Ph.D. Computer Science

Degree Prep

View complete prerequisites, deadlines and contact information on the U of I Admissions website.

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

To enter the Computer Science Ph.D. program, you must demonstrate an understanding of mathematical and computer science skills and complete courses covering the following:

• A structured, high-level programming language (CS 120)
• Data structures (CS 121)
• Computer organization and architecture (CS 150)
• A full year of calculus ( Math 170 and 175)
• Discrete mathematics (Math 176)

Degree Roadmap

Depending on your interests, your academic adviser will help you develop a focused plan of study. Some examples include:

• Information assurance (computer security)
• Survivable systems (fault-tolerant computing)
• Collaborative virtual environments
• Evolutionary algorithms and artificial intelligence

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

View Computer Science graduate requirements and College of Graduate Studies requirements.

• At least 78 semester hours beyond the bachelor's degree, selected in consultation with your major professor and supervisory committee.
• At least 52 credits must be numbered 500 and above, and at least 33 of the 78 credits must be in courses other than CS 600 (Doctoral Research and Dissertation).
• Courses numbered below 300 may not be used to fulfill the requirements for the degree. Courses from other disciplines numbered 300-399 may be used only in supporting areas.
• As part of approving the study plan, the doctoral candidate’s major professor and committee will help select courses that include the breadth of computer science.
• Student must have at least one full semester of teaching experience, with the teaching assignment determined by the student's supervisory committee.
• A qualifying examination, preliminary examination and dissertation are required.
• Students are required to write a dissertation and give a final dissertation defense at the end of their degree program.
• A graduate committee will follow an outcomes assessment rubric through a combination of guided discussion with the degree candidate and in discussion as a committee.
• The committee will submit a report to the graduate committee, who will perform an assessment of these results and report to the faculty. Faculty will follow up on ways to close the loop to improve the program.

Questions?

For questions relating to computer science degrees please email csinfo@uidaho.edu or call 208-885-6782.

Funding Opportunities

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

• 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 reinforces its diversity.
• 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.

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

Financial Aid

For financial aid deadlines and eligibility requirements, visit the University of Idaho Financial Aid Office.

Clubs

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)
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
• Polymorphic Games Studio
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
• Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
• Tau Beta Pi - Engineering Honor Society (TBP)