Computer Science and Computer Engineering (CSCE)
Jerry Yeargan
Department Head
311 Engineering Hall
479-575-6197
Gordon Beavers
Graduate Coordinator
313 Engineering Hall
479-575-6197
E-mail: gordonb@uark.edu
Web: http://www.csce.uark.edu/
• Distinguished Professor Yeargan
• Professors Crisp, Deaton, Lala, Skeith, Starling, Thompson (C.)
• Associate Professors Apon, Beavers, Li, Lusth, Panda, Parkerson
• Assistant Professors Di, Hexmoor, Thompson (D.)
• Instructors Baker, Wiggins
Degrees Conferred:
M.S., Ph.D. in Computer Science (CSCE)
M.S.Cmp.E. in Computer Engineering (CENG)
M.S.E., Ph.D. in Engineering (ENGR) (See Engineering)
Primary Areas of Faculty Research: Distributed computer systems and networks, cluster computing, theory of computation, artificial intelligence, database, molecular computing and software for network applications, multiagent systems, VLSI system design, logic circuits, fault-tolerant system design, combinatorial optimization, design & analysis of algorithms, computer security, digital forensics, ASIC, digital electronics, computer architecture, telecommunications, large computer simulation.
Computer Engineering (ceng)
Prerequisite to Degree Programs: Applicants should have completed the equivalent of a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering at an accredited college or university. If an applicant has significant deficiencies in computer engineering course work, then he or she might be required to complete specific courses before admission to a graduate degree program. If the number of deficiencies is small, then an applicant might be admitted to a graduate degree program under the condition that specific undergraduate courses be completed in addition to the requirements for the graduate degree. An applicant must also present scores on the General Test of the Graduate Records Examination (GRE).
Departmental Requirements: In addition to the requirements of the
The course work must include the two courses designated as core computer engineering courses by the Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering. The following two core classes must be taken for either option – CENG 5093 Fault-Tolerant Systems Design and CENG 5983 ASIC Design. In addition to the core classes, at least four technical electives must be taken from the following list: CENG 4223 Digital Circuit Testing, CENG 4233 Low Power Digital Systems, CENG 4533 Object-Oriented Programming and Design, CENG 4753 Computer Networks, CENG 4953 Minicomputer Applications, CENG 5633 Network Performance, CENG 5613 Introduction to Telecommunications, CENG 5903 Advanced Computer Architecture, CENG 5933 CAD Methods for VLSI, or CENG5943 Computer Arithmetic Circuits.
The remaining classes (6 credit hours for the thesis option or 12 credit hours for the project option) may be taken within the CSCE Department (CENG or CSCE prefixed graduate classes) and/or from outside the department subject to the approval of the candidate’s graduate committee. Note that not more than 9 credit hours can be taken from outside the department.
Option I: (30 hours)
1. Candidates are required to present a thesis in the computer engineering discipline and complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of course work (the core and elective courses) and six semester hours of thesis credit.
2. Course work presented must include a minimum of 12 semester hours at the 5000-6000 level in Computer Science and Computer Engineering.
3. Any course work taken at the 4000-level must be approved for graduate credit, or approved by the Graduate Dean, and must be offered by the Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering.
Option II: (33 hours)
1. Candidates are required to complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of course work (the core and elective courses) plus a three-hour technical project with report in the computer engineering discipline (CENG 581V).
2. Course work presented must include a minimum of 15 hours at the 5000-6000 level in Computer Science and Computer Engineering.
3. Any course work taken at the 4000-level must be approved for graduate credit, or approved by the Graduate Dean, and must be offered by the Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering.
The program of study for each candidate will be determined by conference with the major professor and with advice from the candidate’s advisory/thesis committee.
