Computer Science Major, PhD

Concentrations (Optional)

• Data Analytics
• Intelligent Systems and Machine Learning

Campus Code

Knoxville Campus

Admissions Standards/Procedures

• Exceptional students holding the bachelor’s degree may be admitted to the doctoral program without first obtaining a master’s degree.
• A TOEFL score of 550 on the written exam or 80 on the Internet-based Test is required for non-native speakers of English, including those who have earned degrees at U.S. institutions.
  • The score must be no more than two years old from the requested date of entry.
  • Applicants who have received a degree from an accredited U.S. institution within the past two years are exempt from the TOEFL requirement.
• Applicants should satisfy the same background requirements as for the computer science master’s program.
  • Applicants are expected to have completed a bachelor’s degree with an average of at least 3.00 out of 4.00, both overall and in the senior year.
  • Applicants who hold the bachelor’s degree in fields other than computer science will be required to take selected undergraduate courses as determined by the applicant’s prior education and experience.
    • The student will be admitted under non-degree status until the required undergraduate courses are successfully completed with a grade of B or better.
    • An international student may not enroll as a non-degree student.

Credit Hours Required

• Students holding only a BS degree, as well as students who receive a concurrent MS degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science while enrolled as a PhD student, must take a minimum of 72 total graduate credit hours, including a minimum of 39 graduate course credit hours.
• Students holding a non-concurrent MS degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science from UT will be required to take a minimum of 48 total graduate credit hours, including at least 15 credit hours of graduate coursework beyond those applied to their MS degree.
• Students with MS degrees from other fields or universities will be required to take a minimum of 48 total graduate credit hours, including at least 24 credit hours of graduate coursework.

Required Courses

• COSC 600 - Doctoral Research and Dissertation (minimum of 24 credit hours)

• For all students, the graduate course credit hours must additionally satisfy:

• A minimum of 6 credit hours of coursework must be ECE or COSC courses numbered at the 600-level.
• For students holding an MS degree, a maximum of 6 credit hours at the 400-level may be applied toward the PhD degree; other students may apply 12 credit hours at the 400-level. All 400-level courses applied towards the degree must be listed in the Graduate Catalog.

• Complete (with a grade of B or better):

• COSC 530 - Computer Systems Organization

• Select one:

• COSC 540 - Advanced Software Engineering
• COSC 561 - Compilers and Runtime Systems
• COSC 562 - Operating Systems: Design and Implementation

• Select one:

• COSC 580 - Foundations
• COSC 581 - Algorithms

Non-Course Requirements

• Satisfactory performance on a comprehensive examination administered by the student’s committee.
  • The exam results are reported to the graduate committee for approval and the exam is filed in the department.
  • The comprehensive exam is given when the student is ready to apply for admission to candidacy.
  • The comprehensive examination consists of both written and oral parts.
    • The Written Part:
      • The written part includes a complete review of the literature in the student’s dissertation topic, a review of the major tools to be used in the dissertation work, and proposed research.
      • The student’s committee may require additional written sections.
      • The student must demonstrate a mastery of the dissertation area, ability to think analytically and creatively, skill in using academic resources, and ability to complete the dissertation satisfactorily.
    • The Oral Part:
      • The oral part of the comprehensive examination consists primarily of a professional presentation of a proposal for dissertation work and its defense.
      • The committee may cover additional topics in the oral part.
• Successful public defense of the dissertation by the student.
• A minimum of 6 months must separate the comprehensive examination and the dissertation defense.