Applied Computing and Information Sciences, PhD

Admission Requirements

In addition to the general application and admission requirements of the Graduate School, applicants to the Ph.D. program in Applied Computing and Information Sciences must provide:

• evidence of a bachelor’s degree; a master’s degree preferred.
• completion of undergraduate or graduate coursework in calculus, probability and statistics, and programming using a high-level language such as Python, databases / SQL, and computer networking and telecommunications.
• curriculum vitae or resume
• research statement describing interests and experience

Substitutions for undergraduate coursework may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the program; approval of substitutions must be conveyed by the Graduate Coordinator at the time of application review and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School prior to admission.

Degree Requirements

To earn the Doctorate in Applied Computing and Information Sciences, students must complete 66 graduate credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. Students also must complete a comprehensive examination, dissertation, and dissertation defense to earn the degree.

Procedures

Each semester, students will be advised by the Graduate Coordinator and register for courses following their guidance and once identified, with input from the chairperson of their dissertation committee.

Comprehensive Requirement

Students are required to demonstrate a general and comprehensive knowledge of their field of study by successfully completing a written comprehensive examination. This exam must be taken within the first four semesters of their program, and students are expected to achieve a passing grade.

Dissertation and Dissertation Defense Requirements

Students should identify their dissertation supervisors during their first year of study. Additionally, after completing their comprehensive exams, they are expected to form their dissertation committees, which their supervisors will chair. The committee chairperson, primarily, and the

committee members, supplementarily, will guide the students through dissertation research and writing.

Students are required to present and justify their dissertation proposal (prospectus) before defending their final dissertation. They should present their prospectus after successfully completing their comprehensive exams and within the first six semesters of their program.

Students must defend the written dissertation in an oral defense during the final semester of their studies. The dissertation proposal and dissertation defense cannot take place in the same semester. The written dissertation must be reviewed and accepted by the dissertation committee prior to the oral defense, and the defense shall be open to the public and evaluated by the dissertation committee. The oral defense of the dissertation constitutes the final examination for the degree.

Notes

The maximum course load for graduate students in this program is 12 graduate credit hours during a regular semester and 6 graduate credit hours during a summer session.

Students with an M.S. degree may transfer approved graduate credit applied toward the fulfillment of the coursework requirements toward the doctoral degree, but the majority of credits toward the Ph.D. degree must be earned at UL Lafayette.