PhD CS/ISM/SE Programs without GRE requirement

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by April, Dec 20, 2003.

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  1. April

    April New Member

    Does anyone know of any PhD CS/ISM/SE Programs without a GRE requirement? I have a masters in computer systems engineering (3.71 GPA), (and will have another shortly) from very well known Engineering universities.

    So far I have found 3 schools:

    GWU Information Security Management

    Stevens Institute of technology (Systems Engineering)

    NOVA
     
  2. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

  3. April

    April New Member

    Looking for No GRE Requirement

    Please review my post. I'm looking for
    NO GRE Required for admissions to a PHD program.

    Thanks
     
  4. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    Re: Looking for No GRE Requirement

    The Robert Morris program does not necessarily require the GRE. They state the "GRE or equivalent." As noted on their web site, the GMAT or LSAT would also apply and likely other Graduate exams. Thus, it is possible to get into Robert Morris without the GRE.
    http://www.rmu.edu/OnTheMove/findoutmore.open_page?icalledby=WPMAJDEGR&ipage=7007&it=&iattr=D&ivisitor=

    Based on your post are you really looking for a program with no admission exams at all or just no GRE?

    John
     
  5. oxpecker

    oxpecker New Member

  6. JoAnnP38

    JoAnnP38 Member

    But Why?

    April,

    Are you looking to avoid the GRE general exam or the GRE Computer Science exam? If its the former and you are PhD material then you shouldn't have anything to worry about. Just study some GRE vocabulary, review the math rules and then take the test. If you are in Computer Science then your natural apptitude for math should easily get you a high score in the quantitative section and most CS departments set pretty low standards on the verbal. (Especially if you are a foreign student.) Taking the GRE should open up a lot of opens to you.

    Now if you are worried about the subject exam and you are not comming from a CS background or had undergrad CS a long time ago, then I completely understand. That test (from what I hear) is quite difficult unless the material is somewhat fresh on your mind. But then again, there are a lot of programs that just want the GRE general exam and not the subject exam.
     
  7. Tom57

    Tom57 Member

    I agree with JoAnn. If you're considering a PhD program, then forget worrying about the general GRE test. It's not that bad. Spend a couple of weeks with a review book. Take a couple of practice exams at home (most books these days come with a CD that duplicates the experience at the testintg center). Make your appointment at Sylvan (or wherever) and go for it. Good luck.
     
  8. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    I know it is an old thread, but just in case somebody is GRE phobia likes me. Then this is a good school.

    Purdue University's Ph.D in Computer Science (No GRE require, I verified myself)
    National Rank: #62
     
  9. UnixGuy

    UnixGuy New Member

    However, admission to Purdue PhD is VERY competitive. It's a top school in CS, and getting admission for PhD requires a fair amount of research experience or even publications.


     
  10. Software Engr

    Software Engr New Member

    I need to earn Ph.D.

    Hello,
    I need to earn Ph.D. in Software Engineering, computer and Information Systems or.....
    I have 63 credit hour Doctoral of Software Engineering.
    My question is: If I do ONLY dissertation, Can I earn Ph.D. in Computer and Information Systems or Software Engineering or.. ..?

    Pls help!
    Thanks,
     
  11. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Yes, you can; however, only UK, Australian, and South African schools offer this path. Check out Lancaster University's Ph.D in Management with Information System. None of the US schools will award such as program. Is there any reason you want to give up the program that you're currently enrolling? If you have 63 credits, I am sure you are nearly done with the program. Is that because you want to have an academia Doctorate over professional Doctorate?
     
  12. Software Engr

    Software Engr New Member

    I need school in USA to get Ph.D

    Hi Tekman,
    I had Doctoral of Software Engineering/ Minors: Engineering MIS & Computer Science; December, 2010.

    I am teacher in college. I need to teach in Univ. I have to have Ph.D.
    Yes, I want to have an academia Doctorate over professional Doctorate.
    I need school in USA to get Ph.D.


    Pls help!
    Thanks,
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 7, 2012
  13. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    I've heard UoP will waive the GRE, especially if your student loans are preapproved.
     
  14. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Where is the LIKE button?:fing02: hahaha!

    Hey! MIT does not require GRE for Computer Science and Engineering Ph.D programs.
     
  15. dlbb

    dlbb Active Member

    I would encourage people to just study for the GRE. If you study, your score can improve pretty well. I did not take any pretests prior to studying, but I am sure my quantitative score would have been much worse. I have only taken up to precalculus, and yet I was able to get a fairly high score on the quantitative (relatively speaking). Moreover, I had forgotten nearly all of the material on the quantitative portion of the test, so I had to actually reteach myself nearly all of it. I did know it all at one point though. The quantitative also only goes as high as algebra II, so it is really not expecting you to know advanced mathematics concepts, as I had feared. But it does require a fairly good understanding of the material up to the level to which it tests. A mere passing familiarity is not going to get you a good score, but studying can.

