doctor of philosophy (phd)computer science

The Graduate School rules require that advisors for students in the Ph.D. program be Category P Graduate Faculty members, but it is permissible to have a Category M Graduate Faculty member as a co-advisor. The co-advisor may be the functioning advisor. In such cases, a Category P person should be included as an integral member of the research team early in the student's research, so there is a meaningful collaboration involving the Category M functioning advisor and the Category P advisor. The Graduate School requires that the Category P advisor sign the examination and thesis approval forms.

The requirements for a Doctoral degree in Computer Science and Engineering are determined in part by general Graduate School requirements for a Ph.D. degree, and in part by specific requirements stipulated by the department. The student should refer to the Graduate School Handbook for residency requirements, regulations concerning transfer of credit from other institutions, and for credit-hour requirements stipulated by the Graduate School.

Prior to entering the first stage of study toward the Doctoral degree, a student has to successfully complete the Ph.D qualifying process (see  Section 3 ) as well as take CSE6891 (1 crhr S/U graded) during their first Autumn term.

During the first stage of Ph.D. study, the student is required to undertake a program of study in a major area and two minor areas, and to formulate a dissertation proposal. At least 10 cr-hrs of coursework in the major area and 6 cr-hrs in each of the minor areas are required. This coursework cannot include graduate core classes that were used for the qualifying process. All of the 10 credits towards the major and at least 5 credits for each minor need to be from graded graduate classes. The student's research advisor serves as the advisor for the program of study in the major area. The student, in consultation with the research advisor, chooses the two minor areas of study and the minor area advisors. The courses comprising the program of study for the minor areas must be approved by the minor area advisors.

The first stage of study toward a Doctoral degree is completed when the student has received credit for a total of 60 cr-hrs of graduate work in a program prescribed by the student's advisor and has passed the Candidacy Examination (see  Section 5 ) to be formally admitted to candidacy. At least three months prior to taking the Candidacy Examination, a proposed schedule of study should be submitted to the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee for consideration.

The second stage is devoted primarily to research and seminars, the preparation of the dissertation, and the Final Examination (see  Section 6 ). The Final Examination is oral and deals intensively with the portion of the candidate's field of specialization in which the dissertation falls, though it need not be confined exclusively to the subject matter of the dissertation.

Overall Requirements

The CSE Ph.D. Qualifying Process consists of two components: one is coursework, and the other is research. To pass the Qualifying Process, a student needs to demonstrate satisfactory performance on both components: (1) Be competent and knowledgeable on fundamental principles of computer science and engineering, and (2) show promise for conducting original research in the areas of computer science and engineering.

For the coursework component, a student needs to achieve the average GPA of 3.3 or above on four CSE courses that include a required Algorithms course (CSE 6331) and three other courses chosen by the student in consultation with the faculty advisor  [1] . The three courses can be chosen from the seven categories listed below with at most one course from a single category. Note that a student may count one Qualifying course in this new Qualifying Process towards the major/minor course requirements in the Candidacy Exam. For the research component, a student is required to work with their faculty advisor and demonstrate satisfactory research progress  [2] .

Course Categories

The seven categories of CSE courses include: (1) Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining (CSE 6521, CSE 5523, CSE 5526, CSE 5243, CSE 5245) (2) Graphics and Visualization (CSE 5542, CSE 5543, CSE 5544, CSE 5545, CSE 5546) (3) Computer Networking (CSE 5462, CSE 5463) (4) Security and Privacy (CSE 5471, CSE5472, CSE 5473, CSE 5474) (5) Computer Systems (CSE 6431, CSE 6421, CSE 6333, CSE 5242, CSE 5441) (6) Software Engineering and Programing Languages (CSE 6341, CSE 5343) (7) Computer Theory (CSE 6321, CSE 6332, CSE 5351)

Procedures and Timeline

A Qualifying Process has two checkpoints: the first is by the end of Year 1  [2]  and the second is by the end of Year 2 [3] . In the first checkpoint, a student reports the grades of the Qualifying courses that have been taken. The student will comment on their progress towards identifying a research advisor and making research progress.

Early in the program, a student should identify research advisor(s) for the Ph.D. study. This may be the same as the initial academic advisor assigned by the Department, or a different faculty member.  The research advisor must be a member of the graduate faculty with “P” advising status in CSE. A student should declare the research advisor,  even if she or he is the same as the initial academic advisor,  by filing a Change of Advisor Form. This form is available through the Electronic Signature application called Docusign. The process begins by clicking on the following link which will send you an email and guide you in filling out the information needed: Change of Advisor Form . The research advisor will provide academic and research advice once the change of advisor form is submitted.

In the second checkpoint, a student reports the grades of the Qualifying courses that have been taken. The student’s faculty advisor will be contacted subsequently to provide input on the student’s research progress. Based on the student’s course work performance and the advisor’s research assessment, the Grad Studies Committee will notify the student of the Qualifying Process result at the second checkpoint. Both checkpoint forms can be found at  the CSE Portal .

If a student does not achieve the GPA requirement with the first four courses, a student may (a) retake the same course (required for Algorithms), (b) take a different course in the same course category, or (c) take a course in another course category.  This should be done in consultation with the faculty advisor. 

Students may file the second checkpoint form once they have achieved satisfactory performance on both coursework and research components, which could be earlier than the end of Year 2. Students should consult with their research advisor before submitting the second checkpoint form.

To maintain the status of “Good Standing” in CSE [4] , a Ph.D. student is expected to pass the Qualifying Process by the end of Year 2. Otherwise, a student who is not in good standing will not have a guaranteed appointment as a graduate teaching associate. A student who continues to not return to good standing in a timely way (e.g., by the end of the third year) may be dismissed from the Ph.D. program in Computer Science and Engineering after a conversation among the student, advisor, and graduate studies committee.

Implementation

This new Ph.D. Qualifying Process will be effective starting from  Autumn 2022.  Specifically, a student who is enrolled in the Ph.D. program of CSE in Autumn 2022 or after can only take this new Ph.D. Qualifying Process. For a smooth transition, a student who was enrolled prior to Autumn 2022 may choose to take this new Qualifying Process or the old Qualifying Exam.

Definitions and Criteria

• Faculty advisor : A student’s initial academic advisor assigned by the Department, or the research advisor chosen by the student.
• The criteria of satisfactory research performance : The most common way of satisfying this requirement is for the student to be a leading or significant contributor on a paper published, accepted, submitted, or in preparation to submit to a venue in Computer Science. Faculty advisors may provide evidence that the student has satisfied this requirement in other ways, such as making a significant contribution in research artifacts such as released software packages.
• The end of Year x : Two weeks after the end of 2*x non-summer terms since a student’s initial enrollment in the Ph.D. program of Computer Science and Engineering at Ohio State University.
• Good Standing in CSE : In addition to  the requirements from the Grad School , a Ph.D. student in CSE is required to pass the Qualifying Process by the end of Year 2. Students must also demonstrate English proficiency through one of the approved mechanisms listed on  the “English as a Second Language” website  by the end of Year 1.

Additional Notes

• While there is no accelerated option in the new policy of the PhD Qualifying Process, the accelerated option is still applicable to a student who was enrolled prior to Autumn 2022 if the student chooses to take the Qualifying Exam in the old policy.
• A student cannot transfer the credits of a Qualifying course from their prior institutes. If a student took a Qualifying course in the undergraduate program at Ohio State, the course can be counted towards the requirement of the Qualifying Process. However, the course credits cannot be counted towards their Ph.D. degree requirement except for the situations (such as the BS/MS program) allowed by the Graduate School.

The Qualifying Examination is administered Autumn and Spring semesters. Satisfactory performance on this examination, or qualification through the acceleration option listed below, is necessary for admission to the first stage of study towards the Doctoral degree.

The Qualifying Examination is based on the material covered in the graduate core areas. Specifically, students need to take the exam in algorithms (CSE 6331), either computability and unsolvability (CSE 6321) or programming languages (CSE 6341), and either operating systems (CSE 6431) or computer architecture (CSE 6421). Students who have previously studied this material are not required to take the corresponding core courses(s) in the CSE Department; they need only demonstrate their competence in these areas by satisfactory performance on the Qualifying Examination.

