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Return
to Official Publications Blue Text Reflects Updates to the Printed Catalog Catalog Contents Introduction |
Department
of Computer Science
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The computer science curriculum places a strong emphasis on writing, communications, professional skills, and ethical concerns. The objectives of our programs are to give students a broad-based understanding of the computing discipline and to prepare them for a productive professional career and/or for pursuing advanced degrees in the field. Students are expected to be involved in an exciting learning experience involving both course and lab work to develop problem-solving skills and logical reasoning that can be successfully applied to areas of computer science that involve computational theory, intelligent systems design, and applications.
At the completion of an undergraduate degree, computer science graduates should be familiar with the mathematical foundations of computation, have the ability to apply design techniques and programming practices in the solution of challenging problems, have an understanding of how computer science theory relates to the fundamental workings of contemporary computing, and have a breadth of knowledge in the theory and practice of computer science.
At the completion of a graduate degree, computer science graduates also should have the ability to work in multidisciplinary environments with cross-functional teams, perform modeling and experimental analysis on challenging research problems, and investigate current advances in computing research for the purpose of making innovative contributions that are particularly expected at the Ph.D. level.
All students entering the computer science degree program are expected to follow the sequence of courses shown in the curriculum table in this section and must satisfy the requirements of the Dynamic Enrollment Management Plan (DEMP) for computer science and the College of Engineering. DEMP details are available from the department. Students demonstrating satisfactory performance may deviate from the specified sequence of courses only with the express approval of a computer science undergraduate advisor and only when such deviation is required to obtain a normal load of coursework for the student. Students may take a course no more than three times unless they have written permission from the computer science chairperson.
Computer science majors are not required to have a minor field. However, many students choose to pursue a minor. Minors can be pursued in virtually any field of study offered at Texas Tech. The minor must consist of a minimum of 18 hours, with at least six of those hours at the 3000 or 4000 level. A minor may require additional hours of study, depending on the particular minor field.
Minors in Computer Science. A minor in computer science consists of CS 1411, 1412, 2413 and three of the following courses: CS 1382, 3361, 3364, 3383.
Dual Degrees. Computer science is part of three dual-degree programs in which Bachelor of Science degrees can be earned in both computer science and another field. The electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) and chemical engineering and computer science (CHCS) dual-degree curriculum tables can be found under the listings for electrical engineering and chemical engineering, respectively. The mathematics and computer science (MACS) dual-degree curriculum table is listed on the following pages; this degree is administered through the College of Arts and Sciences and follows all requirements mandated for the Bachelor of Science degrees for both the College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences. EECS and CHCS students are advised through the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Chemical Engineering, respectively; MACS students can choose to be advised in either Mathematics or Computer Science.
Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Programs. The department offers two combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science curricula. In both cases, completion of the degree requirements leads to the awarding of two degrees. In one curriculum, the degrees awarded are the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and the Master of Science in Computer Science; in the other, the degrees are the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and the Master of Science in Software Engineering. Students choosing the combined degree program would be initially admitted as pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. The graduate component of the program would be added upon admission to the Master’s degree by the Graduate School during the student’s third year of study. Students must meet the university requirement to take the Graduate Record Examination as well as other graduate admission requirements of the department before enrolling in graduate-level courses.
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The Department of Computer Sciences offers a number of graduate programs ranging from a Certificate in Software Engineering to a Doctorate of Philosophy. The department has an excellent graduate faculty with research specialities in a variety of areas, including programming language design, logic programming, artificial intelligence, distributed computing, software engineering, computer graphics, data mining, robotics, bioinformatics, and image compression. Further information is provided below and students also should refer to the Graduate School section of the catalog and general rules/regulations for graduate degrees.
Students who do not have a background in computer science are required to take a short series of courses to provide the necessary background knowledge for graduate study in computer science. These courses are required for leveling only; they cannot be counted in satisfying the required hours for graduation. Students in other departments at Texas Tech who wish to transfer to computer science must first complete all leveling courses or show that they have taken the equivalent courses at another university before their application will be considered.
Please see the Computer Science Department Web site for additional details and requirements of the Graduate Program and admissions (www.cs.ttu.edu).
The Certificate in Software Engineering is intended for those who do not need or wish to have a full graduate degree in software engineering or computer science. In particular, the certificate is directed towards working professionals and graduate students in non-computer science majors who are interested in systematic software development. In addition to any leveling requirements, coursework for the certificate requires 12 hours consisting of CS 5373 and 5374 plus two courses from the following list: CS 5332, 5355, 5363, 5377, 5379, 5380, and IE 5320.
Two general plans are available for the Master of Science degree: a 30-hour plan that includes 6 hours credit for the master’s thesis and a 36-hour plan that is based solely on coursework and a comprehensive exam. Students who wish to use the 36-hour plan must obtain approval from the departmental graduate advisor within their first semester of study.
The degree plan for students pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science must include two theory courses (CS 5381, 5383, 5384) and two systems courses (CS 5352, 5375, 5368). Students choosing the 30-hour thesis plan must apply 6 hours of CS 6000 and may apply 3 hours of CS 7000 credit toward their degree. Students choosing the 36-hour nonthesis option may not use CS 6000 or 7000 for credit towards their degree. Aside from these requirements and limitations, master’s students may use any graduate-level computer science course for credit towards their degree except CS 5301, 5302, and 5303.
The degree plan for students pursuing a Master of Science in Software Engineering (M.S.S.E.) must include CS 5363, 5373, and 5374 as well as SE electives (chosen from CS 5332, 5355, 5377, 5379, 5380; IE 5320) and CS electives (CS graduate courses). Students choosing the 30-hour thesis option must take 6 hours of CS 6000 as well as three elective courses from the SE electives (one course may be substituted with CS 7000) and two courses from CS electives. Students choosing the 36-hour nonthesis option may not use CS 6000 or 7000 toward their degree and must take five elective courses from the SE electives and four courses from the CS electives. The M.S.S.E. thesis option is not available for distance education students.
For the Ph.D. degree, students are required to demonstrate general knowledge in several areas of computer science and proficiency in a single research area. Certification of research proficiency will be based on a record of accomplished research. The record must be substantiated by published articles, technical reports, and papers presented at meetings, workshops, and conferences. The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 60 hours of graduate work, not counting dissertation and candidacy exam.
Click here to see a complete list of courses in computer science.
Click here to view alphabetical listing of all TTU faculty and their academic credentials.
Joseph E. Urban, Ph.D., Chairperson
Horn Professor: Cooke,
Professors: Gelfond, Hewett, Marcy, Sobolewski, J. Urban, S. Urban
Associate Professors: Desrosiers, Lakhani, Lopez-Benitez, Mengel, Pyeatt, Rushton, Sinzinger, Temkin, Watson, Zhuang
Assistant Professors: Andersen, Shin, Sridharan, Youn, Zhang
Lecturer: Morales, Paniagua
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