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PhD Program Admissions

Applying to our PhD Program

We’re thrilled that you are interested in our PhD program in computer science! This page provides an overview of the application process, some guidelines, and answers to specific questions. Please check our FAQ before emailing [email protected] with any questions not answered here.

Our program accepts a large number of applicants each year from a diverse range of backgrounds. Our applicants come directly from undergraduate or master’s programs, as well as industry positions, and from within United States and numerous countries around the world.

Visit the interactive PhD program statistics page   to view historical program data pertaining to admissions, enrollment, retention/attrition/completion, and time to degree conferral. (Select “ Computer Science” from the “Choose Program” drop-down menu.)

Ready to start your PhD application?

We’re ready for you. Click on the link below to start your application to become a PhD student at Johns Hopkins University

The Application: General Advice

The most important question we ask when reviewing applications is "Will this individual excel at research?" Every part of your application is helpful insofar as it answers this question. The three major components of an application are the statement, letters of recommendation, and grades.

This is one of the most important parts of your application; it lets us get to know you and creates a narrative of your academic career and future plans. Before you write your statement, start by thinking about what you want us to learn about you. Make a list of important achievements, perspectives, and goals. Build your statement around this list. We are looking for students who have made the most of the opportunities they have been presented with and who are smart, creative, and motivated. Keep in mind that we also have your CV and letters of recommendation, so we don’t necessarily need a list of all your accomplishments. However, your statement can fill in the narrative around what you did and, more specifically, why you did it. What motivates you? What are your research interests and why? These details aren’t found elsewhere in your application, so focus on them in your statement.

There are a few things we suggest not including in your statement. While it’s tempting to give a rationale for why you are applying to our program, don’t include it if it’s uninformed. Consider: “I want to apply to Johns Hopkins because it’s one of the premiere academic programs.” We know that already! If you do have specific reasons to be interested in our program (e.g. location, a specific project, a faculty member, etc.), be sure to mention them.

In terms of your motivation, be specific! Don’t write: “I’ve wanted to do a PhD in CS since I was six years old.” We don’t trust that six-year-olds make good career decisions. If you write “I have always found AREA X fascinating,” explain why.

Letters of Recommendation

The two most important factors of a recommendation letter are: 1) select someone who knows you well, and 2) select someone who knows how to write a letter.

First, it’s tempting to ask Professor X. to write a letter for you because they are a well-known person in the field. While we can better contextualize letters from people we know, it’s only helpful if the letter contains meaningful information. If Professor X. writes, “I’ve met the applicant a few times and they seem sharp,” that’s not useful information. It’s more important to select someone who knows you well and can discuss your achievements in detail.

Second, your letter writer should know how to write a letter. Academic research programs look for different things than a company. We often read letters from work supervisors that say nice things, but don’t speak to the qualities we find most important.

Of course, it’s a balance. You want someone who knows you well, but they still need to know how to write a good letter of recommendation.

We understand that three letters are a lot, especially for an undergraduate applying directly to a PhD program. We don’t expect each candidate to have three amazing letters. Your choices should be about balance: you want people who know you well, can write good academic letters, and know the research field. Use your choice of your three letter-writers to create this balance.

There isn’t much you can do about your grades—you have the grades you have. However, we do not use any grade cutoffs or thresholds in admissions. We want to see that you did well and excelled in whatever program you were in. Did you push yourself to take upper-level classes? Did you do well in the classes most directly related to your research area? If you have special circumstances that explain some of your grades, please include a description of them in your statement.

The Whiting School of Engineering does not require GRE General Test scores for applications to our PhD programs.

TOEFL or IELTS

Non-native English speakers must take the TOEFL or IELTS exams. Details on accepted exams, scores, and exceptions to this requirement can be found here .

Application Tips

There are many helpful guides for PhD applications. Here are a few we recommend:

• How to be a Successful PhD Student (co-authored by our own Mark Dredze )
• What Readers Look for in a Statement of Purpose
• Student Perspectives on Applying to NLP PhD Programs
• A Survival Guide to a PhD

Application Deadlines

Application Deadline:

The deadline for fall is December 15th. (No recruiting for spring admissions.)

The application will be available for submission on or around August 15.

Vivien Thomas Scholars

The Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative (VTSI) is an endowed fellowship program at Johns Hopkins for PhD students in STEM fields. It provides full tuition, stipend, and benefits while also providing targeted mentoring, networking, community, and professional development opportunities. Students who have attended a historically black college and university or other minority serving institution for undergraduate study are eligible to apply. To be considered for the VTSI, all application and supplementary materials must be received by December 1, 2021.

Email forwarding for @cs.stanford.edu is changing. Updates and details here .

PhD | Program Requirements

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On average, the program is completed in five to six years, depending on the student’s research and progress. First-year students have the opportunity to rotate in three different labs before selecting their advisor. 

The Computer Science Department also believes that teaching is an integral and important part of graduate-level education in Computer Science. In pursuing the PhD degree, students have clear and defined milestones that help guide them to the successful completion of their dissertation and oral defense. This includes a cumulative list of requirements to be completed in order for students to confer their PhD degree in Computer Science.

For any questions related to CS PhD milestone requirements, please email  [email protected] . 

Form/s should be submitted as a PDF and emailed to  [email protected] .  Jay Subramanian, Director of Graduation Admissions and PhD Program, approves all forms on behalf of the Department chair. The CS PhD Student Services Team will collect her signature after you submit your form/s.

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Note : A student may go to TGR status after all the Ph.D. requirements above have been completed, and just their orals and dissertation submission remain, see Special Registration Statuses page.

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About , McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University

Academics   /   graduate phd in computer science.

Preparing students to become expert researchers across interdisciplinary fields

Situated within the McCormick School of Engineering and driven by the CS+X initiative, the Department of Computer Science (CS) at Northwestern University prepare students to perform impactful and future-focused computer science research by building technological expertise through work with leading interdisciplinary researchers across Northwestern’s top-ranked schools.

Conducting original transformational research in extant and emerging computer science areas, our students are both advancing the core CS fields from theory to AI to systems and networking, as well as expanding CS into new areas through unique collaborations with CS+X faculty jointly appointed with disciplines including business, law, economics, journalism, and medicine.

Questions about our program? Visit our contact page >

Request Info Learn How to Apply

Students choose from one of 5 tracks, corresponding to on one of our areas of research excellence. Within each track, students explore many related areas of interest, including programming languages , security and privacy and human-computer interaction .

Click on a research area to learn more about the faculty and their work.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Computer engineering, why northwestern.

Benefit from our culture, community, and proximity to Chicago’s growing tech sector

Broaden your view of computer science

In our CS+X environment, you’ll have the opportunity to uncover new areas of study while taking advantage of our robust research connections across Northwestern’s top-ranked schools including medicine, business, journalism, music, and more.

Learn more about CS+X >

Find community at social events and in student groups

When you join Northwestern CS, you’re entering a community, not just a classroom. You’ll not only find ample opportunities to network with fellow students, faculty members, staff, and even professionals in the CS field, but you’ll also to form supportive friendships.

View student groups >

Easy access to Chicagoland research and industry partners

Situated along Lake Michigan, 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, Northwestern’s unique location offers unsurpassed access to research partnerships and networking opportunities at neighboring tech organizations.

Jessica Hullman

Ginni rometty professor.

“I see exciting new research opportunities related to supporting understanding of statistical model results and technology-aided decision making under uncertainty.”