At the time students take the examination, they must have been admitted to the CSE Department and not be on probation. A student whose enrollment eligibility has been deactivated by the Graduate School may, if subsequently reactivated, be required to re-take the Qualifying Examination.

A student who fails the qualifying examination for the first time must retake the examination the next semester that it is offered. Students must petition the Graduate Studies Committee to retake the examination in any other semester or to retake the examination more than once.

Acceleration Option for Qualifying Exams : Students who complete the three graduate core classes (algorithms, either computability and unsolvability or programming languages, and either operating systems or computer architecture) with a GPA of 3.6 or better will be automatically granted a "conditional pass" in the qualifying examination. These students will need to demonstrate substantial research progress during their second year spring evaluation to remove the condition. One clear mechanism for demonstrating such progress is to have an accepted or submitted paper as a significant contributor, working on a project with their advisor.

Fill out the online form in the CSE Portal to apply for the Accelerate option. Advisor must approve it online.

This section further specifies the procedure set forth for the Candidacy Examination in the Graduate School Handbook. That section must be read in conjunction with this document for a full understanding of the rules governing the Candidacy Examination. The Candidacy Examination is a very important means by which the faculty can ensure that the prospective student has the necessary breadth and depth in chosen areas within computer and information science and cognate areas. The student is expected to demonstrate superior knowledge in his or her chosen areas.

To be eligible for the Candidacy Examination, the student is required to select one major area and two minor areas. The student may choose any of the pre-defined major or minor areas specified in the "Guidelines for the Ph.D. Candidacy Exam Major/Minor Areas". To demonstrate mastery in the two minor areas, the student is required to obtain a GPA of 3.3 or higher in the letter-graded courses taken in each of two minor areas. To demonstrate mastery in the major area, the student is expected to prepare a dissertation proposal. The student and the student's major advisor may suggest two examiners who are competent in the student's major area. In the Candidacy Examination, the student will be examined in written and oral format over the major area and the dissertation proposal.

The student is required to submit to the Graduate Studies Committee a proposed schedule of study for the candidacy examination at least three months in advance of the examination. The schedule should include the choice of major and minor areas, counter-signed by the student's major and two minor advisors, and the student's preliminary dissertation proposal, counter-signed by the student's major advisor and two other faculty members who will serve on the Candidacy Examination Committee. The schedule must also indicate those courses and individual studies already accomplished in each of the major and minor areas, together with additional work planned at this time. The Graduate School must be notified before the written portion of the Candidacy Examination begins. The form of the schedule of study can be  downloaded here .

After the student's proposed schedule of study has been approved by the Graduate Studies Committee, the Candidacy Examination should be scheduled in consultation with the examination committee. At least 2 weeks prior to the scheduled oral examination date, the student should declare formally the intent to take the oral portion of the Candidacy Examination. This Declaration of Intent form must be signed by the student's major advisor and the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee before transmittal to the Dean of the Graduate School for approval.

The Examination Committee consists of at least four faculty members, including the student's major advisor, two other members of the Graduate Faculty approved by the Graduate Studies Committee for this function, and a departmental representative appointed by the Graduate Studies Committee.

The Candidacy Examination consists of two parts, namely, a written examination and an oral examination. The precise times and places of the administration of the Examination will be determined by the Examination Committee, but the entire Examination must be administered within a three-month period.

The written portion is administered and evaluated by the student's Advisory Committee. It is conducted in the following steps.

a. The student prepares a written dissertation proposal. The proposal should be concise and precise, and should include the following:

• Title and abstract
• Significance of the problem
• Scope and objectives of the research
• Methodology
• Expected results and conclusions

Students are encouraged to include in the written portion any preliminary results that support the dissertation proposal. The dissertation proposal must be submitted to all members of the Advisory Committee.

b. On receiving the dissertation proposal, the major advisor compiles a written examination for the student, taking into consideration questions posed by and comments received from the rest of the Advisory Committee.

The written examination consists of two parts. The first part asks questions related to the submitted dissertation proposal. The purpose of this part is to examine whether the dissertation proposal has substantial depth to lead to quality research and whether the student is well prepared to conduct the research outlined in the proposal. The student may be asked to revise the proposal in accordance with the suggestions received. The second part examines the student on his overall breadth and depth in his major area.

c. On receiving the written examination, the student submits written answers to the questions (and possibly a revised dissertation proposal, if so requested) to all members of the Advisory Committee.

d. The Advisory Committee evaluates the written portion including the dissertation proposal. If, based on the written portion, the Advisory Committee members see no possibility for a satisfactory overall performance on the Candidacy Examination, the Advisory Committee records an "unsatisfactory" on the Candidacy Examination report form and returns it to the Graduate School.

The oral candidacy examination shall last approximately two hours. In addition, a 30-45 minute presentation on the proposed research must be made prior to the oral examination, but after the candidate has made their written proposal available to the committee. As per Graduate School rules, the two hour oral examination is strictly an examination and may not include a formal oral presentation of the dissertation proposal. During this oral examination, the student should be prepared to defend his or her dissertation proposal and to answer questions on a range of topics including the area of specialization and general fundamentals of computer science. Examinees may use prepared slides in answering questions about their proposal. A passing grade requires a unanimous vote of the examination committee.

Notice of the time and place of both the oral portion of the Candidacy Examination and the presentation prior to that will be given to all faculty of the Department.

The student is considered to have passed the Candidacy Examination only when the decision of the Examination Committee is unanimous. The student's performance is evaluated and reported to the Graduate School as "satisfactory" (implying admission to candidacy) or "unsatisfactory" (implying failure and denial of admission to candidacy). When a failure is reported, the student may be permitted to take a second examination if recommended by the Candidacy Examination Committee. No student will be permitted to take the Candidacy Examination more than twice. The advisor is also reminded that a copy of the report to the Graduate School must be sent to the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee for the Departmental record and student file.

After a student has passed the Candidacy Examination, the advisor of the student will nominate a Dissertation Committee to consider the merit of the dissertation. The members of the Dissertation Committee should be kept informed of the progress of research, thus giving them opportunities to make constructive suggestions for improvement of the dissertation.

The Dissertation Committee will consist of the advisor and two other members of the Graduate Faculty approved by the Graduate Studies Committee for this function. Normally, the Dissertation Committee must be approved no later than in one semester in advance of the anticipated graduation date. It is suggested that the Dissertation Committee be chosen from the committee which administered the Candidacy Examination.

The Graduate School should be consulted on the various deadlines for submission of the dissertation as well as for regulations governing the mechanics of its preparation. The Graduate School is to be informed of the Dissertation Committee members and the subject of the dissertation in the semester of expected graduation.

The Final Oral Examination is held after the approval of the draft of the dissertation by the Dissertation Committee. Generally, the Dissertation Committee and a Graduate School representative will constitute the Final Oral Examination Committee. The examination will be oral and will deal intensively with the portion of the candidate's field of specialization, though it need not be confined exclusively to the subject matter of the student's dissertation. A unanimous vote of the Final Oral Examination Committee is required for the student to pass.

It is expected that the dissertation be made available, and an announcement of the examination be made, at least one week in advance of the Final Oral Examination. The examination is open to the general public. Non-committee members should be permitted to ask questions. It is expected that the Chair of the Committee will control the ordering and kind of questions asked to ensure fairness and reasonable progress of the examination and to ensure that members of the Examination Committee have sufficient opportunity to question the candidate.

Students intending to pursue study towards a Ph.D. may apply directly to the Direct Ph.D. track. In the Direct Ph.D. track, students focus on research and study in selected areas of concentration from the beginning of their graduate studies, thereby facilitating more rapid progress towards the degree.

n addition to the standard requirements of the Ph.D. program, as detailed earlier, Direct Ph.D. students are required to satisfy the following progress requirements:

• Complete all the core courses during the first year of study and either qualify through the acceleration option, or appear for the Qualifying Examination by the first semester of the second year in the program. Students unable to meet this requirement should petition in advance to the graduate studies chair, with support of their advisor.
• Take at least 3 research cr-hrs in the form of independent study, research seminars ("Advanced Topics in ..."), or thesis research every semester, commencing from their second semester.
• Identify their research advisor and the major/minor areas of study by the end of the Spring semester of their first year (or their second semester, if they enter the Direct Ph.D. track in a different term). Students may change research advisor or major/minor areas, with the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee.

