Each student must demonstrate appropriate breadth of knowledge in computer science. This is accomplished by completing three course-related requirements. The Ph.D. student must complete
To complete the M.S. program requirement, the student may complete one of the options listed in Section 3.2, or complete an approved M.S. at another university. To complete the graduate-level breadth requirement, each Ph.D. student must satisfactorily pass five courses from the areas listed below. A maximum of one course per area is allowed.
Courses not included on this list require the approval of the student's advisory committee and the Graduate Director to count toward the graduate-level breadth requirement. Satisfactory completion of the graduate-level breadth requirement involves attaining an A in three of the five chosen courses and at least an AB in the other two.
To complete the Ph.D. credit requirement a student must complete a total of 30 credits of course work and/or CS6990: Dissertation Research beyond the M.S. program requirement. These courses must be approved by the Advisory Committee on the Preliminary Program of Study form.
Courses may be used to satisfy more than one of the above three course requirements in one of two ways. First, a 5000- or 6000-level course may count toward requirements 1 and 2. Or second, a 5000- or 6000-level course may count toward requirements 2 and 3. A single course may not count toward all three requirements.
The Advisory Committee approves the required courses by signing first the Preliminary Program of Study(*) and then later the Degree Schedule(*). It is requested in Keeping on Track that the Preliminary Program of Study(*) be turned in during the second semester of residence.
It is recommended that students finish all of their course requirements within the first three years of enrollment in the graduate program in computer science.