgers).

Honors Graduation Requirements

The honors graduation requirements are:

  • Two units of honors credit. There are multiple ways to complete this two units of honors credit, which are listed below
    • Complete two graduate courses that satisfy the breadth requirement for the PhD.  
    • Complete the CS undergraduate capstone sequence of 495 and 496. See details here. See the projects offered for the Fall 2022-Spring 2023 year.
    • Complete two independent studies (493/494) in two distinct terms under the same research adviser. Submit the undergraduate thesis/research report that is endorsed by the research adviser to the undergraduate program director at least two weeks before the graduation date. 
    • Complete honors sections at the 300 or 400 level in computer science. We have not offered honors sections for 300 and 400 level courses in the last few years. 
  • A GPA in CS courses of at least 3.6. 

Requirements to Register for CS Graduate Courses

A special permission number to register for a CS graduate class is given to an undergraduate student only when they satisfy the following requirements.

  • The student should be a CS major. If a CS minor wants to register for a graduate class, they should have completed the CS minor requirements.
  • The student's CS GPA should be equal to or greater than 3.5
  • The student should have completed the CORE requirements of the CS major. 
  • The student should have completed at least 2 CS electives.
  • The student will not be allowed to register for more than two graduate courses per term.
  • An undergraduate student will be allowed to register only for courses that satisfy the breadth requirement for the PhD program. 

For undergraduates taking graduate courses, you will request an SPN through the SPN system, fill out and contact the instructor to request signature on the Undergraduate taking Graduate Course form. The instructors will not be responding until after registration has begun.