Students in the Direct Ph.D. track can obtain a Masters automatically by passing the Ph.D. Candidacy Examination. A student in the Direct Ph.D. track is not eligible to take the Department's Masters Comprehensive Examination or to apply for a Masters by writing and defending a Masters thesis. However, a student who is unable to make adequate progress in the Direct Ph.D. track after two years in the program may petition the Graduate Studies Committee to transfer to the Research (Thesis) Track of the Masters program.

• Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
• Graduate School
• Prospective Students
• Graduate Degree Programs

Canadian Immigration Updates

Applicants to Master’s and Doctoral degrees are not affected by the recently announced cap on study permits. Review more details

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PhD students in the Department of Computer Science may focus their research in the following areas:

• Artificial Intelligence:  computer vision, decision theory/game theory, knowledge representation and reasoning, intelligent user interfaces, machine learning, natural language understanding and generation, robotics and haptics.
• Computer Graphics:  animation, imaging, modeling, rendering, visualization.
• Data Management and Mining:  business intelligence, data integration, genomic analysis, text mining, web databases.
• Formal Verification and Analysis of Systems:  analog, digital and hybrid systems, VLSI, protocols, software.
• Human Centered Technologies:  human computer interaction (HCI), visual, haptic and multimodal interfaces, computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), visual analytics.
• Networks, Systems, and Security:  high performance computing/parallel processing, networking, operating systems and virtualization, security.
• Scientific Computing:  numerical methods and software, differential equations, linear algebra, optimization.
• Software Engineering and Programming Languages:  development tools, foundations of computation, middleware, programming languages, software engineering.
• Theory: algorithm design and analysis (including empirical), algorithmic game theory, discrete optimization, graph theory, computational geometry

For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website

What makes the program unique?

The UBC Department of Computer Science has many contacts in the computing industry. A strong rapport between the industry and research communities is beneficial to both, especially in cases where the department focuses its research to developing real-world applications.

I love the energy and optimism at UBC. I'm surrounded by nature (tall trees, beautiful gardens), fellow students who are excited about what they are studying, a seemingly unending stream of campus activities.

Quick Facts

Program enquiries, admission information & requirements, 1) check eligibility, minimum academic requirements.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:

• Canada or the United States
• International countries other than the United States

Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

Overall score requirement : 100

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Overall score requirement : 7.0

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:

The GRE is not required.

2) Meet Deadlines

3) prepare application, transcripts.

All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study. Document submission requirements depend on whether your institution of study is within Canada or outside of Canada.

Letters of Reference

A minimum of three references are required for application to graduate programs at UBC. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.

Statement of Interest

Many programs require a statement of interest , sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.

Supervision

Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)

Citizenship verification.

Permanent Residents of Canada must provide a clear photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident card.

4) Apply Online

All applicants must complete an online application form and pay the application fee to be considered for admission to UBC.

Tuition & Financial Support

Financial support.

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.

Program Funding Packages

All full-time PhD students will be provided with a funding package of at least $31,920 for each of the first four years of their PhD program. The funding package consists of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, and graduate academic assistantships. This support is contingent on full-time registration as a UBC Graduate student, satisfactory performance in assigned teaching and research assistantship duties, and good standing with satisfactory progress in your academic performance. CS students are expected to apply for fellowships or scholarship to which they are eligible.

Average Funding

• 40 students received Teaching Assistantships. Average TA funding based on 40 students was $6,950.
• 77 students received Research Assistantships. Average RA funding based on 77 students was $20,513.
• 18 students received Academic Assistantships. Average AA funding based on 18 students was $6,167.
• 81 students received internal awards. Average internal award funding based on 81 students was $11,015.
• 8 students received external awards. Average external award funding based on 8 students was $19,625.

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants' Union .

Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)

Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans .

All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.

Foreign government scholarships

Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.

Working while studying

The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.

International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 20 hours a week.

A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement .

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.

Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.

Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.

Cost Estimator

Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Career Outcomes

111 students graduated between 2005 and 2013. Of these, career information was obtained for 106 alumni (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016):

Sample Employers in Higher Education

Sample employers outside higher education, sample job titles outside higher education, phd career outcome survey, career options.

Our faculty and students actively interact with industry in numerous fields. Via internships, consulting and the launching of new companies, they contribute to the state-of-the-art in environmental monitoring, energy prediction, software, cloud computing, search engines, social networks, advertising, e-commerce, electronic trading, entertainment games, special effects in movies, robotics, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, and more.

Alumni on Success

Job Title Senior Director, Product & Business Development

Employer NGRAIN

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

Completion rates & times.

• Research Supervisors

Advice and insights from UBC Faculty on reaching out to supervisors

These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a supervisor. They are not program specific.

This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.

• Beschastnikh, Ivan (Computer and information sciences; software engineering; distributed systems; cloud computing; software analysis; Machine Learning)
• Bowman, William (Computer and information sciences; Programming languages and software engineering; Programming languages; Compilers; programming languages)
• Carenini, Giuseppe (Artificial intelligence, user modeling, decision theory, machine learning, social issues in computing, computational linguistics, information visualization)
• Clune, Jeff
• Conati, Cristina (artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, affective computing, personalized interfaces, intelligent user interfaces, intelligent interface agents, virtual agent, user-adapted interaction, computer-assisted education, educational computer games, computers in education, user-adaptive interaction, Artificial intelligence, adaptive interfaces, cognitive systems, user modelling)
• Condon, Anne (Algorithms; Molecular Programming)
• Ding, Jiarui (Bioinformatics; Basic medicine and life sciences; Computational Biology; Machine Learning; Probabilistic Deep Learning; single-cell genomics; visualization; Cancer biology; Computational Immunology; Food Allergy; neuroscience)
• Evans, William (Computer and information sciences; Algorithms; theoretical computer science; Computer Sciences and Mathematical Tools; computational geometry; graph drawing; program compression)
• Feeley, Michael (Distributed systems, operating systems, workstation and pc clusters)
• Friedlander, Michael (numerical optimization, numerical linear algebra, scientific computing, Scientific computing)
• Friedman, Joel (Computer and information sciences; Algebraic Graph Theory; Combinatorics; Computer Science Theory)
• Garcia, Ronald (Programming languages; programming languages)
• Greenstreet, Mark (Dynamic systems, formal methods, hybrid systems, differential equations)
• Greif, Chen (Numerical computation; Numerical analysis; scientific computing; numerical linear algebra; numerical solution of elliptic partial differential equations)
• Gujarati, Arpan (Computer and information sciences; Systems)
• Harvey, Nicholas (randomized algorithms, combinatorial optimization, graph sparsification, discrepancy theory and learning theory; algorithmic problems arising in computer networking, including cache analysis, load balancing, data replication, peer-to-peer networks, and network coding.)
• Holmes, Reid (Computer and information sciences; computer science; open source software; software comprehension; software development tools; software engineering; software quality; software testing; static analysis)
• Hu, Alan (Computer and information sciences; formal methods; formal verification; model checking; nonce to detect automated mining of profiles; post-silicon validation; security; software analysis)
• Hutchinson, Norman (Computer and information sciences; Computer Systems; distributed systems; File Systems; Virtualization)
• Kiczales, Gregor (MOOCs, Blended Learning, Flexible Learning, University Strategy for Flexible and Blended Learning, Computer Science Education, Programming Languages, Programming languages, aspect-oriented programming, foundations, reflections and meta programming, software design)
• Lakshmanan, Laks (data management and data cleaning; data warehousing and OLAP; data and text mining; analytics on big graphs and news; social networks and media; recommender systems)
• Lecuyer, Mathias (Machine learning systems; Guarantees of robustness, privacy, and security)
• Lemieux, Caroline (Programming languages and software engineering; help developers improve the correctness, security, and performance of software systems; test-input generation; specification mining; program synthesis)
• Leyton-Brown, Kevin (Computer and information sciences; Artificial Intelligence; Algorithms; theoretical computer science; Resource Allocation; Computer Science and Statistics; Auction theory; game theory; Machine Learning)
• MacLean, Karon (Computer and information sciences; Information Systems; design of user interfaces; haptic interfaces; human-computer interaction; human-robot interaction)

Doctoral Citations

Sample thesis submissions.

