Program Overview

Doctor of Philosophy - Computer Science

About

Graduate degree programs in the Department of Computer Science provide students the opportunity to study different subject areas of computing science, conduct research in specialized areas, and make original contributions to the field.

Our graduate programs, leading to MS and PhD degrees, are designed to pursue research at the frontiers of computer science and application areas. The graduate program is supported by faculty who are actively participating in research and development in specialized areas such as algorithm analysis, database systems, document image processing, scheduling, computational geometry, computer security, parallel programming, programming languages, and multi-media. Four in-house computer laboratories support teaching and research activities.

Thesis/Dissertation Preparation

When preparing your thesis or dissertation, the graduate college requires that you follow certain guidelines. If you are preparing your document in LaTeX, the department has developed an approved style file, along with examples of how to use it, which assures that your document satisfies the formatting guidelines.

Available Options

• Post-Master's Track
• Post-Bachelor's Track
• BS-PhD Integrated Track

Accreditation

For information regarding accreditation at UNLV, please head over to Academic Program Accreditations.

Learning Outcomes

1. Exhibit a breadth of knowledge in the areas of algorithms, programming languages and compilers, theory, operating systems, and computer architecture.
2. Exhibit a depth of knowledge in at least one specialized area of computer science.
3. Conduct a thorough literature survey on a research topic.

The Computer Science PhD program gives you the opportunity to study different areas, including:

• Design and analysis of algorithms
• Operating and distributed systems
• Computer architecture and networking
• Computational geometry and robotics
• Computer graphics and image processing
• Programming languages and compiler construction
• Artificial intelligence and expert systems
• Database design, document analysis, and retrieval Software Engineering

Career Possibilities

• Market Research Analyst
• Business Development Manager
• Competitive Intelligence Analyst
• Quantitative Analyst
• Medical Communication Specialist
• Healthcare Information Technology Specialist
• Operations Research Analyst
• Postdocs and assistant professor

Requirements

Plan Description

The Ph.D. degree is awarded to a candidate who has demonstrated breadth of knowledge in computer science in general and has displayed depth of knowledge in the area of specialty as well as the ability to make original contributions to the body of knowledge in the chosen field in which they purse to defend dissertation.

Plan Admission Requirements

• A GPA of 3.70 (on a 4.00 scale) or higher in post-baccalaureate course work is required for admission. Students entering with a bachelor's degree must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher for the courses at the 200-level or above.
• Students are expected to have a master's degree in computer science before applying to the Ph.D. program. On rare occasions, an unusually capable student may be admitted to work directly for the Ph.D. degree without having a master's degree.
• At least three letters of recommendation (preferably from academic sources) attesting to the applicant's professional competence and academic potential are required.
• A personal statement of purpose, which should be as specific as possible and should include the applicant's objectives and area(s) of interest, is required.
• A minimum score of 315 on the general test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required. Official score reports from the last five years are acceptable.

Additional information for the Integrated BS-PhD degree program:

• Up to nine credits of approved graduate-level course work can be taken as technical electives for the grade of B or better during the senior year and those credits will be waived for the graduate degree.
• The GRE requirement is waived for students participating in the Integrated BS-MS subplan.

The following conditions must be met to enroll in the Integrated BS-MS program:

• A minimum of two semesters of full-time enrollment in B.S. of Computer Science program is required.
• Applications are normally submitted with two semesters remaining in the senior year.
• A minimum of 90 credits of course work applicable to the B.S. of Computer Science degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher must be completed before beginning the joint degree program.
• Student have to choose the thesis option in the MS degree. Students interested in this program and who also meet the credentials listed above should request a letter of nomination from a Computer Science faculty member. Submit this letter along with a short resume (no more than 2 pages) and an application form to the main office of the department of Computer Science. The materials will be evaluated by the Graduate committee.

All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements.

