phd computer science rice university

Unconventional Computing

Advancing the frontiers of computing through research, education, and service.

Inside Rice CS

News | rice’s mamouras wins nsf career award for advanced iot applications, news | rice’s nai-hui chia wins nsf career award for efficient quantum algorithms, news | rice’s online master of computer science degree ranked no. 3 by fortune, news | rice computer science expands access to students, awards | moshe vardi awarded honorary title by the university of calabria.

Thursday, Sep. 5, 2024

Chen specializes in natural language processing, interpretable machine learning, and trustworthy AI

Wednesday, Sep. 4, 2024

Ken Kennedy Institute hosting AI in Health Conference Sept. 9-12

Myers’ innovative data science pedagogy brings real-world data applications to the classroom

Monday, Aug. 12, 2024

New training method improves visual grounding

Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024

Wil Thomason brings strong background in task and motion planning to team of experts at one of the nation’s leading robotics institutions

Vicky Yao uses NLP, novel procedural knowledge extraction paradigm to track trends in biomedical literature

Wednesday, Jul. 31, 2024

Over 100 Rice students worked for a year on the award-winning hybrid rocket “Archimedes”

Friday, Jul. 26, 2024

The IFCE-Rice-SENAI program aims to establish a long-term US-Brazil research and education collaboration

Rice CS Events

Helpful links.

Rice University is now accepting applications for graduate study for 2025 admission. Click here to apply .

Applications for GCURS 2024 close Sept. 29! Visit gcursapply.rice.edu to begin your application.

Programs of Study

At Rice, graduate study is offered in three broad categories:

• Research-based programs (thesis) leading to the M.A., M.S., and various doctoral degrees,
• Professional master's programs (non-thesis) which provide advanced course work and lead to degrees in specific disciplines.
• Graduate certificate programs which provide post-bachelor's coursework (typlically 4-5 courses) to recognize students who have achieved a defined level of competence, skill, or professional expertise

Research-based degrees will transform a student to be expert in their field; qualified doctoral applicants often receive tuition support and a stipend to support cost of living. Non-thesis master's degrees and graduate certificates offer exceptional training and propel students to the next level of their careers.

Programs with STEM OPT Designation can be found here.

Use the links below to find information on specific programs. A full chart of degree programs is found in the General Announcements . Graduate programs at Rice usually require full-time study, however, many non-thesis programs can be completed on a part-time basis and some offer online options. Check with your department of interest for specifics, including application deadlines.

Rice Graduate Studies is not requiring the GRE for 2025, but will provide students with the option of submitting those scores. However, the following individual Rice degree programs will recommend, strongly recommend, or require the general GRE for 2024 admission:

• General GRE is recommended but not required: Master's in Material Science and NanoEngineering; Ph.D. in Materials Science and NanoEngineering
• General GRE is strongly recommended but not required: Master's in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, Ph.D. in Civil Engineering; Master's in Architecture; Master's in Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
• General GRE is required for the PhD in Economics and Political Science

Please check in with your program of application on all individual requirements.

Graduate programs in the Jones School of Business generally require some standardized testing, such as GMAT, Executive Assessment or the GRE. Waivers may be available for those with appropriate qualifications as described at the Jones School’s application site.

For 2025 admission, Rice is also waiving doctoral application fee waivers for students graduating from institutions in Texas or bordering states, or for students who reside in those states. This excludes programs in the Jones School of Business.

School of Architecture

Rice Architecture is the meeting point of design and discourse; of theory and practice; of past and future; of Rice and the world; and of our two inseparable aims: to educate architects and to position our graduates as leaders in a rapidly changing world.

JGSB programs enable students to focus on key business areas such as finance, strategy, marketing, entrepreneurship and more.

The Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies provides lifelong personal and professional development opportunities. Non-transcriptable certificate programs are offered in a wide range of fields, including data science, financial planning, human resources and paralegal studies.

The School of Engineering is a leader in computational science and engineering and simulation and modeling. With pioneering research in nanotechnology, Rice Engineering has made significant contributions in bioengineering, materials science and energy. Its strengths in information technology include data science, high performance computing, compilers and digital signal processing.

Rice's School of Humanities offers programs in disciplines traditionally associated with the humanities as well as pushing beyond disciplinary boundaries to explore what it means to be human in all its ramifications.

The Shepherd School provides music performance training for an international student body of 285 music majors focused on a professional career. Shepherd School alumni include Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award winners; they have debuted on the stages of Carnegie Hall and have appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Opera.

A small school with a global vision, the Wiess School of Natural Sciences sees the universe as its laboratory. Intense curiosity drives each of us to explore the unknown. From hunting the smallest subatomic particles to investigating the unfathomable distances of our universe — and scientific inquiries at every scale in between — the goal at the heart of the School of Natural Sciences is discovery.

