From: dougm@titan.cs.rice.edu (Doug Moore)
Newsgroups: soc.college.grad,soc.college.gradinfo
Subject: Re: Info on CS grad programs ?
Date: 29 Aug 92 20:51:20 GMT
Article-I.D.: titan.DOUGM.92Aug29145120
	<1992Aug29.054628.6751@linus.mitre.org>
Distribution: na
Organization: Rice University Computer Science, Houston, Texas

crawford@church.mitre.org (Randy Crawford) writes:
>Rice is a young department, and almost entirely composed of language
>theorists and functional language implementors.  I suspect it has a
>strong program, but according to them, it is a bitch to gain
>acceptance -- something like 5% of applicants.

This characterization is not completely accurate, at least in terms of
the diversity of research that goes on here.  Last year's departmental
brochure, which is only slightly outdated, presents a more realistic
picture.

Doug Moore
(dougm@cs.rice.edu)


			 Graduate Admissions
		    Department of Computer Science
			   Rice University
			    P.O. Box 1892
		       Houston, TX  77251-1892

The Department of Computer Science at Rice University is of recent
vintage. It was formed as a separate department within the George R.
Brown School of Engineering in March of 1984.  Although Rice
University has had a long tradition of excellence in computer science
teaching and research, it was only then that a separate department was
created. Until that time, the Computer Science Program had been
offered jointly by the Departments of Mathematical Sciences and
Electrical Engineering.  The department currently has fourteen
full-time faculty members and approximately fifty Ph.D. students.  We
expect to grow to about twenty faculty members over the next few
years, with a comparable growth in student body.

Graduate Program

The focus of our graduate program is the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy.  Between four to six years are normally required to
complete the work for the Ph.D. degree.  The department places strong
emphasis on steady progress towards and timely completion of the
degree, although exceptions are made for students whose previous
background does not include computer science.  The Master of Computer
Science degree is also offered; it is a professional degree and
usually takes one to two years to complete.

Upon entering the department, every student is assigned a faculty
member and a senior graduate student. They serve as advisors during
the first few semesters. Then, the student becomes actively involved
in research and is associated with the thesis supervisor of his
choice.

Coursework and Examinations

There is no formal course requirement for the Ph.D. degree.  Most
incoming students use their first year coursework as preparation for
the comprehensive examination; well-prepared students may take the
examination without additional coursework. This examination is a test
of breadth of knowledge in computer science, and covers four areas:
programming languages and compilers, architecture and operating
systems, mathematical foundations of computer science, and algorithms.
The comprehensive examination is offered twice a year, in January and
in May.

We encourage students to become involved in research with a faculty
member as quickly as possible.  Typically, this happens during the
summer of the first year or during the second year.  The second year
is also, for many students, a time for taking advanced courses and
seminars in the area of their interest, and a time for preparing for
the qualifying examination.  Unlike the comprehensive, the qualifying
examination covers one specific area of computer science, presumably
the one in which a student wishes to pursue thesis research.
Qualifying examinations in the various areas are scheduled by
agreement between the student(s) and the examination committee.

Research

Research and dissertation work is the essential component of every
Ph.D.  degree. Many thesis topics evolve out of the research in the
department.  While working with a faculty member, a student finds some
interesting problem and develops it into a thesis proposal.  At this
point the student chooses the thesis advisor and a thesis committee,
consisting of the advisor, a second faculty member from the
department, and a faculty member from another department.  After
presenting the thesis proposal in a departmental colloquium, the
student is expected to solve the problems raised in the proposal and
write a coherent and perceptive account of the work in a dissertation.
As the final step, the student must pass a public oral defense of his
dissertation.

The department runs a weekly colloquium series, in which both members
of the department as well as outside visitors present their work.
Graduate students are strongly urged to attend the colloquia on a
regular basis, to get acquainted with current research going on in the
department and elsewhere.  The colloquium also serves as a weekly
social gathering of the department, and coffee and cookies are usually
served in the lounge half an hour before the talk.

