Ph.D. Computer Science

Degree Prep

View the Ph.D. Computer Science prerequisites, deadlines and contact information on the U of I Admissions website.

• Most applicants hold a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or closely related field from an accredited institution and demonstrate a strong background in the fundamentals.
• If your undergraduate degree is not in Computer Science, you may be required to complete background courses to remove deficiencies before beginning the graduate program.

As a prerequisite to enter the Computer Science Ph.D. program, competence in the following areas must be demonstrated: knowledge of a structured, high-level language (CS120); algorithms and data structures (CS121); and a full year of calculus.

If prerequisite requirements are met, a student who does not have an adequate coursework background in computer science may be admitted with deficiencies in computer organization and architecture (CS150); computer languages (CS210); computer operating systems (CS240); software engineering (CS383); analysis of algorithms (CS395); or theory of computation (CS385).

Degree Roadmap

Depending on your interests, your academic adviser will help you develop a focused plan of study for the Ph.D. Computer Science degree. Some examples include:

• Cyber security
• Survivable systems (fault-tolerant computing)
• Artificial intelligence & machine learning
• Collaborative virtual environments
• Data science

View current Computer Science courses
Catalogs are released each year with up-to-date course listings. Students reference the catalog released during their first year of enrollment. For catalog related questions, email registrar@uidaho.edu or call 208-885-6731.

Degree Requirements

• Students are required to write a dissertation and give a final dissertation defense at the end of their degree program
• Computer Science graduate requirements
• College of Graduate Studies requirements

Professional Licensing

Completion of the program will count towards eligibility for the Professional Engineer’s License (PE) to practice Engineering, which requires a four-year degree from an ABET-accredited school, four years of experience under a PE, and passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) and Principles of Practice in Engineering (PE) Exams.

Questions?

For questions relating to Computer Science degrees, please email csinfo@uidaho.edu or call 208-885-6592.

Funding Opportunities

The University of Idaho is awarded more than $100 million in annual grants, contracts and research appropriations.

• CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service – graduate recipients receive a $34,000 stipend. All tuition and degree-related fees are paid through this National Science Foundation grant open to computer science and computer engineering students.
• Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Graduate Fellowship Program – Recipients of this competitive fellowship receive full tuition and fees by U of I during their first three years of graduate school. INL covers tuition, fees, and a $60,000 annual salary during the final two years of their doctoral research, to be conducted at INL.
• Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) – Funded through the Department of Energy, this student training and outreach program teaches students how to assess and make recommendations toward energy savings, waste reduction and productivity on an industrial site. Open to undergraduate and graduate students in all engineering and computer science disciplines.
• National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Graduate Fellowship Program – These year-long salaried assignments offer hands-on experience in nuclear security and nonproliferation. Administered by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and open to all engineering disciplines.
• NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) – $25,000 fellowship programs that contribute to NASA’s mission of exploration and discovery. Open to full-time graduate and doctoral students.
• National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP ) – For outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees.
• National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship – Three-year fellowship with full coverage of tuition and all mandatory fees, including a monthly stipend and up to $1,000 a year in medical insurance.
• DAAD Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE Professional) Programs – RISE Professional offers summer research internships in Germany to Master’s and Ph.D. students at companies and non-university research institutions with strong relations to industry.
• Faculty provide funding through a variety of external agencies and industry partners. Contact our faculty to learn more about these funding opportunities.

For more funding options, visit the College of Graduate Studies’ funding website .

Clubs & Organizations

Our college offers 20+ clubs and organizations tied to international and national engineering organizations, including national competition teams.

Learn about clubs related to your major:

• CyberForce Competition Team
• Graduate & Professional Student Association (GPSA)
• Humanitarian Engineering Corps (HEC)
• Polymorphic Games Studio
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
• Robotics Club
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
• Society of Women Engineers (SWE)