Core Course Groups

There are 6 core course groups; students must take at least one course in each of a number of groups. The required groups depend on which program a student enters under. (See Required Coursework below.) Advanced courses may be substituted, with approval.

Group I: Theory of Computation CS 530: Theory of Computation CS 533: Computational Geometry CS 535: Design and Analysis of Algorithms CS 538: Combinatorial Optimization	Group IV: Networks CS 542: Computer Networks I: Fundamentals CS 544: Computer Networks II: Network Services
Group II: Systems CS 546: Parallel Processing CS 550: Advanced Operating Systems CS 570: Advanced Computer Architecture	Group V: Databases CS 525: Advanced Database Organization
Group III: Programming Languages CS 536: Science of Programming CS 540: Foundations of Programming Language Design CS 541: Topics in Compiler Construction CS 545: Distributed Computing Landscape	Group VI: Software Engineering CS 586: Software System Architectures

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Required Coursework

The following coursework is required of all PhD students.

Computer Science Course Credit Hours	For Students Entering the Program With a
	Bachelor of Science in CS	Master's Degree not in CS	Master's Degree in CS
400-Level CS Courses	0 - 12 hours
500- and 600-Level CS Courses	36 - 54 hours	24 - 30 hours	18 - 30 hours
..... including Core Courses from:	Groups I, II, and III and any 2 of the other 3 groups		Any 3 Groups
CS 597: Reading & Special Problems	6 - 12 hours	3 - 12 hours (with at least 3 hours the first year)
CS 691: PhD Thesis/Research	24 - 48 hours
CS 695: PhD Seminar	1 hour
Minimum Total Required Credits	85 hours	60 hours	54 hours

Notes:

• Only credit hours from courses passed with a grade of B or better can be used to satisfy coursework requirements.
• The 400-level CS courses cannot include CS 401, 402, or 403.
• The 500- and 600-level CS courses:
  • Must include at least one course from each of the required core groups.
  • Can include CS 595 and can include up to 6 hours of credits from outside the department (as approved, case-by-case).
  • Cannot include CS 597, CS 691, CS 695, CS Professional courses, or Accelerated ("short") courses.
• CS 691 can be taken only after passing the Qualifying Exams.

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The Program of Study

The Program of Study lists all of the courses that a student plans to take as part of the PhD program (including courses that have already been taken). Full-time students must file a program of study within four months after enrollment. Part-time students must file a program of study before completing 12 credit hours. The program of study should be prepared under consultation with the advisor and filed using Form 401. A program of study may be modified using Form #406. Both forms must be approved by the advisor, the Department Chair (or an Associate Chair), and the Graduate College. Changes in the program of study may not be approved by the Graduate College after the student has filled an application for graduation. Forms 401 and 406 are available at Graduate College > Forms for Current Students.