Teaching

Teaching is an integral part of graduate education at Rice.  Teaching
experience not only aids in solidifying knowledge of the material, but
also provides invaluable practice in clearly formulating concepts and
ideas, so vital for anyone pursuing a career in research and/or
teaching.  All graduate students assist with teaching courses for four
semesters.  The amount of work varies somewhat from course to course,
but is not expected to exceed eight hours a week.  Teaching
assignments involve grading papers, assisting in lab exercises,
running tutorials, and occasional lecturing.  Entering students assist
in introductory courses, advanced students in senior or graduate
courses.  To the extent possible, a student's preferences are taken
into account in determining his teaching duties.

Financial Support

Ph.D. students in the department normally receive financial support.
For their first year, students are usually awarded Rice University
fellowships, which carry a stipend plus tuition.  In subsequent years,
most students receive financial support, including stipend and
tuition, through research assistantships supported by various grants.

Rice University Presidential Fellowships are awarded on a competitive
basis to applicants with exceptional credentials.  These fellowships
carry an additional monetary stipend and are awarded for up to two
years.

Students in the department also compete for a variety of external
fellowships.  Currently, several hold NSF and IBM Fellowships, which
carry a higher stipend level than that paid by Rice.  Incoming
students are encouraged to apply for National Science Foundation
Predoctoral Fellowships.  Applications for these awards should
originate from the student in October or November during the senior
year.  The appropriate forms may be obtained from the National Science
Foundation, Fellowship Office, Washington, DC 20418.  Rice University
is also one of the fourteen institutions at which fellowships from the
Fannie and John Hertz Foundation are tenable.  Application materials
for these fellowships may be obtained from the Fannie and John Hertz
Foundation, 1281 Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

Levels of support are reviewed annually by the department and adjusted
to reflect changes in the cost of living in the Houston area.
Stipends are set at a rate that is competitive with other major
schools.  It is departmental policy to supplement external fellowships
that provide lower stipends than the rate paid by Rice, so that the
recipients are not penalized financially.  Continuing support is
dependent on satisfactory progress towards completion of the Ph.D.
degree. No support is available for students in the Master of Computer
Science program.

Admission

Three basic criteria are used in the selection of a prospective
graduate student: (1) scholastic record, as reflected by the courses
chosen and the quality of performance; (2) the evaluation made by
teachers and advisors; and (3) Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
scores.  For foreign students, we also take into account the scores on
the Test of English as a Foreign Language exam (TOEFL).

Annually, about eight to twelve students enter the department as Ph.D.
students, selected out of a pool of approximately 400 applicants.
Typical GRE scores for admitted applicants are around the 90th
percentile on the verbal aptitude test, and in the 90th to 99th
percentile for the mathematical aptitude and advanced tests.  Although
these numbers can be expected to change somewhat from year to year-in
particular, the size of the incoming classes will grow as the
department acquires more faculty-they provide a good indication of the
competitiveness of the admission process.  The numbers should not be
interpreted as cut-off scores to get into the department: the
admission committee bases its decisions on a collection of evidence,
of which test scores are but one component.  In fact, the department
encourages applications from highly motivated students with
backgrounds other than computer science.

Applicants should complete an application form and send it together
with supporting material to:

Graduate Admissions
Department of Computer Science
Rice University
P.O. Box 1892
Houston, TX  77251-1892

This should include a complete transcript of undergraduate (and
graduate, if any) coursework, three letters of recommendation, and GRE
test scores.  Applicants are expected to take both the standard GRE
aptitude test and an advanced test in either Mathematics, Computer
Science, or Engineering.  Applicants whose native language is not
English are required to supply TOEFL test scores as well.
Arrangements to take these examinations should be made directly with
the Educational Testing Service, PO Box 955, Princeton, NJ 08540.

The deadline for complete applications is February 1.  To meet the
application deadline, applicants should take the GRE and TOEFL tests
no later than November of the previous year, and request that the
results be sent to the Department of Computer Science at Rice
University.

There is no application fee required to apply for admission to Rice
University.

