Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering

The Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering is a research-focused degree that leads to a research career in the academy, industry, or government.

Students in the Ph.D. program are generally supported as research or teaching assistants, take classes part-time, and focus on research under the supervision of a faculty advisor.

The Ph.D. degree can be completed in three to five years.

The doctoral program is open to applicants with either a B.S. or M.S. degree. Applicants intending to pursue the Ph.D. should apply to the Ph.D. program regardless of whether they hold the B.S. or M.S. degree.

Research Areas

  • Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Architecture and Systems
  • Software Engineering
  • Human-Computer Interaction and Visualization
  • Theory and Algorithms

Degree requirements

  • A minimum of 24 course credits at the 60000-level plus two semesters of Research Seminar.
  • Written and oral candidacy exam, a dissertation, and a dissertation defense.
  • Qualification requirement by the end of the second year. This entails taking the three core courses (Grad Operating Systems, Grad Architecture, Grad Algorithms).
  • Written dissertation and defense of dissertation by the end of the sixth year.

For complete information, consult the CSE Graduate Studies Handbook and the ND Academic Code for Graduate Students.

Admission requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field
  • Three letters of recommendation from faculty members who can judge your academic and research potential
  • The GRE is not required.

The M.S. degree is not required for the Ph.D. program.

Financial support

  • Generous 12-month stipends for Ph.D. students
  • Substantially increased stipends for doctoral students with fellowships
  • 100% health insurance premium paid
  • Full-tuition scholarships
  • Conference workshop/travel funding opportunities

Students in the Ph.D. program are generally supported with a regular stipends via fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships.

Deadlines

Our application deadline is December 15 for the following fall semester*.
*For the spring semester, we admit a small number of students with an October 15 deadline.

Contact

Questions about the application process

Joyce Yeats
Graduate Program Coordinator
jyeats@nd.edu

Questions about the program

Prof. Tim Weninger
Director of Graduate Studies
cse-grad-info@nd.edu