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Doctor of Philosophy in Imaging Science

Anthony Vodacek, Coordinator
(585) 475-7816, vodacek@cis.rit.edu

www.cis.rit.edu/content/view/308/270/

The doctor of philosophy degree in imaging science signifies high achievement in scholarship and independent investigation in the diverse aspects of imaging science. Candidates for the doctoral degree must demonstrate proficiency by:

Admission requirements

Because imaging science encompasses a wide variety of scientific disciplines, students with diverse backgrounds are accepted into the program. Undergraduate preparation leading to a bachelor of science degree in engineering, computer science, applied mathematics, or one of the natural sciences is usually required, but exceptional students from other fields may be accepted. All students admitted to the doctoral program in imaging science must have completed courses in the following areas:

Admissions decisions are made by a committee comprised of graduate faculty of the Center for Imaging Science. To be admitted, students must have a record of academic achievement from their undergraduate institutions, as indicated by official transcripts; demonstrate proficiency on the Graduate Record Examination; and request letters of recommendation from two people well-qualified to judge their abilities for graduate study.

Graduate assistantships and tuition remission scholarships are available to qualified students. Applicants seeking financial assistance from the center must have all application documents submitted to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services by January 15 for the next academic year. Students whose native language is not English must demonstrate language proficiency by taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language. A minimum TOEFL score of 600 (paper-based), 250 (computer-based), or 100 (Internet-based) is required. Students whose native language is not English are advised to obtain as high a TOEFL score as possible if they wish to apply for a teaching or research assistantship. These candidates also are encouraged to take the Test of Spoken English in order to be considered for financial assistance.

Students with a master of science degree in a related field (e.g., physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, or computer engineering) may be granted up to 36 quarter credits toward the doctoral degree in imaging science based on their earlier studies. These credits may be granted after successful completion of the comprehensive examination and approval of their study plan. The required research credits may not be waived by experience or examination.

Curriculum

All students must complete a minimum of 60 credit hours of course work. The courses are defined by the student’s study plan and must include the completion of the core sequences, plus at least two three-quarter sequences in topical areas. Some examples of topical areas are remote sensing, digital image processing, digital graphics, electro-optical imaging systems, medical imaging, and microlithographic imaging technologies.

Students may take a maximum of 16 credits in other departments and must complete research credits to bring the total credits earned to 99. Three credits of research are associated with the research seminar course (1051-706, 707, 708).

The core curriculum includes courses that span and integrate a common body of knowledge essential to an understanding of imaging processes and applications. The core courses are:

Core Courses Qtr. Cr. Hrs.
1051-706, 707, 708 Imaging Science Research Seminar 3
1051-716 Fourier Methods for Imaging 4
1051-718 Digital Imaging Mathematics 4
1051-719 Radiometry 4
1051-720 Vision 4
1051-733 Optics 4
1051-713 Probability, Noise and System Modeling 4
1051-782 Digital Image Processing 4

Admission to candidacy

Admission to candidacy will proceed through the following steps:

If the faculty decision, following the comprehensive exam, is not to permit the candidate to continue in the doctoral track, the adviser and graduate coordinator will counsel the student about options that may include pursuit of an MS degree. If the faculty decision is to permit the candidate to continue in the doctoral track, the program continues with the study plan revision, research committee appointment, candidacy/proposal exam, and, finally, dissertation defense.

Research committee

Prior to the candidacy exam, the student, in consultation with the adviser, must present a request to the graduate coordinator for the appointment of a research committee. The committee will include the adviser, one member of the faculty, a person competent in the field of research, and an external chair. The external chair must be a tenured member of the RIT faculty who is not a faculty member of the center and who is appointed by the dean. The research committee will supervise the student’s research, beginning with a review of the research proposal and concluding with the dissertation defense.

Research proposal

The student and the research adviser select a research topic for the dissertation. The proposed research must be original and publishable. Although the topic may deal with any aspect of imaging, the research is usually concentrated in an area of current interest within the center.

Residency

All students in the program must spend at least three consecutive quarters (summer quarter excluded) as resident full-time students to be eligible to receive the doctoral degree. A full-time academic workload is defined as a minimum of nine academic credits per quarter or an equivalent amount of research, as certified by the graduate coordinator.

Time limitations

All candidates for a doctoral degree must maintain continuous enrollment during the research phase of the program. Such enrollment is not limited by the maximum number of research credits that apply to the degree. Normally, full-time students complete the course of study for the doctorate in approximately three to five years. A total of seven years is allowed to complete the requirements after admission to candidacy.

Exceptions to residency requirement and time limitations

If circumstances warrant, the residency requirement may be waived via petition to the graduate coordinator, who will decide on the student’s petition in consultation with the adviser and graduate faculty. The request must be submitted at least nine months prior to the thesis defense. The time limitation may be waived only via petition to the dean and graduate council.

Final examination of the dissertation

The Research Adviser, on behalf of the student and the student's Research Committee, must notify the Graduate Coordinator of the scheduling of the final examination of the dissertation by forwarding to the Graduate Coordinator the title and abstract of the dissertation and the scheduled date, time, and location of the examination. The final examination of the dissertation may not be scheduled within six months of the date on which the student passed the candidacy exam (at which the thesis proposal was presented and approved).

Barring exceptional circumstances (requiring permission from the Graduate Coordinator), the examination may not be scheduled sooner than four weeks after formal announcement (i.e. center-wide hallway postings and email broadcast) has been made concerning the dissertation title and abstract and the defense date, time, and location.

The final examination of the dissertation is open to the public and is primarily a defense of the dissertation research. The examination consists of an oral presentation by the student, followed by questions from the audience. The research committee may also elect to privately question the candidate following the presentation. The research committee will immediately notify the candidate and the graduate coordinator of the examination result.