General Requirements for Graduate Degrees

Admissions

Computer and Information Science
PhD in Computer Science

Applicants must have a four-year bachelor's or equivalent degree. We place great weight on the quality of the institution. The applicant must have adequate computer science background, as determined by the admissions committee.

Applicants who begin a graduate program in computer science at another institution should complete at least a year in that program before applying to us. If the program is a master's program, we normally require completion of the program before registration here. If the program is a doctoral program, we ask for evidence of eligibility to continue that program.

GPA. We expect our entering students to have a grade point average (GPA) equivalent to at least 3.50 (A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0) in all their courses as well in computer science and mathematics courses. If the institution does not use an ABC... grading system and does not publish an official algorithm for converting its grades to such a system, then we expect applicants from it to be in the top ten percent of their class.

Application Deadlines

Fall Admission: January 15

Spring Admission: September 15

Application Process

Complete the online application and then complete the following items and mail them to the Department of Computer and Information Science:

  • Official transcripts and evidence of degrees awarded (with English translation), if necessary
  • Computer Science Application Form 1 (.doc) and Form 2 (.doc)
  • Letters of recommendations (3)
  • Statement of purpose
  • Copies of TOEFL reports, if appropriate
  • GRE score, if appropriate*
  • Financial statement (international students only). The form can be obtained at
Graduate Record Examination

Scores on the Graduate Record Exam are not required for admissions. Applicants seeking financial aid, however, must submit general GRE exam scores. The applicants are strongly encouraged to submit scores for the Computer Science subject test.

International Students

All applicants whose native language is not English must submit scores for TOEFL. Requirement is a 550 score for paper-based and 250 for the computer-based test. Students submitting TOEFL iBT must have minimum scores of:

  • Reading (19)
  • Listening (14)
  • Speaking (18)
  • Writing (18)

An overall TOEFL i BT score of 79 is required. An IELTS band score of 6.5 is also acceptable.

Potential applicants with questions are advised to contact a graduate advisor by calling 317-274-9727.