Description

The Computer Science program offers Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Computer Science. The program has a long and respected history, having conferred M.S. degrees since 1968 and Ph.D. degrees since 1980. In 2001 our Ph.D. program was ranked nationally in the top 10 by the National Association of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Students in the program receive a broad background in the areas of programming systems and languages, computer architecture, and computer science theory while specializing in a research area. Research interests of the computer science faculty include affective computing, applied perception, bioinformatics, computational biology, computational geometry, computer and network security, computer architecture, computer forensics, computer graphics, computer networks, computer vision, cryptography, data compression, database management systems, data mining, design and analysis of algorithms, evolutionary computation, genetic algorithms, graph theory, hardware/software co-design, image processing, machine learning, mixed and virtual reality, mobile computing, modeling and simulation, multimedia systems, natural language processing, neural networks, parallel and distributed processing, performance evaluation, programming languages, quantum computing, semantic web, software agents, software engineering, and VLSI systems.

Students successfully completing this program will have exhibited breadth as well as depth of capability involving both theoretical aspects of computer science and practical considerations of computing.

The mission of the M.S. degree program is to provide students with an in-depth education geared toward meeting the needs of business and industry in Florida and throughout the United States. Our goal is to produce graduates with a high level of competency in understanding, applying, and enunciating the modern concepts, principles, methods, and theories necessary for the design and implementation of computing systems.

The Ph.D. program’s goal is to produce professionals trained at the highest possible academic level in the theory and practice of computer science in order to meet current and projected market demand for computer science experts. Our Ph.D. students graduate with proven abilities in research and instruction and have expertise suitable for positions in industry, academia, and government.

Degrees Offered

Master of Science in Computer Science

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions and Registration section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants are directed to visit the college's pre-application site as well as to apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).

The College of Engineering and Computer Science requires that you fill out a pre-application form (www.graduate.cecs.ucf.edu) before you complete the application for graduate admission. The deadlines for the pre-application form can be found on the Prospective Student Page on the College of Engineering and Computer Science website.

Master’s Degree Program

In addition to the general admission requirements, applicants to this program should note:

• Official competitive scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which must have been taken within the last five years, must be provided.
• Admittance to the program normally requires a combined verbal and quantitative score of 1200 on the GRE and a GPA of 3.25 or greater.
• For applicants from countries where English is not the official language, or for an applicant whose bachelor’s degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution, an official score of at least 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required.

An undergraduate degree in Computer Science is desirable but not required. Applicants without a strong undergraduate background in Computer Science must demonstrate an understanding of the material covered in the following upper-division undergraduate courses:

• CDA 4150 Computer Architecture
• COP 4020 Programming Languages I
• COP 4600 Operating Systems
• COT 4210 Discrete Computational Structures

The student may choose to demonstrate his/her knowledge of these courses by scoring well on the Subject (Advanced) GRE in Computer Science. It is estimated that more than 85 percent of this GRE deals directly with the material covered in these courses.

Doctoral Degree Program

Outstanding students with a bachelor’s degree are encouraged to apply directly into the doctoral program. Admission to the Ph.D. program is formalized by the university upon the recommendation of the Computer Science Graduate Committee.

In addition to the general admission requirements, applicants to this program must:

• Submit a resume, goals statement, and three letters of recommendation.
• Provide official competitive scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which must have been taken within the last five years
• Typically have a combined verbal and quantitative score of 1250 on the GRE and a GPA of 3.25 or greater
• For applicants from countries where English is not the official language, or for an applicant whose bachelor’s degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution, an official score of at least 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required.

An undergraduate degree in Computer Science is desirable but not required. Applicants without a strong undergraduate background in Computer Science must demonstrate an understanding of the material covered in the following upper-division undergraduate courses:

• CDA 4150 Computer Architecture
• COP 4020 Programming Languages I
• COP 4600 Operating Systems
• COT 4210 Discrete Computational Structures

The student may choose to demonstrate his/her knowledge of these courses by scoring well on the Subject (Advanced) GRE in Computer Science. It is estimated that more than 85 percent of this GRE deals directly with the material covered in these courses.

Application Due Dates

All application materials must be submitted by the appropriate deadline listed below.

All students applying for fellowships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science	Jan 15	Jul 15	Dec 1	Apr 15
Master of Science in Computer Science	Jan 15	Jul 15	Dec 1	Apr 15

 

International Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science	Jan 15	Jan 15	Jul 1	Nov 1
Master of Science in Computer Science	Jan 15	Jan 15	Jul 1	Nov 1

 

International Transfer Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science	Jan 15	Mar 1	Sep 1	Dec 15
Master of Science in Computer Science	Jan 15	Mar 1	Sep 1	Dec 15

Master of Science in Computer Science

General College Requirements

Minimum Hours Required for M.S.—30 Credit Hours

Required Courses—9 Credit Hours

(Students must receive a 3.0 or above grade in each of these courses.)

