Curriculum

The NC State Graduate School requires all Ph.D. candidates to complete 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree.

• Candidates who earn a master’s degree from NC State and continue directly into the Ph.D. program may apply up to 36 credit hours taken while in master’s status toward the Ph.D. requirements.
• Candidates who take a break between the master’s degree and the Ph.D., or who earn a master’s degree from another institution, may apply up to 18 credit hours taken while in master’s status.

All transfer credits require the approval of the student’s advisory committee and the director of graduate programs (DGP).

A summary of the curriculum requirements for the Ph.D. is below.

Requirement	Credit Hours
Orientation Course (CSC 600)	1
Core Courses (four)	12
Computer Science 700-level courses (two)	6
Written Qualifying Exam (CSC 890)	6
Computer Science graduate electives / research credits	47
Total	72

All incoming Ph.D. students must register for an orientation course: CSC 600 (Computer Science Graduate Orientation).

Ph.D. candidates must take four core courses consisting of two courses from each of two categories:

•  Category 1: Theory
  CSC 503 (Computational Applied Logic), CSC 505 (Algorithms), CSC 512 (Compiler Construction), CSC 514 (Foundations of Cryptography), CSC 565 (Graph Theory), CSC 579 (Performance Evaluation), CSC 580 (Numerical Analysis), CSC 707 (Theory of Computation).
• Category 2: Systems
  CSC 501 (Operating Systems), CSC 506 (Parallel Architectures), CSC 510 (Software Engineering), CSC 520 (Artificial Intelligence), CSC 540 (Database Systems), CSC 561 (Graphics), CSC 570 (Networks), CSC 574 (Computer and Network Security).

Students must maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher in the four core courses.

• CSC 720 may substitute for CSC 520.
• CSC 573 may substitute for CSC 570.
• Special topics courses (CSC 59x or CSC 79x) may not be used to satisfy core course requirements.

Core course requirements must be completed within the first 27 credit hours of the degree program.

The candidate must also take two CSC 700 level courses.

Additional requirements:

1. Courses cannot be double-counted for both the core and 700-level requirements.
2. All computer science credits must be at or above the 500 level.
3. To graduate, students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA on all graduate coursework and on all courses listed in their Plan of Graduate Work.
4. Students with a GPA below 3.0 are not eligible to hold an assistantship.
5. Graduate study will be terminated if a student attempts 18 or more credit hours at the 400 level or above with a GPA below 3.0.

Advisory Committee and Degree Audit

All Ph.D. students must have a graduate advisor who is a full member of the Graduate Faculty in computer science. The advisor serves as chair or co-chair of the advisory committee and plays a key role in the student’s academic success. Selecting an advisor is typically based on the student’s research interests and strengths. Students are responsible for identifying and securing an advisor, but the director of graduate programs (DGP) can provide guidance and suggestions.

Research assistant funding is determined by the advisor and should be considered when selecting an advisor.

Ph.D. students must form an advisory committee with at least four Graduate Faculty members.

• If a minor is declared, one member must represent the minor field.
• If no minor is declared, at least one member must have an affiliation outside the Department of Computer Science. (This is often satisfied by faculty affiliated with programs such as computer engineering or operations research.)
• At least two members must have computer science as their home department.

Form your committee after passing the written preliminary exam but before scheduling the oral preliminary exam. Invite faculty at least one month—preferably two—before your planned exam date.

The committee is recorded on the Graduate Degree Audit, submitted electronically through MyPack Portal and routed for approvals. You do not need to know your exact exam date before submitting the plan.

Your Graduate Degree Audit must:

• List all coursework and the dissertation topic
• Be developed with your advisory committee
• Be approved by the committee and DGP before submission to the Graduate School for final approval

Written Prelim Exam

The Written Preliminary Exam is the first milestone in the student’s Ph.D. program. The purpose of this exam is to measure research aptitude, preparation (including knowledge of a specialization area) and proper research methodology. It is expected that the student will have conducted an extensive literature search of a problem area, identified a research problem and obtained some preliminary research results in that area. The work for this exam must be substantially that of the student, with minor help from the advisor or others. 

The student must first have an advisor, who helps him or her identify a suitable topic for the exam. In the semester the exam is to be taken, the student will register for up to 6 credits of CSC 890 (Doctoral Preliminary Exam). (Alternatively, the credits may be spread over two successive semesters.) Full-time Ph.D. students who previously received an M.S. degree are expected to have passed this exam by the start of the 4th semester; Ph.D. students who did not previously receive an M.S. degree are expected to have passed the exam by the start of the 5th semester.