Learn more about Jessica Hullman

Other Opportunities

Complement your area of study with skills or experience to ensure your success

Cognitive Science Certificate

Earn this specialization by taking six cognitive science courses. You’ll also have the opportunity to attend cognitive science events and lectures, to receive conference travel support, and to be exposed to cross-disciplinary exchanges.

Explore the certificate program

Management for PhDs Certificate Program

Jointly offered by The Graduate School and Kellogg School of Management, this program provides post-candidacy doctoral students with a basic understanding of strategy, finance, risk and uncertainty, marketing, accounting and leadership. You’ll be introduced to business concepts and specific frameworks for effective management strategies for both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors.

The Crown Family Graduate Internship Program

This internship program will provide you with the opportunity to gain practical experience in industry or in national research laboratories in areas closely related to your research.

Explore the internship program

Funding Your Degree

We provide financial support for all CS PhD students in the form of assistantships or fellowships, unless support is not desired.

Fully-Funded

All PhD students are given support in the form of assistantships or fellowships.

First-Year Fellowship

All PhD students start with a first-year fellowship.

Learn about Admissions and Funding

Career Paths

Prepare for a career in academia or industry

Recent graduates of the computer science PhD program are pursuing careers in industry and research labs, academia, and startups. At Northwestern, you’ll have opportunities including laboratory research experience, teaching, and conferences and workshops. In addition, our career advisors in Engineering Career Development and Northwestern Career Advancement assist students with career development and placement.

Where our alumni work in academia Where our alumni work in industry Request Your Program & Application Guide

Request a customized program guide about the PhD in computer science.

Request Your Program Guide

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Brochure This page covers two topics of interest to prospective Ph.D. students:

• how to apply to the computer science Ph.D. program , and
• sources of funding for graduate study in the Ph.D. program .

For Fall of 2025 the CS PhD application deadline is December 15th, 2024

For general information about the Ph.D. program, please see the Ph.D. program overview . The Ph.D. Applicant FAQ also answers many common questions. The Ph.D. program, similar to the department, operates in both Ithaca and New York City, with students and advisors located on both campuses. Each CS faculty member is based either in Ithaca or in New York City.  All Ph.D. students spend their first two semesters on the Ithaca campus; afterwards, they are generally based in the location of their principal advisor.  

FAQ with further information about the two campuses .

Applying for the Ph.D.

A successful application will include the following:

• Transcripts of all previous college and university work
• Academic Statement of purpose
•  The diversity statement has been incorporated into the personal statement. Applicants can check if they are interested in applying for a diversity fellowship and they will be asked to respond to some additional prompts in their personal statement. For more information. please visit: https://gradschool.cornell.edu/admissions/prepare/personal-statements/
• Letters of recommendation
• Cornell Computer Science no longer considers the GRE in any aspect of our admissions process (the FAQ explains this policy in more detail).
• Proof of competence in English (TOEFL or IELTS)
• Fee.  Cornell has an application fee, but you can petition to waive it if the cost represents a financial hardship to you.  Your financial circumstances will not be a consideration in our admissions process. If admitted, we provide full support (including student health insurance , stipend and tuition ) for admitted PhD students.
• Optional: Writing Sample 

Students apply online using the admissions site of the Cornell Graduate School . You should not mail any application materials ; this may delay your application . Any additional materials beyond those above, such as research paper manuscripts, may be uploaded to the online application system as “writing samples”.

Our application asks you to identify your area(s) of research interest.  This information is important to us, for the following reason.  Whereas some PhD programs allow individual professors to admit their own students, at Cornell admissions decisions are made by a committee.   In addition, we recommend reviewing faculty research, and sharing names of faculty in which you would be interested in working with and why.  We generally admit students only if we can identify faculty members who they might later work with.  The areas and names you list will help us identify those faculty members and to determine the relevant capacity for new students.   All of these steps ensure that the people you might love to work with will be equally enthusiastic about working with you!

Most students arrive on campus with a strong interest and demonstrated talent in some area of research, but no certainty about which group they will join.  Reaching out to a faculty member who is doing work you find exciting is not a problem, but you should not assume that the professor you contact will be involved in admissions.  Once you have been admitted, we will make sure that you have ample opportunity to meet the faculty members who work in the area(s) of research you indicated in your application.

The Student-Applicant Support Program aims to assist students (especially those who self-identify as first-generation or low-income) as they apply to Cornell’s CS PhD program. If accepted into the program, you will be paired with a graduate student volunteer who will:

• Have a 30-minute Zoom conversation with you to discuss the application process, share their experience, and answer any initial questions you may have.
• Following this, we will provide a new Google form where you can upload your application materials. You will then receive one round of detailed feedback on your resume and statement of purpose (capacity permitting).

Please Note: Participation in the Student-Applicant Support Program does not guarantee admission and our capacity for applications is limited as previously mentioned. If you would like to be considered for the Student-Applicant Support Program, please take note of the following deadlines:

• Please fill out this form ( link ) by 11:59pm EST, October 18, 2024. I guess the form description would have to be updated now.
• Your application material needs to be submitted by 11:59pm EST, Nov 8, 2024. (The relevant google form will be shared later.)

Final Note: Data collected from your form will be aggregated and anonymized to assess the program's impact, and individual responses will be deleted at the end of the application cycle. All demographic questions are optional.

Note: Information will be aggregated and anonymized to evaluate the impact of this program, but individual responses will be deleted at the end of this application cycle. All demographics questions are optional.

The department accepts applications for the fall semester only. The deadline for the fall 2024 semester is December 15th . Applying early is strongly advised. Because the TOEFL or IELTS is required for international students, you may submit your application before taking those exam(s).  Nonetheless we strongly advise that you ensure that your application will be complete by December 15th.  Delays in receiving your scores will delay the the review of your application.

Cornell University requires all applicants to complete their application materials without the use of paid agents, credentials services, or other paid professional assistance. The use of such services violates University policy, and may lead to the rejection of application materials, the revocation of an admissions offer, cancellation of admission, or involuntary withdrawal from the University.

Evaluation Process

There is no formula that guarantees admission. We will carefully evaluate all the above components of your application. We tend to look for the following:

• A coherent body of coursework with a high average grade in the A− to A+ range.
• Adequate mathematical background including freshman and sophomore calculus and at least two other courses (e.g., linear algebra, abstract algebra, analysis, statistics).
• Basic background in computer science including evidence of research potential.
• A strong statement of purpose.  Our committee reads your statement of purpose carefully and it shapes our perspective on who you are and what your interests are.  The most compelling statements of purpose center on the research areas that fascinate you and your experience working in or learning about those areas.
• Strong letters of recommendation.  The most compelling letters are those written by people who know you well and who can attest to characteristics such as your intellectual potential, creativity, ability to overcome challenges, work ethic, and motivation.

It is important to stress that these are only guidelines and not a rigid policy. An applicant whose record is weaker in some respect (e.g. a low grade in some course) may still be admitted if strength is revealed in some other respect (e.g., exceptional letters of recommendation).

Commitment to Diversity

Fostering an inclusive environment is a core value of the Computer Science Department and Cornell as a whole. In line with Cornell’s historical commitment to educating “… any person … in any study…”, we seek candidates who will create a climate that helps attract and is inclusive of all students, including students from historically underrepresented groups, and students who have overcome personal challenges. 

