The department offers programs of study and research leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer and Information Sciences. Fields of specialization that reflect the interests of the faculty include bioinformatics, cognitive modeling, computer graphics, distributed and parallel computing, grid computing, high performance computing, knowledge discovery and data mining, object-oriented technology, and software engineering.
The mission of the CIS Graduate Program encompasses the three functions of research, partnership and education. The objective of CIS research is to advance the frontiers of the computer science field. These research directions are shaped, not only by the interests and expertise of the faculty, but by interdisciplinary collaboration partnerships within the campus community. The partnership concept is being extended to the business and industrial community through the CIS Continuing Education Program. Non credit courses and seminars are being used as technology transfer devices for advanced computer technologies from CIS graduate courses and research laboratories. The education mission includes providing opportunities for graduate study at both the M.S. and Ph.D. levels. The M.S. program serves both as a terminal degree for those interested in advanced study for application in business and industry as well as breadth component for entry into the Ph.D. program. The Ph.D. program is designed to provide opportunities to develop new knowledge in the field which, in some cases, grows out of a perceived need by others in another discipline or campus research group.
Over 100 students are enrolled in the department's graduate programs. A Student Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery actively involves graduate students. Recent advanced graduates have been hired by universities and such firms as Amdahl, American Airlines, Anderson Consulting, AT&T, Bell Northern Research, Bell South, Boeing, Borland, Cisco, DHL, GE Laboratories, IBM, Intel, Intergraph, Lockheed, LSI Logic, Lucent, Mas Par, Mentor Graphics, Microsoft, Mitsubishi Electric, NYNEX, Oracle, Ricoh, SRI, Sybase, Unisys, Xerox, and other national and regional corporations.
If you do not find the answers to your questions on the pages below, please contact the Graduate Programs Director at graduateInfo@cis.uab.edu. However, please refer to the graduate web pages first, taking special attention of application deadlines, and the Graduate FAQ, since many questions will be answered there already.
The following UAB courses, or equivalent, are required of all applicants to the graduate program:
The following UAB courses are also required, any three of which may be taken at the 500-level and counted toward the M.S. program:
Mathematics background equivalent to differential and integral calculus (two terms of calculus), statistics, and linear algebra is required with mathematical logic, differential equations and advanced calculus highly recommended.
The M.S. program consists of 36 hours and can be completed in four semesters by students entering with no background deficiencies. Thesis and non-thesis options are available. The M.S. student also has the option to add a specialization, in one of four different areas.
Students may transfer in up to 12 credit hours of approved courses. Approval for these courses is granted after acceptance. All UAB 500-level and 600-level courses are transferable.
Admission into the M.S. program is selective. An application package is considered in its entirety, but minimal requirements typically include:
GRE: 1100 or better on the quantitative plus verbal (Q+V) Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
TOEFL: for foreign students, 600 or better (paper exam) or 250 or better (computer exam) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
GPA: grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) overall (or for the last 60 hours; preferably higher in computer science courses)
a clear statement of study plan, including specific graduate study objectives, and
a strong academic background in computer science and mathematics, including certain prerequisites.
Acceptance of students not meeting these criteria occurs only infrequently.
Note: pre-evaluation of students before formal application, beyond the above guidelines, is not available, since the application is considered as a whole.
Note: Faculty should NOT be contacted to inquire about available financial assistance or a student's potential for admission.
As of Fall 2005, all M.S. students must take an exit exam, the Major Field Test (MFT) in Computer Science, a product of Educational Testing Services (ETS) of Princeton, NJ. In order to graduate, the student must perform at or above the national median on this exam in each of the three subject areas (Programming Methodology, Computer Organization and Architecture, Theory and Computational Mathematics). This exam will be offered once in fall semester and once in spring semester. (Note that there is no summer offering.) The student should take this exam in his/her penultimate semester, which allows time to retake the exam if necessary.
