College of Science

Department of Computer Science

The Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science is, above all else, a degree of quality. Simply completing a number of graduate courses or years of study is not sufficient to receive the degree. The successful candidate must demonstrate a breadth of understanding in computer science, as well as a depth of understanding in his or her chosen area(s) of emphasis. Also, students must show an ability to do creative research. This research should be carried out over a significant period of time. Thus, each successful PhD candidate will produce a significant piece of original research, presented in a written dissertation and defended in an oral examination. This work should be of such quality that one or more journal or conference articles can be derived from it.

Students completing a PhD/CS must fulfill the following requirements:

1. Complete at least 70 credits of graduate coursework (including at least 18 credits of dissertation/research) beyond a BS/CS or at least 40 credits (including at least 18 credits of dissertation research) beyond an MS/CS with a minimum class grade of B and a minimum institution GPA of 3.5 on their Program of Study.
2. Complete at least nine credits of 6000/7000-level computer science coursework. CS 6900  and CS 7970  are not included in the nine required credits.
3. Complete one credit of CS 6900 .
4. Students with a master’s degree must complete three credits of department-approved courses in addition to the 9 6000/7000-level credits. Students without a master’s degree must complete 21 additional credits of department-approved courses. No more than 15 credits of 5000-level courses can be included with a previous master’s or 21 without a previous master’s degree. No courses below 5000-level are allowed.
5. A student cannot take more than 9 credits outside of the Department. Any outside credits must be from ECE, MATH, STAT, or one of two approved courses: PSC 6150  and SOC 6150 . Independent Study courses taken outside the Computer Science Department will not be approved.
6. CS 5950 , CS 6950 , or CS 7950  can be taken only with advisor’s prior permission and only for three credits at a time. The maximum total number of credits allowed for CS 5950  plus CS 6950  plus CS 7950  is three (with previous MS) or six (without previous MS).
7. CS 5250  and CS 5260  must be taken together in the same semester to be included on the Program of Study.
8. CS 6990  and CS 7990  CANNOT be counted on the Program of Study.
9. CS 6250  can be taken only with advisor’s prior permission, and a maximum of three credits is allowed.
10. Pass a PhD Qualifying exam, demonstrating depth and breadth of knowledge in computer science and the student’s area(s) of emphasis.
11. Successfully complete and defend a research proposal.
12. Successfully complete and defend a dissertation (CS 7970 ), for at least 18 credits.
13. The overall GPA must be at least 3.5 for degree-program courses, and grades of B- or lower will not be accepted.