Rice University's School of Social Sciences is a vibrant, inclusive community of scholars, students and educators committed to connecting our teaching and research with policy for the betterment of society. We tackle society's greatest challenges with an unconventional vision toward shaping a future that we can all thrive in.

MAJORS & MINORS

Computer Science

Our undergraduate curricula introduce students to the emerging fields of computer science and at the same time provide them with solid training in its foundations.

The increasingly interdisciplinary nature of computer science has significantly pushed its frontiers, while at the same time reinvigorated research into the foundations of computing. Our undergraduate curricula introduce students to the emerging fields of computer science and at the same time provide them with solid training in its foundations. Similarly, research in our department spans fields that range from core subjects to emerging fields.

Undergraduate alumni from the Department of Computer Science at Rice go on to great opportunities. Many are recruited by global giants like Amazon, Apple and Facebook, as well as smaller companies ranging from Airbnb to Zillow. Many of our graduates go on to create startups like ExtraHop, LendUp and SnapStream, while some use their talents to support non-profit endeavors like FromThePage, GroupRaise and MDSave.

Visit the department website →

Degrees Offered

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with a Major in Computer Science
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS) Degree

Related Minors

• Minor in Data Science
• Minor in Computational and Applied Mathematics
• Minor in Financial Computation and Modeling

Computing is the engine of most innovations today and computer science is about studying computing. A computer scientist is a problem solver that can work not only in the hi-tech industry and the computing field, but can also work in fields as diverse as biomedicine, energy, and social sciences, as all of them have been revolutionized by computing.

As stated above, computer science is about problem solving, so students can work in any field that requires computational problem solving. The majority of our students work in the hi-tech industry (e.g., Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft), but some pursue advanced degrees, with a few students sometimes going to medical or law school.

Take COMP 140 in the fall and COMP 182 and ELEC 220 in the spring.

Computer Science AP credit does not count toward the major requirements. If you have AP credit for Math, you should take the upper-level math requirements earlier.

Talk to your divisional advisor.

Yes. The spring of your junior year is the best time. It is very important though that you talk to your major advisor so that you plan properly in particular in case you plan on getting transfer credit.

In any given year, about half of the CS faculty work with one or more undergraduates on research. We recommend that you reach out to the faculty in your areas of interest.

The Rice University Computer Science Club, Hack Rice, CSters (Rice University’s Society for Women in Computer Science), The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.

A majority of our classes are lecture-based with homework assignments and group projects. Some courses utilized the flipped classroom model, where students watch lecture videos on their own, and do hands-on work during the class meetings. There are also software design courses which consist mainly of a semester-long software engineering project.

Yes. Our B.A. degree is ideal for combining with a minor (or even a major) in another field. In contrast, our B.S. degree is designed to achieve breadth in a particular area of Computer Science. It is also important that the B.S. capstone consists of courses that do not have to be from Computer Science.

Computer Science is the largest major on campus, which provides students with ample opportunities to interact and network with other students. It is also a very collegial department, where students and faculty interact on a regular basis. The department has made great strides towards being more inclusive, with over 30% women in the major.

PHD PROGRAM

Requirements

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree program in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University prepares students for a research career in academia or industry. Our PhD program consists of formal courses and original research conducted under the guidance of a faculty advisor, leading to a dissertation. Students admitted to the PhD program with only a bachelors degree complete the Master of Science (MS) degree as part of their program. Our department also offers a stand-alone MS degree, but only on a case-by-case basis.  Most students who have a prior MS degree with a research thesis component can directly move to the PhD program and do not have to complete a Rice MS degree (and will have a reduced coursework requirement as well). Students with a prior MS degree without a thesis may be waived from obtaining a Rice MS degree in some cases. Financial support is available for this program.

Students are admitted to the PhD program only in the fall semester. Electrical and Computer Engineering PhD students move through the program in stages, starting as a first-year student, advancing to MS candidate, PhD-qualified student, and PhD candidate; each advancement requires the approval of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Committee. Students entering with previous graduate work may follow a hybrid program developed in consultation with the faculty and the Graduate Committee.

Learn more about Graduate Admissions .

In the selection of prospective graduate students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, all available material is carefully evaluated, particularly:

• the scholastic record as reflected by courses chosen and the quality of performance
• the evaluations of teachers and advisors
• the student's own statement of goals, aspirations and special interests
• minimum GPA requirement is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Proof of Bachelor's degree must be provided upon acceptance to the program
• GRE (optional but strongly recommended):  The average GRE score of successful applicants is: V156, Q166
• TOEFL:  A minimum score of 90 is required. Minimum TOEFL requirements for international applicants are 600 (paper), 250 (computer), and 90 (IBT). The TOEFL requirement may be waived for students who have received a degree from a university where English is the official language of communication.
• IELTS:  For students who choose to take the IELTS in lieu of the TOEFL, the minimum score is 7. The IELTS requirement may be waived for students who have received a degree from a university where English is the official language of communication.

