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Ph.D. Program of Study Requirements

  • Direct Ph.D. Degree
    1. 54 credit hours of course work available for graduate credit.
    2. 24 credit hours of dissertation research credits (CSCI 8999).
    3. Specific Course requirements (for the 54 credit hours of course work):
      1. The three core courses - CSCI 6221, 6461, 6212.
      2. Seminar Course requirement: At least one Advanced Topics Course.
      3. Breadth Requirement: At least one course from each of the following three areas: (1) Theory and algorithms, (2) Systems and Architecture, and (3) Applications. Current areas of focus are partitioned amongst these three areas.
        • Theory and algorithms
        • Systems and Architecture current areas: (i)Computer architecture, networks and parallel and distributed computing, (ii) Software engineering and systems.
        • Applications current areas: (i) Database and information retrieval systems, (ii) Multimedia Animation, (iii) Graphics and User Interfaces, (iv) Computer Security and information assurance, (v) Machine intelligence and cognition.
      4. A maximum of fifteen credits outside of the department.
      5. At most four courses numbered below 5000 that can be taken for graduate credit.
    4. Exam Requirements:
      1. Pass the Preliminary examination within 4 semesters of starting the program.
        • Students are allowed two attempts to pass the exam.
        • Failure to pass the exam by the end of the 4th semester will lead to dismissal from the Ph.D. program.
      2. Pass the Dissertation Proposal Exam
      3. Colloquium Attendance Requirement: Must attend at least 6 talks -- department colloquiums, seminars, and student dissertation/proposal defenses -- and submit short report on each to theDissertation Proposal Committee, using specific forms for this purpose. At least three such reports must be submitted in order to pass the Dissertation proposal exam.
    5. Complete a Dissertation and successfully defend it to the Dissertation Committee.
      • The dissertation advisor must be a regular full-time faculty in the Computer Science department.
      • The Dissertation Committee must consist of at least four members in addition to their advisor(s) and co-advisors. The committee must have a presiding chair who must be a regular full-time faculty member in the Computer Science department. At least three members of the committee, not including advisor(s) and co-advisors, shall be regular full-time faculty of the Computer Science department. At least one member of the committee must be an external reviewer --the external reviewer can be any person who holds a Ph.D. degree (or is a recognized expert in the field) and who is a not a regular full-time faculty in the Computer Science department. A co-advisor may not serve as the designated external member.
    6. Must submit for publication at least one paper to a refereed venue at the time of their Dissertation defense.
    7. Must fulfill the Colloquium Attendance requirement.
    8. Scholarship requirements:
      • At least 3.0 GPA to meet graduation requirements.
      • Student who receives two (or more) grades of F will be dismissed from the program.
      • Student who receives three (or more) grades below B- will be dismissed from the program.


  • Post Master’s Ph.D. Degree

    1. 30 credit hours of course work available for graduate credit.
    2. 24 credit hours of dissertation research credits (CSCI 8999).
    3. Specific Course requirements (for the 54 credit hours of course work):
      1. Seminar Course requirement: At least one Advanced Topics Course.
      2. Breadth Requirement: At least one course from each of the
        following three areas: (1) Theory and algorithms, (2) Systems and Architecture, and (3) Applications. Current areas of focus are partitioned amongst these three areas.
        • Theory and algorithms
        • Systems and Architecture current areas: (i)Computer architecture, networks and parallel and distributed computing, (ii) Software engineering and systems.
        • Applications current areas: (i) Database and information
          retrieval systems, (ii) Multimedia Animation, (iii) Graphics and User Interfaces, (iv) Computer Security and information assurance, (v) Machine intelligence and cognition.
      3. A maximum of 9 credits outside of the department.
      4. At most two courses at the 5000 level which can be taken for graduate credit.
      5. The three core courses (CSCI 6221, 6461, 6212) cannot count towards the course requirments.
    4. Exam Requirements:
      1. Pass the Preliminary examination within 4 semesters of starting the program.
        • Students are allowed two attempts to pass the exam.
        • Failure to pass the exam by the end of the 4th semester will lead to dismissal from the Ph.D. program.
      2. Pass the Dissertation Proposal Exam.
      3. Colloquium Attendance Requirement: Must attend at least 6 talks -- department colloquiums, seminars, and student dissertation/proposal defenses -- and submit short report on each to the Dissertation Proposal Committee, using specific forms for this purpose. At least three such reports must be submitted in order to pass the Dissertation proposal exam.
    5. Complete a Dissertation and successfully defend it to the Dissertation Committee.
      • The dissertation advisor must be a regular full-time faculty in the Computer Science department.
      • The Dissertation Committee must consist of at least four members
        in addition to their advisor(s) and co-advisors. The committee must have a presiding chair who must be a regular full-time faculty member in the Computer Science department. At least three members of the committee, not including advisor(s) and co-advisors, shall be regular full-time faculty of the Computer Science department. At least one member of the committee must be an external reviewer -- the external reviewer can be any person who holds a Ph.D. degree (or is a recognized expert in the field) and who is a not a regular full-time faculty in the Computer Science department. A co-advisor may not serve as the designated external member.
    6. Must submit for publication at least one paper to a refereed venue at the time of their Dissertation defense.
    7. Must fulfill the Colloquium Attendance Requirement.
    8. Scholarship requirements:
      • At least 3.0 GPA to meet graduation requirements.
      • Student who receives two (or more) grades of F will be dismissed from the program.
      • Student who receives three (or more) grades below B- will be dismissed from the program.
  • Dissertation Writing Guidelines
  • Colloquium Attendance