As a member of our community, all of our graduate students find themselves in student-facing roles such as teaching, other TA activities, and advising research.  With this in mind, we are asking all applicants to explicitly express a committment to  Cornell's guidelines for equity and inclusiveness .   A brief statement will suffice.  Should you wish to say more, you are welcome to use this as an opportunity to talk about your own experiences or challenges that you have overcome along the path to applying to graduate school, and how those experiences have prepared you to represent Cornell's diversity mission when you interact with students as a graduate student.

We should note that we also require such a statement from Cornell's faculty candidates, and you may also find it interesting to consult Cornell's faculty diversity web page , which provides additional detail about Cornell's commitment to diversity at the faculty level, inclusion and equity.  The Computing and Information Sciences web page  describes some CIS activities in this area. 

Our FAQ includes a list of fellowships for which you can apply, including several intended specifically to support Cornell in achieving its diversity goals.  Some students may wish to apply for one of these diversity fellowships. It is important to realize that the department's required diversity statement is not used for these fellowship applications   If interested, you would provide a longer fellowship application statement that would be used by the relevant fellowship selection committee.  In that statement, we recommend that you offer insight into your background and experiences and discuss how these shape their potential to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect.  The department's required diversity statement will not be supplied to the diversity fellowship selection committee, although they will be able to see other elements of your PhD application.

The Graduate School offers admission fee waivers to qualified participants in pipeline programs that provide educational and/or career support to students from underrepresented identities.  For the current list of approved programs and eligibility details, please visit this link . To request a waiver send the following information to [email protected]: name, date of birth, name of the undergrad summer research or other grad school prep program you participated in and date of participation, name of the field to which you are applying at Cornell. You will receive an email reply with a fee waiver code and instructions for how to use it.  Please note: fee waiver requests will be processed Monday through Friday, during normal business hours, with the exception ofholidays and breaks when the university is closed. Allow up to three business days for your request to be processed.

Transcripts

Your application should include complete and scanned transcripts of all previous college and university work, including any work done at Cornell. If you are submitting unofficial transcripts, the Graduate School will require that you submit official transcripts should you be accepted into the program. In this case, please make sure your transcript has your name, birthdate, and the name of the attended university.

Applicants should scan their transcripts and upload the documents into the on-line application themselves as part of the submission process. For students who are subsequently admitted and accept the offer of admission, an official paper transcript will be required prior to matriculation; students will be reminded of this requirement on the “response to offer of admission” form.

International Credentials

All transcripts or academic records must be official documents provided in the original language. If that language is not English, they must be accompanied by certified translations into English. If not issued by the college or university as original documents, they should be notarized, full-sized photocopies. They should include grades received in each subject each year, and the number of weeks and hours per week that each subject was studied. Courses must be described in detail. The general subject name (e.g., “mathematics”) is not sufficient. The particular subject (e.g., “differential equations,” “algebraic topology”) must be identified.

If you are admitted into the program and you accept our offer of admission, the Graduate School will require an official transcript. They will contact you directly about this requirement.

Grade point averages

If your school uses a GPA scale other than 0–4.0, just leave this field blank when submitting your application. If you feel you must, you may enter 0. We will review your transcript and will rate your performance on the grades you received, not the number you enter into this field.

How to scan transcripts

• Scan at the lowest dpi that results in a legible document (we recommend less than 200 dpi if possible).
• Ensure that the institution name and other identifying marks are not missed during the scanning process and that your scanned copy is clearly legible and can print on letter-size paper (8½"x11").
• Save your document as a PDF file.
• Scanning in “gray scale” or black and white may produce the best results.
• If the scanned file is too large, make a photocopy first (experiment with different settings until you find one that results in the smallest file size) then scan the photocopy.

If all the above fails, please send the scanned document (no larger than 2MB) to [email protected]. Please name the file as follows: FirstName_LastName_SchoolName_Transcript.

Statement of Purpose

You should think carefully when writing your statement of purpose. Express your plans and interests in Computer Science in a concise and clear manner. It may be helpful to include a list of some of the principal reasons why you consider yourself a strong applicant to our program. Please note what area(s) of research you are excited about, and any specific faculty you might be interested in working with during your graduate studies at Cornell.  

Letters of Recommendation

Your application must include three letters of recommendation, but you may submit up to five letters if you wish. The letters should be from professors or other researchers who have supervised you or evaluated your work.  Such a person would normally know what your specific contributions were if the work was part of a group effort, and can personally testify to your potential as a researcher in Computer Science. Once you have submitted your application, a notification will be sent to your recommenders within 48 hours. These letters are a very important part of your application, and you should ensure that they are submitted into the electronic application system by December 15th or as soon as possible thereafter for your application to receive full consideration. We discourage mailed letters of recommendation as this delays the processing of your application.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

International applicants must demonstrate competency in the English language. Cornell will accept either the TOELF or IELTS.  Please see the Graduate School's page on English Language Proficiency for details.

Admission into the doctoral program in the Field of Computer Science is based purely on academic merit. All Ph.D. students in Computer Science are fully supported during the academic year as long as they remain in good academic standing. Support from Cornell includes tuition, health insurance,and stipend. Support is available in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships.  Please see stipend rates here .

Teaching Assistantships

Each TA is assigned to a course with an average time commitment of 15 hours per week helping the course instructor. TA assignments typically involve grading homework, holding office hours, preparing assignments, or teaching recitations.

Research Assistantships

A GRA is given to a student whose research interests coincide with a sponsored research project. Typically, the work of a Gradaute Research Assistant is an integral part of his/her dissertation research. The faculty member in charge (your advisor)of the project grants a GRA. GRAs are generally given to continuing, rather than incoming, students.

Fellowships

Applicants are also encouraged to apply for external fellowships, such as NSF, Facebook, NDSEG, or DOE Fellowships. These fellowships are highly prestigious, and they free the student of the responsibilities of an assistantship. Whenever possible, the department helps students in the fellowship application process.

The following is a partial list of fellowships available to graduate students in computer science.  Please see the fellowship page for additional fellowships:

• National Science Foundation NSF fellowships are available to United States citizens or permanent residents, and only to incoming or first-year students. Support is for three years. The deadline for application is mid-November. You can obtain an application from your undergraduate institution, or from the NSF directly (Fellowship Office, National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20418). Also, see their Web site, http://www.nsf.gov .
• Cornell Fellowships The Graduate School awards a number of one and two-year Cornell fellowships to incoming graduate students. Your application for admission automatically serves as the fellowship application. However, your application and all supporting credentials must be received by December 1 in order to be considered for a Cornell Fellowship.
• Meta  This fellowship is open for continuing students. The department nominates the candidates for this fellowship.
• Google This fellowship is open for continuing students. The department nominates the candidates for this fellowship.
• Microsoft This fellowship is open for continuing students. The department nominates the candidates for this fellowship.

As noted earlier, some generous donors have endowed an additional group of fellowships that are specifically designed to assist the department in pursuing its diversity objectives.  These are discussed in more detail (including the procedure for applying) on our FAQ page .

Ph.D. Admission

Applying to the phd program.

The deadline for applications is December 12.

Full details about applying as a PhD student are available through the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) Application Resource Center .

NYU Global Tracks

The computer science department offers students the possibility to perform research abroad with the computer science faculty in either the NYU Abu Dhabi campus or the NYU Shanghai campus. In order to be considered for those special tracks, applicants must indicate their interest on the application form. Under both tracks, students are expected to complete one year of coursework in the NYU New York campus, and then conduct research with their academic advisor in one of the two global campuses.

To read more about the NYU Shanghai track, click here .

To read more about the NYU Abu Dhabi track, click here .