GRE/TOEFL Educational Testing Service (ETS) Codes:

Rice University - institution - 6609 Electrical and Computer Engineering - department - GRE - 1203 Electrical and Computer Engineering - department - TOEFL - 66

Application Deadlines & Fees

Application to the ECE M.S./Ph.D. program is free. The application deadline for Fall is December 15. Notice of acceptance for fall admission will be no later than April 15. 

When applying,  please do NOT  mail any hard copy documents. Transcripts should be uploaded in the online application. Recommenders should submit letters online. The ECE Department will allow unofficial transcripts (including photocopies or non-certified electronic copies) during the admissions process. Official transcripts will be required after acceptance into the graduate  program  and must be submitted to the department 30 days from the date the offer letter is received.

Tuition & Fees

All enrolled full-time M.S./Ph.D. students are supported with full tuition and a stipend. All first-year M.S./Ph.D. students are supported by fellowships. Thereafter, students in good standing will be supported as Research Assistants by their M.S./Ph.D. advisors. Compensation is calculated and paid bi-weekly.

Students are strongly encouraged to  apply for fellowships  in addition to what is provided by Rice. See  graduate.rice.edu/funding  for more information.

Enrolled full-time M.S./Ph.D. students do have certain fee responsibilities that can be found  here . These include Graduate Student Association Fees and Health & Wellness Support services.

Additionally, all degree-seeking students are required to maintain health insurance. Students who do not complete an Insurance Enrollment or Waiver form will have their account put on hold. If you already have health insurance and want to waive the Rice Plan, complete the Insurance Waiver form indicating that other coverage is in place. More information  here .

First Year & Coursework

The first academic year concentrates on foundation coursework and developing a research area as well as taking and passing ELEC 599. A candidate for the PhD degree must demonstrate independent, original research in ECE. After successful completion of all coursework, a student is eligible for PhD candidacy.

The student then engages in full-time research, culminating in the presentation of the PhD research proposal and then the completion and public defense of the PhD dissertation. Details of the PhD program requirements, the phases of study, and a timetable may be found on the ECE website.

Each incoming PhD student will be assigned at least one seasoned ECE graduate student. Mentors will assist first-year students in academic matters, including preparation for ELEC 599, and social interaction with members of ECE and other departments. Mentor/mentee social events will be planned over the course of the first year by the Student Mentor Program.

Visit General Announcements to review all our courses and requirements .

Candidacy and Completion Overview

A candidate for the PhD degree must demonstrate independent, original research in Electrical and Computer Engineering. After successful completion of all coursework, a student is eligible for PhD candidacy. The student then engages in full-time research, culminating in the presentation of the PhD. research proposal and then the completion and public defense of the PhD. dissertation.

2024-2025 Academic Year   M.S/Ph.D Faculty Committee

Santiago Segarra (Chair) Richard Baraniuk  Jacob Robinson  Kevin Kelly Songtao Chen Srujan Meesala Lei Li Guha Balakrishnan Vivek Boominathan Edward Knightly Akane Sano Lan Luan Nishal Shah Kaiyuan Yang

Staff: Aki Shimada, [email protected] , 713.348.3597

General questions that are not related to admissions decisions may be directed to   [email protected] . 

Sep. 5, 2024

Meet rice cs’s new faculty: hanjie chen, chen specializes in natural language processing, interpretable machine learning, and trustworthy ai.

Hanjie Chen has joined Rice University’s Department of Computer Science as an assistant professor specializing in Natural Language Processing (NLP), Interpretable Machine Learning, and Trustworthy AI.  These areas are relatively new within the department, and Chen hopes to bring “fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to the existing curriculum.”

Prior to joining Rice, Chen was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Center for Language and Speech Processing at Johns Hopkins University, hosted by Mark Drezde. She completed her Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Virginia, advised by Yangfeng Ji.

Chen’s current research focuses on “explaining and analyzing the inner workings, reasoning, and prediction processes of neural language models, with a particular emphasis on large language models (LLMs). This includes exploring their emergent capabilities, such as reasoning, text generation, and few-shot learning, as well as identifying their pitfalls and limitations, including biases, adversarial vulnerabilities, and hallucinations.”  

Natural Language Processing has had a profound impact on many aspects of modern life, with its applications spanning numerous industries and transforming the way we interact with technology. “For example,” Chen says, “NLP powers virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, which can understand and respond to commands in natural language, enabling people to interact with their devices. These intelligent systems are built on neural language models.”

