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Graduate: International Student FAQs

Lots of prospective international graduate students have questions. We're here to help!

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An error occurred while processing the template. 
The following has evaluated to null or missing:
==> navbarId  [in template "86161#86202#287243" at line 85, column 8]

----
Tip: If the failing expression is known to legally refer to something that's sometimes null or missing, either specify a default value like myOptionalVar!myDefault, or use <#if myOptionalVar??>when-present<#else>when-missing</#if>. (These only cover the last step of the expression; to cover the whole expression, use parenthesis: (myOptionalVar.foo)!myDefault, (myOptionalVar.foo)??
----

----
FTL stack trace ("~" means nesting-related):
	- Failed at: ${navbarId}  [in template "86161#86202#287243" at line 85, column 6]
----
1<#include "${templatesPath}/NAVIGATION-MACRO-FTL" /> 
2 
3<#if !entries?has_content> 
4    <#if themeDisplay.isSignedIn()> 
5        <div class="alert alert-info"> 
6            <@liferay.language key="there-are-no-menu-items-to-display" /> 
7        </div> 
8    </#if> 
9<#else> 
10    <#assign 
11        portletDisplay = themeDisplay.getPortletDisplay() 
12 
13        navbarId = "navbar_" + portletDisplay.getId() 
14    /> 
15 
16    <div id="${navbarId}" class="mt-3"> 
17        <div class="accordion" id="${navbarId}-top-accordion"> 
18            <div class="accordion navbar-site" id="${navbarId}-accordion"> 
19                <header id="${navbarId}-header" class="d-block d-md-none text-right" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#${navbarId}-top-collapse" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="${navbarId}-top-collapse">Section Menu <i class="menu-icon ml-2"></i><hr/></header> 
20                <div id="${navbarId}-top-collapse" class="collapse d-md-block pl-0 ml-0" aria-labelledby="${navbarId}-header" data-parent="#${navbarId}-top-accordion"> 
21                    <#assign navItems = entries /> 
22 
23                    <#list navItems as navItem> 
24                        <#assign showChildrenNavItems = (displayDepth != 1) && navItem.hasBrowsableChildren() /> 
25 
26                        <#if navItem.isBrowsable() || showChildrenNavItems> 
27                            <#assign 
28                                nav_item_css_class = "" 
29                                nav_item_href_link = "" 
30                            /> 
31 
32                            <#if navItem.isChildSelected() || navItem.isSelected()> 
33                                <#assign nav_item_css_class = "active" /> 
34                            </#if> 
35 
36                            <#if navItem.isBrowsable()> 
37                                <#assign nav_item_href_link = "href='${navItem.getURL()}' ${navItem.getTarget()}" /> 
38                            </#if> 
39 
40                            <div class="card collapse-card shadow-none border-0 mb-0"> 
41                                <#if showChildrenNavItems> 
42                                    <#assign toggle_text> 
43                                        <@liferay.language key="toggle" /> 
44                                    </#assign> 
45                                </#if> 
46                                <#if showChildrenNavItems> 
47                                    <div class="collapse-header card-header mb-0 border-0" id="${navbarId}-card-header-${navItem?index}"> 
48                                        <button class="${nav_item_css_class} btn btn-link collapse-btn d-inline-flex justify-content-between align-items-center w-100" type="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#${navbarId}-collapse-${navItem?index}" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="${navbarId}-collapse-${navItem?index}"> 
49                                            <span class="collapse-header-text mb-0 text-left mr-2">${navItem.getName()}</span> 
50                                            <span class="collapse-header-chevron"></span> 
51                                            <span class='sr-only'>${toggle_text}</span> 
52                                        </button> 
53                                    </div> 
54                                    <div class="collapse" id="${navbarId}-collapse-${navItem?index}" aria-lablledby="${navbarId}-card-header-${navItem?index}" data-parent="#${navbarId}-accordion"> 
55                                        <div class="card-body p-0"> 
56                                            <@buildChildrenNavItems 
57                                                displayDepth=displayDepth 
58                                                navItem=navItem 
59                                            /> 
60                                        </div> 
61                                    </div> 
62                                </#if> 
63                                 
64                            </div> 
65                        </#if> 
66                    </#list> 
67                </div> 
68            </div> 
69        </div> 
70    </div> 
71 
72    <@liferay_aui.script use="liferay-navigation-interaction"> 
73        var navigation = A.one('#${navbarId}'); 
74 
75        Liferay.Data.NAV_INTERACTION_LIST_SELECTOR = '.navbar-site'; 
76        Liferay.Data.NAV_LIST_SELECTOR = '.navbar-site'; 