The Master of Computer Science Program

To earn the degree of Master of Computer Science, a student must
complete an approved program of at least thirty semester hours of
graduate study.  At least twenty-four hours of coursework must be
taken while in residence at Rice.  Since this degree is intended for
people who plan a career as practitioners rather than researchers, it
does not require a thesis or an oral examination.

Facilities

The needs of computer science research are met by a collection of
dedicated research systems.  The principal computing resource is a
local area network containing about 100 SUN Microsystems workstations
running either UNIX or the V-System, a large timeshared SUN, six IBM
RT/PC-II workstations, a VAX 11/750 system running 4.3 Berkeley Unix,
and a collection of miscellaneous personal computers, laser printers,
and other devices.  Additionally, an IBM 3081D-32 running VM/CMS is
dedicated to supporting IBM-sponsored computer science research at
Rice. A 16-processor Intel Hypercube, a 20-processor Sequent S81, an
8192-processor CM-2 from Thinking Machines and a 16-processor loosely
coupled multiprocessor are available for experimentation with parallel
computation.  This collection of machines provides a stimulating
environment for experimental computer science research.  Additionally,
a large pool of SUNs and MacIntoshes are used in computer science
courses.  Rice is an active member of CSNet and is the lead
institution in Sesquinet, the southwest regional network.  It has an
NSFNet backbone connection through NCAR, and a connection into BitNet.
The campus has a fiber-optic backbone network to connect individual
departmental networks.


Computer Science Graduate Courses

COMP 411 Programming Languages.
The design, definition, and abstract implementation of programming
languages, including methods for specifying syntax and semantics.

COMP 412 Compiler Construction.
The design of programming language translators, including parsing,
run-time storage management, error recovery, code generation and
optimization.

COMP 421 Operating Systems and Concurrent Programming.
Operating systems design including file systems, memory management and
CPU scheduling. Case studies of various operating system designs.
Introduction to concurrent programming methods.

COMP 425 Computer Systems.
Memory hierarchy, storage management, addressing, control and
input-output, and microprogramming. Comparison of solutions to
computer system design problems.

COMP 440 Artificial Intelligence.
Techniques for simulating intelligent behavior by machine, problem
solving, game playing, pattern perceiving, theorem proving, semantic
information processing and automatic programming.

COMP 460 Computer Graphics.
2-D graphics: line drawing, area filling, curve drawing algorithms. 3-D
graphics: representation of objects, hidden surface elimination,
shading. Miscellaneous: hardware, perception of color.

COMP 480 Concrete Mathematics.
Discrete and combinatorial mathematics, including sums and products,
integer functions, elementary number theory, factorials, binomial
coefficients, harmonic numbers, Fibonacci numbers, generating
functions, asymptotic representations.  Applications to advanced
algorithm analysis.

COMP 481 Automata, Formal Languages and Computability.
Finite automata, regular expressions, regular languages, pushdown
automata, context-free languages, Turing machines, recursive
languages, computability and undecidability.

COMP 511 Advanced Programming Languages.
Formal methods for the specification of operational semantics.
Operational equivalence and programming language calculi. Approaches
to a formalization of the programming language design space.

COMP 512 Advanced Compiler Construction.
Data flow analysis and optimization, code generation and register
allocation, attribute grammars and their evaluation, translation
within programming environments.

COMP 513 Compilation of Very High-Level Languages.
Automatic storage management. Representation of function closures and
continuations. Implementation of logic programming. Type checking in
the presence of polymorphic typing and overloading. Compiler
generation from formal semantics.

COMP 514 Programming Logics.
Formal systems for specifying and verfying properties of programs.
First order predicate logic, models of programming languages, and
deductive systems for proving properties of programs.

COMP 515 Compilation for Parallel Target Machines.
The construction of compilers for parallel and distributed target
machines. Dependence analysis. Shared memory architectures.
Distributed memory architectures.

COMP 520 Distributed Systems.
Workstations, local area networks, server machines.  Case studies of
selected distributed systems. Transaction management.  Fault
tolerance.