• Discrete optimization problems in geometric mesh processing
• A formal framework for understanding run-time checking errors in gradually typed languages
• Understanding semantics and geometry of scenes
• Computational tools for complex electronic auctions
• From videos to animatable 3d neural characters
• Structured representation learning by controlling generative models
• Versatile neural approaches to more accurate and robust topic segmentation
• Machine learning for spectroscopic data analysis : challenges of limited labelled data
• Enriching block-based end-user programming with visual features
• Accelerating Bayesian inference in probabilistic programming
• Computationally efficient geometric methods for optimization and inference in machine learning
• Processing freehand vector sketches
• Exploration on the synergy between discourse and neural summarizers
• Representation learning with explicit and implicit graph structures
• Advancing variational inference via thermodynamic integration

Related Programs

Same specialization.

• Master of Science in Computer Science (MSc)

Same Academic Unit

• Master of Data Science (MDS)

At the UBC Okanagan Campus

Further information, specialization.

Computer Science covers Bayesian statistics and applications, bioinformatics, computational intelligence (computational vision, automated reasoning, multi-agent systems, intelligent interfaces, and machine learning), computer communications, databases, distributed and parallel systems, empirical analysis of algorithms, computer graphics, human-computer interaction, hybrid systems, integrated systems design, networks, network security, networking and multimedia, numerical methods and geometry in computer graphics, operating systems, programming languages, robotics, scientific computation, software engineering, visualization, and theoretical aspects of computer science (computational complexity, computational geometry, analysis of complex graphs, and parallel processing).

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Doctor of Philosophy

Prepare for a successful career in research or academia. 

Earning your PhD in computer science can prepare you to start your own research-based company, launch your career as an academic or access some of the highest-paying industry jobs. We offer a collaborative, supportive environment that allows you to explore interdisciplinary opportunities and find your personal research passion in computer science. All PhD students in the department receive 100% funding through assistantships, fellowships and faculty research grants. 

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Curriculum & Requirements

Our PhD program requires 30 hours of graduate-level coursework, as well as 30 hours of thesis work. You will also be required to complete a preliminary exam, comprehensive exam and dissertation defense, typically within six years of beginning your coursework.  

Degree Requirements     Admission Requirements

Moving from MS to PhD

Research-based MS students may transfer to the PhD program at any time during their academic career at CU Boulder. However, you must fulfill the following requirements and submit the following documents.

Requirements

• Be a research-based MS student. Course-based MS students interested in this option should petition and receive prior approval by the Graduate Committee before applying.
• Must have completed at least one year within our CSEN-MS program and have a GPA of at least 3.5 in the program.
• Cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 in both undergrad and MS degree.
• Strong letter of support including funding plan from a CS faculty member.

Please submit the following to the Graduate Advisor via email at  [email protected] .

• Application form  
• Letter of support that includes a funding plan, from a sponsoring CS faculty member
• Copy of transcripts for undergraduate degree and MS degree
• Statement of purpose
• Resume with research and publication details
• Two more letters of recommendation

The Graduate Committee will review the application and make its decision on a case-by-case basis.

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Department of Computer Science

MASEEH COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is the highest degree offered in any discipline. It is intended for those who will pursue research in the field. The degree is usually required to teach computer science at the university level, and for employment in prestigious industrial research laboratories. Students may enter the doctoral program with a bachelor's degree or with a master's degree, and must have adequate background in computer science. Since completion of the degree requires presentation of a dissertation comprising of original research, the time required is pre-determined. Four to six years of full-time work are typical, less if the student enters with a Master's degree in computer science. 

Upon admission to the doctoral program, a faculty adviser will be designated by the CS Director of graduate studies to advise and meet the student in regular consultation concerning the program of study and research. Your CS faculty adviser approves the courses in your program, including non-CS courses and courses taken outside of PSU. Students and their advisers will fill out a Ph.D. Plan of Study form   after the student successfully completes 9 graduate level credits, no later than 6 months before their Research Proficiency Exam (RPE) .

Doctoral students are also assigned to additional faculty members that make up an advisory committee during their first term. The role of the committee is to monitor the student’s progress, to offer academic guidance, and to provide a resource in resolving academic or advising issues.

• The advisory committee consists of three faculty members, but they may come from different research areas of the faculty adviser. 
• The committee will meet with the student in the Fall and Spring terms to generate a written assessment of progress and to set goals in writing for the next term. 
• The committee, in consultation with the CS director of graduate studies, has the authority to delay a student’s RPE date. 
• The committee's opinion shall have strong weight in determining whether the student should continue to receive departmental support in the form of a teaching assistantship.
• The advisory committee's role is taken over by the dissertation committee when the student advances to candidacy.

When a doctoral student begins research work on a PhD dissertation, the faculty adviser should be the person that will supervise the dissertation. If a new faculty adviser has been identified, submit a ‘ Change of Advisor form ’ to the CS Graduate Advisor ( [email protected] ). The faculty adviser must be a full-time faculty member and must agree to the change. Any changes should be properly recorded and processed by the CS department. 

Graduate Assistantships

First-year Ph.D. students who are admitted with financial support are typically supported as a Teaching Assistant for up to three quarters, which typically pays a monthly stipend and a tuition remission. The student might teach a course under the supervision of a faculty member or grade papers for approximately 15-20 hours per week. Ph.D. students may apply to serve as a TA for an additional three quarters, but are highly encouraged to connect with a potential faculty adviser for a research assistantship. 

Core Courses (18 credits) - Generally expected to be completed by the end of the second year.

• CS 581 Theory of Computation (3)
• CS 684 Algorithm Design & Analysis (3)
• CS 558 Programming Languages (3)
• CS 533 Concepts of Operating Systems (3)
• CS 538 Computer Architecture or ECE 585 & ECE 586 (3)
• CS 669 Scholarship Skills for Computer Science & Engineering (3)

Other Elective Courses (27 credits)

• Any graduate level courses in Computer Science, subject to guidance listed under Departmental Requirements

CS 601 Research or Other Elective Credits (18 credits)

CS 603 Dissertation Research Credits (27 credits)

Departmental Requirements

In addition to the departmental requirements, students should review the university's doctoral degree requirements .

• Maintain  good academic standing  with a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.00 or higher in all graduate credits earned at PSU.
• All regular courses must be graded (not P/NP) and passed with a grade of B or better. 
• Maintain a 3.5 GPA in core course work, with a minimum grade of B.
• Research, projects, internships, independent study and reading & conference credits may be graded P/NP or with a letter grade. These credits are set up independently by the student and a faculty member. These credits must be passed with a P or a grade of B or better. 
• Students must be registered for a minimum of 1 graduate credit during the term the comprehensive exam is taken. 
• These courses should be used to strengthen the program in the student's research area.
• CS 501/601 (Research) and CS 509/609 (Graduate Assistant Practicum) may not be counted.
• A maximum of 6 credits of CS 502/602 (Independent Study), CS 505/605 (Reading and Conference), and CS 506/606 (Special Projects) may be counted.

Advancement to Candidacy

A student is advanced to candidacy after passing the comprehensive exam and successful defense of the dissertation proposal. 

Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive exam is a university requirement for the doctoral degree. In the CS Department, it takes the form of the Research Proficiency Examination (RPE), covering original research performed by the student. The exam consists of a written paper, public oral presentation, and a public question and answer session. Passing the exam is required before a PhD student can prepare and defend a dissertation. Review more about the comprehensive exam on our Research Proficiency Exam  page. 