77 
78        if (navigation) { 
79            navigation.plug(Liferay.NavigationInteraction); 
80        } 
81    </@> 
82</#if> 
83 
84<style> 
85    #${navbarId} .collapse-card { 
86        border-radius: 0; 
87    } 
88 
89    #${navbarId} .collapse-header { 
90        background-color: #ffffff; 
91        border-radius: 0; 
92        padding: 0; 
93    } 
94 
95    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:active, 
96    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:focus, 
97    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:focus-within, 
98    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:target, 
99    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:hover, 
100    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:focus-visible { 
101        background-color: #b31b1b; 
102    } 
103 
104    #${navbarId} .collapse-header-text { 
105        font-family: myriad-pro, sans-serif; 
106        font-style: normal; 
107        font-weight: 600; 
108        color: #333333; 
109    } 
110 
111    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:active .collapse-header-text, 
112    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:focus .collapse-header-text, 
113    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:focus-within .collapse-header-text, 
114    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:target .collapse-header-text, 
115    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:hover .collapse-header-text, 
116    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:focus-visible .collapse-header-text { 
117        color: #ffffff; 
118    } 
119 
120    #${navbarId} .collapse-btn:active, 
121    #${navbarId} .collapse-btn:focus, 
122    #${navbarId} .collapse-btn:focus-within, 
123    #${navbarId} .collapse-btn:target, 
124    #${navbarId} .collapse-btn:hover, 
125    #${navbarId} .collapse-btn:focus-visible { 
126        box-shadow: none; 
127        text-decoration: none; 
128    } 
129 
130    #${navbarId} .collapse-header-chevron::before { 
131        font-family: 'fontawesome-alloy'; 
132        color: #333333; 
133    } 
134 
135    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:active .collapse-header-chevron::before, 
136    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:focus .collapse-header-chevron::before, 
137    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:focus-within .collapse-header-chevron::before, 
138    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:target .collapse-header-chevron::before, 
139    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:hover .collapse-header-chevron::before, 
140    #${navbarId} .collapse-header:focus-visible .collapse-header-chevron::before { 
141        color: #ffffff; 
142    } 
143 
144    #${navbarId} .collapse-btn[aria-expanded="true"] > .collapse-header-chevron::before { 
145        font-family: FontAwesome; 
146			  content: "\f078"; 
147        color: #ffffff; 
148    } 
149 
150    #${navbarId} .collapse-btn[aria-expanded="false"] > .collapse-header-chevron::before { 
151        font-family: FontAwesome; 
152        content: "\f077"; 
153    } 
154 
155    #${navbarId} .collapse-btn[aria-expanded="true"] { 
156        background-color: #b31b1b; 
157    } 
158 
159    #${navbarId} .collapse-btn[aria-expanded="true"] > .collapse-header-text { 
160        color: #ffffff; 
161    } 
162 
163    #${navbarId} .dropdown-item.active { 
164        background-color: #b31b1b; 
165        color: #ffffff; 
166        text-decoration: none; 
167    } 
168 
169    #${navbarId} .dropdown-item { 
170        background-color: #ffffff; 
171        color: #333333; 
172        font-family: myriad-pro, sans-serif; 
173        font-style: normal; 
174        font-weight: 600; 
175        padding-top: 6px; 
176        padding-bottom: 6px; 
177    } 
178 
179    #${navbarId} .dropdown-item:active, 
180    #${navbarId} .dropdown-item:focus, 
181    #${navbarId} .dropdown-item:focus-within, 
182    #${navbarId} .dropdown-item:target, 
183    #${navbarId} .dropdown-item:hover, 
184    #${navbarId} .dropdown-item:focus-visible { 
185        background-color: #b31b1b; 
186        color: #ffffff; 
187    } 
188 
189    #${navbarId} .card-body > li { 
190        display: block; 
191    } 
192 
193    #${navbarId} header { 
194        font-family: myriad-pro, sans-serif; 
195        font-style: normal; 
196        font-weight: 600; 
197    } 
198 
199    #${navbarId} .menu-icon { 
200        font-family: "fontawesome-alloy"; 
201        speak: none; 
202        font-style: normal; 
203        font-weight: normal; 
204        font-variant: normal; 
205        text-transform: none; 
206        line-height: 1; 
207        -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; 
208    } 
209     
210    #${navbarId} header[aria-expanded="false"] .menu-icon:before { 
211			  font-family: 'FontAwesome'; 
212        content: "\f0c9"; 
213    } 
214     
215    #${navbarId} header[aria-expanded="true"] .menu-icon:before { 
216			  font-family: 'FontAwesome'; 
217        content: "\f00d"; 
218    } 
219</style> 

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International Student Applicant Frequently Asked Questions

Scroll through our list of answers to frequently asked questions posed by prospective international graduate students. Have a question that's not on this list? Reach out to us!

