The Ph.D. is a research degree offered through the Graduate School. It is awarded to a candidate who has demonstrated breadth in Computer Science in general, and depth in a research specialty within Computer Science. The latter is exhibited through the writing and defense of a dissertation which reports substantial original contributions in an approved area of research.
A student who has been accepted by the Graduate School is formally admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. by the University at the recommendation of the student's supervisory committee. Admission to candidacy occurs after the student:
An application for candidacy must be submitted to the Graduate School office no later than the last day preceding the quarter of graduation. For the degree to be conferred, the approved program of study must be completed and the dissertation completed and publicly defended.
Each of these steps is described below. Most of the steps involve completing and submitting a properly signed form. Forms and assistance are available from the Graduate Coordinator.
Program of study. Course work listed on the approved program of study must consist of at least 74 quarter hours of graduate course work and dissertation research, exclusive of independent study, and inclusive of graduate course work applied toward an M.S. degree. At least 20 hours of dissertation research (course number 797) and 54 hours of graduate course work must be included. As discussed earlier, the student is required to maintain a B average or higher in course work listed on the program of study; grades less than B- are not acceptable. All courses listed on the program of study must be at the 500 level or above. CS 501, 502, and 503 and independent study cannot be used. The student must satisfy the course requirements. One year of study must be spent in full-time residency at the University (i.e., the student must enroll for a minimum of 9 hours per quarter for three consecutive quarters, summer optionally excluded). After the residency requirement is fulfilled, registration for 3 quarter hours of CS 797 Thesis Research is considered a full load.
The program of study is normally filed with the department in the second quarter of study and with the Graduate School prior to taking the qualifying examination. The program of study must be submitted to the Graduate Records Office by the last day of the quarter preceding the quarter of graduation.
Comprehensive and oral qualifying examinations. Every Ph.D. student must
pass a set of core comprehensive examinations comprising three examinations in
core areas of computer science, plus one in
a specialized area that is closely aligned,
but not restricted to, the student's research area. In addition, every Ph.D.\
student must pass an oral qualifying examination in their area of research
specialization. Students who have previously completed an M.S. degree in
Computer Science should take the
core exams no later than the second offering
after enrollment; other students, no later than the third
offering.
Each student should schedule and take the
specialized exam during the quarter following
successful completion of the
core exams. The qualifying examination should be
passed by the end of the fifth quarter of study (not counting summers) for
students with an M.S. in computer science, and by the end of the seventh
quarter of study otherwise. These exams are described in greater
detail.
Dissertation proposal. The dissertation proposal is the central subject of the qualifying examination. Hence, as noted above, the student should prepare and receive committee approval for a dissertation proposal by the end of the fifth quarter of study (not counting summers) for students with an M.S. in computer science, and by the end of the seventh quarter of study otherwise. A copy of the dissertation proposal must be in the student's file. For guidelines on preparing proposals, consult Discussion on Ph.D. Thesis Proposals in Computing Science, by H. C. Lauer. Copies are available from the Graduate Coordinator and from the Thesis Editor.
Completing program of study. A Ph.D. student is expected to devote the necessary time to courses and research in order to make satisfactory progress toward the degree. Satisfactory progress includes personal participation in the research and teaching environment of the department on a day-to-day basis. Students will be required to serve at least one quarter in a teaching capacity in the department (i.e., perform a significant teaching role) while completing the degree requirements.
Dissertation. The Ph.D. dissertation should be completed and defended by the end of the ninth quarter (not counting summers) after the proposal is defended. The completed dissertation must be published either in its entirety (through a non-vanity publisher of the student's choice or through University Microfilms) or as one or more articles accepted for publication in approved scholarly journals. An abstract of each dissertation must be published in University Microfilm's Dissertation Abstracts International. Detailed policies and procedures concerning the dissertation are contained in ``A Handbook for Theses and Dissertations'' published by the Graduate School.