The student, in consultation with the advisor, must submit to the DGP:

•  the name of the advisor
•  the names of up to five Computer Science faculty (not including the advisor, the DGP and the Department Head) who have expertise in the topic of the exam 
•  the title and a preliminary abstract of the paper

The DGP will form an examination committee consisting of the advisor, one of the five faculty knowledgeable about the subject area and one other departmental faculty member (the DGP and Department Head are not eligible for this role). This information should be submitted at least 3 weeks before the proposed exam date.

The exam requires both a written report and an oral presentation. The report should be approximately 7000 words and should include sufficient background information to be accessible to a non-specialist. If the report has already been submitted for publication and has multiple authors, the student must make clear that the work and the writing are mostly their own efforts. It is not acceptable to use a paper in which the writing or the work is substantially due to others, since this would not represent the student’s independent efforts. The oral presentation is open to all faculty and students in Computer Science. 

The examination committee is charged with determining if the student is capable of doing Ph.D.-level research. The examiners use a review form that should include detailed, specific comments in the categories (i) originality, (ii) technical quality and (iii) presentation quality (includes the oral presentation). The student will be informed of the outcome immediately following the exam. 

If the outcome of the exam is failure, the exam committee will determine if a retake is allowed. The conditions of the retake will be set by the DGP after consultation with the student and the advisor. The retake committee will be entirely separate from the original exam committee. If a retake is allowed, failure of the retake will result in termination of the student’s Ph.D. program.

Oral Prelim Exam

In the Oral Prelim Exam, the student is expected to present a proposal for their dissertation research. They are expected to outline the expected research topics for their dissertation. The student should have made progress on that research so as to convince their committee that the research is both significant and feasible. As indicated by the name, this is a preliminary proposal for research and it is not intended that the major part of the research be already completed. 

The exam requires both a written report and an oral presentation. Although there is no prescribed format for the report, it is expected that the research proposal will include six main elements:

1. a working title for the research project,
2. a statement about the main research objectives and why the proposed work is important, relevant and realistic,
3. some background knowledge in the field, including a review of the literature and key research findings,
4. a discussion of the methodology or approach to be used,
5. a description of the strategy and timetable for the research project and any potential research challenges and
6. a list of references.

This examination is conducted by the student’s advisory committee and is open to all Graduate Faculty members and Computer Science students. The oral examination is designed to test the student’s ability to relate factual knowledge to specific circumstances, to use this knowledge with accuracy and promptness and to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the field of specialization and related areas.

To schedule the Oral Prelim exam, the Written Prelim Exam must have previously been passed, the Graduate Plan of Work must be approved and all required courses and courses relevant to the Prelim Oral Exam must be completed. The student coordinates with their committee a time and place for the exam and reserves an examination room with the department. The student then submits to the Graduate Programs office a Request to Schedule the Preliminary Oral Examination at least two weeks prior to the desired examination date. 

A unanimous vote of approval by the members of the advisory committee is required for the student to pass the Oral Prelim Exam. Approval may be conditioned, however, on the successful completion of additional work in some particular field(s). Failure to pass the preliminary oral examination terminates the student’s work at this institution unless the examining committee recommends a reexamination. No reexamination may be given until at least one full semester has elapsed and only one reexamination is permitted. 

As the research progresses after passing the Oral Prelim Exam, it may be necessary for the research topics to change modestly. The student’s advisory committee must be apprised of and approve the changes.

Final Oral Exam (Defense)

The Final Oral Examination is a public dissertation defense. Its purpose is to ensure that the student’s completed work is indeed substantial and original and to celebrate the student’s scholarly achievement. Typically, the student’s oral presentation is one hour long. It is followed by a period for questions from the Advisory Committee and the audience. 

The final oral examination is scheduled after the dissertation is completed. At least one semester must elapse between the Oral Prelim exam and the Final Oral Exam. The Request to Schedule the Doctoral Oral Examination should be submitted at least 3 weeks prior to the desired exam date.

The examination consists of the candidate’s defense of the methodology used and the conclusions reached in the research, as reported in the dissertation. It is conducted by the student’s advisory committee and is open to the University community. 

A unanimous vote of approval of the advisory committee is required for passing the final oral examination. Approval may be conditioned, however, on the student’s meeting specific requirements prescribed by the student’s advisory committee. Failure of a student to pass the examination terminates his or her work at this institution unless the advisory committee recommends a reexamination. No reexamination may be given until one full semester has elapsed and only one reexamination is permitted.

