Breadth Requirements:
1. Breadth Requirements:
Doctoral students are expected to demonstrate competency in Computer and Cyber Sciences by taking courses within at least 3 of the following areas.
Area A: Theoretical Foundations
Area B: Computer Systems
Area C: Applications
Area D: Cybersecurity
Area E: Human-Centered Computing
To satisfy the Breadth Requirements, students must take 6 courses totaling 18 credit hours. among the 5 areas A-E. Students choose, based on their interests and in consultation with their academic or dissertation advisor. The following rules must be followed:
1. Courses must come from at least 3 areas
2. Students must take at least 2 courses from 2 areas
Based on these rules, potential course options across areas are 2-2-1-1, 2-2-2, and 3-2-1. A student must complete their breadth requirements in a manner that supports their research emphasis. Their plan (i.e. number of classes they will take in each of the areas) has to be approved by the program director and a member of the graduate committee.
To have the courses satisfy the Breadth Requirements, the student must receive a grade of B or better in each of the 6 courses and have more A’s than B’s in the 6 courses. Area courses taken beyond the 6 required Breadth Requirements will be considered electives.
2. Preparation for Research:
In their first semester, all students take the Introduction to Research course (CSCI-6900) or the Introduction to Information Security Research course (AIST-6900), in consultation with their advisor. Subsequently, students register for CSCI-8720, Problems in Computer and Cyber Sciences, under the supervision of a faculty member in the school. Students do not need to have a formal dissertation advisor at this stage.
3. Research Exposure:
Students register for CSCI-7900, Research Colloquium, a minimum of three times during the program. This course is a venue to discuss contemporary problems in Computer and Cyber Sciences. While students can take this class more than 3 times during their program, a maximum of 3 credits of CSCI-7900 can count towards the degree requirements.
4. Electives:
Students take elective coursework adding to another 9 credits, across areas A, B, C, D, E, and F.
5. Dissertation:
After students have a formal advisor they may register for CSCI-8940 (1-9 credits), Dissertation Research. A minimum of 36 credits of CSCI-8940 needs to be completed prior to graduation.
6. Credit Hours:
A doctoral student must earn a minimum of 72 credit hours during the course of the program. This is comprised of a minimum of 36 credits for coursework, including breadth classes, introduction to research classes, problems classes, research exposure, and electives, and a minimum of 36 credits for Dissertation Research.
