Teenager, 17, is awarded master's in computer science from Pittsburgh University

A Pennsylvania teenager can now call himself a young man after earning his master's degree.

Raja 'RJ' Krishnaswamy, 17, received a master's degree in computer science from the University of Pittsburgh on April 27.

According to KDKA-TV, Krishnaswamy first received his bachelor's degree in computer science from the Pittsburgh university in 2023. 

'It's been hard work, I've had to defend a thesis. And I'm just so excited to be here today and to celebrate,' said Krishnaswamy.

Krishnaswamy, who was homeschooled by his parents, began to excel in his studies in kindergarten.

Raja 'RJ' Krishnaswamy, 17, received a master's degree in computer science from the University of Pittsburgh on April 27

Krishnaswamy, who began taking college courses in 2016, earned his bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2023

According to Pittsburgh Magazine, Krishnaswamy began singing the alphabet when he was eight months old and reading Harry Potter when he was three.

He started taking college courses at the Community College of Allegheny County in 2016 after requesting permission from his parents.

'College classes are fun. They’re thought-provoking,' he told Pittsburgh Magazine in 2017.

Krishnaswamy later became the youngest member of the school's Phi Theta Kappa honor society and earned an associate degree in computer science.

According to the boy genius' LinkedIn, he finished that program with a 4.0 GPA.

He revealed to the magazine that he wanted to become a software programmer like his father.

Krishnaswamy took multiple college courses at the Community College of Allegheny County and earned an associate degree in computer science in 2020

He told Pittsburgh Magazine in 2017 that he wanted to become a software programmer just like his father

Krishnaswamy was required to complete a master's thesis in order to receive his degree.

He gave a brief summary of that thesis in a LinkedIn post yesterday in which he presented 'a framework for Concept Extraction from Course Presentations.'

'I was trying to extract the ideas that instructors wanted to convey to students utilizing the course slides,' he wrote.

'That way, it could be used to enhance the student's education by isolating key points as well as being used to help identify the areas a student may be struggling in.' 

Krishnaswamy did not reveal what his thesis grade was but one of his former professors is expecting to see more of the teenager's published work.

Professor Daniel Mosse told KDKA-TV that he's proud the teenager 'chose us to do his bachelor's and master's'

'I'm proud that he chose us to do his bachelor's and master's, and very proud of the work that he has developed so far. Onto publications,' said Daniel Mosse, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Krishnaswamy told KDKA-TV that he's unsure of what to do next but that he is waiting to hear back from the university to begin studying for his doctorate.

The graduate is also open to discussing his thesis with LinkedIn users and has 'a lot of ideas' on how to expand it even further in the future.