Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Engineering
About This Program
The purpose of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Computer Engineering is to facilitate the student's continued professional and scholarly development. The program is designed to prepare the student to conduct research and development in an area of concentration.
A doctorate in computer engineering builds on prior knowledge, education, and experience in the field. It typically takes 4-5 years to complete and involves independent study and research in a focused area of interest. The program includes coursework and research that culminate in a final dissertation.
Students may apply for the PhD program after completing their MS degree in computer engineering or computer science, or proceed directly to the PhD program after completing their BS degree in computer engineering or computer science. Students without an MS will typically spend an extra year learning basic research skills prior to beginning work on their dissertation.
Degree Options
PhD candidates select one of the following 3 graduate tracks provided by the Computer Science and Engineering Department and complete five milestones to achieve their doctorate in Computer Engineering:
- Computer Architecture
- Embedded and Cyber-Physical Systems
- AI Systems and Architecture
Competencies
- Upon completion, students will demonstrate mastery of advanced principles in both hardware and software systems, including areas such as embedded systems, digital design, computer architecture, and systems integration.
- Upon completion, students will be able to apply knowledge of computing, electronics, and systems engineering to develop innovative and efficient solutions.
- Upon completion, students will be able to analyze trade-offs in system design (e.g., performance, power, cost, and scalability) using engineering and computational methods.
- Upon completion, students will demonstrate the ability to design and conduct research or applied projects in computer engineering, synthesizing knowledge from existing literature and applying theoretical and experimental approaches.
- Upon completion, students will be able to evaluate emerging technologies and contribute to the development of new computing hardware and software systems.
Admissions Criteria
The CSE graduate admission committee bases its decision for PhD graduate admission on the following criteria (in no specific order):
- An undergraduate degree in CS or CpE, or a closely related field.
- Applications from other fields, particularly mathematics, science, and engineering, are also considered. These applicants may need to take some deficiency courses.
- An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher in undergraduate coursework
- A 3.2 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) on the last two years of undergraduate coursework. In particular, performance in CS/CpE-related courses is emphasized.
- Rigor of the student's bachelor's degree. A three-year degree is not considered rigorous enough.
- Reputation of the university/college that the student received their previous degrees from.
- GRE General Test: not required.
- For PhD applicants, three letters of recommendation are needed and are requested within the application system. Also needed directly from the applicant are a statement of purpose and a CV which the applicant must email to CSEGradAdvising@uta.edu
- For PhD applicants, the following are optional. Meeting these criteria will improve both a student's chances of securing admission and receiving financial support:
- Publication in scholarly conferences/journals
- An international student whose native language is not English is required to take TOEFL (min 90, Speaking 23) or IELTS (7.5, Speaking 7.0).
Curriculum
| Foundations | ||
| CSE 5311 | DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS | 3 |
| Select 3 from the following: | 9 | |
| DATA ANALYSIS & MODELING TECHNIQUES | ||
| DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS | ||
| DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS | ||
| DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF COMPILERS | ||
| COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE II | ||
or CSE 5351 | PARALLEL PROCESSING | |
| Electives | ||
| Select three 6000-level CSE courses. | 9 | |
| Research Hours | ||
| Select at least 9 hours from the followiing: | 9 | |
| RESEARCH IN COMPUTER SCIENCE | ||
| RESEARCH IN COMPUTER SCIENCE | ||
| RESEARCH IN COMPUTER SCIENCE | ||
| Disseration | ||
| Select at least 18 hours from the following: | 18 | |
| DISSERTATION | ||
| DISSERTATION | ||
| DISSERTATION | ||
| DOCTORAL DEGREE COMPLETION (to be taken only in the semester in which the student will defend) | ||
| Total Hours | 48 | |
For students holding a master's degree and with approval of a CSE advisor, CSE 5311 may be waived if the candidate already successfully completed a graduate-level algorithms course, and research hours may be waived in agreement with the student's supervising professor.
Program Completion
To fulfill its responsibility to graduate highly qualified students, the Department has established certain requirements that must be met by students continuing in the graduate programs. In addition to the requirements of the Graduate School listed elsewhere in the catalog, the Computer Science and Engineering Department has established additional requirements detailed in its Guide to Graduate Programs.
Milestones
After completing one of the major tracks, a PhD candidate must complete the following five milestones:
- Form Committee: At least 4 members (supervisor plus three committee members). One member may be external. External members must be approved by the department's Graduate Studies Committee.
- Diagnostics Evaluation: All students must complete the required core classes plus classes in their selected major.
- Comprehensive Exam: A written and oral examination that evaluates the basic research foundation of the candidate prior to the proposal and dissertation phases.
- Research Proposal: Propose dissertation topic. Requires full approval of the committee members.
- Defense: Final defense and granting of PhD.
All PhD students’ progress toward the milestones is reviewed and monitored by the student's committee.