Computer Science

Advanced Education for Endless Opportunities in the Development and Understanding of Computer Systems

A Masters and/or Ph.D. Degree in Computer Science or Data Analytics from University of Central Florida provides endless opportunities for exciting, rewarding and successful careers in a mind-bending number of different and unique fields.

These graduate degree programs produce graduates with a high level of competency in understanding, applying, and enunciating the modern concepts, principles, methods, and theories necessary for the design and implementation of computing systems. The Computer Science graduate program also gives students an in-depth education that will meet the needs of business and industry in Florida and throughout the United States now and for decades to come.

Students in the CS graduate program receive a broad background in the areas of programming systems and languages, computer architecture, and computer science theory while specializing in a research area. Research interests of the computer science faculty include affective computing, applied perception, bioinformatics, computational biology, computational geometry, computer and network security, computer architecture, computer forensics, computer graphics, computer networks, computer vision, cryptography, data compression, database management systems, data mining, design and analysis of algorithms, evolutionary computation, genetic algorithms, graph theory, hardware/software co-design, image processing, machine learning, mixed and virtual reality, mobile computing, modeling and simulation, multimedia systems, natural language processing, neural networks, parallel and distributed processing, performance evaluation, programming languages, quantum computing, semantic web, software agents, software engineering, and VLSI systems. The program has a long and respected history, having conferred MS degrees since 1968 and the first Ph.D. degree in 1980. The Ph.D. degree gives the necessary research expertise for successful placement in either an industry or academic career.

Students successfully completing the CS graduate program with a Masters and/or Ph.D. will have exhibited breadth as well as depth of capability involving both theoretical aspects of computer science and practical considerations of computing.

BENEFITS & FEATURES

• Courses are taught by experienced faculty members from top institutions around the world. They bring with them diverse backgrounds in industry, academics and research.
• CS educators are recognized professionals and researchers who are known internationally and nationally for their outstanding achievements.
• Funding opportunities of several types are available for national and domestic students. Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

THE HISTORY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AT UCF:

Computer Science at UCF has a long and well established history since 1968. The MS program is designed as a terminal degree especially suited to enhance career advancement and to provide the theoretical foundation to take advantage of the changing technological world in which we live.

Orlando, one of the nation’s most dynamic metropolitan areas and noted for its quality of life and vacation attractions, is the center of Florida’s I-4 High Technology Corridor. This synergistic region is adjacent to University of Central Florida and UCF’s Research Park, which is one of the nation’s most successful research parks. UCF and its Research Park offer educational, research and career opportunities in a huge number of computer-science careers, including simulation and training, software development, optics, lasers, virtual reality, computer graphics and vision, gaming, robotics, micro-electronics and much more.

The Department of CS currently has more than 40 full-time faculty members who are teamed with several outstanding lecturers and visiting professors. Ph.D. in Computer Science students are often supported through graduate teaching/research assistantships, and all receive a broad background in the areas of programming systems and languages, computer architecture and computer science theory. At the same time, each student will specialize in a research area under the individualized direction of a CS faculty advisor. Research interests of the faculty include parallel computing, VLSI, artificial intelligence, computer vision, networking technology, graphics and simulation, databases, and design and analysis of algorithms. Visit Research for more information.