Dissertation Proposal

After passing the comprehensive exam and identifying a dissertation research topic, a dissertation committee will be appointed to the student and will take over the role of the advisory committee (see Advising section above). If the research topic has changed since admission, students should change their faculty adviser to the person that will supervise the dissertation. If a new faculty adviser has been identified, submit a ‘change of advisor form’ to the Graduate Advisor ( [email protected] ). Any changes should be properly recorded and processed by the Computer Science office. The proposal:

• Identifies the general research field (e.g. networks) and presents an annotated bibliography of literature relevant to the particular dissertation topic (e.g. verification of network routing protocols).
• Describes the research problem.
• Describes the proposed approach to solving the problem, including specific methods to be tried.
• Gives a timeline for completing the work.

The written proposal will be circulated among the dissertation committee, and upon satisfactory agreement, the student will publicly present the proposal. The presentation begins with an oral talk, then the dissertation committee will question the student privately.

Students satisfactorily progressing are expected to have a dissertation proposal approved by the end of the third year. The abstract and date for the defense must be submitted to the CS Graduate Advisor at least two weeks in advance of the date of the defense.

Dissertation Defense

Under the direction and consultation of the dissertation committee, Ph.D. candidates must complete a dissertation consisting of original research. The student will prepare, revise, and correct a draft of the dissertation as directed by the dissertation committee until it meets the approval. The work is expected to be a quality of merit publication in refereed journals or conferences.

After preparation of the written dissertation, a candidate’s dissertation committee will conduct a dissertation defense. The candidate is expected to prepare an oral presentation on the research methodology and results. The abstract and date for the defense must be submitted to the CS Graduate Advisor at least two weeks in advance of the date of the defense. The final, approved dissertation should be submitted to [email protected] for posting.

PSU has a set of Dissertation Guidelines that describe the format and content requirements for the dissertation.

Graduation Procedures

• Follow the university's outline for  Doctoral degrees .
• Apply for graduation by the first Friday of the first week of the anticipated term of graduation.
• Submit a revised  Plan of Study to the CS Graduate Advisor ( [email protected] ).
• Submit the  GO-17D  form to the CS Graduate Advisor.

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Computer Science - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

As a computer science PhD student at CU Boulder, students take part in tier one research, learning from nationally and internationally recognized faculty.

Computer Science faculty, staff, and students are engaged in cutting edge research projects that address some of the most important challenges facing society today. From harnessing the power of big data to modeling climate change to understanding the role of social media, advances in computer science today will change the world tomorrow. The department offers opportunities in seven main research areas .

Students select from focus areas in artificial intelligence, robotics, computational biology, human-centered computing, numerical and scientific computing, programming languages, software engineering, systems and networking, security and theory of computing. The PhD program in computer science is available whether a student is entering graduate studies for the first time or if they already have a master's degree. While a master's is not required to enroll, our PhD students will typically earn one on the way to a PhD.

PhD students consult with a faculty advisor throughout the duration of their degree to review their research progress and course selection.

For more information, visit the department's PhD Degree and Research webpages.

Requirements

Course requirements, preliminary examination, comprehensive examination, phd dissertation.

• 30 credit hours in courses numbered 5000 or above, including three  breadth , three 1-credit professional development, and six depth courses (3 credits of the depth needs to be CSCI)
• 30 credit hours of dissertation credit.
• A maximum of 21 credit hours of graduate coursework may be transferred from another accredited institution.
• All courses taken for the master's degree at the 5000-level or above at CU Boulder may be applied toward the doctoral degree at the university.

The purpose of the area examination is to ensure that the student has sufficient depth to begin research in a selected area. Thus the exam tests knowledge of the general area of computer science that contains the research topic, deeper specialized knowledge of the specific research area that the student will be working in, and intellectual sophistication needed to conduct research in the area.

The area examination contrasts with the comprehensive exam, which is devoted to a focused research theme. It complements the coursework requirement of the preliminary exam, which is meant to build breadth in Computer Science in general and general knowledge of the student's research area.

For more information, visit the department's PhD Area Exams information.

After passing the preliminary examination, the student continues their coursework and prepares a written thesis prospectus within four years of their admission to the program. When ready, the student takes an oral comprehensive examination covering their graduate coursework and thesis prospectus. The oral examination is based primarily on a written proposal for the thesis research provided by the student to committee members in advance. This examination is conducted before the student's doctoral committee of five or more graduate faculty members chosen by the student and approved by the department and the Graduate School.

For more information, visit the "PhD Comprehensive Exam/Proposal" section of the department's PhD Program Requirements webpage.

Students must write a dissertation based on original research conducted under the supervision of a graduate faculty member. The dissertation must fulfill all Graduate School requirements. After the dissertation is completed, an oral final examination on the dissertation and related topics is conducted by the student’s doctoral committee.

All degree requirements must be completed within six years of the date of commencing coursework. 

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Computer Science

Doctor of philosophy in computer science.

The Doctor of Philosophy in computer science requires completion of a minimum number of 72 s.h. of graduate credit, satisfactory performance on the qualifying exam, comprehensive exam and the proposal. and the production and formal defense of a written dissertation describing original research results. Students must maintain a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 3.00.

The Ph.D. program in computer science is a research-oriented degree. Students pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science (CS) are required to do original research in a subarea of CS with mentoring from a CS faculty advisor. Ph.D. students are expected to disseminate their research via conference and journal publications and presentations.The Ph.D. in CS emphasizes preparation for research and teaching in academic settings or for research in private, industrial, or government laboratories. If you are a prospective Ph.D. student, interested in applying to our Ph.D. program, visit the Graduate Admissions Process page.

Students should consult the Computer Science Graduate Student Handbook , for detailed information about Ph.D. requirements, such as required courses, examinations, and dissertation requirements.

Listed below are the general categories of coursework required to earn the degree; for more specific information on courses, curriculum, and requirements of the Doctor of Philosophy in computer science, visit the UI General Catalog .

Important Deadlines

Application Deadline : January 1st (for Fall semester enrollment)

Admission decisions are based on prior academic performance, letters of reference, the applicant's statement about background and purpose. Students need not have a master's degree to begin the Ph.D. program or to be granted the doctoral degree. A student admitted without a master's degree may choose to be granted an M.S. or the M.C.S. while working toward the doctorate.

Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College; see the  Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College  on the Graduate College website. For more information, see the Graduate Admissions Process page.

Qualifying Exam

The purpose of the qualifying exam is to demonstrate the ability to read, analyze, synthesize, and communicate current research results. Qualifying exams are given twice a year, approximately mid-September and mid-February. Ph.D. students should take the qualifying exam at the beginning of their second year. Ph.D. students should start interacting with their initial advisor as soon as possible—preferably early in the fall semester—to set up a plan for starting research that will lead to success in the qualifying exam. Students must pass the qualifying exam by the end of their second year. A qualifying exam is based on a small number (3-5) of research articles selected in consultation with the student's advisor. The candidate prepares a 15-20 page synthesis/discussion of this material. It is okay for a paper co-authored by the student to be one of the research articles covered by the qualifying exam report, however such a paper, by itself, cannot serve as a qualifying exam report. A panel of three faculty will be selected by the Department and a date and time will be assigned during the scheduled exam period for the candidate's 20-40 minute oral presentation. The three-member faculty panel, along with the student's advisor acting in an advisory (non-voting) capacity, will decide the outcome of the exam by majority vote.

Comprehensive Exam

The comprehensive examination is an evaluation of a student's mastery of a research area near completion of formal course work, and before preparation of the dissertation. The exam may be written, oral, or both, at the department's discretion, and is administered by a faculty committee. The comprehensive exam typically should be completed by the end of a student's third year and no later than the end of the fourth year in the Ph.D. program.

Dissertation Proposal

At least six months prior to the final exam, a student must form a dissertation committee and circulate a formal thesis proposal to the committee.  The proposal should describe the research performed to date, related work, and outline the expected thesis results.  The student must, in essence, argue the originality and significance of the expected results to the committee in a manner consistent with their advisor's counsel (this may or may not include an oral presentation). Possible outcomes of a thesis proposal are (i) the committee finds the proposal satisfactory, or (ii) the committee suggests modifications and in a few weeks after the proposal the student and committee reach a consensus (via e-mail or face-to-face meetings) on a modified set of expected thesis results, or (iii) the committee asks the student to redo their proposal, likely with a fresh proposal document and oral presentation, giving the student enough time to address the committee’s concerns.

