Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Major in Computer Science (Information Management Concentration Entering with Bachelor's Degree)

Program Overview

The Department of Computer Science offers an applied computer science Ph.D. program that incorporates leadership, innovation, and communication skills necessary to prepare students to navigate multiple career environments. The program combines the application of computer science practice and theory. Students are encouraged but not required to take electives in entrepreneurship and commercialization skills. The curriculum is centered on two technical tracks that align with faculty research interests: Information Management and Software Systems. The Information Management track encompasses research topics in data analytics and management, human computer interaction, and informatics. The Software Systems track covers topics in computer security and networking, high-performance computing, and software engineering. In addition, the program has a programming requirement to ensure that students can implement a substantial piece of software.

The program focuses on key areas of applied computing of national priority: data science and machine learning, human-computer interaction, computer vision and multimedia, computer security and networking, high-performance computing, and software engineering and real-time systems.

Educational Goal

Based on the curricular areas and expectations described above, the main educational objectives of the Texas State program are to equip program graduates with:

1. technical knowledge in complementary areas of applied computing,
2. skills for conducting cutting-edge research that advances the current state-of-the-art in applied computing, and
3. leadership, innovation, and communication skills that prepare students to take on challenges in multiple career environments.

• $55 nonrefundable application fee

         or

• $90 nonrefundable application fee for applications with international credentials
• Transcripts & GPA for applicants with a bachelor's degree only
  • baccalaureate degree in computer science or related field from a regionally accredited university (Non-U.S. degrees must be equivalent to a four-year U.S. Bachelor’s degree. In most cases, three-year degrees are not considered. Visit our International FAQs for more information.)
  • official transcripts from each institution where course credit was granted
  • a 3.0 overall GPA or a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 hours of undergraduate courses (plus any completed graduate courses)
• official GRE (general test only) with competitive scores in the verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning sections
• resume/CV

• mentor recommendation letter from a current Texas State doctoral faculty member in the Computer Science program. Visit the faculty list for current faculty and their research interests and contact information. Your mentor must email their letter of support directly to The Graduate College at gradcollege@txstate.edu. This letter must be on file before the program's deadline.
  • Since admission to this thesis-/dissertation-based program requires an intent to mentor letter (an agreement from one of our faculty members to supervise your research project) as part of the application process, we strongly recommend that applicants contact potential mentors by sending their CV and research interests and securing that agreement prior to submitting an admission application. The department cannot guarantee that a suitable mentor will always be available.

• three letters of recommendation submitted directly from professionals who are qualified to assess the student’s academic abilities
• written statement of research interests and goals
• interview (top-ranking applicants only.)
  • Applicants are independently reviewed and ranked by each member of the admissions committee based on a defined set of criteria. Those that are top-rated will be contacted for an interview via Skype or phone and asked a pre-determined set of questions. Based on the results of the interviews, the committee will rank the applicants again to determine the final list for admission.

Approved English Proficiency Exam Scores

Applicants are required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score that meets the minimum program requirements below unless they have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a country on our exempt countries list.

• official TOEFL iBT scores required with a 85 overall
• official PTE scores required with a 57 overall
• official IELTS (academic) scores required with a 6.5 overall and minimum individual module scores of 6.0
• official Duolingo scores required with a 115 overall
• official TOEFL Essentials scores required 9.5 overall

This program does not offer admission if the scores above are not met.

Degree Requirements

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree with a major in Computer Science concentration in Information Management requires 78 semester credit hours for students entering with a bachelor's degree, up to 24 hours of which can be from 5000 level master's Computer Science courses (the selection of courses in this category should be made in consultation with the student's Ph.D. advisor and the program director). Students interested in entrepreneurship and commercialization can participate in two boot camps and two entrepreneurship and commercialization courses as electives.

¹

 Only courses which have not been completed in the breadth requirement may be completed in the depth requirement.

²

 Courses that are already used to satisfy the breadth and technical depth cannot be used for other elective requirements.