The final exam is comprehensive; a portion of the exam will be devoted to questions concerning courses completed by the student. Another portion of the exam will be directed toward a defense of the thesis, if one is written as part of the program, or an explanation and discussion of the report resulting from a non-thesis option. In either case, reading copies of the thesis or report should be delivered to members of the Program of Study Committee at least two weeks prior to undertaking the final examination. Successful completion of the final oral examination is a requirement for the Master of Science degree. If a student is unsuccessful, the Program of Study Committee may recommend that the examination be repeated. If so, the requirements to be satisfied prior to reexamination will be stipulated and a time limitation specified.
Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree: (See Engineering)
(CENG) COMPUTER ENGINEERING
CENG4113 Embedded Systems (Irregular) The architecture, software, and hardware of embedded systems. Involves a mixture of hardware and software for the control of a system (including electrical, electro-mechanical, and electro-chemical systems). They are found in a variety of products including cars, VCRs, HDTVs, cell phones, pacemakers, spacecraft, missile systems, and robots for factory automation. Corequisite: Drill component. Prerequisite: CENG 2123 and CENG 2133.
CENG4213 Introduction to Computer Architecture (Sp) Design of a single board computer including basic computer organization, memory subsystem design, periphereal interfacing, DMA control, interrupt control, and bus organization. Prerequisite: CENG 2123 and CENG 3213. (Same as ELEG 4983)
CENG4223 Digital Circuit Testing and Testability (Fa) The complexity of digital circuits placed on IC chips have significant impact on the cost of tooling such chips. Testing is performed to ensure that function/performance have not been altered during fabrication. This course introduces current testing techniques for digital circuits and to design strategies used to enhance their testability. Prerequisite: CENG 2123.
CENG4233 Low Power Digital Systems (Fa) The reduction of power consumption is rapidly becoming one of the key issues in digital system design. Traditionally, digital system design has mainly focused on performance and area trade-offs. This course will provide a thorough introduction to digital design for lower consumption at the circuit, logic, and architectural level. Prerequisite: CENG 2123.
CENG4343 Programming Windows and the GUI (Sp) Introduction to the basic concepts of graphical user interface (GUI) programming using the Microsoft Windows environment. Discussion of design techniques relating to color, size, shape, location, font, etc. Real-world applications will be programmed using Visual Basic, C and C++. Prerequisite: CENG 2143 or CSCE 2143.
CENG4423H Honors Computer Systems Analysis (Fa) Basic concepts of problem analysis, model design, and simulation experiments. A simulation will be introduced and used in this course. Prerequisite: INEG 3313 or STAT 3013. (Same as CENG 4423)
CENG4423 Computer Systems Analysis (Fa) Basic concepts of problem analysis, model design, and simulation experiments. A simulation will be introduced and used in this course. Prerequisite: INEG 3313 or STAT 3013 and proficiency in a programming language. (Same as CENG 4423H)
CENG4533 Object Oriented Programming and Design (Fa) Indepth coverage of the methods and techniques of object-oriented design and its applications to database and artificial intelligence. Prerequisite: CENG 3943.
CENG4753 Computer Networks (Fa) This course is an introductory course on computer networks. Using the Internet as a vehicle, this course introduces underlying concepts and principles of modern computer networks, with emphasis on protocols, architectures, and implementation issues. Prerequisite: INEG 3313 or STAT 3013.
CENG4823 Advanced Computer Graphics and Animation (Irregular) Advanced topics in the generation of computer graphics and animation imagery concentrating on non-procedural approaches. Topics include physical modeling, transformations, lighting models, and rendering algorithms. Theoretical issues include the graphics pipeline and rendering equation. Practical issues include the use of industry standard graphics libraries and rendering hardware and efficiency. Prerequisite: CENG 4813.
CENG4883 Introduction to Image Processing (Irregular) Introduction to the basic concepts of image processing; theory and applications. Covers digital methods of image restoration; reformation, extraction and analysis. Prerequisite: CENG 2143 or CSCE 2143.
CENG490V Special Problems (Sp, Su, Fa) (1-3) Current research topics, state of the art, or advanced methodologise in one of the major computer engineering areas, software and/or hardware can be covered.
