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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Computer ScienceOverview of DegreeThe Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Computer Science at The University of Georgia is an advanced, intensive program offered by the Computer Science Department and designed to take students to the frontiers of knowledge in one of a number of key areas of Computer Science. The Ph.D. in Computer Science combines theory and practice in complementary, yet flexible, ways. The program has been designed to prepare students for careers in research (at universities, or government or industrial research laboratories), teaching (at colleges or universities), or advanced development (at hardware and software companies). The Department presently has active research groups in the following areas:
Prospective students are advised to consult The University of Georgia Graduate Bulletin for institutional information and requirements. Admission RequirementsIn addition to the general policies set forth in the Graduate Bulletin, the following departmental policies apply to all applicants:
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| Group 1: | Theory |
| CSCI 6470 Algorithms | |
| CSCI 6610 Automata and Formal Languages | |
| Group 2: | Software Design |
| CSCI 6050 Software Engineering | |
| CSCI 6370 Database Management | |
| CSCI 6570 Compilers | |
| Group 3: | System Design |
| CSCI 6720 Computer Architecture and Organization | |
| CSCI 6730 Operating Systems | |
| CSCI 6760 Computer Networks: Technology and Application |
2) Primary Focus
The primary focus consists of at least 37 semester hours of resident graduate coursework. This includes
- at least 8 hours of CSCI graduate coursework which includes 4 hours of graduate student only coursework,
- at least 16 hours of CSCI 8000-level coursework,
- at least 1 hour of CSCI 8990 Research Seminar,
- at least 6 hours of coursework in a doctoral minor, or additional CSCI graduate coursework, and
- at least 6 hours of CSCI 9300 Doctoral Dissertation.
Independent study, dissertation, and research credit hours may not count towards requirements #1, #2, and #4 above. Also, no course used to fulfill part of the requirements for item #1, #2, or #4 may be used to fulfill part of another requirement (for example, item #1 hours are separate and different from item #2 hours, item #4 hours are separate and different from item #1 hours and item #2 hours).
Typically, full-time students will take 9 to 15 hours per semester. See the CSCI section of the University of Georgia Bulletin for course descriptions. A program of study is filed with the Graduate School, and should be a coherent and logical whole; it requires the approval of the student's major professor, the student's advisory committee, and the departmental graduate coordinator. Primary focus, preliminary focus (if needed), core competency, minor, and area specialization typically amount to more than the minimum 37-semester hour course requirement. Note: no course with a grade of C+ or lower may be included on the student’s program of study (see the Graduate Bulletin for other GPA constraints).
Exclusions and Limitations
- At most one of the 8000-level courses may be repeated once. That course must be listed in the catalog as repeatable and syllabi from both offerings of the course must be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator with the Program of Study, showing that the two offerings differ in content.
Research Seminar
All students must take 1 hour of CSCI 8990 Research Seminar, in which they must attend weekly meetings of a research seminar and give presentations.
Doctoral Minor Or Additional CSCI Concentration
A minor, if chosen, must be composed, in conjunction with the student, by the student's major professor and advisory committee and approved by the graduate coordinator. A minor must consist of at least 6 hours of graduate-level coursework from another department. Our department is particularly interested in encouraging students to pursue minors in Computational Science, Artificial Intelligence, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Geography, Management Information Systems, Mathematics, Physics, or Statistics. Students wishing to forego the minor must take at least 6 hours of additional CSCI graduate coursework.
3) Core Competency
Basic computer science knowledge (core competency) in the core areas (Groups 1, 2, and 3, above) must be exhibited by each student and certified by the student’s advisory committee. This may take the form of a written exam, an oral exam, an essay exam, graded coursework, or some other mechanism deemed appropriate by the student's advisory committee. Students entering the PhD program with a previous graduate degree sufficient to cover this basic knowledge will need to work with their advisory committee to certify their core competency. Students entering the PhD program without sufficient graduate background to certify core competency must fulfill the preliminary focus requirement, and then pursue certification with their advisory committee.
The student’s advisory committee must unanimously certify core competency prior to approval by the Graduate Coordinator. The student’s advisory committee manages these components in cooperation with the student. Students are expected to meet the core competency requirement within their first three enrolled academic semesters (excluding summer semester).
Prior to Graduate Coordinator approval, each student's core competency certification must undergo full departmental faculty review. Comments and concerns from the department faculty will be taken into consideration by the Graduate Coordinator and used to determine whether or not the certification is approved. In the case where the certification is not approved, the Graduate Coordinator will work with the student's advisory committee to specify any remedial action.
4) Research Skills
The department has no formal research skills requirement, at this time. However, a student’s advisory committee may require the student to satisfy a research skill requirement if it is pertinent to the student’s research. Examples include the taking of statistical analysis coursework or foreign language coursework (again, this would be in addition to other coursework requirements).
5) Advisory Committee
A doctoral student's advisory committee shall consist of at least three members of the graduate faculty, including the student's major professor who will chair the committee, and a minor professor from the student's doctoral minor (if the minor option is selected). A fourth member of the graduate faculty may be appointed as co-major professor. At least half of the committee must be non-adjunct members of the Computer Science Department. Either the major professor or the co-major professor (if there is one) must be a non-adjunct member of the Department. Both the major and co-major professors must be regular members of the graduate faculty. A committee may have at most one non-UGA-affiliated voting member, who must hold the terminal degree in their field of study and certify their credentials with a letter and vita. The maximum size of a committee is six, a majority of whom must be members of the graduate faculty.
6) Comprehensive Examination
The student must pass the Ph.D. comprehensive examination that covers the student's major and minor areas of study. The examination consists of two parts: a written part and an oral part. Students have at most two attempts to pass the written part. The oral part may not be attempted unless the written part has been passed. The written part may not be attempted unless the student’s core competency has been certified. The exams are administered by the student's advisory committee. For more information see Ph.D. Exams: Form and Timing.
7) Admission to Candidacy
The student is responsible for initiating an application for admission to candidacy once all requirements, except the dissertation prospectus and the dissertation, have been completed.
8) Dissertation Planning and Prospectus
Dissertation planning will involve exploratory research leading to the preparation of a dissertation prospectus. CSCI 9000 Doctoral Research may be taken at this time. The prospectus must be presented to the advisory committee for approval.
9) Dissertation Approval and Defense
The student's dissertation must represent originality in research, independent thinking, scholarly ability, and technical mastery of a field of study. The dissertation must also demonstrate competent style and organization (see Guidelines for Theses and Dissertations). While working on his/her dissertation, the student must enroll for a minimum of 6 hours of CSCI 9300 Doctoral Dissertation spread over at least 2 semesters. Students may not register for this course until they have been admitted to candidacy. Once the student's major professor has approved the final version of the dissertation, it will be distributed to the other members of the advisory committee, and a dissertation defense scheduled no sooner than three weeks after the distribution. Given a committee of size n, a student’s dissertation and defense are considered approved by the department if approval has been received from at least n-1 committee members.
Non-Departmental Requirements
Non-departmental requirements are set forth by the Graduate School (see the Graduate Bulletin ). They concern residence, time limits, programs of study, acceptance of transfer credits, admission to candidacy, minimum GPA's, dissertation, and examinations.