Procedures for Prior Learning Assessment Course Credit:

Students in the Ph.D. program in Computer Science can apply up to 12 hours of coursework through a prior learning assessment (PLA) evaluation process when they demonstrate mastery of applicable skills and learning outcomes. PLA course credit can be satisfied through experiential learning students gained through work, non-course-based advanced studies, internships, or externships prior to beginning the Computer Science Ph.D. Program. Note that the total number of credits earned through PLA and course transfer must not exceed 12 semester credit hours (for criteria and processes for earning transfer credit, see the relevant section in the catalog). Students who apply for PLA credit must meet the following conditions:

• Full-time students must make the request for PLA credit in their first year in the program. Part-time students must make the request before completing a total of 18 credits.
• The PLA experiences on which the student is basing the request for PLA credits must have occurred within five years of when the request is made. 

The process of applying for PLA credit includes the following:

• A portfolio of written work is used to evaluate a student’s work and experience for course credit.
• The student provides a summary document that includes the course description for each course for which they are requesting PLA credit, the student learning outcomes for the course (SLOs), and a numbered and detailed explanation of how their experience demonstrates expertise in the subject matter.
• The explanation should include the SLOs for each course under consideration and explicitly map them to parts of the student’s supported materials that demonstrate mastery of the SLO. There should be no “double dipping” of a single aspect of a student’s supporting materials, i.e., materials cannot be mapped to more than one course SLO. In addition, if credit for several courses is requested, a single aspect of a student’s supporting materials cannot be used for more than one course.
• In addition to the summary document, the student will include supporting materials in the form of appendices, which contain reports, peer-reviewed publications, contracts, grant proposals, certificates, official transcripts, etc.

The portfolio is evaluated by a PLA evaluation committee, constituted and chaired by the director of the doctoral program.  In addition to the director of the doctoral program, the committee will include two core doctoral faculty (appointed by the department chair) and one faculty member in the student’s subfield, with appropriate doctoral faculty status.  If one or more of the courses for which the student is requesting PLA credit are not Computer Science courses (e.g., an MSEC course), an external faculty responsible for the non-CS course will be invited to serve on the committee in place of the member representing the student’s subfield.  Approval of the portfolio is required by the doctoral program director and a majority of the evaluation committee. Once approval is recommended by the department, the Ph.D. program director submits a written petition to the Dean of The Graduate College to grant course credit for prior learning assessment. The petition must include the courses for which credit is requested. The petition also includes the decision of the evaluating committee and the summary document created by the student. The appendices are made available on request.

Application for Advancement to Candidacy

When all requirements for admission to candidacy have been met (completion of boot camps, completion of required coursework, passing of the qualifying and comprehensive exams, completion of the programming requirement, and submission of an approved dissertation proposal) the Ph.D. program director forwards the Application for Advancement to Candidacy to the dean of The Graduate College for review and approval. This application form is available on The Graduate College website. 

Grade-Point Requirements for Advancement to Candidacy

A minimum GPA of 3.0 on all coursework undertaken in the doctoral program is required for admission to candidacy. Grades below a B on any graduate coursework cannot be applied toward the Ph.D. degree. Incomplete grades must have been cleared before approval for advancement to candidacy can be granted. No more than six semester credit hours of dissertation research can be taken before advancing to candidacy.

Advancement to Candidacy Time Limit

No credit will be applied toward a student’s doctoral degree for coursework completed more than five years before the date on which the student is admitted to candidacy. This time limit applies to course credit earned at Texas State as well as course credit transferred to Texas State from other institutions.

Dissertation Proposal

The proposal must outline the substance and scope of the planned dissertation research and explain its merits. It has to include at least an introduction, methodology to be used, a survey of the relevant literature, and preliminary results that demonstrate the feasibility. The goal of the proposal is to establish that the student has a sufficient grasp of the fundamentals of the chosen dissertation topic to execute the research.

Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination consists of a written and an oral component.  The qualifying exam serves as the written component. The oral component is administered by the dissertation committee, typically right after the dissertation proposal.  Completion of both the business plan and a grant proposal are required for advancing to candidacy and is part of the comprehensive examination.  

Dissertation Enrollment Requirements

After being admitted to candidacy, students must be continuously enrolled for dissertation hours each fall and spring semester until the defense of their dissertation. At least 18 semester credit hours of dissertation research must be taken after having advanced to candidacy. If a student is receiving supervision on the dissertation during the summer or if the student is graduating in the summer, the student must be enrolled in dissertation hours for the summer. All candidates for graduation must be enrolled in dissertation hours (e.g., CS 7199) during the semester in which the degree is to be conferred, even if they have already satisfied the minimum dissertation hours.