Two different on-campus Master’s degrees are available in the Computer Science Department - Master of Science in Computer Science Software Development (MSCS,) and Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS.) Information about each degree program can be found at the links below. To get more details and to choose the right program, please contact Graduate@Marist.edu.

Yes, you can apply for the MS in Information Systems with any undergraduate degree. You can also apply for the MS in Computer Systems Software Development, but you will need two prerequisite courses in addition to the standard curriculum.

Many three-year degrees with First Division graduation are accepted. Send copies of your transcript to graduate@marist.edu and we can tell you if your degree would be accepted.

MS in Information Systems Management

  •   No prerequisites are required for this program.


MS in Computer Science Software Development

  • Two prerequisite courses exist for this program. All students take placement exams in the first week of class. Exams focus on Java and Advanced Data Structures. Students who pass the exams will be exempted from the prerequisites and placed in different courses for the MSCS major. Students who need to take the two prerequisite courses should plan for eight additional credits in their Master’s program. You can still complete the degree in four semesters.

      MSCS 501 Object-Oriented Programming
      MSCS 502 Advance Data Structures

You can apply for either program at https://www.marist.edu/admission/graduate/cas-application.

Complete an online application at https://www.marist.edu/admission/graduate/cas-application
 

Upload scans of these documents to complete your application. If you have more documents to send than you can upload to the application, email the remaining documents to graduate@marist.edu.

  • Transcript semester mark sheets plus your provisional certificate and consolidated mark sheet if available. Admission requires first class graduation or 60% or higher CGPA, or 7/10 CGPA. Minimal backlogs are accepted.
    • Transcript translations are not usually required.
    • Many three-year degrees are accepted from NAAC accredited colleges and universities when you have first division graduation.
  • Statement of Purpose. Your essay should be at least 750 words discussing your education, work experience, why you want to pursue this degree, and why you want to attend Marist.
  • Language exam scores - Minimum accepted scores are 115 Duolingo, 6.5 IELTS, 79 TOEFL, 58 PTE. 
    (Duolingo is online. IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE must be taken at a test center)
  • Resume
  • Passport

Financial documents are not required for an admission decision. If accepted, you will be asked to send scans of your bank statement and affidavit, plus official score reporting for your language exam before your I-20 will be issued.

You may be able to transfer credits. Request a course-by-course transcript translation converting your Master’s degree classes to United States grades. We can transfer up to two classes, six credit hours for MSIS students if the courses are close matches to Marist courses.

No courses may be transferred for MSCS majors. Students must earn at least 30 credits at Marist to have a Master’s degree conferred. The MSCS degree is only 32 credits. Transferring courses would not leave enough classes for the degree to be conferred.

Admission documents for Fall are preferred by June 15.*
Admission documents for Spring are preferred by November 1.*


*Applications received after the preferred deadline are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Once all of your admission documents are received, you will usually have an admission decision within two weeks. You can check the status of your application online at any time. You will receive log in information when you apply online.

Yes, Marist is accredited by Middle States Accreditation. Information about accreditation can be found on our Accreditations page. 

I-20s are issued after your official language scores are received, plus scans of your affidavit and bank statement are received. Your financial documents need to be less than six months old.

Please see current financial information on our International Graduate Tuition page.
The amounts shown are for a nine-month school year. If you plan to live in the United States during the summer, you would need additional money.

Students with F-1 VISAs can work on campus up to 20 hours per week. Students cannot work off campus in their first year due to United States VISA regulations. Opportunities exist in the information technology department, food service, and other areas. Most students do not get employment in their first semester. Do not plan on campus employment when you create your budget.

You may participate in CPT (Curricular Practical Training) in your second year. CPT allows you to work up to 20 hours per week for any United States company. Your job must be related to your degree. You are still required to maintain full-time courses on campus.

Finishing your degree in 1.5 years is possible for MSCS students, but it is very rare. You would need to test out of all prerequisite courses, and take a heavy course load. Almost all students in MSCS are unable to test out of two prerequisite courses, MSCS 501 Object-Oriented Programming and MSCS 502 Advanced Data Structures.

MSIS students usually require two years to complete their program. You will be allowed to take three classes, nine credits, in your first semester. If you secure excellent grades you may ask for permission to take twelve credit hours in future semesters to complete in 1.5 years. 

Yes, both of these degree programs are STEM programs. They are both eligible for OPT. OPT is Optional Practical Training. If you are an F1 student in any Computer Science Master’s Degree program, you have the option of applying to work in the United States by engaging in practical training after you complete your degree. Practical training can provide valuable work experience by sharpening and adding to the skills you learned in school. Currently you may apply for 12 months of OPT after your degree completion. The job must be in your field of study. Students who complete the MSIS or MSCS programs may also be able to apply for an additional 17 months of OPT. Details can be found https://www.ice.gov/sevis/practical-training