Gautam B. Singh

Description

The Ph.D. program in computer science and informatics is for students who plan to pursue research and development related careers in industrial, governmental, or academic settings. Each student admitted to the doctoral program must select a specialization stream as either (1) computer science, or (2) software and information technology.

The computer science stream trains doctoral students to become researchers in traditional disciplines within the computer sciences and generally requires that the incoming student hold an undergraduate or graduate degree in computer science or equivalent.

The software and information technology stream aims to train doctoral students to become researchers in applied computing and computational sciences and possibly conduct research in multidisciplinary areas.

As a significant number of graduate courses are offered in the afternoon and late evenings, students can begin a doctoral study on a part-time basis while holding full time employment. Later phases of the program may however require the student to commit a larger fraction of their time for dissertation research.

Admission terms and deadlines

Students are admitted to start the program in the Fall and Winter semesters only. Applications will be accepted until May 1^st and October 1^st for the following fall or winter semester respectively.

As noted above, the program admits students both for part-time and full-time study. The entire program must be completed in seven (7) calendar years regardless of whether the student is full-time, part-time or full-time for only a portion of their program.

Admission requirements

Admission is highly selective. Applicants need to present transcripts of all previous academic work and submit three letters of recommendation from individuals who can evaluate their scholarly achievement and potential. The letters must be provided in the standard format specified by the graduate school. Normally a master’s degree from an accredited institution is required for admission; however, students with outstanding undergraduate records may apply directly for admission to the doctoral programs. Applicants are also required to submit a statement of research objectives and goals. All applicants must submit scores for the General test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) if the qualifying degree is not from a university in the United States or Canada.

Degree requirements

The total credit hours required to obtain a Ph.D. degree in computer science and informatics is 80. Students are required to complete a minimum of 56 hours of graduate coursework and a minimum of 24 credit hours of dissertation research.

Graduate Coursework (56 credits)*

Dissertation (24 credits)

All students regardless of the chosen stream of specialization must complete 24 credit hours of dissertation.

* Students must complete 56 credit hours of graduate coursework. Approved courses taken as a part of master’s degree may be used towards satisfying this requirement. Students may also take graduate courses from other departments with the approval of their Advisory Committee.

Residency

At least 24 credit hours of graduate coursework, excluding the dissertation credits, must be completed at Oakland University. Further, all students are required to register for at least two credits every fall and winter after their admission to the program.

Qualifying comprehensive examinations

The qualifying examinations consist of the core, option, and an oral examination. The applicant must pass the core qualifying examination in computer sciences and informatics. In addition to passing the common core Examination, the applicant must pass any two option qualifying examinations pertinent to their stream. The student‘s Advisory Committee must be established before he or she is allowed to appear for the option examinations. The selection of the subject areas of the option examinations requires the approval of the Advisory Committee.

The core examination must be completed within two calendar years of joining the program. The option and the oral examinations must be completed within three calendar years of joining the program.

Students will be given two attempts for passing the qualifying examinations.

Core examination

The core examination must be completed by all Ph.D. applicants irrespective of the chosen stream of specialization. This examination may be completed  before the applicant has formed a doctoral advisory committee. The core examination will be conducted by the department once during every fall and winter term each year. The syllabus for the core qualifying examination comprises of:

Analysis of Algorithms

Discrete Mathematics

Data Structures

Programming Languages

Computer Architecture

Operating Systems  

Option examinations

Based on the stream selected by the Ph.D. applicant, two examinations from the appropriate set must be chosen in consultation with the applicant’s advisory committee.

Computer Science

Students in this stream must select any two examininations from the following list:

Formal Methods and Theoretical Computer Science

Software Engineering

Database Management Systems

Computer Networking and Communications

Knowledge Engineering

Software and Information Technology

Students in this stream must select any two examininations from the following list:

Object Oriented Analysis and Design

Information Storage and Retrieval

Bioinformatics

Software Engineering

Multimedia and Wireless Systems

Qualifying examination (oral)

Within one semester of successfully completing the written qualifying examination, the Ph.D. applicant must present a brief summary of their proposed research to the oral qualifying examination committee appointed by the department. The purpose of the oral qualifying examination is to (a) evaluate the applicant’s knowledge of research techniques, (b) their understanding of skills necessary to become a productive reseacher, and (c) their awareness of research ethics. The focus of the oral examination is less on the subject matter but more on the techniques, procedure and protocols of conducting research and background knowledge of their chosen field.

Teaching experience requirement

The department considers that some relevant teaching experience in computer science and engineering is an integral part of the preparation for undertaking a career in research. A successful researcher in computer science or information technology, even in non-academic careers, is often called upon to make presentations and train their protégés to enable appropriate advancements in research. Further, they are also called upon to disseminate information on mature technologies and to facilitate technology transfers. Accordingly, unless waived because of the candidate’s prior teaching experience, the Ph.D. program requires students to provide evidence of experience in teaching. This requirement may be satisfied through the student’s active involvement in the research seminar course that is required of all students.

Dissertation

Doctoral dissertation must constitute an original contribution to the field of study. The student’s Advisory Committee must approve his or her doctoral proposal. The student usually conducts preliminary research and presents the dissertation proposal to the committee. In presenting the dissertation proposal, the student provides an overview of the existing state of the art the chosen field and describes how the proposed research will lead to its advancement. The committee evaluates the significance and the originality of the proposed research and makes the necessary determination.

The committee members, led by the dissertation adviser, continue to advise the student throughout the research and the preparation of the dissertation manuscript. Students must obtain a copy of the dissertation format requirements of the Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning, so that the dissertation manuscript conforms to university standards.

Final dissertation defense

The oral defense of the dissertation may be held after it is completed and approved by the Advisory Committee. The purpose of the oral defense is to enable the dissertation committee to judge the quality of the investigation and the student’s ability to defend and communicate the work. The originality of the dissertation representing advancement in the field of study is typically evidenced through the student's participation in technical conferences in related research areas as well as by publication of their research findings in peer-reviewed refereed journals. An announcement of the date, time, and location of the defense, along with a one-page abstract, is distributed to the faculty. The oral defense must be attended by members of the Advisory Committee and is open to the university community and public at large. Final approval and acceptance of the doctoral dissertation requires a favorable vote of the Advisory Committee with no more than one dissenting vote. The committee may permit a re-examination if the initial dissertation defense is deemed inadequate.

Continuous enrollment

The continuous enrollment policy for doctoral students requires continuous registration of graduate students for at least one credit hour each semester in the academic year to maintain an active graduate student status. This includes semesters in which the comprehensive, preliminary or qualifying examination is taken, defense, and each subsequent terms (fall and winter) until the degree requirements are met and the dissertation is submitted to Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning.

Some agency and graduate assistantship eligibility may have course load requirements that exceed the minimum registration requirements of the Continuous Enrollment Policy (e.g., Veterans Administration, Immigration and Naturalization for international students, and federal financial aid programs). Therefore, it is the student’s responsibility to register for the appropriate number of credits that are required for funding eligibility and/or compliance as outlined by specific agency regulations under which they are governed.

Time limits

The student must complete all requirements of the doctoral degree within seven calendar years of being admitted to the program. The student must petition the Program Coordinator and Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning for extending the program duration beyond seven years. If a student is deemed inactive, he or she may be dropped out of the program despite the petition for extension.

Graduation

Students expecting to graduate in a given semester must file an application for degree by the deadline published by the university. Failure to do so on time will preclude graduation in that semester.