Computer Science

Degrees Offered:
 Program Title 

 Ph.D. 

 Ed.D. 

 M.S. 

 M.A. 

Master 
of 

 M.Ed. 

 MFA 

Computer Science 

 Y 

   

 Y 

   

 Y 

   

   

GRADUATE FACULTY

M. A. Vouk, Department Head

Director of Graduate Programs:
D. J. Thuente, Box 8206, 515-7003, thuente@csc.ncsu.edu, Computer Science

Alan T. Dickson Distinguished University Professor:
 M. A. Rappa
Distinguished University Research Professor:
 D. L. Bitzer
McPherson Family Distinguished Professor of Engineering Entrepreneurship:
 T. K. Miller
SAS Institute Distinguished Professor of Computer Science:
 J. Doyle

Professors: A. I. Anton, J. W. Baugh, M. Devetsikiotis, R. J. Fornaro, E. L. Kaltofen, G. Lazzi, J. C. Lester II, C. Meyer, H. G. Perros, D. S. Reeves, I. Rhee, R. D. Rodman, G. Rouskas, C. D. Savage, M. P. Singh, W. E. Snyder, M. F. Stallmann, W. J. Stewart, A. L. Tharp, D. J. Thuente, I. Viniotis, M. A. Vouk; Adjunct Professors: S. P. Iyer; Emeritus Professors: W. Chou, E. W. Davis Jr, J. C. Glass, D. F. McAllister; Associate Professors: D. R. Bahler, G. T. Byrd, R. Y. Chirkova, A. G. Dean, R. Dutta, V. W. Freeh, E. F. Gehringer, K. H. Harfoush, C. G. Healey, T. L. Honeycutt, X. Ma, G. Mahinthakumar, R. F. Mueller, P. Ning, E. Rotenberg, N. F. Samatova, J. S. Scroggs, M. L. Sichitiu, Y. Solihin, R. A. St. Amant, W. Wang, B. A. Watson, L. A. Williams, R. M. Young, T. Yu; Adjunct Associate Professors: X. Wang, P. R. Wurman; Assistant Professors: X. Gu, S. Heber, X. Jiang, K. Ogan, T. Xie; Adjunct Assistant Professors: J. Kang, A. J. Rindos

Fields of Graduate Instruction - Computer Science

The Department of Computer Science is one of the leading computer science departments in the country and indeed the world. Recent developments include adding over 20 tenure-track faculty, 18 of whom have received NSF CAREER development awards. Total research expenditures have quadrupled over the last few years and graduate enrollments have climbed to nearly 500 students. The faculty has broad-ranging research strengths including Theory (Algorithms, Theory of Computation); Systems (Computer Architectures and Operating Systems, Embedded and Real-Time Systems, Parallel and Distributed Systems, Scientific and High Performance Computing); Artificial Intelligence (Intelligent Agents, Data-Mining, Information and Knowledge Discovery, Engineering and Management; eCommerce Technologies; Information Visualization, Graphics and Human-Computer Interaction); Networks (Networking, Performance Evaluation, Sensor Networks, Protocols); Security (Software and Network Systems Security, Information Assurance, Privacy); Software Engineering (Requirements, Formal Methods, Reliability Engineering, Process and Methods, Programming Languages); and Computer-Based Education. Areas of strength in applied research include bioinformatics, scientific computation, e-commerce and data mining.

Admission Requirements: Minimum application requirements include an accredited Bachelor's degree with at least a B average and computer science course work at least equivalent to nearly a major. Applicants must submit scores for the GRE General Tests. It is recommended that financial aid and Ph.D. applicants also take the GRE Computer Science Subject Test.

Master's Degree Requirements: The M.S. requires 30 graduate credits including at least one course from each of the core areas of Theory (CSC 505, 512, 565, 579, 580, and 707) and Systems (CSC 501, 506, 510, 520, 540, 562, and 570) and thesis research (typically six credits). The advisory committee may waive the thesis requirement for students planning to pursue the Ph.D. who pass the Ph.D. written preliminary examination and complete specified additional course work in lieu of thesis research. The Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.) is a professional degree granted upon successful completion of 30 hours of course work, including three core courses with at least one from each of the two core areas and CSC 600.  The M.C.S. degree is offered as an on-campus program or as a distance education program. The Master of Science in Computer Networking (M.S.C.N.) is a 30 credit-hour degree offered as either a thesis or non-thesis program. It is expected to be offered as a Distance Education program in January 2010.

Doctoral Degree Requirements: Ph.D. students normally complete 72 semester hours of post-baccalaureate course work. They must also complete at least two courses from each of the two core areas with at least a 3.5 GPA and two 700-level CSC courses, individualized in-depth written and oral preliminary examinations, and a public defense of their dissertation describing substantial, original, and independent scholarly work.

Student Financial Support: During 2008-2009 academic year, approximately 200 students held teaching and research assistantships. The Department also has Nortel, IBM, GEM, Provost's, and Dean’s Fellowships, which are awarded to outstanding candidates. In addition, the Department's Industrial Assistantship and Fellowship Programs and co-ops provide graduate student RA positions and part-time work at IT firms across the country.

Other Relevant Information: Graduates at all levels are highly respected and recruited. They well paid locally and throughout the country and the world. Many Master's degree graduates begin or continue careers in advanced networking or software development in the Research Triangle Park and on the West Coast at companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Google, SAS, Intel, Netapp, and Cisco. Many recent Ph.D.s have positions of technical leadership in well-known large companies and prominent research laboratories including Google, Microsoft Research, and IBM Research Labs, and some have obtained tenure-track faculty positions at Research I institutions.

Click on Graduate Courses for current course information.

NCSU Graduate Catalog