Graduate Program in Computer Science
Objectives
The Graduate Program in Computer Science provides intensive preparation in the design, programming, theory, and applications of computers. The Department of Computer Science offers courses of study leading to the MS in Computer Science, the MS in Software Engineering, the PhD degree in Computer Science, and the PhD degree in Software Engineering. Training is provided for both academically oriented students and students with professional goals in the many business, industrial, or governmental occupations requiring advanced knowledge of computer theory and technology. Courses and research are offered in a variety of subfields of computer science, including operating systems, computer architecture, computer graphics, pattern recognition, automata theory, combinatorics, artificial intelligence, data and network security, natural language processing, database design, computer networks, programming languages, software systems, analysis of algorithms, computational complexity, software engineering, software testing, software reliability, scheduling, visualization, fault-tolerant computing, parallel processing, telecommunications networks, telecommunications software, performance of systems, VLSI, computational geometry, and design automation.
A comprehensive program of evening courses is offered which enables part-time students to earn the master's degree or to select individual courses of interest.
Facilities
The Department of Computer Science systems are comprised of a private virtualization cloud, several individual computer servers, computer workstations, and desktop computers. Research laboratories are available for parallel processing, distributed systems, software engineering, high-performance computing, graphics, programming languages and systems, telecommunications, CAD and graph visualization, image understanding and processing, artificial intelligence, big data, natural language processing, speech processing, and web technologies. The Department of Computer Science network connects through Internet 2 with other research universities, gigabit ethernet intranet, and pervasive wireless connectivity.
Master of Science in Computer Science
33 semester credit hours minimum
Program Faculty
Professors: Farokh B. Bastani, Sergey Bereg, Ovidiu Daescu, Yvo G. Desmedt, Ding-Zhu Du, Paul Fishwick, Xiaohu Guo, Gopal Gupta, Zygmunt Haas, Kevin Hamlen, Sanda M. Harabagiu, Dung T. Huynh, Jason Jue, Murat Kantarcioglu, Latifur Khan, Andrian Marcus, Neeraj Mittal, Dan I. Moldovan, Sriraam Natarajan, Yu-Chung (Vincent) Ng, Tien Nguyen, Simeon C. Ntafos, Balakrishnan Prabhakaran, Ravi Prakash, Kamil Sarac, Haim Schweitzer, Bhavani Thuraisingham, W. Eric Wong, Weili Wu, I-Ling Yen, Rym Zalila-Wenkstern
Associate Professors: Feng Chen, Lawrence Chung, Jorge A. Cobb, Vibhav Gogate, Benjamin Raichel, Nicholas Ruozzi
Assistant Professors: Xinya Du, Emily Kyle Fox, Yunhui Guo, Shuang Hao, Rishabh Iyer, Kangkook Jee, Chung Hwan Kim, Jin Kim, Jessica Ouyang, Yapeng Tian, Shiyi Wei, Yu Xiang, Wei Yang
Professors Emeriti: R. Chandrasekaran, Ivor P. Page, William J. Pervin, Balaji Raghavachari, Ivan Hal Sudborough, Klaus Truemper, Subbarayan Venkatesan, Kang Zhang
Professors of Instruction: Ebru Cankaya, John Cole, Doug DeGroot, Timothy (Tim) Farage, Shyam Karrah, Pushpa Kumar, Nhut Nguyen, Greg Ozbirn, Miguel Razo-Razo, Jeyakesavan (Jey) Veerasamy
Associate Professors of Instruction: Sridhar Alagar, Gordon Arnold, Anjum Chida, Wei Pang Chin, Bhadrachalam Chitturi, Michael Christiansen, Chris I. Davis, Karen Doore, Neeraj Gupta, Khiem Le, Anarag Nagar, Mehra Nouroz Borazjany, Jalal Omer, Mark Paulk, Jason W. Smith, Laurie Thompson, James Willson, Nurcan Yuruk
Assistant Professors of Instruction: Eric Becker, Scott Dollinger, Serdar Erbatur, Ranran Feng, Omar Hamdy, Gity Karami, Kamran Khan, Karen Mazidi, Richard K. Min, Priya Narayanasami, Brian Ricks, Elmer Salazar, Meghana Satpute, Nidhiben Solanki, Srimathi Srinivasan, Yi Zhao
Admission Requirements
The University's general admission requirements are discussed on the Graduate Admission page.
