Computer Science & Engineering Department

Computer Science & Engineering DepartmentUniversity of Bridgeport

University of Bridgeport Computer Science & Engineering Department

Proposal for a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science & Engineering

Computer Science & Engineering Department

University of Bridgeport1. UB & CSE Profiles

2. Is CSE Ready for a PhD program?• Students• Faculty• Laboratories• Collaboration with Industry• Research • Recent Achievements• Unique Characteristics

3. The Program

• Review of Comparable Programs• Proposal feedback• Areas of Study• Milestones• A Typical Program

4. Conclusions

Outline


University of Bridgeport

1. UB and CSEProfiles



University and CSE Profile• University of Bridgeport founded in 1927 as the Junior College of Connecticut• Became the University of Bridgeport in 1947• Private, Independent, Non-sectarian and International• UB Total Students : 3300• CSE is the Largest Department on Campus (500 students )



University and CSE Profile• Location: 1 hour north of NYC, 2 hours south of Boston, Seaside Campus.• Other Schools (Education, Health Sciences, Business, etc.)• Emphasis in UB is on Professional and Pre- Professional programs.



Academic Profile of Computer Science and Engineering

CSE Offers B.S. and M.S. Degrees in Computer Science and Computer Engineering on main campus in Bridgeport and M.S. in C.S. on the weekend in the Stamford Campus.



2. Is CSE Ready for a PHD Program?



2. Is CSE Ready for a PHD Program?•Students

•Faculty•Laboratories•Collaboration with Industry•Research •Recent Achievements•Unique Characteristics


University of BridgeportA National Crisis

• Number of nation wide and Canadian PhD graduates is 900•There is an estimated 1500 job openings for faculty nationwide

•100 – 150 ads per month in CS/CpE in leading magazines {1 –4 positions per ad}• 1 –4 daily ads in the NEEDHA newsletter


University of BridgeportA National Crisis

• CSE used to receive 150 applications for a new opening• In the last 2 years we had an ongoing research for two positions• We received only 40 applications in two years



Students• High percentage of international students.

• Very active and high quality :

• High grades, co-ops, internships, publishing and research (graduates and undergraduates), tutoring, awards, entrepreneurial activities.

• CSE Department is largest in School of Engineering.



Faculty• Faculty background in CS , CE, MATH, and EE• Very active faculty in research

• publishing in quality journals and conferences• attracting external funds

• Distinguished teaching • This year’s UB Distinguished teacher of the year award• Developing new courses, course materials, web pages, labs

• Strong collaboration with with industry


University of Bridgeport Laboratories

Extensive Research and Development Labs. in the areas of:

• Robotics / Automation and Control.• Advanced digital design and VLSI / FPGA.• Advanced networking and telecommunications.• Wireless communications.• High Performance Computing.• Power Electronics.• Others.

Compute Platform Count for SED approximately 250 (120 Sparcs, 130 PC)



Research• Several NSF and Industry grants for Equipment, Research and Development. (Helped in Establishing our labs.)

• Several R & D projects with industry partners is the areas of:

• Automation and Robotics.• Product Design and Prototyping.• Signal Processing.• VLSI.• Motion Control.• Manufacturing / Reverse Engineering.• Software Development.



Teaching and Innovative Programs

•Evening, weekend and continuing education offerings.•On-site teaching in Industry.•Distance learning version of M.S. in C.S. • 3 - 4 Course graduate and undergraduate certificates



Industry and Community Collaboration• Co-ops and internships• Joint development projects.• On-site Training• Industry Advisory Board• ConnCap Program (Pre-Engineering) with Bridgeport School District and the School of Education.

Sample of Companies:Sagemaker, EMC, Pitney Bowes, Northrup Grumann, ADC Newnet, Dictaphone, Transwitch, Executone, Motorola,Sony, Lucent, Synopsis, NEC,Oracle, General Re,Lockheed Martin, IBM, UPS, SNET, Remington, Sikorsky Aircraft and others.



