Required Courses

The objective of the candidacy examination is to demonstrate in-depth knowledge of an area of computer science and readiness to carry out independent research at the doctoral level in that area. All requirements for candidacy including the candidacy examination must be completed by the end of the third year (or, for students entering the program with an M.S. in Computer Science, by the end of the second year). If the student does not pass on the first trial, the student will be allowed until the end of the first quarter of the fourth year to advance to candidacy. Consult the ICS Graduate Office for policies regarding committee membership. The format is an oral examination during which the student is tested on knowledge relevant to the chosen area of specialization. Each area is defined by a set of topics and reading list, which are maintained by the Computer Science Department office. New areas or changes to existing areas must be approved by a majority vote of the CS faculty in accordance with the Department’s bylaws. The current areas include the following: Algorithms and Data Structures; Computer Architecture and Embedded Systems; Database Systems and Multimedia; Computer Networks; Distributed Systems; Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Informatics in Biology and Medicine; Computer Graphics and Visual Computing; Cryptography and Computer Security; Computational Neuroscience; Scientific Computing; Systems Software.

The examination is graded pass or fail. In order to pass, the Candidacy Committee must unanimously approve the final outcome. In the case of a fail, the examination may be retaken once. Students who fail on the second try will be recommended for disqualification from the doctoral program.

The advancement exam must be passed at least three quarters prior to the doctoral dissertation and final exam.

The student must produce a substantial written document representing the dissertation plan. This must include the proposed dissertation abstract, a dissertation outline, and a detailed plan for completing the work. A dissertation defense committee is formed in accordance with UCI Senate regulations. The dissertation committee must unanimously approve the student’s proposal. At the discretion of the student’s advisor, the student may be required to give an oral presentation of the proposed plan to the committee. This must be completed by the end of the fourth year. It is expected that this will be done at least a year prior to the final examination and before most of the dissertation research and writing are undertaken. The idea is for students to demonstrate that they have a clear plan for carrying out the research for their dissertation. It also gives the student an understanding of what will be expected for final approval of the dissertation.

Ph.D. students are required to complete a Ph.D. dissertation in accordance with Academic Senate regulations. In addition, they must pass an oral dissertation defense which consists of a public seminar presenting results followed by a private examination by the doctoral committee and other interested members of the Computer Science Department faculty.

Students entering the Ph.D. program with an M.S. in Computer Science must advance to candidacy within two years. All others must advance within three years. The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. is six years, and the maximum time permitted is seven years.