Applicants are admitted on a competitive basis.
The student entering the Computer Science MS program should have an undergraduate degree equivalent to a baccalaureate in a quantitative science, including calculus and linear algebra. However, special arrangements (requiring more than the minimal number of semester credit hours) can be made for students with an undergraduate degree in other fields.
Minimum requirements are:
- Bachelor's degree which includes 2 semesters of calculus and 1 semester of linear algebra.
- A strong foundation in programming.
- A GPA (grade point average) of at least 3.0 (last 60 semester credit hours). GPA in quantitative courses of at least 3.3.
- GRE revised scores of 308, 153, 155, and 4 for the combined, verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing components, respectively, are advisable based on our experience with student success in the program.
- ECSC 5177 CS IPP Assignment (maximum three semester credit hours)
- CS 6000/7000 level elective courses
- only one of CS 5333, CS 5343 or CS 5348; students should consult their graduate advisors to get approval for this course.
- A master's degree in computer science or its equivalent, and
- A GPA (grade point average) of at least 3.5, and
- GRE revised scores of at least 315, 156, 159, and 4 for the combined, verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing components, respectively, are advisable based on our experience with student success in the program.
- A BS in related area that includes two semesters of calculus and linear algebra with
- A GPA of at least 3.5 in the last 60 semester credit hours, and
- GRE revised scores of at least 315, 156, 159, and 4 for the combined, verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing components, respectively, are advisable based on our experience with student success in the program.
- Pass a qualifying examination.
- Pass CS 6382 Theory of Computation with a grade of B or better
- Two CS or SE 7000 and above level courses
- Sufficient CS electives for a total of at least 75 semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. At least 9 semester credit hours of organized advanced Computer Science electives must be taken at UT Dallas. The student is encouraged to consult with an advisor in choosing electives.
Degree Requirements
Students lacking an undergraduate degree in computer science must complete the courses listed below. At the discretion of the graduate advisor, a diagnostic exam may be required. The required leveling courses common to all master's students are:
Required Leveling Courses
CS 5303 Computer Science I
CS 5330 Computer Science II
CS 5343 Algorithm Analysis and Data Structures1
CS 5348 Operating Systems Concepts1
Substitution of CS 5303 and/or CS 5330 by professional experience will be considered
Additional leveling courses required for the various degree plans are:
For the Data Sciences Track:
CS 3341 (SE 3341) Probability and Statistics in Computer Science and Software Engineering
For the Cyber Security Track:
CS 5390 Computer Networks
For the MS in Software Engineering:
SE 5354 Software Engineering
For the Networks and Telecommunications Track:
CS 3341 (SE 3341) Probability and Statistics in Computer Science and Software Engineering
CS 5390 Computer Networks
For the Traditional Computer Science:
CS 5349 Automata Theory
CS 5390 Computer Networks
The University's general degree requirements are discussed on the Graduate Policies and Procedures page.
The student may choose a thesis plan or a non-thesis plan. The thesis plan requires a minimum of 27 semester credit hours of courses, plus completion of an approved thesis (six thesis semester credit hours). This thesis is directed by a supervising professor and must be approved by the head of the Department of Computer Science. The non-thesis plan also requires a minimum of 33 semester credit hours of courses.
By a judicious planning of courses chosen from the computer science curriculum, supervised and approved by the graduate advisor, students may pursue the MS degree in Computer Science while emphasizing specific areas of the discipline. Students may also choose to receive the MS degree in Software Engineering. Because of the rapidly changing nature of the computer science discipline, the specific courses required may change by the time of the student's admission. A listing of the required courses will be specified by the student's advisor. Specific degree requirements follow.
