Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Computer Science
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Key Information
Campus location
Burlington, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
Request info
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
Request info
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Computer Science
The Ph.D. in Computer Science program is administered by the Graduate College. The Department of Computer Science has set up the policies and requirements for its Ph.D. program on the basis of the policies and requirements of all Ph.D. programs administered by the Graduate College. This document should answer most of the common questions about the Ph.D. in Computer Science Program. However, all readers are encouraged to consult with the Graduate Committee of the Computer Science Department as well as the Graduate College for further information.
Admissions
Program Outcome
The uniqueness of Our Ph.D. Program
Doctoral programs are fundamentally different from Bachelor's or Master's degree programs. Like other programs, doctoral students gain a base level of knowledge through coursework. The difference, however, comes with research. Whereas a Bachelor's or Master's student may undertake a research project, it merely provides a complement to the coursework and is clearly guided by a faculty advisor. Doctoral research is the focus of a doctoral student's studies. Doctoral research is much more self-guided and exploratory than research done in the other programs. Future employers typically select doctoral students on the quality and originality of their thesis research, not their grades in coursework. Reflecting this focus, the bulk of time and effort during a student's doctoral studies is spent on thesis research.
In the last thirty-plus years, computer science has developed into a rich academic discipline. But computers and computation also play a key role in many research disciplines, including (but not limited to) engineering, biology, mathematics, physics, chemistry, economics, and education. Against such a backdrop, our interdisciplinary Ph.D. program produces Computer Science professionals capable of teaching and performing original research at the university level as well as in industrial or other professional settings.
The interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Computer Science offers study in both traditional and cross-disciplinary areas such as bioinformatics and ecological modeling. Our faculty in Computer Science are involved at the forefront of research in data mining, distributed systems, and evolutionary & agent-based computing. Our interdisciplinary work cuts across all areas of campus, with a current emphasis on bioinformatics, computational imaging, computational engineering, and ecological modeling. Our faculty publish in prestigious journals and conferences in Computer Science, have significant research grants from federal agencies (such as NSF, NIH, DOE, and DOD), and serve on editorial boards, conference committees, National Science Foundation review panels, and leading professional societies.
Doctoral students are expected to include courses from beyond the traditional realm of computer science. Students are encouraged to consider research topics that combine computer science with other disciplines. The Department has a broad range of secondary faculty appointments with primary interests in other fields who may be used as a student's thesis advisor.