Ph.D. in Computer Science

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Degree Programs > Ph.D. in Computer Science

The goal of the Ph.D. program is to equip its graduates to conduct state-of-the-art research in computer science, either in academia or in industry. The curriculum aims to fulfill this goal by providing the student with:

  • A broad background in the fundamentals of computer science.
  • Advanced courses in the dissertation area.
  • An intensive research experience, culminating in the writing of a dissertation.

Admissions Requirements

A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent is required. Applicants must submit an official application, official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended, a personal statement, official scores of the GRE general test, and three letters of recommendation. International students must also submit official scores of the TOEFL examination. Acceptance to the College of Computer and Information Science is granted upon recommendation of the College Graduate Committee after a review of the completed application.

Academic Requirements

A minimum of 16 semester hours of course work beyond the Master's degree (excluding the six required core courses) , or 48 semester hours of course work beyond the BS/BA degree, is required of all students.

Admission to Candidacy
All students must demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the fundamentals of computer science, as well as the ability to carry out research in an area of computer science.

Course Requirements
All students are encouraged to enroll in a one credit seminar, CS7090, during their first year of study. The seminar will feature research topics of interest to Ph.D. students. Each student is required to take six courses including:

• Core
CS7600 Intensive Systems
CS7400 Intensive Principles of Programming Languages
CS7800 Advanced Algorithms
CS7805 Theory of Computation
and two others from the designated courses in a field chosen from the list given below (usually in the student's area of specialization)

• Artificial Intelligence
CS5100 and CS6140

• Database Management
CS5200 and CS5210

• Programming Languages and Software Design
CS6510, CS6410, CS6412 or CS7480

• Networks
CS5720 and one other course under concentration (subject to approval)

• Others
Upon approval by the Graduate Committee

The student must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 among the six courses satisfying the above course requirement and a grade of B or better in each of these courses.Students who have taken equivalent courses in other institutions may petition to be exempted from the course(s) (subject to the approval of the Ph.D Committee).Each student may repeat a course once for no more than 3 out of the six courses if they do not receive a B or better in the course. Students with an M.S. degree in Computer Science may petition to the Ph.D. Committee for an exemption from these courses. Petition forms are available in the College Administrative Office at 202 WVH.

The fields listed do not necessarily represent areas of specialization or separate tracks within the Ph.D. program. Rather, they attempt to delineate areas on which the student must be examined in order to measure his or her ability to complete the degree. Therefore, they may be adjusted in the future to reflect changes in the discipline of computer science and in faculty interests within the College of Computer and Information Science. Similarly, these fields do not represent the only areas in which a student may write his or her dissertation. They are, however, intended to serve as a basis for performing fundamental research in computer science.

Research/Survey Paper
To demonstrate research ability, the student is required to submit to the Ph.D. Committee a research or a survey paper in an area of specialty under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Normally the length of the paper should not exceed 15 pages. A submitted paper from a student is considered to have fulfilled the Paper Requirement if

1. The paper has been submitted to a selective conference
2.The student has made substantial contribution to the paper
3. The advisor has endorsed the paper with a written statement indicating the studentÌs contribution
4. The Ph.D. Committee has voted on a positive recommendation.

Upon completion of the course and the research paper requirements, the student is admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. It is highly recommended that the student complete the candidacy requirement by the end of his/her second year.

Residency
One year of continuous full-time study is required after admission to the Ph.D. candidacy.It is expected that during this period the student will make substantial progress in preparing for the Comprehensive Examination.

Comprehensive Examination
The examination will be taken after the student has achieved sufficient depth in a field of study in order to prepare a prospectus for the Ph.D. dissertation. This process should take place no later than the fall semester of the fifth year in residence. Prior to taking the Comprehensive Examination, the student will prepare a thesis proposal for the examination, which describes the proposed research including the relevant background materials from the literature. The thesis proposal should clearly specify the research problems to be attacked, the techniques to be used, and a schedule of milestones towards completion. Normally the thesis proposal should not exceed fifteen pages, excluding appendices and bibliography.

The thesis proposal must be approved by the Comprehensive Committee. It is strongly recommended that the same members should serve on both the Comprehensive and Thesis Committees. With the help of the advisor, a student will select the Comprehensive Committee consisting of 4 members to be approved by the Ph.D. Committee. The 4 members must include the advisor, 2 other faculty members from the College and an external examiner (optional for Comprehensive Committee).

To help the Ph.D. Committee to make an informed decision, a copy of the external examinerÌs resume should be submitted at the same time. Upon approval of the written Proposal, the student has to present the proposed work orally in a public forum, followed by a closed-door oral examination from theComprehensive Committee. The student may take the Comprehensive Examination at most twice.

