Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science

The Ph.D. program in Computer Science is for students interested in obtaining academic or research positions in colleges and universities or in government or commercial research laboratories. The program gives students a rigorous and thorough knowledge of a broad range of theoretical and practical research subject areas and develops the ability to recognize and pursue significant research in computer science. The first two years of graduate study are devoted to coursework. By the end of the second year the research phase of the student's graduate career should be underway, with participation in advanced study and preliminary research work. The final years of graduate study are devoted to dissertation research. The primary areas of departmental research interests include, among others, theoretical computer science, algorithms, logic, concurrency, model checking, databases, languages, artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, computer graphics, visualization, cyber-security, operating systems, networking, and computer architecture.

A. Bachelor's Degree: A bachelor's degree, usually in a science or engineering discipline or in mathematics, is required. The transcript should show a grade average of at least B (3.0/4.0) in all undergraduate coursework, and in the science, mathematics, and engineering courses.

B. Basic Mathematics: Two semesters of college-level calculus, plus a course in linear algebra. Also desirable is a course in either probability theory or probability and statistics.

C. Minimal Background in Computer Science: As a measure of that background, the student must satisfy five of the following proficiency requirements: The student must have at least undergraduate level proficiency in the core computer science areas. If the student does not have a degree in computer science, he/she must demonstrate this proficiency via junior/senior undergraduate level coursework or relevant job/project experience preferably in the following core computer science areas: discrete mathematics, theory of computing, algorithms, programming languages or compilers, computer organization/architecture and operating systems. If exposure is lacking in one or two of the above areas, similar level of exposure in the following areas may be acceptable instead: computer networks, artificial intelligence, databases, computer security or computer graphics. Note that mere programming experience is usually not considered sufficient.

D. All applicants to the M.S. or Ph.D. program must submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for the general aptitude tests. Applicants are encouraged to submit GRE test scores for the advanced examination in Computer Science as well.

E. Acceptance by the Computer Science Department and Graduate School.

An applicant must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 point scale.

IELTS: Overall score of 6.5, with no subsection recommended to be below 6

TOEFL: 90 for admission to a doctoral program