As of Fall 2005, the M.S. program also has a breadth component. The courses in the department are divided into three areas (Applications, Systems and Theory), and every student must take at least one course in each area. The course breakdown is as follows:
Applications: 61x, 64x, 66x, 67x
Systems: 60x, 62x, 63x and all 500 level courses
Theory: 65x, 68x
As of Fall 2005, the M.S. program has a requirement that 24 credit hours must be taken at the 600 level.
A well-prepared student taking a full load (9 credit hours per semester) can complete this program in 4 semesters. There is no foreign language requirement.
All M.S. students must take 36 credit hours in order to graduate. The program is defined in terms of either of two Plans:
Plan I: Thirty (30) credit hours of CS courses and Thesis (6 hours)
Plan II: Thirty-six (36) credit hours of CS courses
Most students choose the Plan II option. Plan I requires a significant research component, which requires that the student be working closely with a faculty member on a research project.
Plan II students have the option to complete a specialization as part of their coursework (see below).
Note: CS510 cannot be taken for MS credit if CS610 has already been taken; similarly CS520 cannot be taken after CS620, and CS550 cannot be taken after CS650.
Specializations are advanced study opportunities that allow focus on a particular area of computer science. Specializations fall under the Plan II option. With a specialization, students take 15 hours in the area of specialization (see each specialization below for details) and 21 hours of other computer science courses, for a total of 36 hours. We presently offer M.S. specializations in the following four areas:
Required Courses (6 s.h.)
Approved Electives (9 s.h.) (Courses which qualify have an optional bioinformatics term project or contain substantial bioinformatics content)
Faculty Contact: Tony Skjellum, Ph.D, tony@cis.uab.edu , 205-934-8657
Required Courses
Approved Electives (9 s.h.) (Select from the list below)
Faculty Contact: Ken Sloan, Ph.D, sloan@cis.uab.edu , 205-934-2213
Much of the software of the future will be developed to run on collection of parallel computers or clusters that are distributed across wide area networks. This mode of computing is often referred to as Grid Computing. Despite advances in software development knowledge, the design and development of large-scale systems, which are scalable, efficient, reliable and cost-effective, remains a major challenge. This is especially true of parallel and distributed systems because of their complexity. Computer professionals who have an understanding of these challenges and the skills to deal with them are in great demand today. This specialization is designed to prepare students for a career in parallel and distributed software and systems development.
Required Courses (6 s.h.)
Approved Electives (9 s.h.) (Select from the list below)
Faculty Contact: Purushotham Bangalore, Ph.D., puri@cis.uab.edu, 205-934-8604
Despite advances in software engineering knowledge, the design and development of large-scale systems, which are efficient, reliable and cost-effective, remains a major challenge.
This specialization involves the study of approaches that increase software productivity and quality by using novel software engineering and programming language techniques.
Computer professionals who have an understanding of the challenges of modern software systems construction and the skills to deal with them are in great demand today. This specialization is designed to prepare students for a career in software engineering.
Required Courses (6 s.h.)
Approved Electives (9 s.h.) (Select from the list below)
Faculty Contact: Jeff Gray, Ph.D, gray@cis.uab.edu , 205-934-2213
The Ph.D. Program provides computer science research opportunities for individuals who have a career goal of:
A college or university faculty member
Multidisciplinary research
A career in industry as a leader in computer technology
Biomedical computing research
The Ph.D. program usually requires a minimum of four years of study and research beyond the bachelor's degree. Students interested in the Ph.D., and with a sufficient computer science background, may apply to the Ph.D. program directly after the B.S.
For accepted students, more detailed information is available about the first phase of study, culminating in the [[Ph.D. Level I Qualifying Exam]]. Students taking this exam should review the [[Reading List for Qualifying Exam]].
Acceptance into the Ph.D. program is highly competitive. All academic and scholarly achievements (e.g., all parts of the GRE, TOEFL, advanced area exams, advanced degrees, GPA, and scholarly publications) are employed in the evaluation process. Recently accepted applicants have averaged over:
An application package is considered in its entirety, but minimal requirements typically include:
Note: Faculty should NOT be contacted to inquire about available financial assistance or a student's potential for admission.
Applications: January 14, 2008
Systems: January 16, 2008
Theory: January 18, 2008
Each session will take place from 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. on the scheduled day.