Dissertation

Each student must write a dissertation, a significant, original contribution to the field of computer science. Once students obtain some preliminary results and can identify and describe the boundaries of their dissertation, they prepare a written proposal for their committee's review. The dissertation must be prepared in accordance with the format specified in the  Graduate College Thesis Manual .

Final Oral Examination

Once the dissertation is complete and has been reviewed by the student's committee, a final oral examination is administered on campus. This examination must take place no sooner than the semester following successful completion of the comprehensive examination and no later than five years after completion of the comprehensive exam.

PhD in Computer Science (General Catalog)

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Computer Science - Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The Ph.D. in Computer Science is a Purdue University degree offered in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences.

As a graduate student in the Department of Computer and Information Science, you will have access to a world-class education and opportunities to participate in state-of-the-art research programs

Our students, through internships and research, are presented with opportunities to collaborate across disciplines, across campus, and across the academic and business communities. You’ll graduate with technical proficiency, project management skills, communication expertise, and analytical skills needed to develop efficient solutions for the computing challenges of today and tomorrow.

Understanding the degree requirements

You must complete at least nine graduate level courses (including the two core and one specialization courses) with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Other courses completed must be at the 500 or 600 level.

• CSCI 580 (Algorithms)
• CSCI 565 (Programming Languages)
• CSCI 503 (OS)
• CSCI 504 (Computer Architecture)
• Visualization, Image Processing and Machine Vision: CSCI 550, CSCI 552, CSCI 557, 590 (Multimedia)
• Data Communication and Networking: CSCI 536, 590 (Wireless Sensor Networks)
• Distributed Computing: CSCI 537 (Distr. Systems), 590 (Cloud Computing)
• AI, Machine Learning and Data Analysis: CSCI 549, CSCI 573, 590 (ML)
• Databases: CSCI 541
• Software Engineering: CSCI 506, CSCI 507, 590 (Software Testing)
• Security: CSCI 555, 590 (Trustworthy Computing)

M.S. courses taken within the IUPUI CS Department as part of our M.S. degree can be counted toward the Ph.D. course requirement. For students with graduate courses from another institution, the faculty will consider approving the transfer of up to 30 credits upon petition by the student. The faculty will require a copy of the syllabus for each course considered for a transfer and decisions will be made on a case by case basis.

Requirements

Read the requirements in the academic bulletin. Choose the bulletin year corresponding to your first term.

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• 2018–2019

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The Doctor of Philosophy program in Computer Science is overseen by the Computer Science Graduate Committee (CSGC). The basic guidelines for approval of a students program are recommendations appearing in the Communications of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the professional society in Computer Science.

Prerequisites for Admission

Completion of the following courses, or their equivalents, is prerequisite to entry into the program:   CSC120, CSC220, CSC314, CSC317, CSC427 ,   MTH161, MTH224, and MTH309 . Students may be admitted with deficiencies, normally a maximum of 6 credits; these must be completed in addition to the degree requirements.  Students with more deficiencies should consider completing the  Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Computer Science  to obtain the necessary prerequisite knowledge.

Application Procedure and Deadlines

Procedures, deadlines, and a link to the online application form are  available here .

Requirements for Graduation

Credits: For graduation students must complete at least 60 credits (as required by the Graduate School), including at least 24 classroom course credits (see below), at least 9 pre-candidacy credits (CSC830), and at least 9 post-candidacy credits (CSC840).

Classroom Courses:  By the end of the first two years, the student must have completed  at least eight classroom courses, for a total of at  least 24 credits. At least four of these courses (12 credit hours) must be CSC7XX courses. The student must work with the Director of Graduate Studies to select approved courses.  Maximally 12 credits from prior study may be  pre-approved by the Director  of Graduate Studies  for transfer after completion of an equivalent number  of credits at the University of Miami .

Written Qualifying Exam:   The student must pass a three-hour written exam of general knowledge of Computer Science at the end of the first year. Upon failure, the student may petition the CSGC to allow a second attempt in the second year. The exam will be administered once a year in the early weeks of the summer session or early in the fall semester. It will cover expected knowledge of all first-year graduate students. Included in this material are a fundamental understanding of algorithm analysis and design, advanced skills in programming, basic knowledge of computer architecture, and a general understanding of computer systems.

Selecting an Advisor:   By the end of the second semester, the student must find a research supervisor. By the end of the third semester, the student must have made significant progress on a research project under the supervision of a faculty member. The student must write a detailed progress report that will become a public document and shall be kept on file by the Department. The student must present the report to a quorum of the CSGC at a time to be approved by the chairman of the Department. The supervisor and CSGC must approve the project as applicable toward candidacy for a Ph.D.

Annual Presentations:   After passing the written qualifying exam, the student must make a public oral presentation to the Department at least once per year. These presentations include the thesis proposal and the thesis defense. The goals are to develop the student's oral and presentation skills, to provide a means for the Department to check the research and progress of the student, and to present the opportunity for feedback to improve the student's research.

Teaching Experience:   Each student must teach a lab-based course for a minimum of one semester. Lab-based courses typically require the student to present material in a relaxed lecture format, re-emphasizing material learned in the general lecture as well as introducing new material to the students.

Responsible Conduct of Research Training: All Computer Science graduate TAs and RAs must complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training during their first semester in the department. All other Computer Science graduate students must complete RCR training before starting research work. Information about RCR training can be found from UM ethics programs:  http://www.miami.edu/index.php/ethics/projects/rcr/

Department of Computer Science

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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Computer Science

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Earn a doctorate degree in Computer Science, make meaningful contributions to the future

The PhD in Computer Science is a unique doctoral program designed to meet the demands of the highest skilled professionals to become the leaders in research and advance careers in industry and government.

This is a research based doctorate PhD degree where you will be assigned an academic supervisor almost immediately to guide you through your program and is based on mostly independent study through the entire program. It typically takes a minimum of two years but typically three years to complete if a student works closely with their assigned academic advisor. Under the guidance of your academic supervisor, you will conduct unique research in your chosen field before submitting a thesis or being published in three academic journals agreed to by the academic supervisor.  If by publication route it will require original contribution to knowledge or understanding in the field you are investigating.

As your PhD progresses, you will move through a series of progression points and review stages by your academic supervisor. This ensures that you are engaged in a process of research that will lead to the production of a high-quality thesis and/or publications and that you are on track to complete this in the time available. Following submission of your PhD Thesis or accepted three academic journal articles, you have an oral presentation assessed by an external expert in your field.

Why Capitol?

Learn around your busy schedule

Program is 100% online, with no on-campus classes or residencies required, allowing you the flexibility needed to balance your studies and career.

Proven academic excellence

Study at a university that specializes in industry-focused education in technology fields, with a faculty that includes many industrial and academic experts.

Expert guidance in doctoral research

Capitol’s doctoral programs are supervised by faculty with extensive experience in chairing doctoral dissertations and mentoring students as they launch their academic careers. You’ll receive the guidance you need to successfully complete your doctoral research project and build credentials in the field. 

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Degree Details

This program may be completed with a minimum of 60 credit hours, but may require additional credit hours, depending on the time required to complete the dissertation/publication research. Students who are not prepared to defend after completion of the 60 credits will be required to enroll in RSC-899, a one-credit, eight-week continuation course. Students are required to be continuously enrolled/registered in the RSC-899 course until they successfully complete their dissertation defense/exegesis.

The PhD program offers 2-degree completion requirement options.

• Dissertation Option: the student will produce, present, and defend a doctoral dissertation after receiving the required approvals from the student’s Committee and the PhD Review Boards.
• Publication Option: the student will produce, present, and defend doctoral research that is published as articles (3 required) in peer reviewed journals identified by the university and the student’s Committee. Students must receive the required approvals from the student’s Committee and the PhD Review Board prior to publication.

