Graduate

PHD in Computer Science and Engineering
(Specialization in Computer Science)

The Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science & Engineering (PhD) has an interdisciplinary focus with emphasis on design thinking and the ability to solve complex problems. In the Department of Computer Science, we offer the PhD program (Specialization in Computer Science). The Ph.D. program contributes to the community in three ways: supporting and expanding UDC's current research profile; contributing more to the community and receiving more recognition in return by creating greater synergy among its departments through contributing research; increasing student enrollment by attracting them to be in research activities involved in the Ph.D. program.

PHD in Computer Science and Engineering (Specialization in Computer Science) - Student Outcomes

The program enables students to achieve, by the time of graduation:

  • Show an ability to conduct independent and creative research that contributes to the advancement of knowledge
  • Demonstrate not only a sufficient breadth of understanding in computer science and engineering but also a significant depth of understanding in their chosen area of research specialization
  • Apply their knowledge and creativity to solve complex problems in the society.

Graduate

Program of Study

The Ph.D. program requires coursework, a qualifying examination, a dissertation proposal and research competency exam, a research seminar, dissertation research, and a dissertation defense. The Ph.D. faculty members of the department have produced numerous research publications in reputable and specialized research venues. They have experience in producing MSs and PhDs in the area of computer science. To support and sustain a full-fledged Ph.D. program, our faculty members have their proved records in the following targeted research areas:

  • Cloud Computing (national initiatives)
  • Big Data (national initiatives)
  • Cyber-Security and Information Assurance (national initiatives)
  • Robotics
  • Information Visualization, Visual Analytics
  • Machine Learning, AI, Data Mining
  • Advanced Networking
  • Spatio-Temporal Databases
  • Cybersercurity

Program Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 72 graduate credits. The 72 hours of required doctoral-level credits typically consist of 45 credits of regular coursework, 24 credits of dissertation research and 3 hours for attending research colloquiums. More than half of the 72 credits applied to the doctoral degree must be earned at UDC.

  • Completion of 45 semester-hours of graduate coursework
  • Completion of 24 research semester-hours
  • Attendance of 3 hours of colloquia (1 credit per semester)
  • A passing grade on the qualifying examination (written and oral)
  • An approval of proposal defense (written and oral)
  • Completion of dissertation (written)
  • Passing of dissertation defense (oral)
Check the University Course Catalog for detail

Reputation

Our program reputation in Public

PHD In Computer science and Engineering has launched in 2019. We expect the program to grow continuously to produce highly educated cybersecurity professionals and eventually protect our private data and compute computing environments.
To become rank 1 program

Courses

Required Major Courses

Research and Dissertation Credits Courses
CCEN 701 , Research/Dissertation, 1 - 8 credits
CCEN 702, Colloquia, 1 credits
  • After passing the Ph.D. qualifying examination, students must remain registered in the program each semester for at least 3 credits of research or dissertation.
  • To complete the Ph.D. program, students need to finish minimum 24 research/dissertation credit hours.
  • In addition, students are required to take colloquia with minimum 3 colloquium credits.
Available Courses
CSCI 601, Advanced Algorithm Analysis, 3 credits
CSCI 602, Theory of Computational Complexity, 3 credits
CSCI 603, Pattern Recognition, 3 credits
CSCI 671, Autonomous Mobile Robots, 3 credits
CSCI 672, Visual Analytics, 3 credits
CSCI 673, Virtual Reality, 3 credits
CSCI 674, Advanced Topics in Networking, 3 credits
CSCI 675, Spatio-Temporal Databases, 3 credits
CSCI 676, Big Data Science, 3 credits
CSCI 689, Special Topics in Computer Science, 3 credits
  • Students are allowed to take courses in the MSCS program. Please have a consultation with the PhD program director or their faculty advisors.

Graduation

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

  • Qualifying Examination - Students must take the Qualifying Examination no later than two semesters after completing 30 hours of coursework (out of the 45 hours coursework requirement).

  • Proposal Defense - Students must present and successfully defend a Ph.D. dissertation proposal after passing the qualifying examination and within ten (10) semesters since entering the Ph.D. program.

  • Dissertation Defense - Students must complete their research approved by their Dissertation Advisor(s) that yields a high quality, original and substantial piece of research

*This graduation requirement will be determined depending on when you begin studying the degree program at UDC. For further detail about the graduation requirement, students should contact their academic advisors or the Ph.D. program director.