COMP 525 Advanced Computer Architecture.
Design issues of pipelined, vector and multiprocessor architectures.
Development of performance evaluation techniques to model and simulate
configuration of concurrent architectures.  Software aspects of
processing and their effects on performance.

COMP 526 Computer Networks: Design and Analysis.
Design and comparison of computer networks, techniques for performance
analysis, connectivity, reliability, capacity assignment. Network
topologies. Local area networks including rings, busses, and
contention networks.

COMP 529 Computer Networks: Architecture and Protocols.
Design of protocols for error recovery, reliable delivery, routing and
congestion control. Store-and-forward networks, satellite networks,
local area networks. Case studies of networks, protocols, and
protocol families. Emphasis on software design issues in computer
communication.

COMP 541 Applied Artificial Intelligence.
The uses of artificial intelligence to augment human capabilities.
Decision support systems, expert systems with emphasis on applications
in complex organizational settings. Conceptual and technical
limitations of existing expert system technology and possible
remedies.

COMP 561 Geometric Modeling
Curves and surfaces: parametric form, implicit form, conversion
between forms.  Representation of solids: wireframes, octtrees,
boundary representations, constructive solid geometry.  Applications:
graphics, motion planning, simulation, finite element mesh generation.

COMP 563 Algorithmic Algebraic Geometry.
Coordinate systems: affine and projective geometry. Commutative
algebras: polynomials, rings, ideals, function fields.  Algebraic
curves and surfaces: Bezout's theorem, intersection multiplicity,
genus, parameterization, elimination theory.  Relational maps:
birationality, blowing up, toric varieties.

COMP 581 Advanced Topics in Theory of Computation.
Computational complexity, abstract complexity, NP- and
PSPACE-completeness, polynomial hierarchy, cryptography, Kolgomorov
complexity, parallel algorithms, random algorithms.

COMP 582 Advanced Algorithms.
Advanced design and analysis of efficient computer algorithms and data
structures, lower bound techniques, semi-numerical algorithms and fast
Fourier transforms.

COMP 583 VLSI Algorithms.
Models of parallel computation. Design and analysis of parallel
algorithms. VLSI complexity.  Area-time tradeoffs.  Area efficient
VLSI networks.

COMP 584 Computational Geometry.
Point location, range searching, convex hulls, proximity algorithms,
intersections, geometry of rectangles.

COMP 611 Graduate Seminar in Semantics of Programming Languages.
Operational and denotational semantics of programming languages; the
relationship between operational and denotational semantics: adequacy
and full abstraction theorems; consequences for language design.
Theory of reflexive domains and types.

COMP 612 Graduate Seminar in Compiler Construction.
Advanced topics in construction of programming language translators.

COMP 620 Graduate Seminar in Distributed Computation.
Advanced topics in distributed systems.

COMP 661 Graduate Seminar in Geometric Computation.
Advanced topics in geometry-based computation.

COMP 680 Graduate Seminar in Computational Theory.
Advanced topics in computational theory.

Faculty

One of the most important criteria in choosing a graduate school is
the assurance of finding a faculty member who can provide stimulating
guidance and interesing research topics. The members of our faculty
have many interests. Their academic backgrounds and research interests
are described below.

Robert (Corky) Cartwright, Professor 
A.B. (1971), Harvard University
M.S. (1974), Ph.D. (1977), Stanford University
Robert (Corky) Cartwright's research focuses on abstract programming
and specification languages, program semantics, and program
validation.

Bruce F. Duba, Lecturer and Research Associate
M.S. (1985), Indiana University
B.S. (1983), SUNY Plattsburgh
Bruce Duba's research interests include all aspects of the design and
implementation of programming languages.

Keith D. Cooper, Associate Professor
B.S. (1978), M.S. (1982), Ph.D. (1983), Rice University
Keith Cooper's research interests include programming environments,
interprocedural analysis and optimization, and compiling for advanced
architecture microprocessors.

Alan L. Cox, Assistant Professor
M.S. (1988), University of Rochester
Ph.D. (1991), University of Rochester
Alan Cox's thesis describes ``The Design and Evaluation of a Coherent
Memory Abstraction for NUMA Multiprocessors.''