Prior Achieved Credits May Be Accepted

Doctor of Philosophy - 60 credits

Program Objectives:

• Students will integrate and synthesize alternate, divergent, or contradictory perspectives or ideas fully within the field of Computer Science.
• Students will demonstrate advance knowledge and competencies in Computer Science.
• Students will analyze theories, tools, and frameworks used in Computer Science.
• Students will execute a plan to complete a significant piece of scholarly work in Computer Science.
• Students will evaluate the legal, social, economic, environmental, and ethical impact of actions within Computer Science and demonstrate advance skill in integrating the results in to the leadership decision-making process.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon graduation, graduates will:

• integrate the theoretical basis and practical applications on Computer Science in to their professional work;
• demonstrate the highest mastery of Computer Science;
• evaluate complex problems, synthesize divergent/alternative/contradictory perspectives and ideas fully, and develop advanced solutions to Computer Science challenges; and
• contribute to the body of knowledge in the study of Computer Science.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition rates are subject to change.

The following rates are in effect for the 2024-2025 academic year, beginning in Fall 2024 and continuing through Summer 2025:

• The application fee is $100
• The per-credit charge for doctorate courses is $950. This is the same for in-state and out-of-state students.
• Retired military receive a $50 per credit hour tuition discount
• Active duty military receive a $100 per credit hour tuition discount for doctorate level coursework.
• Information technology fee $40 per credit hour.
• High School and Community College full-time faculty and full-time staff receive a 20% discount on tuition for doctoral programs.

Find additional information for 2024-2025 doctorate tuition and fees.

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Computer Science | Faculty of Science

• Graduate Students
• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
• Admission into the Ph.D. program in Computer Science is normally restricted to candidates holding a Master's Degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science or a closely related area. Others may be considered for admission. See Qualifications for Admission of the General Regulations. International applicants are strongly encouraged to submit results of the (general) Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Test if their results show they are outstading candidates (above 75% of the rest).
• Each candidate for the Ph.D. shall complete a program of graduate courses prescribed by the supervisory committee. The program of each student must consist of a minimum of 12 credit hours in graduate courses which will include 9 credit hours from Computer Science, and the other 3 credits will be one of:
• A course in Computer Science, or a related area, as established in the list of graduate CS-approved electives .
• A course related to the student’s area of research, as establishe by the supervisory committee.

In addition to the 12 credits mentioned above, a student is strongly recommended to take Comp 690A/B, if the student has not previously taken this course (or an equivalent). The supervisory committee may add more courses to the student’s program of studies, if it deems this appropriate.

Students must obtain a mark of 65% or higher in each course to remain in the program. In addition, a mark of 75% or higher must be obtained in each course to maintain baseline funding from the School of Graduate Studies. Full-time students are expected to complete their course work by the end of the third semester. Part-time students are expected to complete their course work by the end of the sixth semester.

• In this examination, the student must demonstrate a mastery of those subjects appropriate to the student's area(s) of research, as defined by the supervisory committee. Therefore, in order to be eligible to sit the examination, all course requirements must normally be completed.
• In Computer Science, the comprehensive examination consists of two parts: written and oral. Candidates must pass the written part before taking the oral component of the examination.
• The written part consists of the written submission of a thesis proposal, which shall satisfy all the requirements established by the School of Graduate Studies'  General Regulations for the Comprehensive Examinations.
• The thesis proposal typically includes an in-depth survey of the literature related to the students area(s) of research, and a brief outline of the research goals.
• In their proposal, candidates must demonstrate a mastery of the areas established by the comprehensive examination committee. Thus, the area(s) upon which the student will be examined should be made known to the student no later than three months prior to the examination. The student must further be able to relate the specialization of their research to the larger context of these areas.
• The thesis proposal must be approved (passed) by the supervisory committee and submitted at least one month before the oral examination to the Head of Department for circulation to the Examining Committee.
• The oral exam involves a presentation of a thesis proposal at an open seminar, which is followed by an oral examination behind closed doors. 
• The purpose of the oral comprehensive examination is to assess the candidates’ understanding of the literature pertaining to their research, as well as their preparedness to accomplish the goals outlined in the thesis proposal. The seminar presentation and the oral comprehensive examination may be scheduled at any time after the completion of written part, but not later than the end of the fourth semester (sixth semester for part-time students) following the written part.
• Students who fail the oral or the written part will be required to withdraw from the program.
• The Department of Computer Science Graduate Student Research Forum takes place in the Winter term of the academic year (usually in March). All Ph.D. students must present at the Research Forum at least twice during their program.
• The Ph.D. Degree program will conclude with an oral defense of the thesis as described in Theses and Reports of the General Regulations.
• Guidance for Graduate Applicants
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Related Content

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science

Description of program.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD-CS) program takes an applied approach to computer science theory and research. Students will get hands on experience, explore advanced topics, learn the very latest concepts, and have the opportunity to propose their own research. They will also be able to build a portfolio of work while completing their doctoral studies.

Click here for potential career opportunities within the PhD-CS.

Learning Outcomes

• Develop knowledge in computer science based on a synthesis of current theories
• Explain theories, applications, and perspectives related to computer science
• Evaluate theories of ethics and risk management in computers and emerging technologies
• Formulate strategies for managing computing resources in global organizations
• Contribute to the body of theory and practice in computer science

Basis for Admissions

Admission to the PhD in Computer Science program requires a master’s degree from a regionally accredited or nationally accredited academic institution.

Degree Requirements

The University may accept a maximum of 12 semester credit hours in transfer toward the doctoral degree for graduate coursework completed at an accredited college or university with a grade of “B” or better.

The PhD-CS degree program also has the following graduation requirements:

• A minimum of 48 credit hours of graduate instructions must be completed through the University
• GPA of 3.0 (letter grade of “B”) or higher
• Submission of approved final dissertation manuscript to the University Registrar, including the original unbound manuscript and an electronic copy
• Official transcripts on file for all transfer credit hours accepted by the University
• All financial obligations must be met before the student will be issued their complimentary diploma

Fundamental Competencies

All PhD-CS students are required to demonstrate competency in these areas:

• Computer Competency  - Doctoral students are required to have computer skills necessary for completing a dissertation. Students must be able to prepare documents using advanced word processing skills (e.g., creation of tables and figures, headers and footers, page breaks, tables of contents, hanging indents). Students must use computer programs for the statistical analysis of data (e.g., SAS). Students must produce a computer-based presentation (e.g., PowerPoint) for their dissertation oral examination.

Dissertation Completion Pathway

The University’s mission is dedicated to assisting students in achieving their academic aspirations and helping them become valuable contributors to their community and profession. To support our mission, the University now offers a dissertation completion pathway for students who have successfully completed their doctoral coursework and achieved doctoral candidacy at a previous institution but were unable to complete their dissertation.  The University’s Dissertation Completion Pathway (DCP) offers a unique opportunity for students to complete their doctorate in one of the doctoral programs offered at the University (excluding the PhD in MFT, DMFT, and DNP). Students successfully meeting the entrance and application requirements will complete a minimum of 23 credit hours to earn their doctorate.

Click below for more information on the

Dissertation Completion Pathway    

Time to Completion

The University allows 7 years to complete all doctoral programs of 60 credits or less.

The median time to completion for this program is 49 months.

Time to completion varies depending upon the pace in which a student completes courses and the number of transfer credits accepted. As most students are working adults, balancing educational, professional, and personal commitments, our academic and finance advisors will work with you to develop a program schedule that works best for your needs.

Students following the preferred schedule designed by the Dean for this program, and applying no transfer credits, can expect to finish in as little as 40 months.

Dissertation Process

Faculty assists each Doctoral student to reach this high goal through a systematic process leading to a high-quality completed dissertation. A PhD dissertation is a scholarly documentation of research that makes an original contribution to the field of study. This process requires care in choosing a topic, documenting its importance, planning the methodology, and conducting the research. These activities lead smoothly into the writing and oral presentation of the dissertation.

A doctoral candidate must be continuously enrolled throughout the series of dissertation courses. Dissertation courses are automatically scheduled and accepted without a break in scheduling to ensure that students remain in continuous enrollment throughout the dissertation course sequence. If additional time is required to complete any of the dissertation courses, students must re-enroll and pay the tuition for that course. Continuous enrollment will only be permitted when students demonstrate progress toward completing dissertation requirements. The Dissertation Committee determines progress.

