Operating Policy Approved by Graduate Faculty

CS PhD Entrance Requirements – Effective for Fall Semester 2008

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 Vice Provost of Graduate Studies.

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.

Applicants are expected to have the following minimum qualifications before being admitted as a "regular" graduate student:
A minimum GRE verbal score of 370
A minimum GRE Quantitative >= 700 and WR score >=4.0
A minimum TOEFL score of 570 (CBT >=230 OR IBT >=89 OR IELTS 7 or above), for those students not speaking English as their native language
An undergraduate GPA of 3.0/4.0 or better over the last 2 years, or successful completion of 12 graduate Hours in Computer Science as a "probationary" graduate student at Missouri S&T with at least a 3.0 GPA.

Admission to the Ph.D. program has the same requirement as the MS program plus a MS in Computer Science or related field.  For direct Ph.D. admit outstanding performance in undergraduate program.

Knowledge of the following:

           1. Strong Math Skills
           2. Competency in a Modern Programming language
           3. Computer Science Core including:
                   * Algorithms & Data Structures
                   * Computer Organization/Architecture
                   * Database & File Structures
                   * Discrete Mathematics & Automata
                   * Operating Systems
                   * Software Engineering

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.

Assistantship Information

Graduate Assistant Application (department specific)

Federally Funded Fellowships for U.S. Graduate Students

GAANN Fellowships for U.S. Graduate Students (jointly with Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Nationally Competitive Fellowships for Graduate Students
Nationally Physical Science Consortium Ph.D. Fellowship

Your estimated costs for attending Missouri S&T are outlined at: Estimated Student Budgets

Financial Assistance for MS and PhD 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 $16,650 per academic year for the 2008-2009 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.

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, plus two of Advanced Operating Systems, Computer Architecture, and Advanced Automata.  The student must pass all three areas at 75% or better to pass the qualifier.  Given the fundamental 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.  

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 18 hours of 400 level computer science lecture courses.

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.

Departmental Seminars

The Computer Science Department sponsors a weekly seminar presented by a combination of departmental faculty members, graduate students, and external speakers. Regular attendance is required by all graduate students. ( See schedule )

Contact Information 

Dr. Bruce McMillin, Graduate Coordinator
Computer Science Department
Missouri University of Science and Technology
500 West 15th Street
325 Computer Science Bldg.
Rolla, MO 65409-0350
phone: 573-341-6435
e-mail: ff@mst.edu

Dawn Davis, Graduate Secretary
Computer Science Department
Missouri University of Science and Technology
500 West 15th Street
325 Computer Science Bldg.
Rolla, MO 65409-0350
phone: 573-341-6642
e-mail: dawnd@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.

Approved by the Departmental Faculty, May, 2008.