Hristo Djidjev, Assistant Professor
? (1984) Bulgaria
Hristo Djidjev conducts research into algorithmic aspects of graph
theory, and studies the computation of small graph separators in
particular.

Matthias Felleisen, Assistant Professor 
M.S. (1981), University of Arizona
Diplom W. Ing. (1983), Universitat Karlsruhe
Ph.D. (1987), Indiana University
Matthias Felleisen's research interests cover all conceptual aspects
of programming languages.

Ron Goldman, Professor
B.S. Mathematics (1968), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.A. Mathematics (1972), Johns Hopkins University
Ph.D. Mathematics (1973), Johns Hopkins University
Ron Goldman's research interests lie in the mathematical representation,
manipulation, and analysis of shape using computers.

Robert T. Hood, Associate Professor 
B.A. (1976), University of Virginia
M.S. (1979), Ph.D. (1982), Cornell University
Robert Hood's research interests center around programming language
issues in programming environments.

David B. Johnson, Lecturer and Research Scientist
B.S. (1982), M.S. (1985), Ph.D. (1990), Rice University
David Johnson's research interests include distributed systems, fault
tolerance, operating systems, and network protocols.

Ken Kennedy, Noah Harding Professor and Department Chairman
B.S. (1967), Rice University
M.S. (1969), Ph.D. (1971), New York University
Ken Kennedy's research interests include parallel computing in science
and engineering, scientific programming environments, optimization of
compiled code, computer architecture, performance analysis and graph
algorithms.

Mark Krentel, Assistant Professor 
B.S. (1978), M.S. (1980), Clarkson College
Ph.D. (1987) Cornell University
Mark Krentel's research interests are in theoretical aspects of
computer science, focusing on combinatorial optimization, design and
analysis of algorithms, computational complexity and NP-completeness.

John Mellor-Crummey, Research Scientist
B.S.E. (1984), Princeton University 
M.S. (1986), Ph.D. (1989), University of Rochester
John Mellor-Crummey's research interests focus on aspects of
large-scale parallel computation including debugging and performance
analysis, multiprocessor architectures, multiprocessor operating
systems, and concurrent data structures.

Doug Moore, Lecturer and Research Associate
B.A. (1983), Rice University
M.S. (1987), Cornell University
Doug Moore's research interests include parallel computing, geometric
computing, and sparse numerical algorithms that arise from engineering
problems.

Alejandro Schaffer, Assistant Professor
B.S. (1983), M.S. (1983), Carnegie-Mellon University
Ph.D. (1988), Stanford University
Alejandro Schaffer is interested in the design and analysis of
combinatorial algorithms, graph theory, combinatorics, parallel and
distributed computing, computational geometry, and data structures.

Linda Torczon, Research Scientist
B.S. (1980), M.S. (1984), Ph.D. (1985), Rice University
Linda Torczon's research interests include programming environments,
code generation, and interprocedural data-flow analysis and
optimization.

Joe Warren, Assistant Professor 
B.S. (1983), Rice University
M.S. (1985), Ph.D. (1986), Cornell University
Joe Warren's research interests focus on the application of computers
to geometric problems.  Specific areas of interest include geometric
modeling (the construction and manipulation of data structures for
representing geometric objects) and computational geometry (algorithms
for solving geometric problems).

Willy E. Zwaenepoel, Associate Professor 
B.S. (1979), State University of Ghent
M.S. (1980), Ph.D. (1984) Stanford University
Since joining the faculty at Rice in 1984, Willy Zwaenepoel has worked
on fault tolerance for distributed applications, optimistic
computations, and distributed shared memory.

