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 computer architecture, very large-scale integration (VLSI) systems, parallel processing, design and analysis of algorithms, graph theory, microprocessors, programming languages, operating systems, natural language processing, computer vision, machine learning, database management systems, computer graphics, interactive graphic systems of instruction, distributed processing, networking, and computational complexity.
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 U.S. 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, especially in Florida and the southeastern U.S. Our Ph.D. students graduate with proven abilities in research and instruction and have expertise suitable for positions in industry, academia, and government.
Degrees OfferedMaster 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 Graduate Catalog. Applicants are encouraged to apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).
Master’s Degree Program
In addition to the general admission requirements, applicants to this program should note:
- Official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which must have been taken within the last five years, must be provided.
- Admittance to the program requires a combined verbal and quantitative score of 1000 on the GRE or a GPA of 3.0 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 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:
- Pass Phase I of the Ph.D. qualifying examination
- Submit a resume, goals statement, and three letters of recommendation
- Provide official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which must have been taken within the last five years
- Have a combined verbal and quantitative score of 1000 on the GRE or a GPA of 3.0 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 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.
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.
Application Due Dates
All students applying for fellowships or assistantships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.
U.S. Applicants
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| Master of Science in Computer Science |
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| Master of Science in Computer Science |
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Master of Science in Computer Science
General College Requirements
Minimum Hours Required for M.S.—30-36 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—21-27 Semester Hours
Restricted electives must include
two 6000-level Computer Science courses taught by Computer Science faculty,
exclusive of independent study, and may not include any courses for which the
grade received is below a 3.0. 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.
Two options are available. The non-thesis option is a 36-credit-hour program
with at most 6 hours of independent study. The thesis option is a 30-credit-hour
program and allows no independent study. 6 credits of thesis (CAP, CDA, CEN, COP or COT 6971) are
intended to span two semesters. Beyond these two semesters, students are required
to be enrolled in at least one credit hour of thesis until the thesis requirement
is satisfied. Students are required to prepare and defend a formal thesis in
accordance with university requirements. The final thesis will be bound with
two copies provided to the library and one copy provided to the School of Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science.
The plan of study for each student must satisfy the following:
- Contain 30-36 credit hours depending on the option selected
- Grades of 2.0 or better with at most 6 credit hours of 2.0 work and an overall grade point average of 3.0 or better
- No courses below the 5000-level, and no 5000 level CGS prefix coursework
- No more than 6 credit hours (or two courses) of independent study in the Non-Thesis option and none in the Thesis option
- Two 6000-level courses, with grades of 3.0 or better, taught by Computer Science faculty
- 6 credits of thesis (CAP, CDA, CEN, COP or COT 6971) for those in the thesis
option; for those in the non-thesis option, a comprehensive examination or another culminating experience is required
at the completion of course work. Please contact the graduate program coordinator for details.
Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science
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-level) computer science courses, exclusive
of Special Topics courses, and 6 graduate credit hours from outside computer
science. No more than 12 credits of Independent Study can be used.
General College Requirements
Ph.D. Qualifying Examination
Phase I of the qualifying examination,
normally taken within the first two semesters of graduate work, determines whether
a student will be allowed to continue for the Ph.D.
Phase I consists of a written examination in which students
must successfully pass questions covering four areas from a list of areas supplied
by the program. Students must clearly convey a strong undergraduate knowledge
of each area. Phase I examinations will be offered in the Fall and Spring terms.
Students are allowed two attempts to pass the Phase I examination.
Phase II of the qualifying examination consists of the
acceptance of a professional paper, normally under the supervision of the student’s
adviser, by a peer-reviewed conference or journal. It is expected that the Phase
II goal will be satisfied within the first eighteen months of graduate work.
Dissertation Committee
- The Dean, through the Chairs, is responsible for committee
formation, additions, and deletions. The doctoral committee must consist of
a minimum of five members: three must be faculty members from within Computer
Science, and one must be at large from outside the School of Electrical Engineering
and Computer Science. Committee Chairs must be members of the school graduate
faculty. Joint faculty members may serve as school-faculty committee members.
Adjunct faculty and off-campus experts may serve as the outside-the-college
member. The Computer Science Graduate Committee may further specify additional
membership. The Office 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 program Chair,
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
The candidacy examination consists
of a written doctoral research prospectus followed by an oral presentation of
the proposal. Students cannot register for dissertation credit (XXX 7980)
until the term following successful passing of the candidacy examination.
Residency Requirement
Students in the Ph.D. program are
normally 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’re interested in financial assistance, you’re 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. All admitted graduate students are automatically considered in this nomination process. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. To receive need-based fellowship awards, the student must have demonstrated need as determined by FAFSA. Merit fellowship awards 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 information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program coordinator of your major.
Contact Info
Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science
Charles Hughes, Ph.D. , Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-2762
ceh@cs.ucf.edu Master of Science in Computer Science
Charles Hughes, Ph.D. , Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-2762
ceh@cs.ucf.edu
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Graduate Students
