Program Overview

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Computer Science (PhD)

The Computer Science PhD program prepares students in the highest level of theory and practice of Computer Science, aiding with the development of research and instruction skills for positions in academia, industry, and government sectors.

Program Overview

The Computer Science PhD program produces professionals trained at the highest possible academic level in the theory and practice of Computer Science in order to meet current and projected market demands for Computer Science experts. Students graduate with proven abilities in research and instruction and have expertise suitable for positions in industry, academia, and government.

Research Areas

Research interests of the computer science faculty include:

• Affective computing
• Applied perception
• Bioinformatics
• Computational biology
• Computational geometry
• Computer and network security
• Computer architecture
• Computer forensics
• Computer graphics
• Computer networks
• Computer vision
• Cryptography
• Data compression
• Database management systems
• Data mining
• Design and analysis of algorithms
• Evolutionary computation
• Genetic algorithms
• Graph theory
• Hardware/software co-design
• Image processing
• Machine learning
• Mixed and virtual reality
• Mobile computing
• Modeling and simulation
• Multimedia systems
• Natural language processing
• Neural networks
• Parallel and distributed processing
• Performance evaluation
• Programming languages
• Quantum computing
• Semantic web
• Software agents
• Software engineering
• VLSI systems

Program Requirements

Total Credit Hours Required

72 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree

Program Prerequisites

An undergraduate degree in Computer Science is desirable but not required. Applicants without a strong undergraduate background in Computer Science must demonstrate an understanding of the material covered in the following upper-division undergraduate courses:

• CDA 3103C: Computer Logic and Organization
• COP 3502C: Computer Science I
• COP 3503C: Computer Science II

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

9 Total Credits

• Complete all of the following:
  • CDA5106 - Advanced Computer Architecture (3)
  • COT5405 - Design and Analysis of Algorithms (3)
  • COT6410 - Computational Complexity (3)
• Students must earn a B or better in CDA 5106, COT 5405, and COT 6410.

Elective Courses

48 Total Credits

• Earn at least 48 credits from the following types of courses:
  • Elective Coursework - Grades must be a "C" (2.0) or better with at most 6 credit hours having grades below "B" (3.0) and an overall grade point average of 3.0 or better.
  • No courses below the 5000-level, with no 5000-level CGS prefix course work.
  • No more than 12 credit hours of independent study (6908).
  • Five 6000- or 7000-level courses (15 credits) with grades of "B" (3.0) or better taught by CS faculty.

Dissertation

15 Total Credits

• Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: XXX 7980 - Dissertation

Qualifying Review

0 Total Credits

• To better ensure that PhD students have acquired the requisite background and are prepared to make a successful transition into the research phase of their academic career, the graduate committee requires the students to pass through a Qualifying Review (QR) process.

Dissertation Committee

0 Total Credits

• The Dean, through the Chairs and Directors, is responsible for committee formation, additions, and deletions.

Candidacy Examination

0 Total Credits

• After passing qualifiers, students are required to successfully complete the candidacy examination to demonstrate readiness for preliminary research in a chosen field of study.

Admission to Candidacy

0 Total Credits

• The following are required to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours.

Time Limitation

0 Total Credits

• Students have seven years from the beginning of regular graduate status in the PhD program to complete all requirements for the degree.

Dissertation Proposal

0 Total Credits

• After passing the candidacy examination, the student will write a dissertation proposal and present it orally to the dissertation advisory committee for approval.

Dissertation and Oral Defense

0 Total Credits

• Students must write a dissertation on their research that describes a significant original contribution to the field of computer science.

Grand Total Credits

72

Application Requirements

A plan of study for each student must be filed within the first two weeks of the student's second semester in the program.

Financial Information

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans.

Fellowship Information

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students.