Recent Achievements and Work in Progress

• 2 American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) awards (First, Second in undergraduate paper competition.• This year award at ASEE (First in undergraduate paper competition)• ACM (Association of Computing Machinery) regional competition top 3 - 5 placements for several years.• Faculty research / best paper awards and grants.• Recent Lab. upgrades and grants (Sun Microsystems $0.7M grant, Oracle $1M grant, NSF Lab. grants)



Unique Characteristics• 1 out of 2 ABET-accredited Computer Engineering programs in Connecticut.• Largest CS-Graduate program in Connecticut.• Only Weekend Masters in Computer Science in Region. (NY, NJ, CT, MA, RI, etc.)• Co-op and internships programs (Virtually all students, graduate and undergraduate)• Undergraduate research and publications. National and international awards.



3. The Program



The Program

• Review of Comparable Programs• Proposal feedback• Areas of Study• Milestones• A Typical Program



Review of Comparable Programs• New Mexico Tech • Tulane University • Vanderbilt University • Oklahoma State University • John Hopkins University



New Mexico Tech• Number of Faculty: Six (plus 5 adjuncts). • B.Sc., M.S. (with or without thesis) and Ph.D. degrees. • 15 undergraduate classes (not for graduate credit), 10 grad/undergrad classes, 11 graduate classes



Tulane University• Number of Faculty: Thirteen. • B.S. (Computer Science and Computer Engineering), M.S. (with or without thesis), Ph.D., and Sc.D. degrees. • The number of graduate classes offered are approximately 12 regular classes and other ``advanced topics in CS'' classes that vary from one semester to the other.



Vanderbilt University• Number of Faculty: Nine. • B.Sc., M.E., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees. • The number of graduate courses listed in the catalog is 33 and some special research seminars.



Oklahoma State University• Number of Faculty: Thirteen. • B.Sc., M.S., Ed.D., and Ph.D. degrees. • The department offers 17 undergraduate classes (not for graduate credit), 9 grad/undergraduate classes, 17 graduate classes, and some seminars and special topic classes.



John Hopkins University• Number of Faculty: Fourteen • B.Sc., B.A., MSE, and Ph.D. degrees. • Courses offered: N/A



And finally, CSE in UB• Number of Faculty:

• Nine • Three new openings for academic year 2001/2002}• Many distinguished adjuncts

• B.Sc., M.S. in Computer Science and Engineering • Courses offered in Academic year 2000/2001

•Undergraduate: 26•Graduate: 24



Findings

These comparable departments, already with established and successful Ph.D. programs, share a lot with our department, including small faculty size, and approximately the same variety, complexity, and number of classes offered at the graduate and undergraduate levels, plus comparable facilities, computing power and labs.



Proposal Feedback

1. Review by all faculty in the School of Engineering and Design

2. Connecticut institutions were solicited for feedback3. Feedback and review received from about 20 US &

International Universities4. Feedback and review received from about 10

Connecticut-based industries5. Potential Students feedback (market study)



Excerpts from Universities feedback

Prof. Arthur C. Sanderson, Vice President for Research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA. and Director, Electrical and Communications Systems Division National Science Foundation and Fellow of IEEE and AAAS, and a member of AAAI, AIAA, ASEE, and SME

“The proposal describes a program that is well conceived and well organized and will provide an important educational resource for the University and for the Bridgeport area.”

“I am familiar with several of the key participants and feel that their research and teaching records are appropriate for this program.”

“I am pleased to recommend that the proposed Ph.D. program be approved by the Connecticut Board of Governors for Higher Education.”




Prof. Imre Rudas, Vice Rector, Budapest Polytechnic, Vice President of IEEE Industrial Electronics Society for Workshops

“I have very positive impressions regarding the proposed courses.” “It is based on a set of well analyzed case studies.” “The proposed courses practically cover all the areas on the basis of

which young researchers of our days can be active and useful for the society in an industrially well developed environment”

“Congratulations for the proposal.”




Prof. Mo Jamshidi, Director, Center for Autonomous Control Engineering, University of New Mexico, Currently, he holds the AT&T; Professorship of manufacturing engineering, and a consultant with the Los Alamos National Laboratory and IEEE fellow.

