Degree Requirements: 42-63 Credit Hours
Areas in Computing Foundations, Cybersecurity, and Machine Learning.
Admission Requirements
Regular Admission
For regular admission to the PhD in Applied Computing degree program, the applicant must have:
Completed requirements for a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Information Technology, or closely related field (as approved by the graduate program coordinator) at an accredited college or university.
Completed requirements for master’s degree in Computer Science or Information Technology, or closely related field (as approved by the graduate program coordinator), with a 3.00 (4.0 scale) or equivalent cumulative grade point average or higher on courses in the master’s graduate degree program.
International students must meet the College of Graduate Studies English Proficiency requirements.
Dissertation Requirements
Each candidate for the PhD in Applied Computing degree must complete a dissertation on a subject approved by the graduate dissertation committee.
Dissertation credits must be completed over no less than two semesters, and a student must remain continually enrolled in dissertation credits once initially enrolled.
The major professor supervises the research, directs the writing of the dissertation, and approves the dissertation in its final form. Prior to the final approval, the dissertation is read by the dissertation committee. One member, termed the second reader, has responsibility for an intensive and rigorous criticism of the dissertation and a third member of the dissertation committee has the responsibility of an “editorial reader.” Both second and third readers must report all comments to the major professor. The dissertation must be defended in an oral examination before the graduate committee prior to final approval and sign-off.
The style and format for the completed dissertation shall follow that prescribed by the college
Procedural steps in the preparation of the dissertation are as follows:
- The prospectus for the dissertation shall be submitted to the major professor and dissertation committee for approval.
- The student must prepare the dissertation for electronic submission following the latest version of the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD): Student Guide to Preparation and Processing manual. *
- The dissertation must be electronically submitted to the ETD site for format check by the ETD format check submission deadline as stated in the University Calendar.
- The final corrected dissertation must be electronically submitted to the ETD site by the ETD format check submission deadline as stated in the University Calendar. The final document must be electronically approved by the Dissertation Committee.
*See the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD): Student Guide to Preparation and Processing (latest version at the COGS Electronic Theses and Dissertation website).
Other Program Requirements:
1. Completion of a Qualifying Exam by the end of the third semester. A maximum of two attempts is allowed if necessary. A second attempt must be completed by the end of the fifth semester.
2. Completion of TA-2/LA-2 training by the end of the second semester
3. Completion of a Research Proposal Examination prior to beginning dissertation credits
4. Culmination of a research activity that is accepted by the profession
5. Successful completion of a dissertation defense
6. Successful submission of an electronic dissertation
7. Any courses completed at Georgia Southern as part of a MS degree, cannot be repeated for credit towards the PhD program
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