CENG4953 Minicomputer Applications (Fa) Structure, implementation, and application of minicomputer systems, microcomputer hardware, microprogramming, minicomputer software technology, and design and evaluation of minicomputer systems. Prerequisite: CENG 3943.
CENG5013 Topics in Computer Hardware (Irregular) Advanced features of computer hardware. Topics include: memory design, input and output design, direct memory access techniques, and electro-optical signal conversion and EPROM applications. Corequisite: CENG 5010L. Prerequisite: CENG 4213 or equivalent and graduate standing.
CENG5023 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING I (IR) A study of design and development used in software and computer systems engineering. Topics include project planning, requirements analysis, software design fundamentals, quality assurance, and software testing and maintenance. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CENG5033 Software Engineering II (Irregular) A study in software project design and management. The class defines and develops a semester project carrying out the planning, requirements analysis, software and systems design quality assurance, as well as software testing and maintenance. Prerequisite: CENG 5023.
CENG5043 Real-Time Operating Systems (Irregular) A study and implementation of a real-time operating system for process control applications using a single board microprocessor system. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CENG5083 Digital Circuit Design Verification (Irregular) A study of the principles of formal verification as an alternative to simulation and testing in the elimination of logical design errors in digital systems. Prerequisite: CENG 2123 and graduate standing.
CENG5093 Fault-Tolerant System Design (Sp) Fault-tolerance is concerned with making or recovering from the effects of faults in a digital system, once they have been detected. On-line fault detection is often required before the fault recovery process. This course will familiarize students with currently available techniques for self-checking and fault-tolerant digital system design. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CENG510V Special Problems (Sp, Su, Fa) (1-6) Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CENG5153 Real-Time Data Acquisition Systems (Irregular) The theory and practice associated with taking measurements of the real world for use with computers. Sampling and data analysis techniques. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CENG5213 Interactive Computer Graphics (Irregular) Basic concepts involved in the generation and display of computer graphics. Topics include graphics hardware, transformations, modeling, and device independent graphics. Prerequisite: working knowledge of a programming language.
CENG5333 Knowledge-Based Systems (Irregular) Expert systems, structured knowledge representation, and rule-based inference systems. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CENG5613 Introduction to Telecommunications (Fa) Overview of public and private telecommunication systems, traffic engineering, communications systems basics, information technology, electromagnetics, data transmission (same as ELEG 5613). Prerequisite: graduate standing. (Same as ELEG 5613)
CENG5633 Network Performance Evaluation (Sp) A study of performance modeling tools for telecommunication networks, computer networks, and wireless networks. Prerequisite: STAT 3013 or equivalent and graduate standing.
CENG5643 Computer Communications Networks (Irregular) A study of computer communication networks, including the data link layer, routing, flow-control, local area networks, TCP/IP, ATM, B-ISDN, queueing analysis, and recent developments in computer communications. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CENG5653 Network Security (Sp) This course introduces security and secrecy in a networked environment. It is intended to familiarize students with the elements of secure communication, and how they inter-relate to provide secure networks in public and private settings. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CENG5683 Image Processing (Irregular) Concepts involved in the processing of digital images. Emphasis on image analysis, enhancement, and restoration. Both spatial and frequency domain approaches are presented. Prerequisite: graduate standing and working knowledge of statistics and a programming language.
CENG5801 Seminar (Sp, Fa) Oral presentations given by graduate students on subjects dealing with current topics in computer engineering and computer science. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CENG581V Master’s Research Project and Report (Sp, Su, Fa) (1-6) Required course for report option. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CENG5903 Advanced Computer Architecture (Irregular) A study of advanced architectural techniques employed in modern, general-purpose computers with emphasis on uniprocessor systems, uniprocessor topics; support for instruction-level parallalism (branch prediction, multiple instruction issue, speculative execution, compiler optimizations for ILP), advanced memory system design, high-performance I/O. Multiprocessor topics: cache coherence protocols, memory consistency models, synchronization mechanisms. Prerequisite: CENG 4213 or equivalent and graduate standing.