“You and your colleagues are to be congratulated for a very thorough review of the field.”

“The proposal has covered breadth and depth of computer science as well as a balanced approach between education and research.”

The shortage of CS graduates is so high that almost all industrialized nations are heavily importing from Third World Countries and have gone to the Global Market Place for experts in Computer Science.”

“A lot of these jobs are at the middle to upper scientific and managerial levels and often require a Ph.D. in CS.”




Dr. John R. James, Adam Chair in Information Technology, United States Military Academy, USA and former Director of the TRADOC Artificial Intelligence Center at Ft. Monroe, Virginia.

“I have reviewed your proposal and find it to be both feasible and innovative.”

“It is feasible since you have the faculty (with the anticipated additions), facilities and courses to support the program.”

“It is innovative in that it adds a requirement for teaching that is not in the norm of other programs and also explicitly invites applicants who might be part-time students for all or a portion of their program.”

“It may be the case that business would support employees as a full-time students for some portion of the studies in return for a commitment to the company fro some period of time. I know of at least two companies which have done this for both master’s degree as well as doctoral programs.”




Abdelkader El Kamel, Centrale Lille, France “There is a lack of Ph.D. graduates in the areas of Computer Science and

Engineering.” “The department of Computer Science and Engineering has the facilities

and the qualified faculty to support the new program” “The program is feasible and innovative.” “The program of study is well balanced and produces highly qualified

graduates for both academia and industry.” “Several well analyzed cases studies were used.”




Prof. Angela Di Febbraro, Politecnnico Di Torino, Italy, Chairman of the IEEE Discrete event Dynamic Systems Technical Committee

“I found the proposal excellent” “The proposed program should absolutely be started.” “The proposal is even more validated by the comparison with the other

institutions granting a Computer Science Ph.D.” “The Department of Computer Science and Engineering of the University

of Bridgeport appears to have a suitable faculty number, as well as more than enough qualifications, facilities, and students to make the proposed program a success.”




Prof. Nilanjan Sarkar, Vanderbilt University, USA. “I find the proposal to be thorough and well developed.” “It presents several key issues for having a Ph.D. program that I

completely agree with.” “I believe that the infrastructure for a Ph.D. program in Computer Science

and Engineering already exists at the University of Bridgeport.”“The credentials of the faculty are excellent, the laboratories are there, and the

existing and proposed new courses are adequate to start such program.”




Kok-Meng Lee, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA., Chair, IEEE Prototyping for Robotics and Automation Technical Committee,

“There has been a shortage of Computer scientists in the United States in recent years, and this shortage is likely to continue due to rapid advancement in computer, networking, tele-communications and information technologies.

“I am glad to see that you have taken an active role to establish a Ph.D. program in your school that many high-tech industries would feel more than welcome.”

“Your proposal has been well written, and has touched on many essential elements.”



Excerpts from Industry feedback

Dr. Hadi Abu-Akeel, FANUC Robotics, USA, Senior Vice President & Chief Engineer. (retired), Technical Advisor, Genral Manager, FAUNC Berkeley Laboratory

“I find the program well prepared and properly targeted.” “The program appears to cover all the elements necessary for the

education and preparation of Computer Science and Computer Engineering specialists.”

“I recognize the increasing national need for computer science graduates. There is definitely a critical shortage of such expertise at all levels and the contribution of the University of Bridgeport should make positive impact.”




Hugh F.McCann, Jr., President, Identification Products Corporation, Bridgeport

• “Having a world-class PhD program at the University of Bridgeport would certainly be a very good start in firing up the economic engine of job growth and wealth creation within the region.”

• “As a business owner I applaud and support all your efforts to see your program come to fruition.”




Northrop Grumman Corporation, Norden Systems, Norwalk• “Having a part time Ph.D. program within easy reach of our company

location in Norwalk, CT would provide a path for my people to improve their skill base which otherwise wouldn’t be available to them. Also, the Ph.D. program would provide an avenue for other students in the area to be more equipped to work for Northrop Grumman or other advanced technology companies in the area.”