Core Requirements (15 semester credit hours)
Data Sciences Track
CS 6313 Statistical Methods for Data Science
CS 6350 Big Data Management and Analytics
CS 6363 Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms
CS 6375 Machine Learning
Choose one course from the following five courses:
CS 6301 Special Topics in Computer Science [when topic is Social Network Analytics]
CS 6320 Natural Language Processing
CS 6327 Video Analytics
CS 6347 Statistical Methods in AI and Machine Learning
CS 6360 Database Design
Cyber Security Track
CS 6324 Information Security
CS 6363 Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms
CS 6378 Advanced Operating Systems
Choose two courses from the following four courses:
CS 6332 Systems Security and Binary Code Analysis
CS 6348 Data and Applications Security
CS 6349 Network Security
CS 6377 Introduction to Cryptography
Intelligent Systems Track
CS 6320 Natural Language Processing
CS 6363 Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms
CS 6364 Artificial Intelligence
CS 6375 Machine Learning
Choose one course from the following two courses:
CS 6360 Database Design
CS 6378 Advanced Operating Systems
Interactive Computing Track
CS 6326 Human Computer Interactions
CS 6363 Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms
Choose three of the following six courses:
CS 6319 Computational Geometry
CS 6323 Computer Animation and Gaming
CS 6328 Modeling and Simulation
CS 6331 Multimedia Systems
CS 6334 Virtual Reality
CS 6366 Computer Graphics
Networks and Telecommunications Track
CS 6352 Performance of Computer Systems and Networks
CS 6363 Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms
CS 6378 Advanced Operating Systems
CS 6385 Algorithmic Aspects of Telecommunication Networks
CS 6390 Advanced Computer Networks
Systems Track
CS 6304 Computer Architecture
CS 6363 Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms
CS 6378 Advanced Operating Systems
CS 6396 Real-Time Systems
Choose one course from the following four courses:
CS 6349 Network Security
CS 6376 Parallel Processing
CS 6380 Distributed Computing
CS 6397 Synthesis and Optimization of High-Performance Systems
Traditional Computer Science Track
CS 6363 Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms
CS 6378 Advanced Operating Systems
CS 6390 Advanced Computer Networks
Choose two courses of the following three courses:
CS 6353 Compiler Construction
CS 6360 Database Design
CS 6371 Advanced Programming Languages
Students must satisfy the core requirements by either earning a 3.19 minimum grade point average OR by earning a 3.0 minimum grade point average in the five core courses and taking an extra approved elective (beyond the minimum degree requirements of 33 semester credit hours) and maintain the required GPA.
Electives (minimum of 18 semester credit hours)
At least 12 semester credit hours of 6000/7000 level elective CS courses, that could include 6 semester credit hours of thesis with approval of a graduate advisor.
In addition, at least 6 semester credit hours from among:
A minimum grade point average of 3.0 is required for elective courses.
Approved electives must be taken to make a minimum of 33 semester credit hours.
While the Department of Computer Science offers both the Master of Science in Computer Science and the Master of Science in Software Engineering degrees, students are not permitted to pursue both degrees.
NOTE: Students changing program from MS_CS/PhD_CS to MS_SE/PhD_SE or MS_SE/PhD_SE to MS_CS/PhD_CS must submit a new online graduate application. The admissions committee in the department will review the application and make a decision.
1. See Electives section for additional information for these specific courses.
Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science
75 semester credit hours minimum beyond the baccalaureate degree
Program Faculty
Professors: Farokh B. Bastani, Sergey Bereg, Ovidiu Daescu, Yvo G. Desmedt, Ding-Zhu Du, Paul Fishwick, Xiaohu Guo, Gopal Gupta, Zygmunt Haas, Kevin Hamlen, Sanda M. Harabagiu, Dung T. Huynh, Jason Jue, Murat Kantarcioglu, Latifur Khan, Andrian Marcus, Neeraj Mittal, Dan I. Moldovan, Sriraam Natarajan, Yu-Chung (Vincent) Ng, Tien Nguyen, Simeon C. Ntafos, Balakrishnan Prabhakaran, Ravi Prakash, Kamil Sarac, Haim Schweitzer, Bhavani Thuraisingham, W. Eric Wong, Weili Wu, I-Ling Yen, Rym Zalila-Wenkstern
Associate Professors: Feng Chen, Lawrence Chung, Jorge A. Cobb, Vibhav Gogate, Benjamin Raichel, Nicholas Ruozzi
Assistant Professors: Xinya Du, Emily Kyle Fox, Yunhui Guo, Shuang Hao, Rishabh Iyer, Kangkook Jee, Chung Hwan Kim, Jin Kim, Jessica Ouyang, Yapeng Tian, Shiyi Wei, Yu Xiang, Wei Yang