However, Chen explains, “despite their powerful capabilities in understanding, processing, and generating natural language, they operate in ways that are not fully transparent or explainable to users, developers, or researchers, raising issues of trustworthiness.”

For example, in healthcare, a trustworthy AI system used for diagnostics would need to be “transparent about how it reaches its conclusions, fair in treating patients of different backgrounds, accountable for its decisions, and secure in handling patient data,” Chen points out. “It would also need to be reliable in various medical contexts to ensure it truly benefits patients.”

Chen is working on developing solutions to address these challenges with the aim to build more reliable and trustworthy models for real-world applications.  “I’m eager to explore interdisciplinary applications with other researchers and with students,” Chen says. “For example, we could work on developing explainable LLMs for complex medical diagnoses or analyzing model decision-making through a psychological lens.” 

She is also affiliated with Rice’s Ken Kennedy Institute , an interdisciplinary group that works collaboratively on groundbreaking research in artificial intelligence, data, and computing. The Ken Kennedy Institute comprises over 250 renowned faculty and senior research members spanning multiple departments and schools. Chen says she is excited to “engage with the Institute's diverse initiatives, such as its flagship conferences and collaborative efforts with external partners like the Texas Medical Center.”

There were many reasons Chen was drawn to Rice: its academic excellence and rigorous programs and its commitment to high quality education and research. A major draw was the excellent computer science faculty and researchers who are doing innovative research across various areas. She looks forward to collaborating with them and contributing to groundbreaking research. “More importantly,” she says, “the department is welcoming and supportive. Working in a collaborative atmosphere where faculty, staff, and students are approachable and willing to help is something I truly value.”

Laurie Lynn Drummond, contributing writer

Hanjie Chen

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Computer Science

[email protected]

WEBSITE(S) | Website

Hanjie Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Rice University. She is also affiliated with the Ken Kennedy Institute. Prior to joining Rice, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Center for Language and Speech Processing at Johns Hopkins University from 2023 to 2024, hosted by Dr. Mark Dredze. She completed her Ph.D. in Computer Science in May 2023 at the University of Virginia, where her advisor was Dr. Yangfeng Ji.

Hanjie is broadly interested in Natural Language Processing, Interpretable Machine Learning, and Trustworthy AI. Her research focuses on understanding the properties, mechanisms, and capabilities of neural language models, enabling their alignment, interaction, and collaboration with humans, and enhancing their impact on real-world applications such as medicine, healthcare, sports, and more. By developing explainable AI techniques, she aims to make intelligent systems controllable by system developers, accessible to general users, applicable to various domains, and beneficial to society.

Research Areas

Natural Language Processing, Interpretable Machine Learning, Trustworthy AI

Ph.D., Computer Science, University of Virginia (2023)

Master's Degree, University of Science and Technology of China (2018)

Bachelor's Degree, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (2015)

Honors & Awards

Outstanding Doctoral Student Award, UVA, 2023

John A. Stankovic Graduate Research Award, UVA, 2023

Carlos and Esther Farrar Fellowship, UVA, 2022 - 2023

University-wide Graduate Teaching Awards Nominee, UVA, 2022

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award, UVA CS, 2022

Best Poster Award, ACM Capital Region Celebration of Women in Computing, 2021

National Center for Women & Information Technology Collegiate Award Finalist, 2021

Changes or additions to profiles.rice.edu will not take effect on the Rice sub-sites until after its next refresh which occurs at 5:15am, 10:15am, 1:15pm, 4:15pm and 7:15pm daily. (This does not affect profiles.rice.edu)

Training the next generation of computing researchers.

Ph.D. and graduate certificate programs in the emphasis areas: Computational Math Science and Engineering , Computer Science , Cybersecurity , and Data Science .

Hours and Contact Information

Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or by appointment

Contact information is available on our Program Staff page.

Emphasis Areas

Computational math science and engineering, computer science, cybersecurity, data science, about the program, meet our students, apply to program, learn about funding, current research, comprehensive exam – gus tropea, computing ph.d. news, alumni spotlight: dr. md asif rahman, computing phd alumnus, data science emphasis, students in action: chibuzo ukegbu, computing phd cybersecurity emphasis, computing phd alumnus receives distinguished doctoral scholarship award, when safety and security co-engineering conflict: doctoral student presents technical paper to advance cybersecurity solutions, ph.d. student presentation garners co-sponsor funding for initiative.

If you have questions about admissions, degree requirements, and more we are here to help.

Quick Links

Student handbook

Frequently Asked Questions

Canvas (Also accessed through myBoiseState)

PhD Student Handbook

Phd in computing.

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