Lin Li, Senior Technology Manager, Thermal Analysis Business Unit, PerkinElmer Instruments, Norwalk

• “In the high-tech concentrated state like Connecticut, the Ph.D. program will be even more important for local industries. This will offer a great opportunity to some working professionals for continuing improvements. Therefore, they can further enhance their technical background and develop the successful career path through the part-time study.”

• “Your very well written proposal has touched most essential subjects of a well-respected Ph.D. program. The proposed courses cover all areas of computer science and engineering in both breadth and depth.”




Glenn E. Vallee, Director of Engineering and Quality Assurance, Remington Products Company, L.L.C.

• “Speaking as one who has earned a Ph.D. while working full time, I cannot over state the importance of such a program which allows industry professionals the opportunity to pursue an advance degree without sacrificing their livelihood.”

• “The proposal is well developed and incorporated the elements necessary for a successful effort. It is consistent with other Ph.D. programs I’m familiar with and should provide a diverse and interesting experience for the students.”




Patrick Nolan, Manager, Industrial Design, New Britian• “It has been identified that the University of Bridgeport is equipped with

state of art facilities, qualified faculty, and ample student population. Offering a quality Ph.D. program for part-time students is an insightful addition and should assist industries and industry professionals seeking advancement while retaining active employment status.”




David S. Evans, Manager, Product Verification & Test, Shelton• “In my opinion, the proposal is well thought out, and the listed resources

should get such a program off to a good start. I think the requirements for teaching and refereed publication increase the value of the program to the students, whether or not they pursue an academic career. Also, providing for part-time students, while challenging, offers the benefits of this program to a wider group of serious technical professionals.”

• “There is increasing need in this region, as well as nation-wide, for CSE professionals with advanced skills and discipline.”

•



Areas of Study

A. Computation, Intelligence, and Robotics AreaB. Languages and SystemsC. Parallel Processing and NetworksD. Computer Architecture and VLSI



Computation, Intelligence, and Robotics

Number Title Comments

CS 504 Artificial Intelligence Existing Course CS 505 Introduction to Expert System Design Existing Course CS 509 Automata theory Existing Course CS 520 Theory of Computation Existing Course CS 570 Advanced Robotics Existing Course CS 580 Introduction to Neural Networks Existing Course CS 584 Machine Perception Existing Course CS 604 Advanced Artificial Intelligence Existing Course CS 605 Advanced Expert System Design Existing Course CpE 460 Introduction to Robotics Existing Course CpE 585 Computer Vision Existing Course CpE 588 Interactive Computer Graphics Existing Course EE 545 Advanced Control Theory Existing Course EE 580 Information Theory and Coding Existing Course CSE 521 Robotics Programming New Course



Languages and Systems

Number Title Comments CS 400 Advanced Programming in C Existing Course CS 410 Java Programming Existing Course CS 411 Advanced Java Existing Course CS 435 C & Unix Programming Existing Course CS 436 Adv C & Unix Programming Existing Course CS 440 Visual C++ w/MFC Existing Course CS 445 Advanced Windows Programming Existing Course CS 450 Database Design Existing Course CS 502 Advanced Data Structures Existing Course CS 503 Operating Systems Existing Course CC 551 Advanced Databases Existing Course CpE 489 Software Engineering Existing Course CpE 560 Performance Analysis and Evaluation Existing Course CSE 531 Distributed Operating Systems New Course



Parallel Processing and Networks

Number Title Comments

CS 590 Parallel and Distributed Processing Existing Course CpE 471 Computer Communication I Existing Course CpE 473 Local Area Networks Existing Course CpE 572 Computer Communications II Existing Course EE 415 Fiber Optics Existing Course EE 437 Microwaves Existing Course EE 455 Microwave Lab Existing Course CSE 550 Network Security New Course (offered in Spring) CSE 551 High Speed Networks New Course CSE 552 Mobile Computing New Course (to be offered in Fall)