This exam is open to all M.S. and Ph. D. students in good standing.
Each part of the exam is graded equally. Questions in the areas will cover material in the Level I Exam study file in the CIS Department office. Generally, the areas are based upon the Reading List for Qualifying Exams of twelve books, nine of which are textbooks for graduate courses. Questions may involve integration across areas. The exam is closed-book.
Notes
All action is centered in the CIS Conference Room (CH-132) and adjacent rooms (if any are needed).
All students must address questions in every area of the exam.
The Examination Committee reviews each student's performance and makes recommendations to the Graduate Faculty, the Graduate Program Director and Chairman. Assessment of a student's performance is based on overall performance in all three areas. The exam is either passed or failed in its entirety. That is, to qualify for further Ph. D. studies in cases of not passing, the student must retake the exam in its entirety. At most one retake is permitted. Retaking the exam is contingent upon approval of the Examination Committee.
A packet of past Level I exams and related course information exists in the aforementioned Level I Exam study file. The current exam is not guaranteed to follow format or content represented by previous exams.
Please notify Janet Tatum by January 3, 2008, if you intend to take the exam.
The Ph.D. program consists of three phases. First is preparation for a written Qualifying Exam in the areas of applications, systems and theory. During this phase, students also begin research in seminars and prepare contributions to papers in journals and conference proceedings. In the second phase, additional coursework, research and writing establish the foundation for a dissertation proposal. A guidance committee administers a Candidacy Examination focusing on this proposal. Success leads to the student's admission to candidacy. The third and final phase consists of research, paper and dissertation writing, and a final defense. Formal coursework occurs in this third phase only when extraordinary opportunities appear for the student to enhance his/her background in principal areas of interest. There is a residency requirement of one academic year with full-time study, normally in Phase III. There is no foreign language requirement.
Please note the following:
Effective for the January 2008 Qualifying Examination
Document Date: March 2007
Specific chapters are indicated where relevant. If not indicated, then entire book is covered.
(The optional coursework is shown in parenthesis adjacent to each topic name.)
Graduate courses are one way for the student to learn some of the material on the reading lists. Students who have little experiences in a subject, or are weak in this area will probably take the associated course. This issue should be discussed with your graduate advisor. A course will not cover all of the topics on the reading list for a given subject, so even if the course if taken, the reading list must be examined independently.
Artificial Intelligence (CS 760 Principles of Artificial Intelligence)
S. Russell and P. Norvig, Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, Prentice-Hall, 2nd edition, 2002.
Computer Graphics (CS 770 Computer Graphics)
James D. Foley, Andries van Dam, Steven K. Feiner and John B. Hughes, Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice, 2nd edition, Addison Wesley, 1996, Chapters 1-16.
Gerald Farin, Curves and Surfaces for Computer-Aided Geometric Design, 5th edition, Academic Press, 2001, Chapters 2-6 (Bezier Curves), 14 (Bezier Surfaces), 10 and 19 (Differential Geometry).
Databases (CS 710 Database Systems I)
H. Garcia-Molina, J.D. Ullman and J. Widom, Database Systems: The Complete Book, Prentice-Hall, 2002, Chapters 1-3, 5-8, 10-18.
Programming Languages(CS 505 Programming Languages)
R. W. Sebesta, Concepts of Programming Languages, 8th edition, Addison-Wesley, 2008.
Software Engineering (CS 720 Software Development I)
Collected Papers on Software Engineering, available at 115 Campbell Hall.
Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John Vlissides, Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software, Addison-Wesley, 1995. (Chapters 1 and 2, plus the following patterns: Abstract Factory, Singleton, Adapter, Composite, Decorator, Façade, Chain of Responsibility, Command, Observer, Visitor)
Computer Architecture(CS 730 Computer Systems)
John L. Hennessy and David A. Patterson, Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach, 4th edition, Morgan Kaufmann, 2007.
