(revised
The Master of Science degree in Computer Science at The University of Georgia is a
comprehensive program of study intended to give qualified and motivated
students a thorough foundation in the theory, methodology, and techniques of
Computer Science. Students who
successfully complete this program of study will have a grasp of the principles
and foundations of Computer Science. They
will be prepared to pursue higher academic goals, including the Doctor of
Philosophy degree. They will obtain
skills and experience in up-to-date approaches to analysis, design,
implementation, validation, and documentation of computer software and hardware.
With these skills they will be well qualified for
technical, professional, or managerial positions in government, business,
industry, and education.
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
Requirements: In addition to the general policies set forth in the Graduate
Bulletin, the following departmental policies apply to all applicants:
1. A baccalaureate
degree is required, preferably with a major in Computer Science or an
allied discipline. Students with
insufficient background in Computer Science must take undergraduate Computer
Science courses to remedy any deficiencies (in addition to their graduate
program). A sufficient background in
Computer Science must include at least the following courses (or equivalent):
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Analytic Geometry and Calculus |
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Integral Calculus |
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Software Development |
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Systems Programming |
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Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science |
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Introduction to Theory of Computing |
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Data Structures |
2. Admission to this
program is selective; students with a record of academic excellence have a
better chance of acceptance. Students
with exceptionally strong undergraduate records may apply for admission to the
graduate program prior to fulfilling all of the above requirements.
3. Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
test scores are required for admission consideration. Though not required for admission, the Subject
Test in Computer Science could strengthen an application for admission.
4. Three letters of
recommendation are required, preferably written by university professors familiar
with the student's academic work and potential. If the student has work experience, one letter
may be from his/her supervisor. Letters
should be sent directly from the letter writer or signed on the back of the
envelope.
5. A one or two page personal
statement outlining the student's background, achievements, and future
goals is required.
6. A student may
include a recent copy of their resume as part of the application packet;
however, this is not required.
Additional requirements are specified by the Graduate School (application
fee, general application forms, all transcripts, etc.). Please see the University of Georgia Bulletin for
further information. Detailed admissions
information may be found at Graduate School Admissions.
Printed information may be obtained by
contacting the
Office of Graduate
Admissions
The University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-4401
phone: 706-542-1739
fax: 706-425-3094
e-mail: gradadm@uga.edu
Applications are processed on a year
round basis. Students can be admitted
for either semester (Fall or Spring). Please visit the
The primary focus consists of at least 32 semester hours of
resident graduate coursework. This
includes
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
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. 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).
At least one
course from each of the following three groups must be
taken:
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Theory Core |
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Group 2: |
Software Design Core |
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Group 3: |
System Design Core |
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The core
curriculum consists of a total of 12 semester hours. Core competency is certified
by the student's advisory committee with the approval of the Graduate
Coordinator. The student’s advisory committee
manages the core competency in cooperation with the student. Students are expected
to meet the core competency requirement within their first three enrolled
academic semesters (excluding summer semester).
Note: a course used to fulfill part of the core requirement (Item #1) may not be used to also fulfill part of the advanced
coursework requirement (Item #2). A
student may fulfill their core requirement (12 core hours) and then take
another (different) graduate student only course from the core list to count
toward their advanced coursework requirement.
In no case shall a course used to fulfill part of the core course requirement
count toward the core requirement AND the advanced coursework requirement.
Students must
take at least 16 hours
of CSCI graduate student only coursework. This includes at least 12 hours at the 8000-level (i.e.,
at least 3 8000-level courses).
Note: a student may satisfy
this 16 hour requirement using only 8000-level courses, or with 8000-level
courses and four hours of 6000-level coursework. In the case that a student uses a 6000-level
course for advanced coursework, that course must be a graduate student only
course. In no case shall a 6000-level
course used to fulfill part of the advanced coursework requirement count toward
the advanced coursework requirement AND the core course requirement. In addition, CSCI
8990 may not be used to fulfill this requirement.
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. Presently, there are ongoing research
seminars, such as the Theory Seminar (CATS) and the Systems Seminar (RATS). Seminars may be added,
eliminated, or changed.
The advisory committee will consist of one major professor and two
additional members. At least two of the
three members must be from the Computer Science Department. (See the Graduate
Bulletin for additional details.)
The thesis is a report of the student's investigations under the
supervision of his/her major professor and requires the approval of the major
professor and the advisory committee. The
thesis must demonstrate competent style and organization, and communicate
technical knowledge. The thesis often
includes original research into some area of Computer Science. It must demonstrate mastery of a particular
area of Computer Science. The
candidate's advisory committee assures that the quality of the thesis meets the
standards of the Department and the
Non-departmental requirements are set forth by the
A student admitted to the M.S. degree program will be
advised by the graduate coordinator until a major professor is chosen. Before
the end of the second semester in residence, a student must
submit to the
After all course work has been completed and the thesis has been approved by the student's major professor,
the thesis is transmitted to the advisory committee at least two weeks before the thesis defense date. The thesis defense is an oral examination
conducted by the student's advisory committee, and constitutes the second part
of the master's final examination. All
members of the advisory committee must be present at the defense. The advisory committee members including the
major professor must vote on whether the student passed the defense and record
their votes on the Approval Form for Master's Thesis, Defense, and Final
Examination. To pass the exam, at
least two of the three votes must be passing.