Professors Emeriti: R. Chandrasekaran, Ivor P. Page, William J. Pervin, Balaji Raghavachari, Ivan Hal Sudborough, Klaus Truemper, Subbarayan Venkatesan, Kang Zhang
Professors of Instruction: Ebru Cankaya, John Cole, Doug DeGroot, Timothy (Tim) Farage, Shyam Karrah, Pushpa Kumar, Nhut Nguyen, Greg Ozbirn, Miguel Razo-Razo, Jeyakesavan (Jey) Veerasamy
Associate Professors of Instruction: Sridhar Alagar, Gordon Arnold, Anjum Chida, Wei Pang Chin, Bhadrachalam Chitturi, Michael Christiansen, Chris I. Davis, Karen Doore, Neeraj Gupta, Khiem Le, Anarag Nagar, Mehra Nouroz Borazjany, Jalal Omer, Mark Paulk, Jason W. Smith, Laurie Thompson, James Willson, Nurcan Yuruk
Assistant Professors of Instruction: Eric Becker, Scott Dollinger, Serdar Erbatur, Ranran Feng, Omar Hamdy, Gity Karami, Kamran Khan, Karen Mazidi, Richard K. Min, Priya Narayanasami, Brian Ricks, Elmer Salazar, Meghana Satpute, Nidhiben Solanki, Srimathi Srinivasan, Yi Zhao
Objectives
The Department of Computer Science offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science.
The doctoral program is tailored to the student. The student must arrange a course program with the guidance and approval of a faculty member chosen as his/her graduate advisor. Adjustments can be made as the student's interests develop and a specific dissertation topic is chosen.
Admission Requirements
The University's general admission requirements are discussed on the Graduate Admission page.
Applicants are admitted on a competitive basis.
A student may be admitted under one of two possible options. The student must have:
Admission Option One
Admission Option Two
Degree Requirements
Students lacking an undergraduate degree in computer science must complete the courses listed below. The required leveling courses common to all graduate students are:
Required Leveling Courses
CS 5303 Computer Science I
CS 5330 Computer Science II
CS 5333 Discrete Structures
CS 5343 Algorithm Analysis and Data Structures
CS 5348 Operating Systems Concepts
Substitution of CS 5303 and/or CS 5330 by professional experience will be considered.
Additional leveling courses required for the various degree plans are:
For the Data Sciences Track:
CS 3341 (SE 3341) Probability and Statistics in Computer Science and Software Engineering
For the Cyber Security Track:
CS 5390 Computer Networks
For the MS in Software Engineering:
SE 5354 Software Engineering
For the Networks and Telecommunications Track:
CS 3341 (SE 3341) Probability and Statistics in Computer Science and Software Engineering
CS 5390 Computer Networks
For the Traditional Computer Science:
CS 5349 Automata Theory
CS 5390 Computer Networks
The University's general degree requirements are discussed on the Graduate Policies and Procedures page.
Core requirements:
The core requirements for the PhD degree in Computer Science are the same as the ones listed on the Master of Science in Computer Science page or on the Master of Science in Software Engineering page.
Also required are:
Dissertation
A dissertation is required and must be approved by the graduate program. A student must arrange for a dissertation advisor willing to guide this dissertation. The student must have a dissertation supervising committee that consists of no less than four members of whom at least three must be from the Computer Science faculty. Students must enroll in a minimum 3 dissertation semester credit hours in the degree plan. The dissertation may be in computer science exclusively or it may involve considerable work in an area of application.
NOTE: Students changing program from MS_CS/PhD_CS to MS_SE/PhD_SE or MS_SE/PhD_SE to MS_CS/PhD_CS must submit a new online graduate application. The admissions committee in the department will review the application and make a decision.
Graduate Level Designation in Cyber Operations
The Department of Computer Science has been designated as a National Security Agency (NSA) Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE in CyberOps). This designation endorses that the below listed courses cover cyber operations related knowledge units identified by NSA CAE in CyberOps program. Based on this designation a student completing eight courses (that include six core courses and two elective courses) from the list below will have the following notation recorded on their transcript.
"Completed Curriculum Requirements for National Security Agency's Graduate Level Designation in Cyber Operations at UT Dallas"
Students meeting the requirements of this program can have the designation clause recorded on their transcripts by applying prior to their graduation. For the application process, please visit the Education web page under Computer Science Department web site.