W. Stallings, Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principles, 5th edition, Prentice Hall, 2005.
Algorithms and Data Structures (CS 303 Algorithms and Data Structures)
R. Sedgewick, Algorithms in Java, Parts 1-4: Fundamentals, Data Structures, Sorting, Searching, 3rd edition, Addison Wesley, 2002
R. Sedgewick, Algorithms in Java, Parts 5: Graph Algorithms, 3rd edition, Addison Wesley, 2004
Automata and Computation (CS 750 Automata Theory)
John E. Hopcroft, Rajeev Motwani, and Jeffrey D. Ullman, Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation, Addison Wesley, 2000, Chapters 1-10.
Numerical Computing (CS 780 Numerical Computing Foundations)
Gene H. Golub and Charles F. Van Loan, Matrix Computations, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, Chapters 1-5, 7-8, and 10.
Steven C. Chapra and Raymond P. Canale, Numerical Methods for Engineers, 5th edition, McGraw Hill, 2006, Chapters 5-6 (Roots), 21-22 (Integration).
C. E. Wee and R. N. Goldman, "Elimination and Resultants", IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, Part 1 in January 1995 (Vol 15, No 1), pages 69-77; and Part 2 in March 1995 (Vol 15, No 2), pages 60-69.
Research can be carried out in various areas, including the following research groups:
Also see Research.
Also see Faculty.
This document is intended to provide information and guidance for students who have been accepted into the CIS Ph.D. program. The Ph.D. program consists of three phases.
The goal of phase I is to provide a broad foundation in the field on which a student can later build a research project. The phase culminates with the qualifying examination, which covers topics in Theory, Systems and Applications. The requirements for phase I are designed to encourage students to get involved with research early in their studies. Students can opt for a reading list to prepare for the qualifying examination rather than taking all of the designated coursework. The intent of this option is to provide flexibility during phase I in which a student has the opportunity to take courses that relate to research interest during this time and accelerate progress in the program. However, the student should keep in mind that the preparation for and passing of the qualifying exam is the primary goal during this first phase. Research is secondary.
The qualifying examination is offered each year in January. The entire examination must be taken at each attempt. The Level 1 exams must be passed by January of the third academic year in the PhD program.
For information about the current Qualifying Examination, click here.
Registration: Coursework in preparation for the qualifying examination and other courses and seminars, which are selected to help explore and develop an area of research for phase II.
The goal of phase II is the development of a dissertation proposal acceptable to a research guidance committee. During this phase, the student will work under the close direction of a research advisor and participate in research seminars. In addition to making presentations at departmental research seminars, students are expected to make a presentation of preliminary research results at regional or national research conferences on and off campus. The main on-campus research presentation even is Graduate Student Research Day, held during the spring semester. Regional conferences that are popular and convenient for this initial presentation and publication are the annual meetings of the Alabama Academy of Science and the Mid-Southeast Chapter of the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery), and the ACM Southeast Conference.
During phase II, the student forms a research committee, consisting of at least 3 members from the CIS department and at least 2 outside members, such that the majority of the committee is from CIS. All members of the committee must be on the UAB Graduate Faculty. Members from outside UAB can be made members of the UAB Graduate Faculty through a formal request to the Graduate School (see the CIS department secretary for information).
During this phase of the program, students are required to demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate published research, confirm their understanding of the important issues in the chosen area, and to propose an original contribution which will advance the state of knowledge in that area. Multi-disciplinary research is encouraged so that the contributions will not only impact the field of computer science but other disciplines and research groups on campus as well. The culmination of this phase is the development of a dissertation proposal, which is evaluated by the candidate's thesis committee. Guidelines for the preparation of the dissertation proposal are available here. If the committee approves the dissertation research proposal, the student is admitted to candidacy. There is no foreign language or minor requirement.
The Level 2 Exam must be successfully passed within 2.5 years of the completion of the Level 1 Exam.
Registration: Advanced courses and seminars in the student�s area of research as assigned by the advisor and directed research hours in CS796.
NOTE: Ph.D. students who do not have an M.S. degree in computer science should apply for the M.S. in CIS on the way to the Ph.D. degree when they accumulate 33 hours of regular graduate courses and three hours of seminar credit.