• CDA 5106 Advanced Computer Architecture I (3 credit hours)
• COT 5405 Design and Analysis of Algorithms (3 credit hours)

And one of these courses:

• COP 5611 Operating Systems Design Principles (3 credit hours)
• COP 5021 Program Analysis (3 credit hours)
• COT 5310 Formal Languages and Automata Theory (3 credit hours)

Restricted Electives—21 Credit Hours

Restricted electives must include fifteen credits at the 6000-level including two 6000-level Computer Science courses (6 credits) taught by Computer Science faculty, exclusive of independent study. The grades received on these two courses must each be 3.0 or above. Additional credits will normally be taken from 5000- and 6000-level Computer Science courses. Approval may be granted for at most 6 semester hours to be taken from graduate courses outside Computer Science. Such approval needs to occur prior to taking these outside courses.

Two options are available. The nonthesis option is a 30-credit-hour program with at most 3 hours of independent study and must include a culminating experience as determined by the program’s graduate committee. The thesis option is a 30-credit-hour program, requires six credits of thesis (CAP, CDA, CEN, COP or COT 6971) and allows no independent study. The thesis is expected to span two semesters. Thesis students who are full time must continue to enroll in three credit hours of thesis course work until the thesis requirement is satisfied, beyond the minimum of 6 credit hours of thesis. Students are required to prepare and defend a formal thesis in accordance with university requirements.

The plan of study for each student should be filed no later than in the first two weeks of the student’s second semester in the program. This plan must satisfy the following:

• 30 credit hours
• The grade in each course must be a "C" (2.0) or better with at most 6 credit hours having grades below "B" (3.0) and an overall grade point average of 3.0 or better. (Note that there is no grade forgiveness in graduate school, so all grades attained on each course are used to compute a student’s grade point average.)
• No courses below the 5000-level, and no 5000-level CGS prefix course work.
• No more than 3 credit hours of independent study in the nonthesis option and none in the thesis option.
• Three required courses with grades of "B" (3.0) or above attained in each.
• No more than 6 credits taken outside computer science, with these courses having been approved by his or her adviser prior to the student enrolling in them.
• Two 6000-level courses, with grades of "B" (3.0) or better, taught by Computer Science faculty. A minimum of fifteen credits at the 6000 level is required.
• Nonthesis option students are required to partake in an appropriate culminating experience. Please see the graduate program director for details.
• 6 credits of thesis (CAP, CDA, CEN, COP or COT 6971) for those in the thesis option. Thesis students who are full time must continue to enroll in three credit hours of thesis course work until the thesis requirement is satisfied, beyond the minimum of 6 credit hours of thesis.

Accelerated Undergraduate and Graduate Program in Computer Science

The accelerated undergraduate/graduate program offers the opportunity for UCF undergraduates to finish both the B.S. and M.S. degrees in five years after they have entered UCF as freshmen and, where appropriate, the Ph.D. in an additional two to two and a half years.

To be eligible to enroll in the Accelerated Graduate Program, students must have an undergraduate GPA greater than or equal to 3.5. They must pass the GRE with a combined score of at least 1200 (verbal and quantitative) by the end of the first semester of their senior year. Students can apply for the Accelerated Graduate Program any time after the completion of 60 credit hours (end of sophomore year) and before the completion of 90 credit hours (end of their junior year).

Students must meet the following requirements in order to graduate with both B.S. and M.S. degrees:

• Maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 for all course work taken as a junior, senior or graduate student during their five-year accelerated undergraduate and graduate program
• Transfer to graduate status after 120-credit hours are completed. At this time the B.S. degree will be awarded
• Follow the guidelines of the M.S. degree, once they attain graduate status
• Find and be accepted by a graduate adviser
• Submit and an official program of study before completing 9 credit hours of graduate course work

Up to 12 credit hours of approved 5000 and 6000 level courses of grades "B" (3.0) or better may be counted toward the B.S. and M.S. degrees

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science

Total Hours Required for Ph.D.—Minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree; minimum of 36 credit hours beyond the master’s degree

The Ph.D. plan of study will consist of a minimum of 15 credit hours of Ph.D. dissertation (CAP, CDA, CEN, COP, or COT 7980) credits and at least 57 additional credit hours of graduate (5000-level or above) credits. The latter must include CDA 5106, COT 5310, COT 5405, at least 15 credit hours of advanced (6000- or 7000-level) computer science courses, at least 6 additional graduate computer science credits (exclusive of dissertation and independent study), and 6 graduate credit hours from approved courses taken outside computer science. No more than 12 credits of Independent Study can be used.