(revised
The 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.
In addition to the general policies set forth in the Graduate
Bulletin, the following departmental policies apply to all applicants:
Additional requirements are specified by the Graduate School (application
fee, general application forms, all transcripts, etc.). Please see the University of Georgia Bulletin for
further information. Detailed admissions
information may be found at Graduate School Admissions.
Printed information may be obtained by
contacting the
Office of Graduate
Admissions
The University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-4401
phone: 706-542-1739
fax: 706-425-3094
e-mail: gradadm@uga.edu
Applications are processed on a year
round basis. Students can be admitted
for either semester (Fall or Spring). Please visit the Graduate School for
application submission deadlines.
There
are a number of requirements for the PhD degree. Two of the requirements, the preliminary focus
and the primary focus, are coursework related.
Core Competency Certification, Research Skills, and Doctoral Minor are
requirements managed by the student’s advisory committee. Other requirements deal with advisory
committee formation, procedural, and Graduate School requirements.
The preliminary focus may consist of up to 12 semester hours
of resident graduate coursework depending on the student’s prior preparation. Students who have already earned an M.S.
degree in Computer Science may petition the Graduate Coordinator to waive this
requirement if their previous coursework covers the requirement. Students with no previous graduate coursework
or with graduate coursework that only partially covers the requirement will
need to fulfill the preliminary focus requirement. Examples of situations where a student
would need to fulfill the preliminary focus requirement include: (a) students
with graduate work in another discipline, (b) students with graduate coursework
that does not cover all areas of the core listed below, and (c) students
without previous graduate coursework.
Regardless of the method used to satisfy the preliminary focus
requirement, students are still responsible for Core Competency certification.
The preliminary focus requirement
is designed to provide a common baseline for all
students seeking to earn their PhD degree at UGA. It is recommended
that this requirement be met prior to moving into the primary focus area but it
is possible for students to work concurrently on these two requirements. In any case, the preliminary focus
requirement is in addition to the primary focus requirement. In particular, coursework taken to satisfy
the preliminary focus requirement may not be used to
satisfy any portion of the primary focus requirement, and vice versa. Coursework necessary for the preliminary
focus requirement equates to core competency and consists of at least one
course (or their equivalent) from each of the following three groups:
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Group 1 |
Theory Core |
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Group 2 |
Software Design Core |
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Group 3 |
System Design Core |
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The primary focus consists of at least 37 semester hours of
resident graduate coursework. This includes
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
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. Typically, there are ongoing research
seminars, such as the Theory Seminar (
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.
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.
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).
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 which must be members of the graduate faculty.
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 has successfully completed the qualifying
exam. The exams are
administered by the student's advisory committee. For
more information see Ph.D.
Exams: Form and Timing.
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.
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.
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. All but one of the members of the advisory
committee must approve the student's dissertation and defense.
Non-departmental requirements are set forth by the
MS/PhD Guidelines for Faculty
(revised
1) At the time a student files the advisory committee form, the student must also file their Core Competency Certification (CCC) form with Part 1 filled in. Part 1 of the CCC form must be signed by the major professor and given to the Graduate Coordinator at the same time as the advisory committee form. The Graduate Coordinator will file the CCC form in the departmental office.
2) Once a student has completed their core competency
requirement, the student is responsible for ensuring that their CCC form is
filled out in full and approved by the Graduate Coordinator prior to submitting
their program of study form to the Graduate Coordinator. Note: A
unanimous vote by the student’s committee is required before submitting the CCC
form to the Graduate Coordinator for approval.
3) Students unable to meet the core competency requirement
within a reasonable time will be encouraged by their major professor and the
Graduate Coordinator to pursue alternate career objectives. Students are expected to meet the core
competency requirement within their first three enrolled academic semesters
(excluding summer semester). If a
student has not met the requirement within 5 enrolled
academic semesters, departmental action may be taken to dismiss the student.
4) Although core competency certification will
typically be based on more stringent requirements, minimum core
competency may be achieved by:
PhD: Minimum requirement:
(unless
the student shows evidence that he/she has taken the equivalent classes during
his/her Master's degree program and has earned the GPA's shown below)
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16 Hours from
the core: GPA of 3.32
20 Hours from
the core: GPA of 3.18
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No Grade of C+ or below may be
included in the Program of Study.
MS: Minimum requirement:
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16 Hours from
the core: GPA of 3.15
20 Hours from
the core: GPA of 3.06
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No Grade of C+ or below may be
included in the Program of Study.
5) Entering students will be advised by the Graduate Coordinator until they form their advisory committee (ideally, formed before the end of their second term of enrollment). The Graduate Coordinator will typically follow one of these strategies for advisement:
a) advise students without core competency to satisfy the
preliminary focus,
b) advise students to take courses related to their area of interest,
c) advise students to take a variety of courses they find appealing.
Note: determining and completing degree requirements is ultimately the student’s responsibility, in conjunction with advice from their advisory committee.
6) For PhD students: “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.”
Certifications will be reviewed at the next scheduled faculty meeting. Each certifying major professor will present a summary of the certification to the faculty and respond to possible questions.
7) PhD students are encouraged to acquire a