Computer Science Ph.D.

Requirements

Coursework requirements for the Ph.D. vary depending on whether the student enters with a B.S. or M.S. degree. Courses are intended to demonstrate breadth in computer science as well as experience in research. CPSC 6810/8810 MSCS Ready modules cannot be counted toward any Computer Science Ph.D. credit requirement.

Ph.D. students with an M.S. Degree

Ph.D. students entering the program with an M.S. degree must complete a minimum of 40 credit hours:

Coursework

• CPSC 9500 - New Ph.D. Student Seminar (1 credit hour)
• CPSC 9500 - Ph.D. seminar courses (6 credit hours)
• 8000 level, non-8810 CPSC or HCC coursework (12 credit hours)
  • Of these, 12 hours, 9 credit hours, or 3 courses will be submitted with the student's Ph.D. portfolio.
• CPSC 8880, CPSC 9500, or CPSC 9910 - Research (3 credit hours)
• CPSC 9910 - Doctoral Dissertation Research (18 credit hours minimum)

40 credits minimum beyond the masters

Ph.D. students with a B.S. Degree

Ph.D. students entering the program with a B.S. degree must complete a minimum of 60 credit hours:

• CPSC 9500 - New Ph.D. Student Seminar (1 credit hour)
• CPSC 9500 - Ph.D. seminar courses (6 credit hours)
• CPSC or HCC graded coursework (30 credit hours)
  • Of these 30 credit hours, 18 must be 8000-level, no more than 12 may be at the 6000-level, and no more than six may be CPSC 8810
  • Of these 30 credit hours, nine 8000-level credit hours, or 3 courses, will be submitted with the student's Ph.D. portfolio; these courses cannot be 8810s.
• CPSC 8880, CPSC 9500, or CPSC 9910 (3 credit hours)
• CPSC 9910 - Doctoral Dissertation Research (18 credits minimum)
• Additional CPSC or HCC credit hours (2 credit hours)

60 credits minimum beyond the bachelor

Note: CPSC 6810/8810 MSCS Ready modules cannot be counted toward any Computer Science Ph.D. credit requirement.

Transfer credit hours and other exceptions

Potential exceptions to the requirements outlined above can be found in the School of Computing Graduate Handbook.

Graduating: Examination Requirements

To earn the Ph.D. degree, a student must take and pass three examinations:

• The Comprehensive Examination
• The Dissertation Proposal
• The Dissertation Defense

The information below is intended as an overview of each requirement. Current School of Computing students approaching these milestones should review the School of Computing Graduate Handbook.

Ph.D. Portfolio Requirements

To be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy, a student must pass the Comprehensive Examination. The form of this examination is a portfolio review that is intended to demonstrate superior mastery in three of the six areas listed below. A grade of A- or higher in three of the six areas is expected.

Core Area Courses

• Data Science and Informatics: 8420, 8430, 8450, 8470, 8480*, 8490, 8620*, 8630, 8650
• Foundations and Theory: 8380, 8390, 8400, 8480*, 9400
• Human-Centered Computing: 8310, 8330, 8410, 8500, 8510
• Networks, Systems, and Security: 8200, 8220, 8240, 8510, 8520, 8550, 8570, 8580, 8620*, 8830, 8860
• Software Engineering: 8270, 8280, 8290, 8700, 8710, 8720, 8730, 8750
• Visual Computing: 8030, 8050, 8110, 8190

* CPSC 8480 and 8620 span core areas but will count in only one core area each

For the course titles of each course, please see courses of instruction. For syllabi, please see the syllabus repository.

Required Elements of Portfolio

The following elements must also be submitted with the student’s portfolio:

1. A research paper in which the student did a significant component of the writing. The paper should be of sufficient quality to indicate that the student has the ability to conduct original research and make an acceptable written presentation of the results. Although not required, students are strongly encouraged to submit the paper to a journal, conference, or workshop.
2. A statement of purpose.
3. A brief curriculum vitae.
4. Two supporting letters of recommendation from the School of Computing faculty.
5. Optional material as outlined in the SoC graduate handbook.

Dissertation Proposal

The dissertation proposal ensures that students have a clear grasp of a specific problem or set of problems; it provides a format for discussion of the solutions or approaches to solving the problem(s); and it provides documentation that the student has undertaken a reasonable survey of the literature related to their research.

The proposal itself is presented to the student's Advisory Committee. The written proposal should include the following items:

• Outline of the included material
• Review of the state of knowledge in the general area of interest
• Description of the proposed dissertation area, along with a concise review of the state of knowledge in the specific area of the proposed dissertation
• Explanation of the problem(s) to be investigated
• Discussion of the results expected from solving the problem(s) and their impact on the state of knowledge in the general and specific areas of interest
• Bibliography

The written proposal must be presented publicly and approved by the student's Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee will be asked to give written approval of the proposal after the presentation, and that approval will be based primarily on the written document. If the proposal is not approved, it may be repeated an indefinite number of times, subject to the consent of the Committee, but the proposal must be approved at least six months prior to the completion of the dissertation.

Students can schedule their presentation by submitting the Presentation Scheduling Form.

Dissertation Requirements

The doctoral dissertation is the written record of the research that the student has conducted and must provide evidence of the student's ability to independently perform original research leading to the discovery of significant new knowledge. The dissertation is expected to:

• Identify a significant open question or problem in computer science.
• Describe the current state of knowledge of the area(s) involved.
• Present a solution or solutions to the problem that was identified.
• Report on the results of the research conducted, substantiate those results and demonstrate the originality and contribution of the results.

The format of the dissertation must conform to the current SOC and Graduate School standards. Copies of the dissertation must be delivered to the student's Advisory Committee members at least two (2) weeks prior to the final oral examination.

Required Documents to Begin Application

Required documents can be found on the Preparing to Apply page at the Graduate School. Application to the Computer Science Ph.D. requires three letters of recommendation. For our application deadlines, see our Admissions FAQ.

Questions

Adam Rollins, School of Computing Graduate Services Coordinator rollin7@clemson.edu