The plan of study for each student should be filed no later than in the first two weeks of the student’s second semester in the program. This plan must satisfy the following:

• A minimum of 72 credit hours.
• The grade earned in each course must be a "C" (2.0) or better with at most 6 credit hours having grades below "B" (3.0) and an overall grade point average of 3.0 or better (Note that there is no grade forgiveness in graduate school, so all grades attained on each course are used to compute a student’s grade point average.)
• No courses below the 5000-level, and no 5000-level CGS prefix course work.
• No more than 12 credit hours of independent study.
• Five 6000- or 7000-level courses (15 credits), with grades of "B" (3.0) or better, taught by Computer Science faculty. None of these may be independent study or dissertation, and at most two of these courses may be directed research courses for which letter grades (not S/U) are assigned.
• The three required courses with grades of "B" (3.0) or above attained in each.
• Two courses (6 credits) taken outside computer science, with these courses having been approved by his or her adviser prior to the student’s enrolling for them.
• Six additional computer science graduate credits to make the total of all non-independent study/non-dissertation/non-directed research courses total at least 36 credits.
• 15 credits of Ph.D. dissertation (CAP, CDA, CEN, COP or COT 7980).

General College Requirements

Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination, normally taken within the first two semesters of graduate work, determines whether a student will be allowed to continue in the Ph.D.

This is a written examination in which students must successfully pass questions covering four areas from a list of areas supplied by the Computer Science Graduate Committee. Students must clearly convey a strong undergraduate knowledge of each area. These examinations will be offered in the Fall and Spring terms. Students are allowed two attempts to pass the qualifying examination.

Dissertation Committee

• The Dean, through the Chairs and Directors, is responsible for committee formation, additions, and deletions. The doctoral committee must consist of a minimum of four members: three must be faculty members from within Computer Science, and one must be at large from outside the Computer Science faculty. Committee chairs must be members of the school graduate faculty. Joint faculty members may serve as school-faculty committee members. A member of the adjunct faculty or an off-campus expert may serve as the outside-the-college member. The Computer Science Graduate Committee may specify additional membership. The Division of Graduate Studies reserves the right to review appointments to advisory committees, place a representative on any advisory committee, or appoint a co-adviser.
• In unusual cases, with approval from the School Director, two professors may co-chair the committee. Joint faculty members may serve as committee chairs, but off-campus experts and adjunct faculty may not, although they may serve as co-chairs.
• All members vote on acceptance or rejection of the dissertation proposal and the final dissertation. The dissertation proposal and final dissertation must be approved by a majority of the advisory committee.

Candidacy Examination

After passing qualifiers, students are required to successfully complete the candidacy examination. The purpose of this examination is for the student to demonstrate readiness for preliminary research in a chosen field of study. This exam is administered by the student’s dissertation advisory committee and is comprised of written and oral portions. Preparedness for taking the candidacy examination requires the acceptance of a professional paper by a peer-reviewed conference or journal that is deemed acceptable to the student’s advisory committee. It is expected that the requirements for candidacy will be satisfied within the first twenty-four months of graduate work. Candidacy is normally taken near the completion of required course work and must be passed before registering for doctoral dissertation hours (XXX 7980). Continuous enrollment in at least 3 hours of doctoral dissertation hours is required once a student starts taking 7980 credits.

After passing the candidacy examination, the student will write a dissertation proposal and present it orally to the dissertation advisory committee for approval. The proposal must include a description of the research performed to date and the research planned to be completed for the dissertation.

Residency Requirement

Students in the Ph.D. program (post-candidacy) are expected to be registered for a minimum of 9 credit hours for at least two consecutive semesters.

Time Limitation

Students have seven years from the beginning of regular graduate status in the Ph.D. program to complete all requirements for the degree.

Dissertation and Oral Defense

Students must write a dissertation on their research that describes a significant original contribution to the field of computer science. The oral defense of the dissertation is administered by the research committee, which makes a critical inquiry into the work reported in the dissertation and into the areas of knowledge that are immediately relevant to the research. All members vote on acceptance or rejection of the dissertation. The dissertation must be approved by the dissertation adviser and committee, the school director or designee, and the dean of the college or designee. Format approval from the Thesis and Dissertation Editor, and final approval of satisfaction of degree requirements by UCF Graduate Studies is required.

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

• If you are interested in financial assistance, you are strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
• You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
• If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
• UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. University graduate fellowships are awarded based on academic merit and therefore are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
• Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application). For university fellowship applications, see Financing Grad School.
• For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program director of your major.

Contact Info

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science

Charles Hughes, Ph.D., Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-2779
gradprog@cs.ucf.edu

Master of Science in Computer Science

Charles Hughes, Ph.D., Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-2779
gradprog@cs.ucf.edu