The Ph.D. in Computer Science program is highly selective and is purposefully kept small so that each Ph.D. student can receive substantial advising and mentoring from CDM faculty. To earn a Ph.D. degree, a student must demonstrate breadth of knowledge in at least three research areas and significant depth in a chosen dissertation area. In addition, the student must conceive, write and defend a Ph.D. dissertation representing a significant and original contribution to current academic research as demonstrated by a public dissertation defense and publication in established peer-reviewed academic conferences and/or journals.
In keeping with the CDM philosophy of blending academic and professional pursuits, full-time employed students will be considered for admission as part-time doctoral students. However, these applicants must have sufficiently flexible work schedules to allow them to attend required meetings and academic seminars that occur during daytime working hours throughout their degree program. In addition, many working students will find that they must take a leave of absence or cut back to part-time employment for some time period during the research and candidacy phases of the degree program.
In order to be considered for admission to the doctoral program, students must:
- Hold a master’s degree in Computer Science or an allied field.
- Submit three letters of recommendation.
- Show definite promise for completing the program.
- Submit a written statement describing their accomplishments, goals and interests.
- Submit a completed application form.
- Submit an official score report of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general examination.
- Applicants educated outside of the United States must demonstrate English
- proficiency with a TOEFL score of 580 or greater.
*** GRE and TOEFL scores MUST be official copies sent directly by ETS.
Photocopies CANNOT be accepted!
The Institution Code for the GRE and TOEFL is 1165.
The Department Code for the GRE is 0402.
The Department Code for the TOEFL is 78.
Students without a master’s degree in computer science or an allied field may be considered for conditional admission to the doctoral program. These students must have an exceptional undergraduate record. A conditionally admitted student will be required to complete a doctoral prerequisite phase consisting of a set of courses determined to be appropriate for the student by the Ph.D. committee.
These courses will include the core courses from the Master’s of Science in Computer Science program. Upon completion of the prerequisite phase, the Ph.D. committee will conduct an evaluation of the student's progress. Assuming such progress is satisfactory, the student will then be formally admitted into the doctoral program. Note: It is not the policy of the School to award a master’s degree to a student enrolled in the Ph.D. program.
The Ph.D. Admissions Committee determines which applicants will be admitted to the program. Because the School admits only a limited number of students to the Ph.D. program, meeting the admission standards does not guarantee acceptance.
Students employed outside of the University can be admitted as part-time doctoral students. Students who can devote themselves full time to their doctoral studies can be admitted as full-time doctoral students.
The School has a limited number of scholarships available to fund full-time PhD students. Only full-time students will be considered for substantial financial aid stipends. Students who want to apply for PhD stipend must submit a financial aid request form. Information about financial aid can be found here.
Completeness of credentials
When important pieces of information such as transcripts are lacking, the school is compelled by University regulations to withdraw the application.
The Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science degree follows three phases, which may overlap in time:
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Inquiry Phase
Coursework, initial research projects and successful completion of three Breadth Examinations.
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Research Phase
Focused research leading to successful completion of a Dissertation Proposal. Upon completion of all requirements, the student is admitted to Candidacy.
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Candidacy Phase
Further research, writing and defense of the Ph.D. dissertation.
The Inquiry Phase
During the Inquiry Phase a student will complete coursework in various areas of Computer Science to gain breadth and to discover the area in which dissertation research is to be done. Since considerable thought should be given to choosing the area in which the student wishes to do research in the future, the student may wish to do small research projects during this time period to explore where their research interests lie.
Three Breadth Examinations must be successfully completed. At least one of the 3 breadth exams must be in one of the core areas of computer science, namely, Artificial Intelligence, Database Systems, Operating Systems, Programming Languages, and Theoretical Computer Science. Furthermore, at least one breadth exam must be in the student's primary area of dissertation research. The choice of breadth exams must be approved by the student's PhD advisor. These examinations can be taken either during the Inquiry Phase or during the Research Phase. Each Breadth Examination will verify that the student has knowledge sufficient to teach an introductory graduate course in that area. A student must pass all three breadth exams. Students who fail a Breadth Exam must re-take and pass the exam from the same breadth area in order to satisfy the breadth requirement. The Breadth Exam from each area can be re-taken at most once. Re-takes of breadth exams, or deviations from this policy due to special circumstances must be approved by the PhD Committee.
A Ph.D. student enters the Research Phase when he or she has chosen an area in which to do dissertation research and has found a faculty member willing to act as his or her Dissertation Advisor. The amount of time spent in the Inquiry Phase will vary from student to student, but will typically be several years. The research phase may overlap with the inquiry phase, in fact, students are strongly encouraged to begin their research, under the supervision of a faculty PhD advisor, as early as possible upon entering the program.
The Research Phase
In this phase the doctoral student, in conjunction with his or her Dissertation Advisor, will conduct extensive readings in academic texts, journals and conference proceedings to become an expert in the chosen research area.
The student is responsible for approaching a faculty member to act as their Dissertation Advisor. The faculty member may request that the student perform additional projects or research before agreeing to be the Dissertation Advisor. The student and Dissertation Advisor then work together to choose three additional faculty which, together with the Dissertation Advisor, form the Dissertation Committee. Three of the members must be full-time faculty members in the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems. The fourth committee member must be a faculty member from outside the division of the research, or a scholar from outside the College of CDM whose expertise is pertinent to the topic of the dissertation. The members of this committee must be approved by the School’s Ph.D. Committee.