Evaluation of applications to the PhD program

All of the items listed below must be included in your online application.

• A completed application form, including a statement of purpose.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• GRE scores. (Note that the general GRE test is required; the GRE Computer Science subject test is optional) Note: We encourage you to submit an application even if you do not yet have your GRE result ready by the application deadline. Please let us know if you believe that taking the GRE test presents a difficulty for you.
• Curriculum vitae.
• Academic transcripts.
• TOEFL or IELTS scores for any student whose native language or medium of undergraduate instruction is not English.

Admission decisions are made by a faculty committee. The most important factor in an PhD admission decision involves the applicant's likely ability to succeed in original research. Hence the committee pays significant attention to the applicant's statement of purpose and to letters of recommendation that highlight the applicant's contributions to research. Links to research publications written or co-authored by the applicant are helpful. (Copies of publications should NOT be submitted.) There are no explicit requirements for grades. All applicants to the PhD program are expected to have outstanding grades and demonstrated command of written English. The letters of recommendation should provide confirmation of the applicant's originality and creativity in research.

Applicants are not expected or required to submit GRE scores. Applicants who wish to submit GRE scores, can do so, but need not provide official scores at the time of application.

Admission decisions are made by a faculty committee. The most important factor in an PhD admission decision involves the applicant's likely ability to succeed in original research. Hence the committee pays significant attention to the applicant's statement of purpose and to letters of recommendation that highlight the applicant's contributions to research. Links to research publications written or co-authored by the applicant are helpful. (Copies of publications should NOT be submitted.) There are no explicit requirements for grades or GRE scores. All applicants to the PhD program are expected to have outstanding grades and excellent GRE scores, as well as a demonstrated command of written English. The letters of recommendation should provide confirmation of the applicant's originality and creativity in research.

Financial support of PhD students

All full-time Computer Science PhD students in good standing receive financial support, including a nine-month stipend during the academic year, payment of tuition and fees, and health insurance. For some students, this support is provided through the GSAS MacCracken Fellowship program. Information about the MacCracken program can be found on the GSAS page for Fellowships and Assistantships by clicking the link for "MacCracken Program Guidelines."

More than half of Computer Science PhD students receive support from research assistantships associated with external grants received by their research advisors. There are also opportunities for MacCracken fellows to receive additional compensation separate from their MacCracken award by serving as instructional assistants.

Prospective PhD students are strongly encouraged to apply for external fellowships. In addition to the prestige associated with external support,the department's policy is to pay the student, whenever possible, a "supplement" that produces a 9-month stipend (during September-May)that is 25% higher than the standard departmental 9-month stipend. For more information see the links below:

• External Fellowships for Doctoral Students (CS Department)
• External Fellowships (GSAS)

Where to Get Further Information

For general admissions inquiries for the PhD program, including troubleshooting the online application:

• [email protected]

For admissions inquiries specific to the PhD program in Computer Science:

• [email protected]

For information regarding open houses for prospective PhD students

• GSAS Graduate Fairs and Open Houses

Ph.D. Admissions: How to Apply

Apply online.

All PhD application materials are submitted electronically through the online application portal and must be received by December 15th at 11:59pm, Pacific Time. We recommend leaving yourself enough time to completely navigate the submission process (e.g., 1 hour). There is only one admission cycle each year . Decisions come out in late February with students expected to enroll in the following autumn quarter.

Application Materials

The information below describes the materials required for your application to the Ph.D. Program in Computer Science. All materials are submitted electronically and prospective students are encouraged to review the program’s eligibility requirements for computing background carefully before applying.

The GRE is not required and any scores received will not be used for evaluation. There is no benefit to providing GRE scores during the application process as any scores that are received will not be referenced during application reviews.

Application checklist

• Applicant profile and program information

Academic history

• Research Interests and Faculty Advising

Recommendation letters

Resume or cv, personal statement, proof of english proficiency, application fee.

• Submit application
• Profile Information
• Research Interests and Faculty

Create your applicant profile and start your application

The application for graduate study at UW is hosted by the UW Graduate School. Create an application account and fill out your applicant profile. Complete the "Profile Information," "Contact Information," and "Ethnicity Information."

Official transcripts are not required during the application process; you will only have to submit official documents to the UW Graduate School if you accept an admission offer. At that time, you should provide your documents according to the Graduate School's official transcript requirements .

Research Interests & Faculty Advising

Applicants are given the opportunity to indicate up to 3 interest areas our research areas of expertise .

If you are confident that you'd like to work with any particular faculty member(s), you may indicate their name(s) in the supplemental question. This question is optional but is strongly encouraged to make sure your application is reviewed by the appropriate reviewers during the admissions process. For a list of faculty and a description of their research, see our faculty directory . You do not need to contact faculty prior to applying, nor is it expected.

When you designate someone as a recommender, the application system will automatically send them an email with a link to follow to upload their letter. The email will indicate the application deadline of your desired entry quarter and specify that letters need to be received by that date.

Upload a current copy of your CV that provides detailed descriptions of your research accomplishments and other technical skills. There are no requirements for length or formatting; you may be as descriptive as you would like and may utilize more than one page.

Submit a personal statement of that includes: a) how you became interested in doing research, b) a relevant project or research experience that shows your technical knowledge and skill, and c) your plans for the future in computer science. You may wish to include information about what you feel are the strengths of your application, such as special interests and abilities, or give explanations for what you feel are any weaknesses in your academic record. If you have background that might particularly contribute to the intellectual and social enrichment of the program, please describe it. Examples include unique educational or cultural opportunities (or lack of them), social and economic disadvantages that you may have had to overcome, and interesting or unusual influences on your intellectual development.

• Having earned a degree in the United States in which English was the language of instruction; or, having earned a degree in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, or certain other countries specified in Policy 3.2 and where English was the language of instruction.
• Documentation from your undergraduate degree-granting institution, if outside the US or one of the countries specified in Policy 3.2 , verifying that all instruction is in English (for example, transcript notation or attested document issued by the institution).
• TOEFL scores showing a minimum total score or MyBest score of 92 or higher. UW's ETS institution code is 4854 .
• Academic IELTS scores showing a total score of 7.0 or higher. Applicants using IELTS test scores must submit official scores electronically via the IELTS system (E-TRF), using the University of Washington’s organization ID 365 .

Application fee waivers are available from the UW Graduate School to some domestic students who demonstrate financial need. The PhD does not offer fee waivers at the program/department level.

Submit your application

Both steps - making payment and then submitting the application - must be completed in order for your application to be finalized and viewable to application reviewers .

After You Apply

Admitted students.

At any time, feel free to contact us at grad-admissions [at] cs [dot] washington [dot] edu with questions.

Doctoral Degree in Computer Science

Carnegie Mellon's Ph.D. in Computer Science is, above all, a research degree. When the faculty award a Ph.D., they certify that the student has a broad foundation and awareness of core concepts in computer science, has advanced the field by performing significant original research and has reported that work in a scholarly fashion.

When you begin our Ph.D. program, you’ll take the Introductory Course for Doctoral Students — an intense two week program that orients you to the department, introduces you to research and education topics our faculty are interested in, helps you find a faculty advisor and familiarizes you with Carnegie Mellon’s resources. Next, you’ll gain a broad understanding of fundamental research issues in major areas of computer science through coursework and original research. Finally, you’ll write and orally defend a thesis that guarantees you understand the area well enough to advance the state of knowledge in the field.

