Computer Science

Opportunities for graduate studies

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of North Texas offers programs leading to a master of science in computer science and a doctoral degree in computer science and engineering. Many courses and research areas are available:

• algorithm analysis
• architecture
• artificial intelligence
• computer security
• database systems
• distributed computing
• image processing
• networking
• numerical analysis
• operating systems
• pattern recognition
• programming languages
• simulation and modeling
• computer systems

The department consists of 20 regular and visiting faculty members and about 170 graduate students, resulting in a 9:1 student-faculty ratio. Classes are offered on a regular rotating schedule, with all core classes offered at night at least once every two years, making part-time study easier if you work full time.

Faculty research and laboratories

Ongoing projects in the department offer you opportunities to join organized research efforts. In addition to facilities provided for instructional purposes, the department supports several research laboratories to provide you with opportunities to learn from faculty members working in the following areas:

• computer systems including architecture, compilers and operating systems
• security including wired and wireless systems, hardware/software solutions and cryptography
• database and human–computer interaction (HCI) including data integration, data mining, HCI and natural language processing
• theory of computation including algorithms, numeric, symbolic and geometric
• computational epidemiology
• computer-aided design (CAD) and design automation for very-large-scale integration (VLSI) circuit synthesis

The computer science and engineering web site at www.cse.unt.edu provides descriptions of the various research laboratories currently active in the department.

Admission requirements

Departmental application deadlines are March 1 for the summer and fall semesters and Oct. 1 for the spring semester.

M.S. degree

You must meet the admission requirements of the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies and the following program requirements:

• minimum 3.0 GPA in the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work
• acceptable score on the GRE. Please contact the department or the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies for information concerning acceptable test scores
• minimum TOEFL score of 580 on the written exam or 237 on the computer-based exam for international applicants whose native language is not English and who do not have a prior degree from an accredited U.S. institution

An overall evaluation of your credentials will be used as a basis for admission. An undergraduate degree in computer science is desirable if you are seeking admission into the graduate program. Leveling courses will be required if you have an insufficient background. Contact the department for a list of leveling courses for computer science.

Ph.D. degree

In addition to the following program requirements, you must meet the admission requirements of the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies:

• minimum 3.5 GPA
• acceptable score on the GRE (Please contact the department or the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies for information concerning acceptable test scores.)
• minimum TOEFL score of 580 on the written exam or 237 on the computer-based exam for international applicants whose native language is not English and who do not have a prior degree from an accredited U.S. institution
• three letters of recommendation

An overall evaluation of your credentials will be used as a basis for admission.

Degree requirements

M.S. degree

The department offers a thesis and course options for earning a master's degree. The thesis option requires 25 hours of course work plus 6 hours of thesis. The course option consists of 37 hours of course work and may include 3 hours of project or 6 hours of problem in lieu of thesis. Leveling courses do not count toward either option. You can select an area of specialization which will be decided in a consultation with a major professor and the graduate coordinator.

Ph.D. degree

For the Ph.D. degree, you must complete 60 credit hours beyond the master's degree or 90 hours beyond the bachelor's degree. At least 12 hours must be from 6000-level organized courses in computer science. At least two consecutive semesters of enrollment in 9 or more semester hours are required to meet the university residence requirement.

In addition to the course work, you must pass the computer science comprehensive exam early in the degree program. After passing the comprehensive exam, you must find a research topic, organize and pass an oral qualifying exam related to the topic, and write a dissertation and defend it to a committee of at least three faculty members.

Financial assistance

Approximately 35 computer science and engineering graduate students are supported each year through teaching assistantships and research assistantships.

Support amounts for grading and teaching positions range from approximately $5,000 to $6,000 per semester, with the actual amount determined by your job assignment and level in the graduate program. A small number of system support jobs are also available. In addition, supported out-of-state and international students qualify for in-state tuition rates.

Completed assistantship and admissions applications must be received at the department by March 1 for the fall semester and by Oct. 1 for the spring semester.

Application forms for assistantships are available from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and online at www.cse.unt.edu.

Computer technology

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering provides you with a broad assortment of hardware and software. Research and experimental facilities include several labs dedicated to special projects such as parallel/distributed algorithms and programming and advanced software technology. General-purpose departmental facilities include a cluster of Intel-based machines running Linux.