Once the student has enough preliminary results that the student and advisor are confident that the work should result in publishable results, the student will write an extensive review of previous work in the area and a research proposal for the dissertation research. The Dissertation Committee members will then choose a date for a public defense of the dissertation proposal. The student will provide an oral presentation of current results and future research goals at this defense. The proposal will be approved only if the Dissertation Committee agrees that the work that is planned will constitute an acceptable Ph.D. dissertation. The committee may recommend that the student repeat the proposal at a later date. The dissertation committee may require additional components in conjunction with proposal defense to test the student's depth of knowledge in the specific area of dissertation research.
A student generally enters the Candidacy Phase (and is considered a Candidate) after a successful defense of the Dissertation Proposal (see the full requirements for Candidacy below).
The Candidacy Phase
In the Candidacy Phase the student performs the research promised in the dissertation proposal and writes the dissertation. Ph.D. dissertations in Computer Science are typically 100 to 300 pages in length and must represent a significant and original body of work.
Except in very unusual situations, the student will be required to publish some portion of the dissertation as an academic paper in a refereed journal or conference before completing the degree. This will demonstrate that the significance of this work is recognized in academic communities outside DePaul University.
After the dissertation has been written, the student will provide a copy to all members of the Dissertation Committee. After reading the dissertation, the Dissertation Committee must recommend whether or not a public dissertation defense should proceed. In particular, the members of the Dissertation Committee will determine whether the completed dissertation embodies the work that was promised in the dissertation proposal. The committee may recommend modifications or additional research to be completed before the defense can take place. Once the Dissertation Committee agrees that the defense should take place, a date will be scheduled for the dissertation defense. After the defense, the Dissertation Committee will determine whether all work has been satisfactorily completed or additional work or modifications must be made.
A bound copy of the dissertation and the abstract must be presented to the DePaul Library where it will be permanently available to current and future DePaul students. Consult the Handbook for Graduate Studies at the back of this bulletin for information on submitting the dissertation and abstract to the School. Contact the Student Services office for additional information regarding procedures to follow for binding the dissertation.
Course Requirements
Ph.D. students with a master’s degree are required to complete a minimum of 60 credits (typically 15 courses) of graduate classes. These credits must include at least 48 credits of courses in the 420-599 range, including CSC 426 Values and Computer Technology, and 12 credits of CSC 699 Research. Students may enroll in CSC 699 only after completion of the Breadth Examinations. Conditionally admitted students must complete an additional 52 credits (typically 13 courses) of graduate classes, including at least 36 credits of courses in the 420-599 range. The written approval of the Ph.D. Committee is required, before registering, to apply courses taught outside the School towards the doctoral program course requirements.
Student progress will be evaluated annually. Students must maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or better to remain in good standing in the program. Any course grade below B- is unsatisfactory and will not be counted toward degree requirements. The Ph.D. Committee will ask a student to withdraw from the doctoral program if the members judge that that student is not progressing satisfactorily toward the degree.
Continuous Enrollment
Prior to candidacy, a student must continuously enroll for at least one academic credit per quarter during every Autumn, Winter and Spring quarter. A student may apply to the Ph.D. committee for a leave of absence from this continuous enrollment requirement if exceptional circumstances arise.
After admission to candidacy, a student must continuously enroll for at least one course per quarter during every Autumn, Winter and Spring quarter, but may enroll for CSC 701 Candidacy Continuation (0 academic credits) with advisor’s approval.
Admission to Candidacy
To be admitted to candidacy, doctoral students must complete the following:
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Residency
Three quarters of full-time study must be completed at DePaul University beyond the master’s level. Full-time study is defined as registration for a minimum of eight credit hours (typically two courses) per quarter. With prior approval of the Ph.D. Committee, students may satisfy residency requirements by coursework, participation in seminars, or research performed off campus.
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Allied Course
Complete CSC 426 Values and Computer Technology.
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Doctoral Examinations
Pass three Breadth Examinations.
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Defense of Proposal
Successfully defend a Dissertation Proposal.
Breadth examinations are typically offered twice each year. Applications to take these exams must be completed three months prior to the exam date. At least one of the 3 breadth exams must be in one of the core areas of computer science, namely, Artificial Intelligence, Database Systems, Operating Systems, Programming Languages, and Theoretical Computer Science. Furthermore, at least one breadth exam must be in the student's primary area of dissertation research. The choice of breadth exams must be approved by the student's PhD advisor. Must pass all three breadth exams with at most one re-take opportunity per exam. Requests to re-take one ore more breadth exams must be approved by the PhD Committee. Any student who fails to satisfy the breadth exam requirements will be asked to leave the program.
Reading lists and copies of previous Breadth examinations are available. The reading list for each examination defines the specific subject areas covered by that examination.
Please visit the PhD student SharePoint site for reading lists.
Please send e-mail to CDM Advising to request copies of past doctoral examinations. Be sure to specify the exam area for which you would like copies.
Examinations are offered in each of the following areas:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Communications Networks
- Computer Graphics
- E-commerce Technology
- Theoretical Computer Science
- Information Systems
- Data Analysis
- Database Systems
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Operating Systems
- Visual Computing
- Programming Languages
- Software Engineering
- Software Management (the Software Management Exam will be discontinued for students entering the program in 2007 or later. It will continue to be offered to anyone who entered the program prior to 2007.)
For part-time doctoral students, time limits are as follows:
- No more than four years between admission to the doctoral program and completion of Breadth Examinations.
- No more than two years between completion of Breadth Examinations and admission to Candidacy.
- No less than eight months and no more than five years between admission to Candidacy and the dissertation defense.
For full-time doctoral students, time limits are as follows:
- No more than three years between admission to the doctoral program and completion of Breadth Examinations.
- No more than two years between completion of Breadth Examinations and admission to Candidacy.
- No less than eight months and no more than five years between admission to Candidacy and the dissertation defense.
Consult the Handbook for Graduate Studies for graduation application deadlines and the deadline for submitting completed dissertations.