Computer Architecture and VLSI

Number Title Comments CpE 410 Introduction to Computer Architecture Existing Course CpE 447 Logic Synthesis Using FPGAs Existing Course CpE 448 Introduction to VLSI Design Existing Course CpE 540 Image Processing Existing Course CpE 550 Advanced VLSI Design Existing Course CpE 596 Digital Signal Processing Laboratory Existing Course EE 443 Applied Digital Signal Processing Existing Course EE 582 Advanced Topics in Electronics Existing Course

CSE 570 Foundations of Formal Hardware Verification

New Course

CSE 561 Design of Arithmetic Units New Course



Other Courses

CSE 690 Independent Study CSE 692 Special Topics in Computer Science CSE 693 Special Topics in Computer Engineering CSE 694 Written Comprehensive Examinations CSE 698 Teaching requirement CSE 699 Proposal Defense CSE 710 Ph.D. dissertation



Courses Summary

Current Courses at 400 levels: 20Current Courses at 500 Levels: 23New Courses: 5 CoursesOther courses: 7 Courses



Course Work Requirement• Masters degree course work requirement (typically 30 hrs) • One course from each of the Areas of Study (12 hrs)• Two courses from Concentration Area (6 hrs)• Two Electives (6 hrs)• Two courses ‘Teaching Requirement’



Milestones

• Admission to the Ph.D. program of computer science and engineering on a `provisional status', if needed (section 2.1); • Taking the deficiency courses and finishing master degree, if needed; • Getting the status restored to `regular Ph.D. student’, if needed; • Completing the course work requirement for the Ph.D. (section 2.2);• Passing the comprehensive examination (section 2.9);• Admission to `Candidacy' (section 2.11);• Selection of a dissertation advisor (section 2.10);



Milestones• Writing a dissertation proposal (section 2.12); • Completion of the oral exam requirement and working on the proposed research topic (section 2.8); • Dissertation committee formation (section 2.10); • Approval of the dissertation by the dissertation committee (section 2.12); • Successful completion of the dissertation defense (2.13); • Submission of dissertation to the Computer Science & Engineering Department(section 2.13);• Graduation with a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science and Engineering (section

2.13).



A Typical Program after MSc DegreeFIRST SEMESTER

Course No. Title LT LB

CR

CPE/CS/CSEXXX Course from Area A 3 3 CPE/CS/CSEXXX Course from Area B 3 3 CPE/CS/CSEXXX Course from Area C 3 3 XXX XXX Elective 3 3

SECOND SEMESTER

Course No. Title LT

LB

CR

CSE 6XX Course 1 from dissertation Area 3 3 CSE 6XX Course 2 from dissertation Area 3 3 CPE/CS/CSEXXX Course from Area D 3 3 XXX XXX Elective 3 3

THIRD SEMESTER

Course No. Title LT

LB

CR

CSE 694 Written Comprehensive Examinations (no fees)

1 0

CSE 698 Teaching requirement (no fees) 3 0

CSE 710 Ph.D. dissertation work 3-6

IP

FOURTH SEMESTER

Course No. Title LT LB

CR

CSE 699 Seminar (Oral Exam) (no fees) 1 0 CSE 698 Teaching requirement (no fees) 3 0


IP

FIFTH SEMESTER

Course No. Title LT

LB

CR


15


University of BridgeportUnique Characteristics of the Program

•Teaching Requirement: 2 courses•Publication Requirement: 2 journal papers•Part-time Students allowed•External member in the Dissertation Committee



4. Conclusions



• CSE is qualified to offer a PhD program:• Very productive Faculty.• Dramatic growth.• Very high student quality and research / education.• Industry involvement.• Facilities and labs



• New PhD will help CSE to:• join the ranks of Ph.D. granting institutions,• get more visibility than we currently have,• help our faculty to carry out the required research for funded projects, • qualify UB for many research grants limited to Ph.D. granting institutions, • increase student enrollment, and• increase instruction quality and

quantity.



Documents

Computer Science & Engineering Department