The program of study for the doctoral degree with a major in computer science and engineering includes formal course work, independent study and research. The purpose of the degree is to produce a professional capable of directing and conducting research within the discipline of computer science and engineering.

Admission requirements

Students seeking admission to the doctoral program must meet all general requirements for doctoral candidates at UNT and must have completed all of the requirements (or equivalent work) for the master’s degree as defined Computer Science, MS  and/or Computer Engineering, MS . Additional requirements are delineated below.

• An acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Contact the department for information concerning acceptable admission test scores.
• A 3.5 GPA on the most recent 30 hours of course work.
• All applicants to the University of North Texas must show proof of English language proficiency (see admissions.unt.edu/international/english-language-requirements).
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Statement of purpose.

An overall evaluation of the student’s credentials is used as a basis for admission. Admission is competitive, and satisfaction of the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

Degree requirements

The PhD in computer science and engineering requires 72 graduate semester hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, including no more than 12 hours of dissertation, or 42 graduate semester hours beyond the master’s degree, including no more than 12 hours of dissertation.

In addition to satisfying the general requirements for all UNT doctoral degrees listed in this catalog, each PhD student must satisfactorily complete the following:

1. A minimum of 6 hours of 6000-level organized courses in computer science and engineering;
2. The residence requirement, consisting of two consecutive terms/semesters of enrollment in at least 9 semester hours other than thesis or dissertation hours; or three consecutive terms/semesters of enrollment in at least 6 semester credit hours other than thesis or dissertation hours.
3. PhD qualifying requirements:
   1. Formation of a PhD committee after, at most, four long semesters. This committee shall consist of the student’s advisor (major professor) and at least three additional members.
   2. Students must have a copy of their degree plan, complete and approved by the Graduate School, after enrollment of 18 semester credit hours.
   3. Student shall complete, with a grade of B or higher, a theoretical course (such as CSCE 5150 - Analysis of Computer Algorithms ) that is recommended/approved by the student’s PhD committee.
   4. Research Readiness Exam: an oral exam to be conducted by the student’s PhD committee. The format of this oral exam is to be determined by the student’s PhD committee. At the discretion of the PhD committee, the research readiness exam may be combined with the qualifying examination.
   5. Student shall complete the qualifying examination requirements as outlined by the CSCE “Results of PhD Qualifying Examination” requirements form (located on the departmental website, cse.unt.edu).
   6. Results of the qualifying examination and the assessment of the student’s research readiness shall be recorded and signed by the committee and submitted to the graduate secretary for processing.
4. Dissertation Proposal Defense: an oral presentation of a detailed research plan. The research plan (prospectus) is distributed to the committee well in advance, and an examination announcement will be distributed for interested graduate faculty and students.
5. Dissertation Defense: upon completion, the dissertation is to be distributed to the committee members at least four weeks prior to the final examination date. The candidate will prepare a formal presentation of their dissertation research and results to be defended during an oral exam.

Pass-through master’s degree

Pass-through degree only. Students who have completed the comprehensive exams may apply for this option after the completion of 40 hours in the doctoral program. 30 hours of PhD courses will be applied toward the pass-through master’s degree.