Computer Science and Engineering, PhD

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Program Description:

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering offers a program of graduate study leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Computer Science and Engineering. The Ph.D. degree is awarded for demonstrated, scholarly excellence in study and research that provides a significant contribution to the fields of Computer Science or Computer Engineering. The program requires a concentration of study and research in specific areas of Computer Science and Engineering. Programmatic strength lies in the unique blend of faculty expertise, in the combination of theory with software and hardware design, and in the laboratory facilities available to the program. Most courses are offered in the late afternoon or online to allow practicing computer professionals to begin the program on a part-time basis.

Admissions Requirements:

• Baccalaureate or master’s degree from an accredited institution in computer science, computer engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 if admitted with a Bachelor’s degree or a minimum GPA of 3.3 if admitted with a Master’s degree.
• Students must receive a score of at least 1150 (old scale) or 305 (new scale) on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test portion and a minimum TOEFL score of 79-80 (Internet-based) or 550 (paper-based). GRE general test scores are required.
• Satisfaction of Graduate School admission requirements.
• Knowledge of high-level programming languages, computer organization, operating systems, data structures, computer systems design, real-time programming, and formal languages. It may be possible to make up minor deficiencies after admission to the program by taking appropriate courses.
• A record that indicates potential for a career in Computer Science and Engineering research.

Facilities:

A wide range of computing systems interconnected via the campus-wide network support all the degree programs in the department. A variety of high-end and special-purpose systems are available for research through the Ohio Supercomputer Center. University and college systems include a variety of servers and workstations running current operating systems including Linux, Mac OS, and Windows. Department facilities provide specialized systems and support equipment tailored to specific curriculum and research areas. These include a Linux-based Operating Systems and Internet Security lab, an Immersive Visualization and Animation Theater lab, and a variety of workstations and personal computers providing software tools for project design and development. The program also has access to one of the most advanced visualization and presentation environments in the nation, the Appenzeller Visualization Laboratory, located in the Joshi Research Center. The Department has laboratories dedicated to research in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, assistive technologies, RFID, vision interfaces and systems, parallel and distributed computing, evolvable hardware, database systems, data mining, mobile information and communications, software engineering, artificial intelligence, adaptive vision, advanced computer networking, semantic web services oriented computing, scientific workflows, business process management, bioinformatics, and cyber security.

Research/Areas of Expertise:

A steadily increasing number of funded research projects support modern graduate research in such areas as medical image analysis, multimedia systems and applications, biometrics, assistive technologies, soft computing and evolvable hardware, intelligent agents and robotics, data mining and databases, bioinformatics, machine vision, visualization, networking and mobile computing, wireless and internet security, RFID applications, the semantic web, and cyber security.

Recent and current sources of research support include federal agencies, defense agencies, and local industries. Research at Wright State University is not limited to on-campus laboratory facilities. Several industrial laboratories, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base laboratories, and the Major Shared Resource Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are involved in joint research efforts with the university. In addition, the Joshi Research Center is a focal point for knowledge-enabled computing.

For additional information:

• Computer Science and Engineering, PhD
• Department of Computer Science and Engineering
• College of Engineering and Computer Science

Program Requirements:

Dept Core and Electives

GRADUATION REQUIREMENT

IF ADMITTED WITH AN UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE: 90 HOURS

Graduate credit hours in CS/CEG must satisfy the following minimums: 90 total, 69 at 7000/8000 level, and 36 in formal coursework

IF ADMITTED WITH A GRADUATE DEGREE: 60 HOURS

Graduate credit hours in CS/CEG must satisfy the following minimums: 60 total, 51 at 7000/8000 level, and 18 in formal coursework

COMPLETION OF CORE REQUIREMENTS OF ONE OF THE DISCIPLINES

COMPUTER SCIENCE DISCIPLINE: ONE COURSE EACH FROM

Theory Area

• CS 7200 - Algorithm Design and Analysis Credit Hour(s): 3
• CS 7220 - Computability and Complexity Credit Hour(s): 3

Software Area

• CS 7100 - Advanced Programming Languages Credit Hour(s): 3
• CS 7140 - Advanced Software Engineering Credit Hour(s): 3

Systems and Applications Area

• CS 7700 - Advanced Database Systems Credit Hour(s): 3
• CEG 7370 - Distributed Computing Credit Hour(s): 3

COMPUTER ENGINEERING DISCIPLINE: ONE COURSE EACH FROM

Architecture Area

• CEG 7350 - Computer Architecture Credit Hour(s): 3
• CEG 7450 - Advanced Computer Networks Credit Hour(s): 3

Hardware Area

• CEG 7360 - Embedded Systems Credit Hour(s): 3
• CEG 7030 - VLSI Design Synthesis and Optimization Credit Hour(s): 3

Systems and Applications Area

• CS 7700 - Advanced Database Systems Credit Hour(s): 3
• CEG 7370 - Distributed Computing Credit Hour(s): 3

NOTE(S):

Completion of the core coursework with a letter grade of A in two areas and at least a letter grade of B in the third satisfies the qualifying requirement. Students may repeat the final examination in each core course once to satisfy this requirement

Minimum 18 hours of residency research after passing the qualifying exam and before attempting the candidacy exam

Completion of candidacy examination with satisfactory grade.

Minimum 12 hours of dissertation research after passing the candidacy examination and before attempting the dissertation defense

Submission of an approved dissertation.

Minimum of 1 journal paper or 2 conference papers accepted for publication by time of graduation.

GPA 3.0 or higher in CS/CEG courses

Completion of all degree requirements in 10 years

Total Credits if entering with a BS degree: 90 Hours

OR

Total Credits if entering with an MS degree: 60 Hours