Computer Science with Interdisciplinary Applications (Ph.D.)
Overview
The doctoral program in Computer Science with Interdisciplinary Applications trains PhD students in computer science and the application of computational methods to cutting-edge research in scientific, engineering, and other quantitative fields. The program is offered by the Department of Computer Science with collaborating faculty in science, engineering, business, medicine, and healthcare.
Program Requirements
Students admitted with a bachelor’s degree will complete a minimum of 36 hours of coursework and 36 hours of directed research for 72 hours total.
Students who have earned a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree may pursue the PhD in Computer Science and Interdisciplinary Applications.
Students admitted with a master's degree in computer science, computer engineering or a closely related field will complete a minimum of 18 hours of coursework and 36 hours of directed research for 54 hours total.
Milestone Requirements
At minimum, program milestones include the following:
- Students must pass a qualifying exam by the semester after they complete 36 hours in the program (2 years full-time).
- Students must submit and defend a dissertation proposal within 5 years of starting the program to advance to candidacy.
- After at least one year of candidacy, students must submit and defend a dissertation.
Admission Requirements
To be admitted, prospective candidates must meet all requirements for graduate admission to UT Rio Grande Valley, as well as the other requirements listed below:
- Earned bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related field from a U.S. accredited institution or an international institution recognized by a credentialing service.
- Students with an earned bachelor's or master's degree in a STEM or other quantitative field may be considered. Such students will be required to take appropriate leveling course work before beginning the program of study.
- Awarded a bachelor's degree with an earned GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale in the last 60 semester credit hours from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a recognized international equivalent in a similar or related field, or
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Awarded a master's degree with an earned GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.00 scale from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a recognized international equivalent in a similar or related field.
- Three letters of recommendation from professional or academic sources.
- Letter of intent detailing professional goals and reasons for pursuing the graduate degree.
- Resume/CV.
- GRE General Test. GRE test scores are valid for 5 years. A waiver of the GRE requirement will be granted to applicants who show proof of completing an undergraduate degree in computer science or a closely related field with an undergraduate GPA above a 3.0 or a master’s degree in computer science with a graduate GPA of 3.25 or higher.
Application for admission must be submitted prior to the published deadline. The application is available at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply.
Other Admission Information
The program will accept part-time students as well as transfer students from other graduate programs. Transfer of graduate credit is based on policies set out by the UTRGV Graduate College and subject to approval by the program director.
Program Requirements
Leveling Courses
Computer Programming Courses:
Theory and Algorithms Courses:
| CSCI 3310 | Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science | 3 |
| CSCI 3333 | Algorithms and Data Structures | 3 |
Required Courses - 12 Hours
Students admitted with a bachelor’s degree only must complete all of the courses below. Students admitted with a master’s degree who have completed comparable courses to those below will take additional elective courses to fulfill the minimum hours for the degree. Conversely, students with a master’s degree who have not taken comparable courses to those below will take all four courses and will take reduced elective courses.
Prescribed Electives - 3 Hours
Students admitted with a bachelor’s degree must complete one of the courses below. Students admitted with a master’s degree who have completed comparable courses to those below will take additional interdisciplinary elective courses to fulfill the minimum hours for the degree. This degree plan includes courses that appear in more than one section of the degree plan. Such courses can only be used to fulfill one requirement on the degree plan and credit hours will only be applied once.
Interdisciplinary Electives – 21 Hours
Students admitted with a bachelor’s degree must complete seven of the following courses, with a minimum of four CSCI courses. Students admitted with a master’s degree must complete one of the following courses. Students are required to consult with their adviser to determine an appropriate set of electives for their research. This degree plan includes courses that appear in more than one section of the degree plan. These courses can only be used to fulfill one requirement on the degree plan and credit hours will only applied once.
Dissertation Research – 33 hours
Students must complete 33 total credit hours through a combination of 1, 3, 6 and 9 credit hour research courses as advised by their faculty advisor.
Dissertation – 3 Hours
Students enroll for the following course in the semester that they submit and defend their dissertation.