|
Search our Site
ON THIS PAGE:
Undergraduate Program
Graduate Curriculum
Master of Science
Doctor of Philosophy
For More Information
|
|
Overview of Degree Programs and Requirements
Undergraduate Program
The Department of Computer Science offers a Bachelor of Science
in Computer Science. For information about
the program and for additional details about requirements, courses,
advising, and other relevant information, please, see the
Bachelor of Science
web page. The UNC-Chapel Hill Office of Undergraduate Admissions
handles admissions for all undergraduate programs. For more information
about undergraduate admission to UNC-Chapel Hill and to request an
application please contact the
Office
of Undergraduate Admissions.
Graduate Curriculum
A flexible course of study for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees focuses on areas
of choice and accommodates differences in students' backgrounds. The two degree
programs share a basic distribution
requirement of four courses chosen from
theoretical, systems, and applied subject areas. The Ph.D. program includes
work in specialized areas, preparation for teaching, and active involvement
in advanced research. For more information about graduate admission to the
Department of Computer Science see
Admissions
Requirements and how to Apply.
Master of Science
An M.S. candidate must earn 30 semester hours of credit in courses numbered
100 or higher, of which up to 6 hours may be transferred from another
institution or graduate program, and of which 18 hours must be completed in
our department. Satisfactory completion of the
distribution requirement
provides 12 hours of credit. The remaining credits are earned in areas of
specific interest, and may include course work, as needed, to address the
following requirements:
- The technical writing requirement may be satisfied in one
of three ways: (1) by taking our technical writing course, COMP 291,
(2) by writing a thesis, or (3) by writing a technical
document in either academic or nonacademic work that has been reviewed
and accepted (this may include a previously written thesis or
dissertation).
- The program product requirement may be satisfied by taking our
software engineering course, COMP 145, or by presenting satisfactory
documentation of previous experience with the development of a
significant software system.
- The background preparation requirement reflects the
body of material that is prerequisite to our graduate courses.
Courses needed, if any, to satisfy this requirement are decided in
consultation with the candidate's adviser, course instructors, and the
graduate studies committee.
A thesis is optional; if one is written, it counts for six hours. A
comprehensive exam is required and has two possible forms: (1) satisfactory
completion of an integrative paper
(this also satisfies the technical writing requirement when written
as part of COMP 291), or (2) an oral
exam covering material from the courses in the candidate's program
of study. While either exam is sufficient for the M.S. program, the
integrative paper is required for the Ph.D. program. A student with an
assistantship generally completes the M.S. degree in four
semesters or less.
Doctor of Philosophy
Admission to the Ph.D. program is by oral qualifying examination and
recommendation of the faculty. There is no credit hour requirement for the
Ph.D. program, but a Ph.D. candidate must complete courses to satisfy the
distribution requirement
and any needed background preparation, and must write an
integrative paper. A Ph.D. candidate
proposes an individual program of study, typically 15 to 18 hours. The
program of study includes a primary and secondary concentration in
computer science, training in mathematics and a supporting program of
external courses or a foreign language. Previous course work can be used
to satisfy much of the program of study. A candidate must also satisfy
the program product requirement, teach a course, participate in the
technical communication seminar, pass an oral examination in the proposed
dissertation area, and submit and defend a dissertation that presents
an original contribution to knowledge. The normal time needed to complete
the degree by a full-time student with an assistantship is five years.
Distribution Requirement
The distribution requirement requires satisfactory completion
of four courses from the list below, with at least one course
from each area. Grades earned in these four courses must
satisfy additional requirements according to the degree
program (M.S. or Ph.D.)
| Formal | Systems | Applied |
|---|
- COMP 202: Algorithm Analysis
- COMP 244: Programming Languages
- COMP 247: Distributed and Concurrent Algorithms
- COMP 250: Scientific Computation
|
- COMP 204: Software Design and Implementation
- COMP 240: Compilers
- COMP 242: Operating Systems
- COMP 243: Distributed Systems
|
- COMP 203: Parallel and Distributed Computing
- COMP 206: Computer Architecture and Implementation
- COMP 235: Images, Graphics, and Vision
- COMP 261: Elements of Hardware Systems
|
Integrative Paper
An integrative paper is a survey of three or more technical papers that
span multiple sub-fields of computer science and have a common thread. The
integrative paper is written in one semester and is organized as an
issue-based survey of approximately 5,000 words, emphasizing the integration
of concepts found in the subject papers. Faculty members can suggest
suitable collections of papers, but students may propose a collection of
subject papers as well. Two faculty members must agree to read the
integrative paper for style and content. The student follows a schedule
of milestones for drafts and revisions. Both faculty members must accept the
final revision for the integrative paper requirement to be satisfied.
Concurrent registration in our technical writing class, COMP 291, is
recommended but not required. The satisfactory completion of an integrative
paper satisfies the technical writing requirement.
For More Information
The department's Academic Affairs pages contain additional information
about degree programs, courses, exams, course schedules, committees,
policies, and other related topics.
|