    As far as the verbal portion of the test goes, I already had a strong vocabulary anyway, but I just went through and highlighted all the words I did not know and read them along with sample sentences over again until they were all memorized. That may be more extreme than most people would go for the vocabulary, as there are thousands of possible words, and what I did is not recommended by the study books, but learning what you can would certainly help. There are 500-1000 words that are essential to know. Mastering those would help. Those would be a good starting pointing, and study material should detail them. The same words do tend to repeat themselves. (I know from having studied several such test prep books.) I don't think the verbal really is all that important anyway for most schools that admit for IT/CS programs, so as long as you meet a minimal threshold, you should be fine on that account. For those that don't know, the GRE also was rewritten recently, and the verbal no longer has analogies if someone was afraid of those.

    Spending time on the quantitative portion of the test would probably be the best use of time for someone applying to a program related to IT or CS. It is also important, particularly for the quantitative portion, to do ALL the example questions in the test prep books, and more so to also read the explanations for all the math questions. As you are learning or relearning mathematical concepts, you may end up missing many. However, you can learn how to do certain types of problems by studying the explanations in the answer keys. You can learn how to do all of the difficult math questions. Certain types do definitely repeat themselves. I would recommend reviewing and re-reviewing all the math material (including the lessons, sample questions, test questions, as well as explanations for the correct answers) until you are confident you know it. Keep doing math questions in other books as well on topics you struggle with until you gain proficiency. This is not highly advanced mathematics, and the types of questions do repeat themselves across books, as previously stated. Math definitely is not one of my stronger points, but I got a score that was fairly respectable - though lower for someone in IT/CS who might try to go to a top school (perfectly acceptable for any other). I got a lot higher on a my quantitative on a test prep, but I accidentally screwed up my timing when taking the actual test, and so my actual score is about 10 points lower.

    For me the preparation took a lot of time, quite a lot of my free time for a month, but I got pretty high scores: 162 for verbal (90 percentile), 153 for quantitative (65 percentile), and 6 for analytical writing (6.).

    The GRE really is not much more than a glorified SAT; it just involves a greater amount of material at a higher level. I think someone who would not want to study as much as I did, or perhaps may have greater difficulty with the material or is much older and has been away for longer periods, may require more time. It really is not that hard. Get the relevant study prep books, read them all, learn all the material.

    Few schools, particularly with CS/IT, place much if any emphasis on the analytical writing portion of the test. They let your writing samples speak for themselves. For most places a 3 or a 4 is acceptable, and those are much more common. I didn't put any time into studying except for the night before. I also was a writing center tutor as well previously, so I felt I had a strong understanding of writing essentials. One salient point I did come across though was this: if you are aiming for a top score (5 or 6), your argument should not agree with and support the statement, but instead it should degree. Your essays should find bits of information in the supporting material to take apart and refute, and your arguments should be well-reasoned and have sufficient supporting material to do so. To obtain a top score, you also want to employ a higher level vocabulary and have a fluent writing style as well as a variety of sentence types (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex) that flow together nicely and naturally. Don't overdo it with purple prose, an over the top vocabulary, an absurd and pretentious writing style, or use a word inappropriately just for the sake of showing off that you know it. That kind of activity does not constitute top level writing. To just obtain an average score as far as a 3 or 4, you simply need to have a well reasoned argument with sufficient supportive material. Basic essay structure is extremely important to get that score. The quality of argument and reasoning (which does not require a knowledge beyond just everyday knowledge) also will be important if you want to have a score above just average.

    The GRE really is not hard. It should not intimidate anyone. I am sure a lot of people might do it poorly if they took it cold without studying, but most people should do well if they make a decent and serious effort at studying. I strongly encourage people to take the time to study for the GRE. Take three or four months if you need it. I took one month, but I had the time to do it, and I can catch on fairly quickly. Don't limit yourself to lesser schools on account of not having taken the GRE. For some places, it is merely a formality as long as you are at a certain level and your other credentials - GPA, letters of rec., etc. - are decent. I am sure most people could get decent scores on the GRE if they took the time to study for it. If you are too poor to afford to invest in test prep materials, try to obtain ebooks online at no cost. Physical books are certainly more desirable, since you will want to go back and forth from the answer key and the questions for some of the sample questions. You definitely don't want to just stick to one book, as the quality of the instruction and lessons does vary, and some are better suited to other parts of the test. I cannot recall which books I used, or which were best, but I am sure a google search on web sites devoted to such topics would yield a list of books. Try to get at least one or two books that cover the revised test, so you can be sure you understand the current format. It is okay to study from books for the older format test since a lot of it is still the same.
     
  16. dl_mba

    dl_mba Member

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