During the first two years of the program, you’ll gain the foundation of knowledge that will allow you to become an expert researcher in computer science, primarily by

Mastering a body of graduate material, achieved by passing 96 university units worth of graduate courses (equivalent to eight full-time courses).

Learning how to organize and begin to carry out original research, achieved by participating in directed research.

You will also serve as a teaching assistant, hone your writing and speaking skills and maintain your programming prowess. You’ll also receive periodic evaluation of your progress, and must make satisfactory progress to continue in the program.

Time Commitment:

As a Ph.D. student in computer science at CMU, you'll spend roughly five years acquiring a body of technical knowledge that includes a familiarity with the breadth of the field, as well as a deep understanding of your research area. From your second month in the program, you'll work closely with your faculty advisor, who is charged with guiding your education and monitoring your progress through the program. You'll take courses, teach and perform directed research — all to ensure that you leave Carnegie Mellon as an expert in your field. For a complete breakdown of our program requirements, read our Ph.D. Handbook .

Financial Information:

The Computer Science Department offers all Ph.D. students full financial support while they are in good academic standing in their respective programs. To learn more about Ph.D. funding, visit the SCS  Doctoral Programs  webpage.

Graduate Tuition: https://www.cmu.edu/sfs/tuition/graduate/scs.html

Student Fees: https://www.cmu.edu/sfs/tuition/fees/index.html

Carnegie Mellon Graduate Student Financial Aid: https://www.cmu.edu/sfs/financial-aid/graduate/index.html

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The CS Policies/Procedures Manual is online and is incorporated in the CS Grad website. The website contains all current information on the CS policies/procedures, in addition to other helpful information and links. 

The Purdue Graduate School manual contains the minimum requirements, but CS policies may exceed the Grad School requirements and are considered the primary policy to follow in those situations.

The doctoral program is designed to prepare students for a career in computer science research. The program includes coursework to provide core computer science knowledge, coursework to provide knowledge in the intended area of research, and extensive research training and experience.

Invitation to participate:

Information Session on the CS Doctoral Requirements with the Graduate Study Chair

Thursday, September 14th, at 5:30 pm in LWSN 3102

The doctoral program requirements are:

• One research orientation course
• Ethics Training
• Two initial research courses
• Core course requirement
• Advisory Committee
• Area-specific requirements
• Research credits
• Preliminary Examination
• Annual Review

Graduation Candidacy Information

Changes in Requirements

Policies and Procedures Manual

Sample Ph.D. Timeline

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1. Research Orientation

The research orientation requirement consists of three parts: (a) the research orientation course, (b) the ethics training, and (c) the initial research courses.

a. Research Orientation Course

Students must, in their first year, take “ CS 59100 Research Seminar for First-Year Graduate Students ”.  This course introduces students to the research of CS faculty and includes lectures on how to conduct, present, and review research.

b. Ethics Training

Students must complete this multiple part training in the first year.

• Students must be present for the ethics lecture that is part of " CS 59100 Research Seminar for First-Year Graduate Students ".
• Go to  CITI Program: Responsible Conduct of Research .
• Register with “Purdue University” as your Organization Affiliation;
• Complete the  Course Responsible Conduct of Research Training – Faculty, Postdoctoral, and Graduate Course
• Forward the certificate of completion to the Graduate Office by email at  [email protected]
• participation  in discussions with colleagues on RCR topics related to their specific research programs (e.g., through group meetings, coursework, orientations, professional development activities, or other organized events.) OR
• participation/viewing panel discussions around topics identified as most relevant by the College of Science researchers. There will be a one hour event each spring semester to fulfill this. These will be announced by the Grad Office whenever available.
• Each student researcher is responsible for self-reporting their activities here: https://webapps.ecn.purdue.edu/VPR/RT/login

Further information on Responsible Conduct of Research

c. Initial Research Courses

Students must take two initial research courses by the end of their third semester.  Students take an initial research course by registering for at least 3 credits of “CS 69900, Research PhD Thesis”. To register for research, use the Scheduling Assistant in myPurdue. Only one initial research course can be taken per semester or per summer.  Each student must identify a faculty supervisor and work with that faculty supervisor to define and conduct a research project. At the end of each course, the student must write a report that is formally evaluated by the faculty supervisor. The two initial courses may be supervised by the same or by different faculty members .

Beginning PhD students (in first two years) doing research with a faculty member other than their initial advisor may discuss whether to formally change the advisor of record. If both the initial advisor and the proposed new initial advisor agree, an email to the grad office can be sent to request an update. Email confirmation from both advisors is needed before myCS can be updated. Students in their third year and beyond should have a plan of study approved identifying their permanent advisor. See Plan of study below for additional details. 

2. Core Course Requirement

Students must satisfy this requirement by the end of their fourth semester by passing one theory core course and one systems core course with an average grade of at least 3.5.

The theory core course must be chosen from the following set: {“CS 58000 Algorithm Design, Analysis, And Implementation”, “CS 58400 Theory of Computation and Computational Complexity”, "CS 58800 Randomized Algorithms"}.

The systems core course must be chosen from the following set: {“CS 50300 Operating Systems”, “CS 50500 Distributed Systems”, “CS 53600 Data Communication and Computer Networks”}.

For the purpose of this requirement, a grade of A+, A, A-, B+, B, and B- counts as 4.3, 4.0, 3.7, 3.3, 3.0, and 2.7, respectively, must be earned.

3. Plan of Study

Students must submit a draft plan of study by the end of the fifth week of their fifth semester (not including summer semesters), and are expected to revise it and to submit as final, as directed by the CS Graduate Office, by the end of classes that semester. The plan of study lists (a) the student’s advisory committee, and (b) the courses the student plans to use to fulfill the degree requirement. The draft of the plan of study is submitted electronically and must be approved by the student's advisory committee and by the CS Graduate Committee, see Instructions for Filing a Plan of Study .

a. Advisory Committee

The student must identify a Ph.D. research supervisor and then consult with the research supervisor to define an advisory committee. The advisory committee consists of

• the student’s research supervisor (a.k.a. “major professor”, or “advisor”), who serves as chair.
• two or more additional faculty members.
• a research supervisor who is not a CS faculty member may be approved as a co-chair along with a co-chair from CS.
• a majority of committee members must be CS faculty . Faculty from other Purdue West Lafayette departments may be approved to serve on the committee.
• committee members from outside Purdue West Lafayette may be approved, but they must be in addition to the required three committee members from Purdue West Lafayette.

The plan of study must include at least six graduate level CS courses and only CS graduate courses, with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.5. The six courses must be taught by a faculty member whose primary appointment is in the CS department. The courses must include the two courses used to satisfy the core course requirement. The remaining courses must be three-credit, level 50000 or 60000, non-individual CS courses. CS 50100, 50010, 50011 and certain CS 59000/69000/59200/59300 courses may not be used.

Students admitted to the doctoral program Fall 2017 or later may list at most one approved variable title CS 59000/69000/59200/59300 lecture course. Please check the Variable Title Courses page to determine if a course has been approved for inclusion on a PhD plan of study.

All courses included in the plan of study must have a student evaluation component, and they must be graded in the usual manner so they can be used to compute the GPA. In particular, courses graded on a pass/no pass or satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis cannot be included in the plan of study. A student receiving a grade lower than C- in a course on the plan of study will have to repeat or replace the course. If a course is repeated, only the last grade, even if lower, is used to compute all GPAs involving that course.