CENG5913 Advanced Compilers (Irregular) Compiler issues are discussed with regards to contemporary languages and architectures. Such topics as flow analysis, optimization, code scheduling, parallelism, and memory use will be covered. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CENG5923 Research Topics in Computer Architecture (Irregular) This course focuses on the design of new high performance central processing units (CPU’S). The design of superscalar, superpipelined, decoupled and multithreaded architectures will be covered. Course materials will be drawn from literature, and will represent the current state of the art. Prerequisite: CENG 4213 or equivalent and graduate standing.
CENG5933 CAD Methods for VLSI (Irregular) Introduction to computational methods for the design and implementation of computer aided design (CAD) tools for digital systems engineering. The underlying theory of the tools is emphasized in addition to their application. Prerequisite: proficiency using a modern high-level programming language and CENG 4213.
CENG5943 Computer Arithmetic Circuits (Irregular) Examination of fundamental principles of algorithms for performing arithmetic operations in computers. This course provides sufficient theoretical and practical information to prepare the digital design engineer with an awareness of basic techniques for the realization of arithmetic circuits. Pre- or Corequisite: graduate standing.
CENG5963 Computer Systems Optimization (Sp, Su, Fa) Design considerations and performance analysis of computer and communication systems modeling. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CENG5973 Advanced Embedded Systems Design (Irregular) A theoretical and practical study of computing systems embedded in mechanical, electrical and electronic controls such as those to control automobiles, airplanes, appliances, and communication systems. Prerequisite: CENG 4113 or equivalent or graduate standing.
CENG5983 Application Specific Integrated Circuit Design (Fa) ASIC design is taught with emphasis on industrial preparation. Topics include ASIC technologies, design entry, simulation, and synthesis. Advanced design methods and techniques are studied for cell based and gate array ASICs. Prerequisite: CENG 4213 or ELEG 4943.
CENG610V Master’s Thesis (Sp, Su, Fa) (1-6) Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CENG700V Doctoral Dissertation (Sp, Su, Fa) (1-18)
Computer Science (CSCE)
Prerequisites to Degree Programs: Applicants should have completed the equivalent of a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science following the most recent guidelines published by the Association for Computing Machinery and the IEEE Computer Society. If an applicant has significant deficiencies in computer science course work or in writing ability, he/she might be required to complete specific courses before admission to a graduate degree program. If the number of deficiencies is small, then an applicant might be admitted with specific courses to be completed in addition to the graduate course work normally required for the degree. An applicant must also present scores on the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).
Requirements for the Master of Science Degree: The non-thesis option for the degree requires the successful completion of at least three semester hours of CSCE 620V Research in Computer Science, plus 30 semester hours of computer science courses approved by the candidate’s graduate committee. At most, nine of the 30 semester hours may be other than CSCE or CENG courses. The thesis option for the degree requires the successful completion of at least six semester hours of CSCE 610V Master’s Thesis, plus 24 semester hours of computer science courses approved by the candidate’s graduate committee; at most, nine of the 24 semester hours may be other than CSCE or CENG courses.
All candidates must pass an oral examination and defense of the project report or thesis in, at most, two attempts. The first attempt may not occur before all of the following qualifying conditions have been satisfied:
1. Candidates must have completed at least 21 hours that are applicable toward the degree. Candidates following the thesis option must be currently enrolled in CSCE 610V and those following the non-thesis option must be currently enrolled in, or have completed, CSCE 620V.
2. The courses CSCE 5033 Design and Analysis of Algorithms and CSCE 5313 Advanced Operating Systems – designated core courses, have been completed.
3. The candidate’s cumulative grade-point average on all graduate-level courses must be 3.00 or higher.
All candidates must also have removed any deficiencies assigned upon admission to the program and must satisfy any other conditions specified in the departmental guidelines.
Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree: In addition to the requirements of the
Complete a minimum of 54 semester credit hours of graduate level course work (at the 5000- or 6000-level) beyond a bachelor’s degree, of which 24 hours must be beyond any coursework used to fulfill requirements for a master’s degree.
The coursework must include all courses designated as core computer science courses by the Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering. Courses that currently carry this designation are CSCE 5033 Design and Analysis of Algorithms and CSCE 5313 Advanced Operating Systems.
A student is admitted to candidacy by first passing a Ph.D. Qualifying Examination and then, at a later time, a Candidacy Examination on the student’s dissertation proposal. The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination must be passed no later than the end of the first year of study for students admitted to the program with a master’s degree and no later than the end of the third year for students admitted to the program without a master’s degree. The Qualifying Examination is scored Pass or Fail on each of the two sections of the examination. If a Fail is assigned on only one section of the examination, then the student must repeat that section at the next administration of the examination. If a Fail is assigned on both sections of the examination, then the student must repeat the examination at its next administration. A second failure will terminate the student’s course of study in the computer science doctoral program. In preparation for the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination, a student should refer to the Ph.D. Reading List.
Each student must form a doctoral supervisory committee before registering for dissertation hours. This committee must consist of faculty who hold qualifying status on the graduate faculty, the majority and chair of which hold regular or adjunct appointments in the Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering.
For the Candidacy Examination, the student is expected to present a dissertation proposal with a list of goals and a plan of action to accomplish them. Committee members will judge the goals on their scientific merit, originality, and difficulty. Each Ph.D. student will be expected to defend a completed dissertation before his or her dissertation committee.
The doctoral program must include a minimum of 18 hours of CSCE 700V Doctoral Dissertation in addition to the coursework specified above.
(CSCE) COMPUTER SCIENCE AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING
CSCE5003 Advanced Programming Languages (Sp) Abstraction, proof of correctness, functional languages, concurrent programming, exception handling, dataflow and object oriented programming, denotational semantics. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CSCE5023 Architecture of Computer Systems (Fa) An advanced study of both classical and recent computer hardware and software systems. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CSCE5033 Design and Analysis of Algorithms (Sp) Design of computer algorithms, with primary emphasis on the development of efficient implementation. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CSCE5043 Artificial Intelligence (Fa) In-depth introduction to AI. Topics include: philosophical foundations, cognition, intelligent agents, AI languages, search, genetic algorithms, first order and modal logic, inference, resolution, knowledge representation, ontologies, problem solving, planning, expert systems, uncertainty, probabilistic reasoning, fuzzy logic, machine learning, natural language processing, machine vision, and robotics. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CSCE5123 Databased Management systems (Irregular) In-depth introduction to database management systems. Topics include: architecture, schemas, data sources, file structures, indexing, data models (relational, hierarchical, network, entity relationship, object-oriented), query languages, views, relational algebras, SQL, optimization, user interfaces, ODBC, transaction management, concurrency control, recovery, integrity, security, and commercial trends. Prerequisite: CSCE 2143 or CENG 2143 and graduate standing.
CSCE5203 Advanced Database Systems (Irregular) Topics include: object databases, distributed databases, XML query, data warehouses, network as database systems, peer-peer data sharing architectures, data grids, data mining, logic foundations, symantic databases, spatial and tempral databases, and knowledge bases. Prerequisite: CSCE 5123 and graduate standing.
CSCE5233 Principles of Compiler Construction (Irregular) Lexical analysis, parsing, symbol table construction, intermediate code generation, run-time simulation. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CSCE5243 Formal Languages (Irregular) An advanced continuation of CSCE 4323. Prerequisite: CSCE 4323 and graduate standing.
CSCE5263 Computational Complexity (Irregular) Turing machines, recursion theory and computability, complexity measures, NP-completeness, analysis on NP-complete problems, pseudo-polynomial and approximation. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CSCE5283 Graph and Combinatorial Algorithms (Irregular) A study of algorithms for graphs and combinatorics with special attention to computer implementation and runtime efficiency. Prerequisites: graduate standing or instructor consent.