Plan Requirements

Subplan 1: Post-Master's

• Total Credits Required: 48
• Course Requirements:
  • Required Courses – Credits: 30
    • Complete 30 credits of 600- or 700- level Computer Science (CS) courses.
  • Dissertation – Credits: 18
    • CS 799 - Dissertation Research
• Degree Requirements:
  1. A student entering the Ph.D. program with a master's degree in computer science is required to take at least 48 credits of coursework.
  2. At least 24 credits must be in computer science (excluding dissertation).
  3. A minimum of 12 credits of 700-level Computer Science courses (excluding CS 791, CS 795, CS 798, CS 799).
  4. A maximum of 12 credits of 600-level Computer Science courses.
  5. A maximum of 6 credits of 600/700 level non-Computer Science courses (with departmental approval).
  6. A Ph.D. student can take at most 9 credits per semester from a combination of CS 795, CS 798, CS 799 and any other course. During the summer a Ph.D. student can take at most 9 credits overall, not per summer session, from a combination of CS 795, CS 798, CS 799, and any other course.
  7. Satisfactorily pass a written comprehensive examination within the first four semesters.
  8. The qualifying examination is an oral examination designed to test the depth of the student's knowledge in their area of research specialization.
  9. Satisfactorily pass a dissertation proposal defense by the end of year 4.
  10. The candidate must prepare a dissertation on their research. The doctoral dissertation should represent a significant original research contribution to the field of computer science and be publishable in a recognized refereed journal.
  11. After completion of the dissertation, the candidate must pass a final oral defense of their dissertation. The candidate must make the final changes, if any, in the dissertation within three months from the date of the oral defense. A candidate can defend the dissertation no more than twice. Each member of the committee must approve the final dissertation.
  12. Maintain a satisfactory rate of progress and a yearly progress report must be submitted.

Subplan 2: Post-Bachelor's

• Total Credits Required: 72
• Course Requirements:
  • Required Courses – Credits: 54
    • Complete 54 credits of 600- or 700- level Computer Science (CS) courses.
  • Dissertation – Credits: 18
    • CS 799 - Dissertation Research
• Degree Requirements:
  1. Complete a minimum of 72 credits of coursework with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
  2. At least 42 credits must be in computer science (excluding dissertation).
  3. A minimum of 12 credits of 700-level Computer Science courses (excluding CS 791, CS 795, CS 798, CS 799).
  4. A maximum of 12 credits of 600-level Computer Science courses.
  5. A maximum of 6 credits of 600/700 level non-Computer Science courses (with departmental approval).
  6. A Ph.D. student can take at most 9 credits per semester from a combination of CS 795, CS 798, CS 799 and any other course. During the summer a Ph.D. student can take at most 9 credits overall, not per summer session, from a combination of CS 795, CS 798, CS 799, and any other course.
  7. Satisfactorily pass a written comprehensive examination within the first four semesters.
  8. The qualifying examination is an oral examination designed to test the depth of the student's knowledge in their area of research specialization.
  9. Satisfactorily pass a dissertation proposal defense by the end of year 4.
  10. The candidate must prepare a dissertation on their research. The doctoral dissertation should represent a significant original research contribution to the field of computer science and be publishable in a recognized refereed journal.
  11. After completion of the dissertation, the candidate must pass a final oral defense of their dissertation. The candidate must make the final changes, if any, in the dissertation within three months from the date of the oral defense. A candidate can defend the dissertation no more than twice. Each member of the committee must approve the final dissertation.
  12. Maintain a satisfactory rate of progress and a yearly progress report must be submitted.

Subplan 3: BS-PhD Integrated

• Total Credits Required: 72
• Course Requirements:
  • Required Courses – Credits: 45-51
    • Complete 45-51 credits of 600- or 700- level Computer Science (CS) courses.
  • Dissertation – Credits: 18
    • CS 799 - Dissertation Research
• Degree Requirements:
  1. Complete a minimum of 72 credits of coursework with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
  2. At least 42 credits must be in computer science (excluding dissertation).
  3. A minimum of 12 credits of 700-level Computer Science courses (excluding CS 791, CS 795, CS 798, CS 799).
  4. A maximum of 12 credits of 600-level Computer Science courses.
  5. A maximum of 6 credits of 600/700 level non-Computer Science courses (with departmental approval).
  6. A Ph.D. student can take at most 9 credits per semester from a combination of CS 795, CS 798, CS 799 and any other course. During the summer a Ph.D. student can take at most 9 credits overall, not per summer session, from a combination of CS 795, CS 798, CS 799, and any other course.
  7. Satisfactorily pass a written comprehensive examination within the first four semesters.
  8. The qualifying examination is an oral examination designed to test the depth of the student's knowledge in their area of research specialization.
  9. Satisfactorily pass a dissertation proposal defense by the end of year 4.
  10. The candidate must prepare a dissertation on their research. The doctoral dissertation should represent a significant original research contribution to the field of computer science and be publishable in a recognized refereed journal.
  11. After completion of the dissertation, the candidate must pass a final oral defense of their dissertation. The candidate must make the final changes, if any, in the dissertation within three months from the date of the oral defense. A candidate can defend the dissertation no more than twice. Each member of the committee must approve the final dissertation.
  12. Maintain a satisfactory rate of progress and a yearly progress report must be submitted.

Graduation Requirements

The student must submit and successfully defend their dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.

After the dissertation defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their dissertation to the Graduate College for format check. Once the dissertation format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for dissertation defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here.

Students may apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements. All required forms must be submitted to the graduate college via the Grad Rebel Gateway.