Courses taken as a graduate student from other institutions may be accepted with the approval of the student's advisory committee , the Graduate Committee, and the Graduate School.  The minimum acceptable grade for such courses is B- or the equivalent. Please refer to these  Instructions for Transfer of Courses (PDF).  Requests must be submitted to the CS grad office within the first six weeks of the fall or spring semester.

The courses on the plan of study cannot have been used to satisfy requirements for an undergraduate degree, nor can they cause the student's doctoral plan of study to include courses used for more than one master's degree.

4. Area-Specific Requirements

Students must satisfy any additional requirements specific to their area of research . Students must consult with their major professor to ascertain area-specific requirements.  Students are responsible for knowing and completing area-specific requirements by the assigned deadlines.

5. Research

Ph.D. research experience is planned, supervised, accumulated, and demonstrated by forming an advisory committee , by taking graduate level computer science courses , by conducting thesis research, by passing a preliminary examination, and by writing and defending a thesis.

a. Research Credits

The credits used to satisfy the Ph.D. degree credit requirement consist of (1) all credits for the courses that appear on the plan of study, and (2) all “CS 69900 Research Ph.D. Thesis” credit hours with a grade of S. At least 90 total credit hours are required. For example, if a plan of study lists 18 credits, an additional 72 research credits of CS 69900 with a grade of S are required.

At least one-third (i.e. 30) of the total credit hours used to satisfy the Ph.D. degree credit hour requirement must be earned while registered for doctoral study at Purdue West Lafayette.

b. Preliminary Examination

Students must pass a preliminary examination that tests competence in the student’s research area and readiness for research on a specific problem. The content of the examination is at the discretion of the examining committee. The examination may include a presentation by the student of papers relevant to a chosen research topic, an oral examination over advanced material on the student’s research topic, a presentation by the student of the student’s preliminary research results, or a proposal of thesis research.

The examining committee consists of the student's advisory committee , and of an additional member, who is not on the advisory committee, who is approved by the Graduate Committee.

The preliminary examination can be taken as soon as the plan of study is approved, and as late as two semesters before the semester in which the thesis defense is held. The student should consult with their advisory committee to decide when to take the preliminary examination (e.g. if a final exam is taken Fall 2021, the prelim exam would have needed to have happened Fall 2020). 

Please see the Procedure for Arranging a Preliminary Examination.

The thesis must present new results worthy of publication. At least two academic sessions of registration devoted to research and writing must elapse between the preliminary and final doctoral examinations. The student must defend the thesis publicly and to the satisfaction of the examining committee, which consists of the student's  advisory committee  and of one additional faculty member who represents an area outside that of the thesis, and who is approved by the graduate committee.

The thesis should be defended at the latest by the end of the fourth semester following the one in which the student passes the  preliminary examination .

Defense Procedure Instructions

Thesis Format

In preparing a PhD dissertation, please read the graduate school templates information at:  http://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/research/thesis/templates.html  and choose the LaTeX Template. For the review of the format, schedule a Formatting Consultation prior to your defense at  https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/research/thesis/appointment.html  .

Thesis Deposit Process

6. Annual Review

Each doctoral students’ academic and research progress is evaluated annually by their major professor and the Graduate Committee.  Students receive written feedback and guidance to support progress.

The Ph.D. requirements described above apply to all students entering or re-entering the Department of Computer Science at West Lafayette ("the Department") as degree-seeking graduate students in the summer session of 2016 or later. Here is an archive of the 2013 , 2010 ,  2009 ,  2006 ,  2002  and  2001  Doctoral Program Requirements.

Students are governed by the degree requirements in effect when they enter the Department as degree-seeking students.  For students re-entering, the date of the most recent re-entry determines the degree requirements.  Students who wish to take advantage of subsequent changes may apply to the Graduate Committee to be governed by all degree requirements in effect at a specified subsequent time.  Choosing features from different sets of requirements is not permitted.

For information about the commencement ceremony, please visit www.purdue.edu/commencement .

In order to graduate, you must declare candidacy for the semester in which you intend to graduate by the designated deadline. You declare candidacy by using the Scheduling Assistant within myPurdue and registering for either CAND 99100, 99200, or 99300 (Form 23 is no longer used). 

If you are declaring candidacy for multiple degrees (both PhD and MS) within the same semester, please register for candidacy for one degree, and then contact [email protected],  to let them know information on the second degree. Candidacy will only show on your schedule for one degree, but we will work with the Registrar's Office and Grad School to make sure expectation for both degrees is recorded in their systems.

CAND 99100: This the candidacy to register for if you are currently taking any courses and/or research. Doctoral students must register for research in proportion to their efforts during each session, and must be registered for at least one credit of research in this semester. Research registration should be commensurate with actual research and writing efforts. (International students registering for candidacy and less than full-time, need to request approval for a Reduced Course Load from ISS; at least one credit if not funded or at least three credits if funded.)

Special candidate registration may be allowed for those students needing to only deposit (CAND 992) or defend/deposit (CAND 993). If allowed, please note:

• Early deadlines apply (you can find the deadline calendar on the Grad School website,   https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool , and select Academic Calendar).
• Students cannot be registered for any credits in this semester (research or coursework).
• Students MUST be registered in research the semester prior to enrolling in one of these candidate types (including summer if research (which includes writing/formatting thesis) was performed).
• Students may still hold an RA appointment (and TA appointment, if remaining for the full semester despite defending and/or depositing early).
• Candidates who register for this special registration and who do not meet the early deadline, will be switched by the Grad School to CAND 991 and required to register for credits.  If you’re funded or on Research in Absentia, you need to make sure you are funded for a minimum of 3 credits, so check your schedule if you miss the early deadline and notify  [email protected]  immediately to assist you with modifying the number of registered credits.

CAND 993  (Exam-Only Candidacy): Candidacy for those that ONLY need to defend AND deposit their thesis.  Please note that there is a fee to register in CAND 993.

PLEASE NOTE: Being registered as a candidate does not automatically register you for the commencement ceremony itself. If you plan to participate in commencement, you must respond by using the Commencement tab on myPurdue. It will be added to your myPurdue account after a specified date in the semester you have registered as a candidate.

Graduation Deadline Calendar: https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/about/calendar/deadlines.html

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Sample Ph.D timeline

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A curated list of awesome advice for computer science Ph.D. applicants.

jedyang97/awesome-cs-phd-application-advice

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Awesome cs phd application advice.

This curated list of awesome advice for computer science PhD applicants consists of blogs found on the internet, with a slightly biased emphasis on the AI/ML and NLP area. These articles greatly helped me when I was applying to Ph.D., I hope they can also help you.

This page is cross-listed in this blog .

Application season can be stressful, but always remember to smile :-) - you are already awesome to have the courage to take this hard path!

General Advice

CSRankings.org: Advice on Applying to Grad School in Computer Science (In case you are new to a field and need to learn about the professors in that field, I highly recommend use CSRankings.org to quickly find professors working in your area of interest.)