Associated Faculty

John K. Bennett, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Robert Bixby, Professor of Mathematical Sciences
Andrew E. Boyd, Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences
John E. Dennis, Noah Harding Professor of Mathematical Sciences
J. Robert Jump, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
G. Anthony Gorry, Adjunct Professor of Computer Science
Michael Pearlman, Instructor of Computer Science
J. Bartlett Sinclair, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering 
Richard A. Tapia, Professor of Mathematical Sciences
Scott K. Warren, Adjunct Professor of Computer Science 
Peter J. Varman, Assistant Professor  of Electrical and Computer Engineering

About Rice

Rice is a private, independent, and coeducational institution,
dedicated since its opening in 1912 to the advancement of letters,
science, and art.  The university includes undergraduate and graduate
programs in seven academic units: the School of Architecture, the
School of Humanities, the School of Social Sciences, the Wiess School
of Natural Sciences, the George R. Brown School of Engineering, the
Shepherd School of Music, and the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of
Business Administration.

Students are drawn from all fifty states and from more than sixty
foreign countries.  Rice purposely maintains a relatively small
enrollment of approximately 2,600 undergraduates and 1,200 graduate
students.  The student to teacher ratio is nine to one.  The majority
of undergraduate students lives on campus in one of the eight
residential colleges.  Graduate students live off campus.  Nice,
inexpensive rooms and apartments are often available within a short
distance of the campus.  Graduate student housing is also available in
the Rice Graduate House, located adjacent to the campus.  The facility
offers rooms, either private or shared, group kitchens, a commons and
meeting room, and free transportation to academic buildings.  Rooms in
the Graduate House must be reserved on a space-available basis by July
15 for the Fall semester.  Graduate student interests within the
university are represented by the Graduate Student Association, which
also sponsors social and other activities.

Rice's 300-acre campus, a grassy lawn canopied by live oaks,
accommodates forty buildings and the largest stadium in Houston.  The
university's Fondren Library maintains an open shelf policy to provide
easy access to its holdings, which include over one million volumes
and over 8,000 current periodicals.  A weekly schedule of special
events at Rice-open to all students, faculty, staff, and usually the
community at large-typically includes colloquia, lectures, and
seminars by faculty members and distinguished visitors; concerts and
recitals sponsored by the Shepherd School of Music; dramatic
presentations by the Rice Players or college groups; art exhibits by
the Institute for the Arts and other groups; and, of course, athletic
events.  Intramural athletics are probably the most popular
extracurricular events, and the department regularly enters teams in
various competitions.

Houston: An Affordable City with a Rich Cultural Atmosphere

Houston is the fourth largest of the nation's cities, the major city
in the South.  Its deep-water seaport, linked to the Gulf of Mexico by
a fifty-mile channel, is the third largest in the country.  The Texas
Medical Center, within walking distance from campus, is a world-known
center of excellence in medical research. Nearby is the Johnson Space
Center, which directs the nation's manned space flight program.

The city enjoys a rich ethnic diversity, which is reflected in the
broad variety of available restaurants and cultural events throughout
the year. The Society for the Performing Arts attracts some of the
most renowned performing arts companies from all over the world.  In
addition, the Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera,
and Alley Theater provide many opportunities for students with
cultural interests. Within a short distance of campus are the Museum
of Fine Arts, the Museum of Natural Science, and the Burke Baker
Planetarium.

The flora in Houston and its environment ranges from tropical palm
trees through northern oaks. Many large parks make life in the city a
pleasant experience; Hermann Park and the Zoo are next to campus.  The
climate is moderate, the winters are warm. Beach lovers can enjoy
nearby Galveston beach throughout the year. Spring in Texas and the
Houston surroundings is known for its spectacular wildflower scenery
along the highways.

The city's professional sports teams participate in all major sports:
baseball, football, and basketball. Moreover, Houston annually hosts
major tournaments in tennis and golf.  One of Houston's most lively
events is the yearly Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Houston is an affordable city. Compared to other large cities, it has
a low cost of living. Roomy one-bedroom apartments or parts of larger
apartments are often available for an average range of $250 to $300
in nice parts of the city. The ``Village'' shopping area right next to
campus provides everything for daily needs; the Galleria shopping mall
boasts a large number of highly selective stores with goods of finest
quality.  The newly established and still expanding metro system
facilitate easy access to all major points in the city.  
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