Graduate Programs
Thesis Programs
Non-Thesis Programs
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
The goal of our Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in Computer Science is to find the brightest, most motivated students possible and provide them with education, guidance and resources necessary to become leading researchers in academia, industry, or government labs. Our recent graduates have taken faculty positions at top universities, such as UC Berkeley and U. Toronto, and top industrial research centers, including Microsoft, Google, and IBM.
Most students enter our Ph.D. program directly after completing their B.S. degree. The program requires 96 credit hours and the completion of a doctoral thesis under the direction of an approved thesis advisor with the guidance of a doctoral committee. Candidates who choose to complete a Master of Science in computer science as part of their graduate program, or enter the computer science graduate program with an approved M.S. in computer science receive 32 hours of credit towards their Ph.D.
Ph.D. candidates must satisfy core course requirements, pass the qualifying and preliminary examinations and successfully defend the doctoral thesis at the final examination.
All students admitted to the Ph.D. program in Fall 2005 or later must follow the new core requirements indicated below. Students admitted prior to Fall 2005 may follow the old requirements or switch to the new requirements (no mixing). A course may satisfy one and only one core requirement (double counting is not allowed).
Ph.D. Degree Requirements
- Coursework
- Qualfying Examination
- Ph.D. Committees and
Thesis Proposal [.pdf]
- Final Defense
Office contact for Ph.D. Committees, Thesis Proposal, and
Final Defense: Mary Beth Kelley.
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Master of Science (M.S.)
The Master of Science (M.S.) in computer science is a research-oriented degree that requires 28 credit hours of coursework and 4 credit hours of thesis. It can be counted towards the computer science Ph.D.
M.S. Degree Requirements
- Distribution Coursework: 9 to 12 credit hours.
- Advanced coursework: 12 credit hours must be computer science courses CS 500 through CS 590 or CS 598. CS 599 (thesis) may satisfy four credit hours of this requirement.
- A master's thesis and registration in four credit hours of CS 599 associated with the thesis research. It is each student's responsibility to secure a M.S. thesis advisor and start work on their thesis no later than the beginning of their third semester in the program.
- At least 16 credit hours must be taken in computer science from the Urbana campus.
- Up to 4 credit hours of CS 591 and/or CS 491 may count toward the total credit hours required for the degree.
- At most 12 semester credit hours of previous graduate course work may be transferred and applied to the M.S. degree requirements.
- All degree requirements must be completed within five
consecutive semesters (only fall and spring semesters are counted).
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Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.)
The Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.) is a non-thesis degree that requires 36 credit hours of graduate coursework.
Degree Requirements
- Distribution Coursework: 9 to 12 credit hours.
- Advanced coursework: 12 credit hours must be computer science courses numbered CS 500 through CS 590 or CS 598. CS 597, or an approved non computer science 500-level course, may satisfy four credit hours of this requirement.
- Up to 4 credit hours of CS 591 and/or CS 491 may count toward the total credit hours required for the degree.
- At least 24 credit hours must be taken in computer science from the Urbana campus.
- At most 12 semester credit hours of previous graduate course work may be transferred and apply to the M.C.S. degree requirements.
- All degree requirements must be completed within five
consecutive semesters (only fall and spring semesters are
counted). Off-campus students have 5 years in which to complete
the online MCS program.
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Master of Science in Bioinformatics
The CS option for the M.S. in Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary degree that requires 36 credit hours of coursework. It can be counted towards the computer science Ph.D.
Degree Requirements
- Computer Science Coursework: 20 credit hours.
- Biological Sciences and Bioinformatics Coursework: 8 credit hours.
- Statistics: STAT 410 Statistics and Probability II - 4 credit hours
- Elective: one additional four credit hour graduate course (this may be a course listed in the requirements above).
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Old course number equivalents can be found at Campus Crosswalk.
The faculty may revise the list of required courses from time to time. Although every attempt will be made to keep the information up-to-date, students should check with the Academic Office about any changes that may affect their program.
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Last Modified January 03 2007 11:30:42.