Note: All IRB (Institutional Review Board) approvals must be obtained in advance of the Phase II exam and of the work that is being done. Please see http://main.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=30246 for details.
Note: A copy of the approved Phase II thesis proposal must be given to the Graduate Program Director to place into the student's file.
During this phase, the proposed research is carried out under the direction of the research advisor and dissertation committee. Students are expected to publish research results as they are developed in the proceedings of major conferences and journals during this phase. This final phase culminates in a public final defense of the dissertation research.
The Level 3 exam must be completed before the end of the student's 7th year in the PhD program. This is a Graduate School requirement.
Registration: Only seminars and CS799.
Note: An accepted journal paper first-authored by the student is expected before graduation. Proof of acceptance must be provided to the Graduate Program Director before completion of the degree, either in the form of a copy of the letter of acceptance from the editor or a preprint/reprint of the article.
Note: The preprint/reprint option for the dissertation in the CIS department is defined as follows. Three or more accepted journal papers first-authored by the Ph.D. student define the bulk of the dissertation. An introduction and conclusions flank those papers. The thesis committee must agree to this option at the Phase II proposal meeting.
Note: A copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate Program Director in pdf format before completion of the Ph.D.
Financial aid is available in the form of Fellowships, Graduate Assistantships (GAs), Research Assistantships (RA's), and Minimum Duties Assistantships (MDAs). There are no forms to fill out for requesting financial aid. All accepted students are automatically considered for financial aid if their applications meet the deadline (February 1 for Fall, September 1 for Spring). Most students are successful in obtaining assistantships or on-campus employment during their first year of study. The cost of living in Birmingham is less than average for most metropolitan areas. All accepted students are automatically considered for financial aid if their applications meet the deadline (February 1 for Fall, September 1 for Spring). However, in the case of applications for Fall entry, preference for financial assistance will be given to applications received by December 31.
The tuition and fees information on the UAB Students' webpage (http://students.uab.edu/) assumes a load of 15 semester hours. However, the normal load for graduate students is 9 semester hours, with tuition and fees totalling $2,035 (US in-state), $2,085 (international student in-state, such as our students on graduate assistantships), $4,492 (US out-of-state) and $4,542 (international out-of-state) per semester (in Fall 2007). For students opting to live on the UAB campus, please visit the UAB housing website.
Fellowships are offered through the university and other external sources, not through the department. Information on these may be found here.
Graduate Assistantships are full financial aid positions for M. S. and Ph.D. students, which are primarily for instruction in undergraduate laboratories. The workload is 20 hours per week. These awards are for a calendar year (3 academic terms). GA's who perform exceptionally well in research may be awarded an assignment of research only (i.e. no instructional assignment) for one semester each year. Some other Graduate Assistantships are available for work sponsored by local companies and for work in the CIS computer laboratories. A GA is the typical award to a student entering the Ph.D. program. There are currently 18 GA positions. Exceptional M.S. students will receive financial assistance, and we have found that all M.S. students have been able to find employment on campus.
Research Assistantships are full financial aid positions for Ph.D. students, which are for support of faculty research grant and contract activities. The work-load does not exceed 20 hours per week. These awards are for a calendar year (3 academic terms). An RA position is rarely available to entering students who have not begun research with a specific faculty member. The number of RA positions varies from year to year.
In 2007-2008, the stipends for students holding GA's and RA's are:
M. S. - $13,200/year plus full tuition plus health insurance ($1,220/year for US students, $1,445/year for international students).
Ph. D. Level I - $19,500/year, plus health insurance in the amount of $1,387/year, plus full tuition for students who have not yet passed the Level I Exam.
Ph. D. Level II - $20,700/year, plus health insurance in the amount of $1,387/year, plus full tuition for students who have passed the Level I Exam but have not yet been admitted to candidacy through passing the Level II Exam.
Ph. D. Level III - $21,900/year, plus health insurance in the amount of $1,387/year, plus full tuition for students who have been admitted into candidacy (passed the Level II exam).