Dissertation

The doctoral dissertation is the document presenting the results of the student’s original investigation in the field of primary interest. It must represent a contribution to knowledge, adequately supported by data and be written in a manner consistent with the highest standards of scholarship. It is expected that the work described in the thesis be published in research journals and conferences. 

The dissertation will be reviewed by all members of the advisory committee and must receive their approval prior to submission to the Graduate School.

At the time of the dissertation’s submission to the Graduate School, the student is also required to submit one copy each of the Survey of Earned Doctorate form and University Microfilms International Agreement form and to complete a brief, standard questionnaire about his or her experience as a graduate student at NC State. Students are encouraged to keep a copy of the Checklist for Submission of Theses and Dissertations to make sure they observe all the required steps.

The university requires all doctoral dissertations to be microfilmed by University Microfilms International in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The abstract is also published in Dissertation Abstracts International. This cost is the responsibility of the student.

After the dissertation becomes publicly available, it is sent for microfilming. When the microfiche copy is returned, it is housed in the NC State University Libraries.

The Graduate School requires only an electronic version of the dissertation. Paper copies are not required, though advisors may request a bound copy.

Continuous Enrollment and Time Limits

The Graduate School has a continuous enrollment policy. While pursuing a graduate degree, the student must be registered every Fall and Spring semester until completion. Otherwise, a student must request an official leave of absence from the Graduate School.

Additionally, the Ph.D. student must be registered for at least one credit in any semester, including the summer, that he or she plans to defend the dissertation.

There are minimum registration requirements for all Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants and Fellows who are eligible for the Graduate Student Support Plan.

A student working toward a doctoral degree is expected to be registered for graduate work at NC State for at least 6 semesters beyond the bachelors degree. See the Grad School Handbook for the complete discussion of residence credits. 

All doctoral students must attain candidacy (pass the Oral Prelim exam) within six (6) calendar years from the date of admission and complete all degree requirements within ten (10) calendar years.

Colloquium Attendance

Many times each semester, researchers from inside and outside the University make hour-long public presentations on their work. Each Ph.D. student must attend eight such presentations during the course of their degree for which they check in using their NC State ID and submit an online Colloquium Attendance Form for each.

Academic Progress Reporting

Each semester every Ph.D. student is required to create or update an Academic Progress report. The report summarizes the student’s Ph.D. record to date and the progress made in the most recent semester. The faculty as a whole review these reports and provide helpful comments to advisors. These comments and the advisor’s own comments are summarized and sent to each student in a letter signed by the DGP.

The purpose of the Academic Progress report and the review is to help students and advisors:

• maintain steady progress of students towards achievement of the Ph.D.
• focus attention on and offer help to students having problems
• improve the quality of advising and the overall quality of the Ph.D. program
• recognize and reward outstanding student success

The M.S. “En Route” (Non-Thesis) Option

A Ph.D. student may receive an M.S. non-thesis degree “en route” to the Ph.D.. The requirements are similar to the M.S. thesis degree, with the following differences:

1. You must pass the Ph.D. Written Qualifier (or Written Prelim) Exam (CSC 890), rather than submitting and defending a M.S. thesis. This exam requires a paper and an oral presentation to an exam committee. The student may register for a maximum of 6 credits of CSC 890 for this purpose.
2. Four core courses, two from each category, must be taken, rather than two.
3. One 700-level course must be taken.

The curriculum requirements for the non-thesis option are summarized below:

Requirement	Credit Hours
Core courses (four)	12
Computer Science 700-level courses (one)	3
Orientation Course (CSC 600)	1
Computer Science graduate electives	3
Minor courses, Computer Science graduate electives, or “restricted” electives	12
Ph.D. written prelim exam ( CSC 890)	6
Total	37

To receive the “en route” M.S. degree, speak with the DGP during the semester in which you will fulfill the above requirements. Students receiving the “en route” M.S. degree will remain in the Ph.D. program.

Patent Agreement

Graduate students must sign a statement agreeing to abide by the University’s patent policies. This statement is now part of the Graduate Plan of Work. Patent and copyright procedures of NC State are available here. Students wishing to be exempted due to policies of their companies should contact the university’s Office of Technology Transfer at 919-515-7199.

Minors

No minor is required. If you choose to pursue one, the minor department must be represented on your Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee may also approve courses outside of Computer Science in the absence of an official minor. 

Co-Majors

Students pursuing a Ph.D. in another field who wish to co-major in computer science should first consult with the director of graduate programs (DGP).

In most cases, the Department of Computer Science must be represented on the student’s advisory committee by at least one faculty member. Co-majors must also complete the computer science Ph.D. course requirements and pass the written preliminary exam, in addition to meeting the requirements of their primary Ph.D. program.