Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science and Engineering
Introduction
The Department of Computer Science and Engineering offers a program of
graduate study leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in computer
science and engineering. The Ph.D. degree is awarded for demonstrated,
scholarly excellence in study and research that provides a significant
contribution to the fields of computer science or computer engineering.
The program requires a concentration of study and research in specific
areas of computer science and engineering. Programmatic strength lies in
the unique blend of faculty expertise, in the combination of theory with
software and hardware design, and in the laboratory facilities available
to the program.
Most courses are offered in the late afternoon to allow practicing
computer professionals to begin the program on a part-time basis.
A student may be admitted to the Ph.D. Program in Computer Science and
Engineering with a baccalaureate degree or a Masters degree in computer
science, computer engineering, or related areas and appropriate
experience; satisfaction of the admission requirements as set forth by
the School of Graduate Studies; and a record that indicates potential
for a career in computer science and engineering research.
A student should come to the program with a knowledge of high-level
programming languages, data structures, real-time programming, computer
organization, formal languages, operating systems and computer systems
design; however, it may be possible to make up minor deficiencies after
admission to the program by taking appropriate courses.
Minimum Requirements for Admission to the Ph.D. Program
Admission to the Ph.D. program is competitive. The following represent minimum expectations for Ph.D. applicants. Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the program.
- Baccalaureate or master's degree from an accredited institution
in computer science, computer engineering, or related discipline
with a grade point average of 3.3
- A score of at least 1150 on the Graduate Record Examination
(GRE) general test portion.
The Graduate Record Examination is not required of students with a
degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering from Wright State
University with a grade point average of 3.6 or better.
To find out whether you qualify for admission to a graduate program
in Computer Science and Engineering at Wright State University, please
complete and submit the Pre-Application Review. The CSE Graduate Program staff will evaluate
your record and let you know of the result within two weeks.
There is no fee for the
Pre-Application Review.
Degree Requirements
1. Credit Requirements
A student entering the program with a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree must complete a minimum of 136 credit hours.
A student entering the program with a Masters degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field from a regionally accredited university must complete a minimum of 91 credit hours.
The following course requirements must be satisfied in completing the necessary number of credit hours.
2. Course requirements
A student must complete a minimum of 76 hours of course work at the graduate level. CS 600 and CEG 633 will not be counted toward meeting this requirement.
The 76 credit hours in courses must include:
- Completion of either the Computer Science or Computer
Engineering Core courses.
- At least 40 hours of formal computer science and computer
engineering courses available to graduate students only (CS/CEG
700/800 level). A course other than those listed may be used to
satisfy the graduate only course requirement if it is part of a
coherent program and has received approval from the Graduate Studies
Committee prior to enrollment in the course.
- At least 24 hours of graduate level Computer Science and
Engineering technical electives including at least 8 hours of formal
course work. Up to 12 hours of thesis research (CS 799 or CEG 799)
taken at Wright State in the successful completion of a Masters
thesis may be included in these hours.
- At least 12 credit hours of graduate courses outside of the
Computer Science and Engineering Department e.g. mathematics or
statistics, electrical engineering, psychology, biology, etc. that
provide a coherent second area of specialization that complements
the student's research area.
- Courses that are co-listed as CS or CEG cannot be used toward this
requirement (Except MTH 607, MTH 619, MTH 656, MTH 658, EE 619, EE
654, EE 656, EE 659, EE 662, and HFE 665)
For the purposes of the course requirements given above, a formal
course is defined as follows:
A formal course meets on a regularly scheduled basis throughout
the quarter as specified in the quarterly university bulletin. In a
formal course, a faculty member delivers a series of lectures and
students are evaluated using a combination of projects,
presentations, and examinations. Consequently, this excludes
seminars, independent study, thesis research, dissertation research,
principles of instruction, or other directed research hours.
However, the 24 hours of graduate level Computer Science and
Engineering technical electives allows for 16 hours of independent
study type courses but not thesis or dissertation research.
3. Graduate Core Curriculum
A student must complete either the Computer Science or Computer
Engineering core curriculum. The core curriculum is designed to
ensure that students completing a graduate degree have demonstrated
competence at the graduate level in a breadth of core topics in the
discipline.
| Computer Science core curriculum: |
| Areas: | Associated Course: |
| Operating Systems | CEG 730 |
| Data Base | CS 701 |
| Programming Languages | CS 784 |
| Computer Science Theory | CS 740 |
| Computer Engineering core curriculum: |
| Areas: | Associated Course: |
| Operating Systems | CEG 730 |
| Architecture | CEG 720 |
| Networking | CEG 702 |
| Theory | CEG 770 |
Additional Requirements:
A student's program of study must include:
Registration for the Candidacy Examination (CS 894 or CEG 894)
Registration for the Dissertation Defense (CS 896 or CEG 896)
Registration for 36 hours of Residency Research (CS 897 or CEG 897)
4. Passing the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination
Ph.D. Qualifying
The successful completion of the Qualifying Examination demonstrates that the student has attained a breadth of knowledge in computer science or computer engineering at the graduate level. The examination may be passed either by outstanding performance on the core courses or through a series of written examinations. Students have two opportunities to pass the Qualifying Examination
The First Examination
Within the first two quarters of entering the Ph.D. program and prior to taking any of the core courses, the student must indicate whether he/she will take the Qualifying Examination by coursework or by a written examination. Student selecting to qualify for the Ph.D. program by the core curriculum must declare whether they will complete the Computer Science or the Computer Engineering core.