A Minimum Duties Assistantship is for miscellaneous support of the CIS department as needed. The MDA stipend of $1,500/year covers slightly more than full in-state tuition for a full-time student, but an important additional benefit is the eligibility of an MDA for in-state tuition. These awards are for a single semester. The MDA is usually restricted to incoming M.S. and Ph.D. students.
UAB Graduate School Application
For Fall semester, ALL application materials must be received by February 1. However, preference for financial assistance will be given to those who apply by December 31. For Spring semester, ALL application materials must be received by September 1.
Ph.D. students are recommended to apply for fall semester, which is when most financial assistance is available.
Essentially, preparation of a graduate application requires the following items (see www.uab.edu/graduate for details and access to the application form):
Please note the following:
A: Yes, students who are interested in the Ph. D. program should apply directly to that program.
Q: What are the criteria for admission?
A: Please see the respective pages for [[Master Degree Program|M.S.]] and [[Doctoral Degree Program|Ph.D.]] programs.
Q: What are the minimum GRE/TOEFL/GPA scores that will be considered?
A: Please see the respective pages for [[Master Degree Program|M.S.]] and [[Doctoral Degree Program|Ph.D.]] programs.
Q: When will my application be reviewed for admission?
A. Applications are reviewed as they are received. Depending on the time of year, it takes approximately one month to process an application. However, once the application deadline has passed, applications will be reviewed somewhat more quickly.
Q: How many students are normally accepted into each program? What is the rate of acceptance?
A: There is no a priori limit/acceptance rate. Applicants are accepted/rejected based upon their credentials.
Q: Is it necessary to take the Computer Science GRE Subject Exam?
A: No, but if you do take it, please report your score to us as it may enhance your chances for admission and financial aid.
Q: What should I do if my complete transcripts are not available by the application deadline?
A: We expect this to be the case for all continuing students. You should submit the most up-to-date transcripts available along with a list of courses you are currently enrolled in. If admitted, it will be contingent upon providing a completed transcript once you arrive.
Q: How do I apply for financial aid?
You do not need to formally apply for financial aid. All accepted applicants are automatically considered for financial aid.
Q: Are M. S. students eligible for financial aid?
There are no Teaching or Research Assistantships available for M. S. applicants, but Minimum Duties Assistantships are available. Please see [[Financial Aid and Expenses]] for more information.
Q: Are international students eligible for financial aid?
A: Yes. International and domestic students are evaluated using the same standards.
Q: How important is it to identify research interests in the personal statement which accompanies by application?
A: This is very important as it will determine which faculty advisor you will be assigned and how you are considered for financial aid. However, it is acceptable to have interests in more than one area (but probably not appropriate to be interested in all areas).
Q: Before or during the application process, should I contact faculty members whose research interests align with mine?
A: You may contact faculty to learn more information about their research. Once admitted we will assign you a specific faculty advisor whose research interests are closest to those you have indicated on your application.
Note: You should not ask individual faculty members for financial aid or send them a detailed resume as such e-mail is considered as spam. Financial aid is coordinated through the department, not individual faculty members.
Active research collaborations exist with a number of organizations on campus. These relationships provide opportunities for graduate students to participate in joint research projects with groups that include the Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, Crystallography Center, Biochemistry Department, and Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering Department. Medical informatics research opportunities are also available on projects in information filtering research in collaboration with Health Information Management. Some projects are affiliated with The Center for Telecommunications Education and Research. Research relationships have also been established with several national laboratories: Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, and Argonne. These relationships provide opportunities for graduate students to use facilities at these locations.
The department's research laboratory facilities include a number of Sun SPARCservers and Sun SPARCstation 4, 5, and 20 workstations as well as Personal Computers. Graphics and image processing research is conducted on Silcon Graphics workstations. A cluster of multimedia personal computers comprise the telecommunications and computer networking laboratory.The department also operates a classroom equipped with networked Personal Computers. The department has direct access to the Alabama SupercomputerNetwork Authority CRAY Supercomputer for research and instruction.
The Department is also a University Affiliate of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. These affiliations facilitate both training and research for CIS students and faculty on state-of-the-art high performance computer systems.
The UAB Sterne Library is an institutional member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).