Doctoral Dissertation
Upon successful completion of solving the research proposed in the Thesis Proposal, the candidate will prepare the dissertation for approval by the Doctoral Committee. The dissertation must contain results of extensive research and make an original contribution to the field of computer science. The work should give evidence of the candidate's ability to carry out independent research. It is expected that the dissertation should be of sufficient quality to merit publication in a reputable journal in computer science.

Doctoral Committee
If the Thesis Committee is the same as the Comprehensive Committee, no further approval is needed. If the Thesis Committee is changed in its composition, approval process will follow that of the Comprehensive Committee.

Dissertation Defense
The dissertation defense is held in accordance with the regulations of the University Graduate Council. It will consist of a lecture given by the candidate on the subject matter of the dissertation. This will be followed by questions from the Doctoral Committee and others in attendance concerning the results of the dissertation as well as any related matters. The examination will be chaired by the Ph.D. advisor.

Time and Time Limitation

After the establishment of degree candidacy, a maximum of five years will be allowed for the completion of the degree requirements, unless an extension is granted by the College Graduate Committee.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of 9 semester hours of credit obtained at another institution may be accepted towards the degree, provided the credits consist of work taken at the graduate level for graduate credit, carry grades of 3.000 or better, have been earned at an accredited institution, and have not been used toward any other degree. No transfer credit will be given for courses listed as Interdisciplinary Courses.

Approved Courses

Same as Approved Courses for M.S. in Computer Science.

Electives Outside the College

Students are encouraged to take electives outside the College, with the approval of both the thesis advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies, as part of their study. Relevant courses are typically offered in the departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Philosophy, Psychology, andSociology. Courses in other areas may also be approved as part of the plan of study.

Specimen Curriculum

Because a Ph.D. program is highly individualized, it is inappropriate to sketch out a semester-by-semester, course-by-course program. Instead, we will attempt to describe the major activities of each year's study for a hypothetical student. Our hypothetical student comes to us with a B.S. in Computer Science and a firm plan to take a Ph.D. Along the way, we will comment on how the program might vary for other categories of students. The following table provides a recommended course scheduling for a PhD. student.

Year Fall Semester Spring Semester
1 CS7400 Intensive PL Elective (area of interest) CS7600 Intensive Sys Elective (area of interest)
2 CS7800 Advanced Alg Elective CS7805 Thy of Comp Elective
3 Elective
Thesis or Reading		 Elective
Thesis or Reading
4 Reading
Thesis Cont or Reading		 Reading
Thesis Cont or Reading
5-6 Thesis Continuation Thesis Continuation

Year 1:
In the fall and spring, the student takes one intensive core course each semester and one or two courses in his/her area of specialization if such an area has been identified. During this year, the student should be working towards identifying an area of research, as well as a potential faculty advisor. A student with a Master's degree in Computer Science prior to entrance should consult with his/her mentor regarding core courses. Such a student would normally take courses only as necessary to fill in background gaps and should work towards the completion of research paper.

Year 2:
During the academic year, the student should continue to take one core course in each semester. At the same time, the student is strongly encouraged to undertake supervised reading and research courses in the proposed area of study. The student may choose to obtain the MS degree provided he/she has completed the MS degree requirements.

Years 3-4:
During this time, the student's time is devoted almost entirely to research. Continuing the work from Year 2, the student undertakes a series of more and more challenging research problems. The paper requirement is expected to be completed by the end of Year 3, if not earlier. By the end of Year 4, the student isolates a thesis problem and completes the Comprehensive Examination requirement.

Years 5-6:
The student works on the dissertation problem and writes the thesis. By the end of the fifth year, the thesis is at least ready to be written. In theoretical areas, the student should be ready to defend the dissertation at approximately the end of Year 5. In systems areas, the thesis work is more likely to extend to a sixth year.

Academic Review Process

Next review date: TBD.

Since Fall 2002, the Graduate Committee of the College of Computer and Information Science has adopted a procedure for reviewing all current Ph.D. students. The review process is opened to all tenured and tenure-track faculty members.

Goal To identify at-risk students early in their career, and to provide advisors or other faculty members the opportunity to intervene and to improve the performance of these at-risk students.

Criteria for Review The review will cover each student's career to date, including:

• Academic standing: GPA, etc.
• Performance as RA, TA, etc., including communication skill.
• Progress on requirements(courses, research paper, thesis proposal, etc.). • Progress on his or her research.

Result of Review The result of the evaluation is classified as:

• Satisfactory - The student is progressing according to expectation.
• Marginal - Weakness in the student's progress has been identified. The student and his/her advisor should address the weakness before the next Review.
• Unsatisfactory - The student's progress is problematic and should be addressed immediately.

Individual recommendations may also be provided to the students to help guiding their future progress.

Student's Responsibility before the Review

• If a student has recently switched her advisor/mentor, she should notify the Graduate School.
• If a student has not recently been in touch with her advisor or mentor, she may wish to take this opportunity to make him/her familiar with her current activities and progress, and with any special circumstances that the Graduate Committee should be aware of.