Student Perspectives on Applying to NLP PhD Programs (by various Ph.D. students)

Undergrad to PhD, or not - advice for undergrads interested in research (by John Hewitt , Ph.D. student at Stanford)

Ph.D. Applications: FAQ (by Noah Smith , Professor at UW)

Scott E. Fahlman's Quora answer on the admission committee process (by Scott E. Fahlman , Professor Emeritus at CMU, served many times in the admission committee at CMU)

Applying to Ph.D. Programs in Computer Science (by Mor Harchol-Balter , Professor at CMU)

HOWTO: Get into grad school for science, engineering, math and computer science (by Matt Might , Professor at University of Alabama)

Reflecting on CS Graduate Admissions ( David Andersen , Professor at CMU, chair of admission committee for Fall 2015)

A PhD is Not Enough: A Guide to Survival in Science (by Peter J. Feibelman ; this book is also super useful for PhD candidates and new post-docs! For Chinese speakers: a brife outline )

Statement of Purpose Advice

Some Suggestions on writing your statement of purpose

How to Write a Bad Statement for a Computer Science Ph.D. Admissions Application ( Andy Pavlo , Associate Professor at CMU)

Inside Ph.D. admissions: What readers look for in a Statement of Purpose ( Nathan Schneider , Assistant Professor at Georgetown University)

Christopher W. Fletcher's guid on SoP ( Christopher W. Fletcher , Assistant Professor at UIUC)

Contributors 2

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• Computer Sciences, PhD

The Department of Computer Sciences offers the master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees in computer sciences. Research specialty areas include artificial intelligence, computational biology, computer architecture, computer graphics, computer networks, computer security, database systems, human–computer interaction, numerical analysis, optimization, performance analysis, programming languages and compilers, systems research, and theoretical computer sciences. The department’s Graduate Advising Committee (GAC) advises all computer sciences graduate students except students who are in dissertator status. See the  department website for faculty interests, research activities, courses, facilities, and degree requirements.

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online .

Applicants with a strong background in computer sciences or a related field are encouraged to apply for admission. At a minimum, the applicant should have some programming experience, including courses in data structures and machine organization, along with a year of college-level mathematics at the calculus level or above. For more information on admissions, visit the department website . 

A submitted online application is required, consisting of:

• Statement of purpose
• Complete supplemental application sections
• Most up-to-date unofficial transcript(s) from all previous higher education institutions, regardless of whether or not a degree was earned (official transcripts are requested of only recommended applicants); international academic records must be in the original language accompanied by an official English translation. 
• Test scores and three letters of recommendation as detailed above

Contact [email protected] with questions about admissions in the traditional MS or the PhD programs.

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid.  Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources

Funding is offered to about half of the students to whom admission is offered. Funding is usually in the form of fellowships, teaching assistantships, or research assistantships. Because computer science skills are in demand, students who are admitted without funding are often able to find graduate assistantships on campus.  The department website provides information on funding options and offers suggestions for those who are admitted without department funding.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Major requirements.

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements , in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Mode of Instruction

Mode of Instruction Definitions

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

Curricular Requirements

Required Courses

Additional qualifying breadth courses requirement.

PhD students must take one course from each of the bands 1, 2, 3 and 4 listed below. Two of the four courses used to satisfy this requirement must be numbered 700 or above; the remaining two courses must be numbered 500 above. Grades in all courses used for breadth must be at least AB. COMP SCI 839 may satisfy breadth in the band declared by the course instructor at the time of course offering.

One course taken as a graduate student at another institution may satisfy breadth.  A request for this must be made in writing to the faculty member designated to approve equivalence for the respective course on the breadth list. The request should indicate the corresponding UW–Madison course, include a transcript showing a grade equivalent to AB or better, a course syllabus and description.

Graduate School Policies

The  Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures  provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Major-Specific Policies

Prior coursework, graduate credits earned at other institutions.

Subject to faculty approval, one graduate course taken elsewhere may be used for breadth. Other than that, no credits of graduate coursework from other institutions are allowed to satisfy requirements.

Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison

No credits from a UW–Madison undergraduate degree are allowed to satisfy requirements.

Credits Earned as a Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)

Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.

Credits Earned as a University Special student at UW–Madison

Refer to the  Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework  policy.

At the end of any regular (non-summer) semester, a student is considered to be making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) if the following conditions are all satisfied:

• Before achieving dissertator status: the student has completed at least 6 (if full load) or 3 (if part load) credits of approved courses during the semester.
• After achieving dissertator status: the student has satisfactorily completed at least three credits of courses approved by the student’s major professor.
• The student has removed all Incomplete grades from any previous regular semester or summer session.
• The student has passed any required exams and procedures within designated time limits.

Any graduate student who fails to make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) during two consecutive regular semesters (fall and spring, or spring and fall) will be dismissed from the department at the end of the subsequent summer session. Any graduate student who fails to make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) due to missed deadlines will be dismissed from the department at the end of the subsequent summer session.

Advisor / Committee

A member of the graduate advising committee must formally approve all graduate schedules each semester until a student is in dissertator status.

Credits Per Term Allowed

Time limits.

Students must pass the qualifying process by the end of the sixth semester.

The preliminary exam must be taken within two regular (non-summer) semesters after the deadline for the qualifying exam.

Refer to the Graduate School: Time Limits policy.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

• Bias or Hate Reporting  
• Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
• Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
• Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
• Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
• Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
• Office Student Assistance and Support (OSAS)  (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
• Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
• Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
• Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)

Students should contact the department chair or program director with questions about grievances. They may also contact the L&S Academic Divisional Associate Deans, the L&S Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning Administration, or the L&S Director of Human Resources.

• Professional Development

Take advantage of the Graduate School's  professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

The Department of Computer Sciences hosts many professional development opportunities, including job fairs, workshops, seminars, talks, employer information sessions, mentoring, and student socials. The Department of Computer Sciences' student organizations, Student-ACM (SACM) and Women's ACM (WACM), are active partners in providing professional development opportunities for computer sciences graduate students.

• Learning Outcomes
• Articulates research problems, potentials, and limits with respect to theory, knowledge, or practice within the field of study.
• Formulates ideas, concepts, designs, and/or techniques beyond the current boundaries of knowledge within the field of study.
• Creates research, scholarship, or performance that makes a substantive contribution.
• Demonstrates breadth within their learning experiences.
• Advances contributions of the field of study to society.
• Communicates complex ideas in a clear and understandable manner.
• Fosters ethical and professional conduct.

Visit the CS website to view our department faculty and staff .

• Requirements

Contact Information

Computer Sciences College of Letters & Science cs.wisc.edu

Angela Thorp, Graduate Program Manager [email protected] 608-262-7967 4297 Computer Sciences 1210 W. Dayton St., Madison, WI 53706

Mollie Stolbov, Graduate Program Manager [email protected] 4292 Computer Sciences 1210 W. Dayton St., Madison, WI 53706

Admissions Inquiries [email protected]

Graduate Program Handbook View Here

Graduate School grad.wisc.edu

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PhD Program in Computer Science

Click here for application details. There is no application fee.

Our PhD program has a focus in:

• Artificial intelligence
• Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)

Many of our alumni have become faculty at world class institutions or are leaders at major companies such as Google, Microsoft, and IBM. View our full list of graduates and their postdoctoral employers on our conferral page.

PhD students in good academic standing pay zero tuition, receive one of the highest stipends in computer science as ranked by CSStipendRankings , and are provided health insurance by the university. Students receive an MS degree in their second year. Most students complete their PhD in 4 to 6 years.

Applicants must have an undergraduate degree. The GRE is not required.

Our PhD program aims to cultivate the next generation of world-class computer science researchers. Our mission is to enable you to achieve your career dreams.

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Helping Students From Underrepresented Groups Apply To CS PhD Programs

As a pilot effort, several Brown CS PhD students have put together an Application Feedback Program for Underrepresented Applicant s. This is an attempt to help address the lack of diversity in existing Computer Science departments by increasing the visibility of useful application resources.  

