Tulane to offer PhD in computer science

Computer science at Tulane University, eliminated after Hurricane Katrina but brought back in 2012, has taken another leap forward with the creation of a doctoral program that aims to produce leading researchers and further prepare computer scientists for the job market.

“From the outset, our approach has been to build a department focused as much on the application of computer science and its underlying principles to related research areas as it is on computer science itself,” said Michael Mislove, professor and chairman of the computer science department.

The doctoral program, which will kick off in the 2017-18 academic year, is a stand-alone program, unlike the current Interdisciplinary doctoral program, which focuses on the application of computer science in related areas such as economics, psychology or mathematics.

“From the outset, our approach has been to build a department focused as much on the application of computer science and its underlying principles to related research areas as it is on computer science itself.”

Michael Mislove, professor and chairman of the computer science department

The doctoral program guides students from beginning graduate study in computer science all the way through to completion of their dissertation research. The program requires 48 credit hours of graduate course work, including an interdisciplinary research project.

The computer science faculty have expertise in a broad range of applications, and Mislove said he is confident the program will produce leading researchers in the application of computer science in new and innovative ways as well as prepare them for careers in computer science.

Tulane eliminated computer science as cost-cutting measure after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In the summer of 2010, a task force was formed to devise a strategy for beginning the program anew. The program began with some introductory courses in the 2011-12 academic year, followed by the official opening of the department in the summer of 2012.

Like this article? Keep reading: Tulane team wins NASA’s Big Idea Challenge