Computational Science Current Students
A PhD student with a graduate assistantship must be enrolled as a full-time graduate student during the Fall, Spring, and Summer Semesters. Full-time Graduate Student means being enrolled for 9 hours in Fall and Spring Semester and 6 hours in the Summer Semester.
A PhD student WITHOUT an assistantship must be continuously enrolled during the Fall, Spring, and Summer Semesters. Continuous enrollment requires the student to be registered for a minimum of 2 credit hours in each of the Fall, Spring, and Summer Semesters.
If you are an International student, it is imperative that you follow the requirements that will keep you in good standing and satisfy all the requirements of your F1 visa. If you have any questions, please contact the International Student and Scholar Services.
Program of Study:
- The Program of Study provides a roadmap for the student’s education and serves as a planning document for the courses they are going to be taking as part of their PhD program.
- Each student’s program of study is individually tailored to his or her educational background, research interests, and career goals. Programs of study include course work in three core areas of computational science: 1) an engineering or science application area, 2) computer science and scientific supercomputing, and 3) mathematics of computation. The program of study is completed by the student in consultation with their research advisor. A Program of Study needs to be on file with the Graduate School within the first year of your admission to the program.
- Complete and submit the Program of Study Form. In case additional (more than 13) courses need to be listed, please use the Continuation Form. Do not list additional courses under the Transfer Courses section. Instructions to fill out the Program of Study are available here.
Course Requirements:
- A total of 72 semester hours beyond the Bachelor’s degree is required.
- A minimum of 24 semester hours are required in Doctoral Research and Dissertation.
- 6 semester hours in Computer Science must be selected from:
| Subject/Course | Course Name |
| CPSC 5210 | Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms |
| CPSC 5260 | Introduction to Parallel Algorithms |
| CPSC 5240 | Principles of Data Analytics |
| CPSC 5440 | Introduction to Machine Learning |
- 6 semester hours in Mathematics must be selected from:
| Subject/Course | Course Name |
| MATH 5130 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics |
| MATH 5210 | Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory |
| MATH 5600 | Numerical Analysis I |
| MATH 5610 | Numerical Analysis II |
Admission to Candidacy:
- The preliminary exam is usually taken at the completion of all coursework. However, it can also be taken with up to six hours of coursework (as listed in the program of study) remaining, provided that adequate coursework covering each of the core areas has been completed. The preliminary exams are taken in the semester following the completion of the required coursework and include a written and an oral component. Both of these components should be completed within a two-week period. The preliminary exams will cover four topic areas:
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
- Subject Area 1
- Subject Area 2
- The Subject Areas are discipline specific and are most relevant to the student’s research topic
- The student must successfully pass the written and oral portions of the comprehensive exam to be admitted as a PhD candidate
- The student will have two attempts to pass the comprehensive exams. If they fail to do so, they will be dismissed from the program
- Complete and submit the Committee Appointment Form (Note: A minimum of 4 committee members is required)
- The student’s advisor and dissertation committee may require a dissertation proposal to be presented and defended
- Qualifying Exam Checklist
Dissertation Defense Checklist:
- Complete and submit Program of Study Form: Graduate School Website
- Ensure that an up-to-date Committee Appointment Form is on file with the Graduate school (Note: A minimum of 4 committee members is required)
- Check the deadlines for dissertation defense and submission of manuscript to the Graduate School
- At least two weeks prior to defense, submit Notice of Scheduled Defense to the Graduate School
- Fill out the Student Verification of Standards and Bibliography Management Software Form
- International Students need to attend an OPT Information Session given by the International Student Services
Submission Guidelines for Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations:
https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/guidelines.html
Steps to Apply for Graduation:
https://www.utc.edu/registrar/graduation/are-you-ready-to-graduate.php
To apply for graduation, do so online through your MyMocsNet account and submit a Graduation Audit for Degrees and Certificates form to the Graduate School. Check the Graduate School Calendar for candidacy submission deadlines.
- Before submitting your candidacy form, be sure that you have submitted your program of study.
- Students applying for graduation must apply online.
- The Application for Graduation is in MyMocsNet on the Academics Tab
Applications must be submitted online by the following dates:
| Spring Graduation | Oct. 15 |
| Summer Graduation | March 15 |
| Fall Graduation | June 15 |
Late applications may be submitted after the deadline. A $50 late fee will be assessed. No late applications will be accepted after the following dates:
| Spring Graduation | March 28 |
| Summer Graduation | July 30 |
| Fall Graduation | Oct. 31 |
More information on the graduation ceremony is available on the University Registrar website.