Operating Policy Approved by Graduate Faculty

Admission Requirements

Application is made to the Missouri S&T admissions office along with the required transcripts, etc.  Applicants who do not have a graduate degree will normally request admission to the M.S. program first. Applicants must submit a letter outlining tentative research interests and career goals along with GRE verbal, quantitative and analytical writing test scores. Admission into the Ph.D. program in Computer Science is granted by majority vote of the Computer Science Graduate Faculty, demonstration of supervisory interest by a faculty member, and approval of the College Dean.

A student with only a B.S. interested in Ph.D. study may be admitted, at the discretion of the faculty, directly into the Ph.D. program.The student will be expected to meet all requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. programs. Examination schedules for the Ph.D. program will apply.Thus, the student must pass the Ph.D. academic programs/qualifier within the three semesters of admission, and continue to following all Ph.D. timelines.All M.S. minimums must apply for admission and a faculty member must demonstrate interest in admitting the candidate to the Ph.D. program.

Applying

Refer to the Graduate Catalog for current guidelines. Additionally, the verbal, quantitative, and analytical sections of the GRE are not required for admission to Missouri S&T as a "special" graduate student in Computer Science, but are required before being admitted as a "regular" graduate student in Computer Science.

Qualifying Examination

To pass the Ph.D. qualifying examination, a student must pass both a written and oral examination. The written and oral portions of the qualifying examination may each be taken no more than twice. Both components of the exam must be passed within three semesters after admission to the program.

Core areas for the written examination are analysis of Algorithms, Operating systems, Automata, and Computer Architecture. Algorithms will be required of all Ph.D. students on the qualifier. The student will choose two of Operating Systems, Automata, or Computer Organization to take. The student must pass all three selected areas at 75% or better to pass the qualifier. Given the basic nature of the exam areas, all chosen areas must be taken during the same exam administration - individual area examinations or individual area re-takes are not allowed. The examination is scheduled regularly at the start of Fall Semester.  In lieu of the written portion of the qualifier, if the student scores above the 80th percentile on the Computer Science Subject Test of the Graduate Record Examination, this will satisfy the qualifying examination.   Ph.D. Qualifier Information.

The oral examination consists of a research readiness presentation.  The student will select a topic of personal interest in Computer Science and review recent literature on the subject. Under the guidance of the advisor, an in-depth comparative paper will be prepared and presented to the departmental Graduate Policies and Procedures Committee. The student may be questioned on the paper and other closely related topics.  It is not necessary that the subject have any bearing on the students proposed research, however, in the interest of efficiency, relevance is desired.

Ph.D. Advisory Committee

The Ph.D. advisory committee must be appointed and meet to outline the candidate's plan of study before the end of the next semester after the candidate passes the qualifying examination.If this is not done, the candidate will not be permitted to register the following semester. There will be a committee chair and a research advisor on the committee; this is normally the same person.The plan of study must follow all university guidelines. Additionally, the student's program of study must include at least 15 hours of 400 level computer science lecture courses.

*Research Readiness

At some time before the end of formal course work, the student will select a topic of personal interest in Computer Science and review recent literature on the subject. Under the guidance of the advisor, a discursive paper will be prepared and presented to a departmental colloquium.The student may be questioned on the paper and other closely related topics. A standing committee consisting of all Computer Science faculty will certify successful completion.This exercise may be repeated as many times as necessary.It is not necessary that the subject have any bearing on the students proposed research, however, in the interest of efficiency, relevance is desired.

Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination

The student's Ph.D. advisory committee will conduct the written and oral comprehensive examination.The subject matter, conduct of the examination, and certification of success or failure are entirely under the authority of the student's Advisory Committee, subject to the rules of the Graduate School. Refer to the Missouri S&T Graduate Bulletin for more information.

Research Proposal

The candidate must present and receive approval of his or her research proposal before beginning research for the dissertation.An appropriate time for the presentation would be during the oral portion of the comprehensive exam.

Residence Requirement

Refer to the Graduate Catalog for information.

Dissertation Defense

Refer to the Graduate Catalog Bulletin for information.

* Those not satisfying the above requirements are eligible to apply for "conditional" graduate student status.

Financial Aid for M.S. and Ph.D. Students

Financial assistance is available to graduate students at Missouri S&T in the form of assistantships and fellowships. Half-time assistants devote approximately 20 hours per week to laboratory supervision or other departmental duties, including research, and/or teaching, and receive a stipend of $16,325 per academic year for the 2007-2008 school year. Applications for these assistantships may be obtained here. For priority consideration, this application should be submitted by January 1 of each year for the ensuring fall semester.

All applicants for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) MUST satisfactorily complete a five-day Instructional Communication Workshop during the week prior to registration week. One aspect of this workshop is the assessment period at the end of the workshop. Each individual will demonstrate the ability to communicate by presenting a brief introduction to a subject in the appropriate discipline. A panel of four individuals, one from the workshop faculty, two students, and one faculty member from the potential teaching assistants' department, will evaluate the candidates' performance at the end of the workshop. A GTA may be granted to the individual only if this assessment period is judged satisfactory.

Additional Information

Additional information pertaining to the Computer Science program may be obtained by writing to Dr. Bruce McMillin, Graduate Coordinator, Computer Science Department, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 325 Computer Science Bldg., 1870 Miner Circle, Rolla, MO 65409-0350 or through e-mail to: ff@mst.edu.

For additional information and requirements pertaining to graduate school, please consult the Graduate Catalog, which may be obtained by writing to the Admission's Office, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 106 Parker Hall, 1870 Miner Circle, Rolla, MO 65409-1060.

For general information concerning graduate school regulations, consult the Graduate Student Handbook, which is available from the Graduate Studies Office, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 118 Fulton Hall, 1870 Miner Circle, Rolla, MO 65409-1130.