Examination by Core Curriculum
The student passes the Qualifying Examination if he/she completes the core curriculum courses
1. Within the 6 quarters of entering the program, and
2. Achieves a 3.75 grade point average or greater in the core courses (no repeat of classes).
Written Examination
The written examination will cover the areas from the core curriculum courses. If this option is chosen, the student must take examination within 4 quarters of entering the program. The exam will consist of a two-hour examination on each of the topics. A grade point average of at least 3.75 on the examinations is required to pass.
Second examination
Students not passing the examination on the first attempt will be given one additional opportunity to pass at the next available offering of the written examination. Any student who fails to pass the examination on the second attempt will be dismissed from the program.
The second examination will be a written examination over the student's selected core curriculum. The student is required to take the exam in each area in which he/she did not receive an A on the first examination. The grades obtained on the second examination will replace those from the first examination. A grade point average of at least 3.75 on the two combined examinations is required to pass.
WSU Masters Students
Students entering the Ph.D. program with a Masters in Computer Science or Computer Engineering from Wright State will be credited with passing the Qualifying Examination if their performance on the core courses in the Masters program satisfies the criteria for passing the Qualifying Examination by coursework described above.
Students must register for CS 892 or CEG 892 to take the written examination. Students will be notified of the results within two weeks of the final session of the examination.
5. Residency Research
Ph.D. candidates must spend at least three quarters in two consecutive years enrolled full-time for residency research after passing the qualifying examination. Whereas some portions of this time may be spent at remote locations where unique facilities necessary for the research work are located, it must be done under the supervision of the faculty.
6. Dissertation Committee
The student must assemble a Dissertation Committee and have it approved by the Director of the Ph.D. Program, the Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.
The dissertation committee may be formed only after completion of the Qualifying Examination, but prior to the Candidacy Examination. It is the responsibility of the student to find a faculty member who agrees to be the dissertation director and who will supervise the student's research.
7. Candidacy Examination
The Candidacy Examination permits the student to present his/her proposed research to the dissertation committee and the public. The dissertation director, in consultation with the dissertation committee, will determine when the student has identified a program of research suitable for a Ph.D. dissertation and is prepared to take the Candidacy Examination. The examination will consist of a public presentation of the proposed research and a question-and-answer period. The dissertation committee may also have an interrogatory session with the student that is closed to the public. Unanimous consent of the dissertation committee is required to pass the Candidacy Examination.
The research proposal must exhibit the student's thorough background knowledge of the research area, indicate previous work in the area, and explicitly outline the proposed research to be undertaken in the dissertation.
8. Ph.D. Dissertation Defense
In the Dissertation Defense, the student presents the results of
his/her research to the dissertation committee and the public. The
dissertation director, in consultation with the dissertation
committee, will determine when the student has completed sufficient
research to defend the dissertation.
The dissertation director is the chair of the Dissertation Defense.
The examination consists of a public presentation of the student's
research and a question-and-answer period. The dissertation
committee may also have an interrogatory session with the student
that is closed to the public. Unanimous consent of the dissertation
committee is required to pass the Dissertation Defense.
Once the student has passed the dissertation defense, he or she
must deliver a computer file in the .pdf format specified by the
School of Graduate Studies to the Computer Science and Engineering
Department and to the School of Graduate Studies.
9. Publication Requirements
The student must have at least one journal paper of which he/she is the first author accepted for publication from his/her dissertation research. The dissertation committee will specify peer reviewed journals appropriate for the satisfaction of this requirement.
A paper published in a highly selective conference may satisfy this requirement with the agreement of the dissertation committee and the Director of the Ph.D. Program.
10. Program of Study
The student must complete a program of study and have it on file
in the School of Graduate Studies. The program of study indicates
the coursework to be completed in the student's program and is
determined in consultation with the student's advisor. The completed
program of study must be approved by the Director of the Ph.D.
Program, the Chair of the Department of Computer Science and
Engineering, and the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. Program
of study forms may be obtained in the department office or can be
downloaded here.
11. Time Limit
Students must complete all the requirements for a doctoral degree within 10 years from the date the student matriculated. Courses older than 10 years cannot be used toward doctoral degree requirements.
12. Three "C" Rule
The department has a "three C rule" for graduate students. A
graduate student who receives 9 or more credit hours of grades C, D,
F, X, or U in computer science or computer engineering graduate courses
will be recommended for dismissal from the program. The rule
includes prerequisite courses taken for graduate study, independent
study, and thesis or dissertation research. Dismissal action will be
taken by the School of Graduate Studies.
Graduate Assistantships
Teaching assistantships are available on a competitive basis for students who have established strong academic credentials and can demonstrate good communication skills and teaching potential.
Research assistantship availability is dependent upon faculty research grants and contracts. Candidates are ordinarily chosen based upon credentials established at Wright State University.
Students employed as teaching or research assistants through the School of Graduate Studies are required to complete the thesis option of the Masters degree.
Further information can be found on the Graduate Student Financial Support page.