CSCE5303 Parallel Programming (Irregular) An analysis of parallel computer systems with respect to software engineering. Practical programming experience on pipelined, array, and multi-processor computers. Prerequisite: CSCE 4413 or equivalent and graduate standing.
CSCE5313 Advanced Operating Systems (Irregular) Concurrent processes and process communication; mutual exclusion and synchronization principles; kernel philosophy; resource allocation and deadlock; case studies of specific operating systems. Prerequisite: CSCE 4413 or equivalent and graduate standing.
CSCE5323 Computer Security (Sp) Study of a broad selection of contemporary issues in computer security. Topics include access control, security policies, authentication methods, secure system design, and information assurance. Prerequisite: CSCE 4413.
CSCE5333 Computer Forensics (Fa) Various methods for identification, preservation, and extraction of electronic evidence at a computer crime scene. Specific topics include auditing and investigation of network and host instrusions, computer forensics tools, resources for system administrators and information security officers, legal issues related to computer and network forensics. Prerequisite: CSCE 5323.
CSCE5513 Intelligent Robot Control (Irregular) This course is designed to examine software issues surrounding the creation and control of autonomous robots. Techniques include: genetic programming, artificial neural networks, reinforcement learning, and symbolic methods. Programs are run in simulation and on actual robotic controllers. Topic discussed include visual processing, spatial mapping, and learning. Prerequisite: graduate standing
CSCE5523 Multiagent Systems (IR) Multiagent systems is the study, construction, and application of systems in which several interacting software (or software and human) agents pursue some set of goals or some set of tasks. The course covers agent architectures; multiagent problem-solving and planning; multiagent communication; multiagent search; multiagent learning; reasoning about action, plans, beliefs and knowledge; coordination; cooperation and competition; teamwork; and multiagent decision-making. Application examples are presented in e-commerce, scheduling, robotics, control, information retrieval, manufacturing and logistics
CSCE5713 Multimedia Systems Design (Irregular) Overview of digital unified multimedia. Programming methodology involved in integration of all forms of digitized information (e.g., text, sound, graphics, animation, and process control) in a single computer-based interactive environment. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CSCE5723 Client-Server Computing (Irregular) Advanced Object Oriented methods for designing software systems for network applications. Topics include implementations of distributed object models, remote database connectivity. Server side programming, and reusable components. Prerequisite: CSCE 5743 and graduate standing.
CSCE5733 Information Agency (Sp, Su, Fa) Study of software agents and their deployment on the internet: precursors to agents - viruses and worms, origins of software agents, delegate vs. representative agents, agency of the Internet and Web, operational guidelines for agents, HTTP, transaction security, MUD agency, intelligent agency, applications of agents: indexers, resource managers, search utilities, commercial applications. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CSCE5743 Object Oriented Programming for the Internet (Irregular) Object oriented design and programming for Internet client/server applications. Basics of the Internet, including TCP/IP protocol stack. Introduction to Object Oriented Programming and Object Oriented Design with Unified Modeling Language. Sockets application programming interface. Graphical user interfaces. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CSCE590V Advanced Topics in Computer Science (Irregular) (1-3) Topics not covered in depth in other courses. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CSCE5953 Real-time Systems (Irregular) A study of real-time system design. The development of real-time systems will be examined from the standpoint of academia, government, and industry. Scheduling, operating systems, and architecture considerations are among other topics to be covered. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CSCE610V Master’s Thesis (Sp, Su, Fa) (1-6) Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CSCE620V Research in Computer Science (Irregular) (1-18) Prerequisite: graduate standing.
CSCE690V Graduate Seminar (Irregular) (1-6) Concentrated study in selected areas of computer science research. Prerequisite: advanced graduate standing
CSCE700V Doctoral Dissertation (Sp, Su, Fa) (1-18)