Core Courses:
CS 6324 Information Security
CS 6332 Systems Security and Binary Code Analysis
CS 6340 Wireless Networks
CS 6349 Network Security
CS 6363 Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms
CS 6390 Advanced Computer Networks
Elective Courses:
Two electives among the below courses:
CS 6301 Special Topics in Computer Science [when topic is Developing and Securing the Cloud, Edge and IoT]
CS 6335 Language-based Security
CS 6348 Data and Applications Security
CS 6377 Introduction to Cryptography
CS 6378 Advanced Operating Systems
CS 4397 Embedded Computer Systems2
2. CS 4397, and CS 4398 do not count as an elective in the CS/SE graduate degree plan.
Graduate Certificate in Cyber Defense
15 semester credit hours
The Department of Computer Science has been designated as a National Security Agency (NSA) Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE in CDE). This designation endorses that the below listed courses cover cyber defense related knowledge units identified by NSA CAE in CDE program. Based on this designation a student completing the below courses will qualify to obtain a certificate in information assurance. Students meeting the requirements of this program can obtain their certificate by applying prior to their graduation. For the application process, please visit the Education web page under Computer Science Department web site.
Program Faculty
Professors: Farokh B. Bastani, Sergey Bereg, Ovidiu Daescu, Yvo G. Desmedt, Ding-Zhu Du, Paul Fishwick, Xiaohu Guo, Gopal Gupta, Zygmunt Haas, Kevin Hamlen, Sanda M. Harabagiu, Dung T. Huynh, Jason Jue, Murat Kantarcioglu, Latifur Khan, Andrian Marcus, Neeraj Mittal, Dan I. Moldovan, Sriraam Natarajan, Yu-Chung (Vincent) Ng, Tien Nguyen, Simeon C. Ntafos, Balakrishnan Prabhakaran, Ravi Prakash, Kamil Sarac, Haim Schweitzer, Bhavani Thuraisingham, W. Eric Wong, Weili Wu, I-Ling Yen, Rym Zalila-Wenkstern
Associate Professors: Feng Chen, Lawrence Chung, Jorge A. Cobb, Vibhav Gogate, Benjamin Raichel, Nicholas Ruozzi
Assistant Professors: Xinya Du, Emily Kyle Fox, Yunhui Guo, Shuang Hao, Rishabh Iyer, Kangkook Jee, Chung Hwan Kim, Jin Kim, Jessica Ouyang, Yapeng Tian, Shiyi Wei, Yu Xiang, Wei Yang
Professors Emeriti: R. Chandrasekaran, Ivor P. Page, William J. Pervin, Balaji Raghavachari, Ivan Hal Sudborough, Klaus Truemper, Subbarayan Venkatesan, Kang Zhang
Professors of Instruction: Ebru Cankaya, John Cole, Doug DeGroot, Timothy (Tim) Farage, Shyam Karrah, Pushpa Kumar, Nhut Nguyen, Greg Ozbirn, Miguel Razo-Razo, Jeyakesavan (Jey) Veerasamy
Associate Professors of Instruction: Sridhar Alagar, Gordon Arnold, Anjum Chida, Wei Pang Chin, Bhadrachalam Chitturi, Michael Christiansen, Chris I. Davis, Karen Doore, Neeraj Gupta, Khiem Le, Anarag Nagar, Mehra Nouroz Borazjany, Jalal Omer, Mark Paulk, Jason W. Smith, Laurie Thompson, James Willson, Nurcan Yuruk
Assistant Professors of Instruction: Eric Becker, Scott Dollinger, Serdar Erbatur, Ranran Feng, Omar Hamdy, Gity Karami, Kamran Khan, Karen Mazidi, Richard K. Min, Priya Narayanasami, Brian Ricks, Elmer Salazar, Meghana Satpute, Nidhiben Solanki, Srimathi Srinivasan, Yi Zhao
Admission Requirements
Students must gain admission to the MS CS program or be eligible to take graduate courses in CS as a non-degree seeking student
Certificate Requirements
Students must complete the following five courses with a GPA of 3.2 or better.
CS 6324 Information Security
CS 6348 Data and Applications Security
CS 6349 Network Security
CS 6332 Systems Security and Binary Code Analysis
CS 6378 Advanced Operating Systems