Course Sequence

The PhD program requires a minimum of 60 credits. Additional credit hours may be allowed as needed to complete the dissertation research. If granted, additional courses will be added to the student degree program in alignment with the SAP and Academic Maximum Time to Completion policies. Students who do not complete their program in accordance with these policies may be dismissed.

**Students select one research methods and one directed research course based on their own research proposal. 

• TIM-8102 - Principles of Computer Science
• TIM-8110 - Programming Languages & Algorithms
• TIM-7011 - Management of Computer Networks
• TIM-8122 - Distributed Algorithms and Parallel Computing
• TIM-7020 - Databases & Business Intelligence
• TIM-8131 - Data Mining
• TIM-8301 - Principles of Cybersecurity
• TIM-8340 - Secure Software Development
• TIM-7101 - Statistics with Technology Applications
• TIM-8150 - Artificial Intelligence
• TIM-8140 - Software Engineering
• TIM-7211 - Introduction to Research Design and Methodology for Technology Leaders
• TIM-8190 - Computer Science Policy and Strategy
• CMP-9701CS - PhD Pre-Candidacy Prospectus
• DIS-9901A - Components of the Dissertation
• DIS-9902A - The Dissertation Proposal
• DIS-9903A - Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Data Collection
• DIS-9904A - The Dissertation Manuscript and Defense

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science

The program aims to develop computer scientists who are armed with methods, tools and techniques from both theoretical and systems aspects of computing. They should be able to formulate computing problems and develop new and innovative technology as novel solutions to address those problems. The graduates will gain expertise to independently contribute in Research and Development (R&D) on a specialized area of Computer Science. The program will prepare graduates for professional and/or research careers in industry, government or academe.

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Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Geography: Gender and Women's Studies

The graduate option in Gender and Women's Studies is an interdisciplinary program for students who meet the degree requirements in Geography who wish to earn 9 credits of approved coursework focusing on gender and women's studies, and issues in feminist research and methods. The student's doctoral thesis must be on a topic centrally relating to issues of gender and/or women's studies.

A thesis for the doctoral degree must constitute original scholarship and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. It must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate ability to plan and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. The research presented must meet current standards of the discipline; as well, the thesis must clearly demonstrate how the research advances knowledge in the field. Finally, the thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain.

Required Courses

Offered by: Geography ( Faculty of Science )

Administered by: Graduate Studies

Geography : General research seminar in human and physical geography.

Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Geography : An examination that must be passed by all doctoral candidates in order to continue in the doctoral program.

Offered by: Inst for Gender, Sex & Fem St ( Faculty of Arts )

Women's Studies : Examination of feminist theories and research methods from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.

Women's Studies : Discussion and development of participants' research in gender and women's studies.

Prerequisite: WMST 601 .

Restriction: Must be enrolled in the Option in Gender and Women's Studies.

Complementary Courses

Two substantive courses.

One of these two courses must be taken within the Department of Geography at the 500 level or above; one of the two courses must be on gender/women's issues at the 500, 600, or 700 level.

Department and University Information

Faculty Links

• Science website

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry

Get your phd in chemistry.

Thank you for your interest in the graduate program at the University of Iowa Department of Chemistry. The Department has had a chemistry PhD program for over 75 years and consists of over 25 research faculty, approximately 130 graduate students, and over 20 postdoctoral associates, research scientists and visiting scholars. Our graduates and postdocs have accepted positions at leading academic and industrial institutions, national laboratories and government facilities, as well as some non-traditional Ph.D. careers.

The Chemistry Building and adjacent Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratory house state-of-the-art laboratories, research support facilities, classrooms, and conference rooms spaces. Extensive resources are readily accessible such as NMR , mass spectrometry , and MatFab facility for fabrication and analysis which houses our X-ray facility and numerous other instruments . The department also supports advanced computational resources, and complete machine, electronics, and glass shops . In addition to strong programs in the core areas of analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, we offer cross-discipline research opportunities in emerging areas such as (bio)catalysis, natural product synthesis, materials, surface science, bioinorganic chemistry, chemical sensors, chemical education research, and environmental and atmospheric chemistry.

All Ph.D. students with an accepted offer and good standing with the Department of chemistry are guaranteed financial support, including an annual stipend, tuition remission, and employee benefits such as health insurance. Additional funding to support student research is available from a variety of internal and external sources . 

For more information, contact the graduate program by e-mail at [email protected] .

Student resources

• First year student guide
• Annual review resources
• Teaching assistant resources
• Postdoctoral scholar resources
• Thesis and dissertation
• General catalog
• Current courses

Degree requirements

Proficiency requirement.

Students must demonstrate basic proficiency in three chosen sub-disciplines of chemistry (analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic, physical). Proficiency is established in one of the following ways: Scoring at the 50th percentile level (national norm) on the proficiency exam, completing a one-semester review course with a grade of C or better (courses specified below), or completing a one-semester graduate-level/advanced course in that sub-discipline of chemistry with a grade of B or better. The proficiency requirement must be fulfilled before the beginning of the student's third semester in the graduate program.

Review courses

Courses currently designated as review courses are:

• CHEM:4171 (formerly 4:171): Advanced Analytical Chemistry
• BIOC:3120 (formerly 99:120): Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I
• CHEM:4270 (formerly 4:170): Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
• CHEM:4372 (formerly 4:172): Advanced Organic Chemistry
• CHEM:4431 (formerly 4:131): Physical Chemistry I

Advanced course requirement

Beyond the proficiency requirements, students must complete a minimum of four additional advanced courses, totaling at least eleven semester hours of graduate credit, by the end of their fourth semester in residence. Research, seminar, and pedagogy credits; courses that are listed with lower division undergraduate level numbers; and courses taken with the S/U grade option cannot be used to fulfill this requirement. Transfer credits may be applied to a portion of this requirement. Students are encouraged to develop a detailed plan with their research advisor and discuss with the graduate education committee as needed.

Courses that meet the Advanced Course criteria

Graduate Advisory Committee

Before the beginning of the third semester, after a permanent advisor has been appointed, a Graduate Academic Committee (GAC) of four faculty, at least three from Chemistry, will be formed for each student with a PhD degree objective. GACs will be composed of at least four faculty, at least three from Chemistry, who agree to support and advise the student during the course of the Ph.D. and beyond. GAC members will meet the student to discuss research progress and provide feedback and guidance as appropriate.

The committee will consist of the research advisor and three additional members who are nominated by the student, subject to the advisor’s approval, and assigned by the Graduate Education Committee (GEC). 

Comprehensive examination

The comprehensive examination is designed to assess the student's overall progress, knowledge of fundamental chemical principles and chosen area of specialization, and general competency for PhD research. To be eligible to take the Comprehensive Examination, the student must have completed the advanced coursework requirement and maintain a cumulative average of 3.00 or greater on appropriate graduate coursework at The University of Iowa. The comprehensive examination must be completed by the end of the fourth semester in residence, unless written consent for an extension is received from the GAC and is approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

The comprehensive examination is a two-part process consisting of a written research report and an oral defense of the report.  The written document and oral defense are evaluated by the student’s GAC. Each member of the GAC will use a departmentally prescribed rubric to score the oral exam .  The exam typically occurs in a student’s fourth semester in residence.

Seminar requirements

Each student is expected to give a minimum of two acceptable seminars. One seminar must cover the student's research. The other may also deal with the student's research, or can be an extensive literature report. The student may register for the appropriate divisional seminar course and receive letter grade credit during those semesters in which the seminars are presented. The final PhD defense cannot be used to meet this requirement.

The research conference/three-month seminar

At least three months before the anticipated final defense, the PhD candidate must meet with their graduate academic committee. If scheduling permits, the research work can be reported as a research seminar during a regularly scheduled divisional seminar, with a subsequent committee meeting for questions and advice.

Final defense of the PhD dissertation

The Dean of the Graduate College will make a public announcement of a candidate’s final defense three weeks prior to the exam date. This final oral examination is open to the public. Dissertation copies must be made available to all members of the examining committee not later than two weeks before the examination date.

Milestones toward the PhD

The milestones on the path toward earning your PhD in chemistry at the University of Iowa are described below. These are illustrative of a typical student; most students follow this path, but some variations are possible.

Typical timelines for PhD completion

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