Dissertation Time Limit

Each Ph.D. student must prepare a written dissertation proposal and defend it orally. This should be done by the time the student has completed 36 semester credit hours and after identifying the dissertation committee, passing the qualifying exam, fulfilling the programming requirement, and completing all required courses and boot camps. Any student who does not defend his/her dissertation proposal by the time 45 semester credit hours have been accrued will be dismissed from the program. After advancing to candidacy a student should complete their dissertation within five years, keeping in mind the ten year total time limit.  If the proposal defense is not passed, the student will have the option of taking a second and final defense in the following long semester. Students will be dismissed from the program if they do not pass the proposal defense the second time.

Dissertation Committee

The student, in consultation with his/her dissertation advisor, must establish a dissertation committee that consists of the dissertation advisor, two other doctoral faculty members from the Department, and one faculty member with at least adjunct doctoral faculty status either from another department within the university or from another institution who would be selected based on the relevancy of their research to the student’s dissertation. The dissertation advisor serves as the chair of the committee.

Committee Changes

Any change to the dissertation committee must be submitted using the Dissertation Advisor/Committee Member Change Request Form for approval by the Dean of The Graduate College. Changes must be submitted no later than sixty days before the dissertation defense. The “Dissertation Advisor/Committee Member Change Request form” may be downloaded from The Graduate College’s website.

Dissertation Proposal

The proposal must outline the substance and scope of the planned dissertation research and explain its merits. It has to include at least an introduction, methodology to be used, a survey of the relevant literature, and preliminary results that demonstrate the feasibility. The goal of the proposal is to establish that the student has a sufficient grasp of the fundamentals of the chosen dissertation topic to execute the research.

Dissertation Research and Writing

All doctoral students must complete a dissertation that consists of original research and demonstrates mature scholarship and critical judgment in addition to familiarity with tools and methods in the chosen area. The dissertation project must adhere to the dissertation proposal and cover the topic approved by the student’s dissertation committee.

Dissertation Defense

Once the dissertation has been completed, a final exam (referred to as the dissertation defense) on the dissertation must be conducted. The dissertation defense cannot be scheduled until all other academic and program requirements have been fulfilled. A complete draft of the dissertation must be given to the members of the dissertation committee at least one month before the defense. However, students are highly encouraged to provide drafts earlier so that the committee members can provide feedback, which the student, in consultation with the dissertation advisor, will address in later drafts to ensure that the dissertation is defendable and each committee member is satisfied before the dissertation defense takes place.

The dissertation defense consists of two parts. The first part is a public presentation of the dissertation research. The second part of the defense immediately follows the public presentation. It is restricted to participation of the student’s dissertation committee and entails an oral examination of the dissertation research. Approval of the dissertation requires positive votes from the student’s dissertation advisor and from the majority of the remaining members of the dissertation committee. Notice of the defense presentation will be publicly posted at least two weeks in advance.

If the dissertation defense is not approved, the student will have the option of taking a second and final dissertation defense in the following long semester. Students who do not pass the dissertation defense the second time will be dismissed from the program.

The results of the dissertation defense must be recorded in the Dissertation Defense Report Form and submitted to The Graduate College before the Dean of The Graduate College can give final approval of the dissertation. This form can be downloaded from The Graduate College’s website. The student must submit his/her dissertation to The Graduate College for final approval. The guidelines for submission and approval of the dissertation can be obtained from The Graduate College.

Students must pass the dissertation defense by the time 90 semester credit hours have been accrued. The Ph.D. program director will review each student annually to ascertain his/her progress towards the degree and will consult the student’s dissertation advisor and dissertation committee on this matter as needed. Any student who does not pass the dissertation defense by the time 90 semester credit hours have been accrued will be dismissed from the program.

Approval and Submission of the Dissertation

A final copy of the dissertation proposal, accompanied by the signed approval forms, must be turned in to the Ph.D. program director, who will forward them to the Dean of The Graduate College for review and final approval.

Doctorate level courses in Computer Science: CS

Courses Offered

Computer Science (CS)