Ph.D. Degree Program - Overview
The Ph.D. program is designed to prepare a student for a career in
teaching and research. As such, it requires a considerable amount of
self-directed study and independent research. Only a limited number of
students can be accepted into the program each year. Therefore, only
those students who demonstrate the ability to carry out a demanding
program at this level are admitted.
The Ph.D. program is individually designed for each student. It
requires very close cooperation between the student and his or her
research advisor. Therefore, to continue beyond the first year of the
Ph.D. program, a student must define his or her area of research and
obtain a faculty advisor who will agree to supervise the dissertation
research. The advisor may or may not be the acting advisor assigned to
the student when initially admitted to the program.
Admission
Admission to the Ph.D. program in Computer Science and Engineering is
normally open only to those students with an M.S. in Computer Science
and/or Computer Engineering. Note that a very limited number of
students with only a bachelor's degree will be considered for direct
admission into the Ph.D. program (bypassing the M.S.) if they have
outstanding/exceptional records. An applicant must have demonstrated
the ability to carry out independent study and self-directed
research. This requirement is usually met by the completion of a
master's thesis or by presenting other evidence such as a major
independent research project report. An extended abstract, describing
the research done, should be submitted with the required personal
letter. One of the required letters of recommendation should be from
the person who supervised the research and should directly evaluate
that research.
All students in the master's program in Computer Science and
Engineering at the University of Connecticut who plan on applying for
the Ph.D. program are strongly advised to complete a Plan A Master's
program. Students from other schools with a master's degree in
Computer Science and/or Computer Engineering without a thesis may be
admitted conditionally. In the absence of an M.S. thesis, it is
expected that an independent study project will be completed in the
year following admission to demonstrate the student's ability to carry
out independent research.
Students with a master's degree in an area other than Computer Science
or Computer Engineering will initially be admitted to work for a
master's degree in Computer Science and Engineering. Transfer to the
Ph.D. program will take place as soon as the student demonstrates the
ability to carry out Ph.D. level work in Computer Science and
Engineering. In any case, it may not be necessary to complete the
formal requirements for an M.S. degree in Computer Science and
Engineering.
In all cases the applicant must submit scores for the General Test
portion of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)*. The advanced portion of
the exam in Computer Science may be submitted as additional
information but is not required.
Questions concerning GRE score and other admission details are
answered in Frequently Asked Questions page.
Time for Completion
Under normal conditions it is expected that any on-campus student will
complete all the work for the Ph.D. within four years of study after
finishing the M.S. program. The Ph.D. General Examination must normally
be passed within two-and-one-half years after finishing the M.S. degree
or its equivalent.
The results of the Ph.D. research must be presented at a pre-oral exam
before the writing of the final draft of the dissertation is
started. This exam is normally taken at least three months before the
dissertation is due in the graduate school.
The dissertation must be written in consultation with the major
advisor. The final draft must be presented to the advisory commmittee
at least one month before it is due in the graduate school. The
dissertation must be submitted to the graduate school one week before
the student may take the final examination.
The final examination for the Ph.D. consists of a formal defense of
the dissertation research. This defense is open to the entire
university community.