In addition to the items below, it's often helpful to receive feedback and guidance in person from a mentor. Therefore, if you belong to an underrepresented group in Computer Science, we also provide mentorship to interested applicants . If you wish to receive feedback and guidance on your application, please fill in this form .

Interested applicants will receive guidance from current PhD students at Brown, either in the form of feedback on their application or a Zoom guidance session, whichever you choose. Participation in this program is completely optional, and is separate from the application process. While this does not guarantee admission, we hope that it will be a useful process for applicants. 

We’ve assembled a list of resources here to help shed some light on the graduate school application process. Below, we summarise and add pointers to existing resources and application guides, as well as provide some pointers and feedback of our own. 

CRA-WP graduate school resources : This page gives a list of resources for graduate school, put together by CRA-WP. The articles here cover advice about doing a PhD versus an MS, application guidance, as well advice on how to navigate your graduate school career once you have begun.

A compilation of existing resources : This post contains a comprehensive compilation of more than 30 different blog posts, books, and surveys done by faculty members and graduate students in Computer Science departments around the world. These go over both the application process and also graduate school experiences and advice on how to navigate your PhD.

Student perspectives on applying to PhD programs : This post contains advice and perspectives of PhD students who recently went through the application process, thus offering their views on how to navigate it. 

Faculty perspectives on the PhD application process : This post contains advice from a faculty member that offers insight on how your application will be evaluated by faculty and how to address the questions they might have.  

Faculty advice on emailing professors : This post contains advice from a faculty member that contains generally useful information about emailing a faculty member.

Applying Without Publications :  Many research guides will suggest that the key to a successful application is research experience and publications. Some students may not have access to research faculty and experiences, and so this guide touches briefly on how to write a good application, if you should find yourself in this scenario. 

Funding and Fellowships :  Graduate research fellowships can fund PhD students independently of the grant funding of their current or prospective advisors. This can make them more desirable candidates for prospective graduate programs and can give them more stabiliity in their PhD careers. Have a look at this guide to see a list of fellowships you might apply for. The guide also has useful tips on writing research statements. 

Initiatives At Other Organizations

Here are some initiatives taken by other organizations and CS departments at universities in the United States that might be helpful to you. It matters less where you get feedback from, as long as you have qualified mentors providing guidance on your application. Take any and every opportunity that you get to receive feedback, talk to people, and iterate on your research statement and application until the final day.

Institute for African-American Mentoring in Computing Sciences : iAAMCS provides mentorship to students in their aim to increase the number of African-Americans receiving PhD degrees in computing sciences. You can sign up and find more information on their website here .

Black in AI : This non-profit organization has been doing incredible work in paving the way for underrepresented groups. If you self-identify as Black, you can join the @blackinai google group to be a part of the mailing list, and can sign up to receive mentoring and feedback on graduate school applications. Please see this website for more information.

LatinX in AI : This non-profit organization aims to ”...drive and support research, development, and infrastructure programs to boost innovation and capabilities of Latin Americans working in Artificial Intelligence.” If you self-identify as LatinX you can reach out to the group and become a member of their community. They offer academic and professional resources for LatinX researchers, as well as hosting workshops at conferences. 

Women in ML : This organization aims to “...create opportunities for women to engage in substantive technical and professional conversations in a positive, supportive environment”. Their mission is to ‘’support and promote all women in machine learning, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, or politics”. If you self-identify as a woman, join their mailing list to connect with individuals.

CRA-WP : This organization aims to “provide mentoring and support for women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities at every level of the research pipeline: undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and government & industry researchers.” Their webpage shows upcoming mentorship events and offers a variety of specific resource groups that students can join and participate in.

Queer in AI : “ Queer In AI 's mission is to make the AI/ML community one that welcomes, supports, and values queer scientists.” They attempt to accomplish this by building a visible community of queer and ally AI/ML scientists through meetups, poster sessions, mentoring, and other initiatives. If you identify as part of this group, join the mailing list to be aware of resources available to you. They also offer a financial aid program to cover application fees on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Initiatives At Other CS Departments

Massachusetts Institute of Technology : For MIT’s BCS PhD program, you can apply to be matched with a current PhD student at MIT and can choose your preferred mode of communication and the guidance you wish to receive. For MIT’s EECS PhD program, you can apply to a student-run organization (GAAP) for the same. This is very similar to the system we have in place at Brown. Fill in this Google form from MIT to participate.

Stanford University : For Stanford’s CS PhD program, you can submit your application to the Stanford CS department and a current PhD student will give you one round of feedback on it. Refer to this website for a submission link. 

University of Pennsylvania : For UPenn’s CIS PhD program, a similar applicant support program will offer advice and feedback on your application. Fill in this Google form to participate in this program.

Carnegie Mellon University : For CMU’s LTI program, you can get feedback on your application from graduate students by filling out this Google form .

University of Massachusetts at Amherst : For UMass Amherst’s CICS program, you can get feedback on your application from graduate students via a link on their application instruction page .

University of Washington : For UW’s CS program, you can get feedback on your application from graduate students from their Pre-Application Review Service (PARS) program via a link on their PhD application page .

University of Texas at Austin: UT Austin's CS department runs a Graduate Application Assistance Program that aims at providing PhD applicants with trustworthy feedback on their application material. Feedback is provided by graduate student volunteers.

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Computer Science Doctoral Degree Program

Objective and Description

The purpose of the graduate program in Computer Science is to facilitate the student's continued professional and scholarly development. The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program is designed to prepare the student to conduct research and development in an area of concentration.

Degree Overview

The purpose of the graduate program in computer science is to facilitate the student's continued professional and scholarly development. The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program is designed to prepare the student to conduct research and development in an area of concentration.

About the Program

A doctorate in computer science builds on prior knowledge, education, and experience in the field. The degree typically takes 4-5 years to complete, and involves independent study and research in a focused area of interest. Doctoral programs include coursework and research that culminate in a final dissertation.

Students may apply for the Ph.D. program after completing their M.S. degree in computer science or proceed directly to Ph.D. program after completing their B.S. degree in computer science. Students without an M.S. will typically spend an extra year learning the basic research skills prior to begin working on their dissertation.

Candidate selection for the doctorate program is a very a competitive process, considering GPA, performance in computer-related classes, TOEFL or IELTS (for non-English speaking candidates), GRE and reputation of the university where you did your undergraduate and graduate studies. Relevant recent work experience is considered in cases where educational credentials are dated or not in the computer science field.

Degree Options

Ph.D. candidates select one of the following 8 graduate tracks provided by the Computer Science and Engineering Department and complete five milestones to achieve their doctorate in Computer Science:

• Data analytics (database systems, data mining, cloud computing, big data, and others)
• Intelligent systems (knowledge representation, knowledge acquisition, machine learning, neural networks, parallel AI and others)
• Networking, telecommunications and mobile computing
• Software engineering (environments, formal verification, testing, and others)
• Multimedia systems (authoring, compression, collaboration and communication)
• Theory and algorithms
• Bioinformatics
• Information and cybersecurity

Five Ph.D. Milestones

After selecting one of the major tracks above, a PhD candidate must complete the following five milestones:

All PhD students’ progress toward the milestones are reviewed and monitored by a committee consisting of at least 4 members (supervisor plus three committee members.)

Admission & Degree Requirements   Inquire Now   Computer Science and Engineering Department

Requirements for Licensure or Certification

All discipline specific programs in the College of Engineering meet educational requirements for professional licensure or certification in all U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia.

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CS PhD Course Guidelines

The following program guidelines (a.k.a model pogram) serve as a starting point for a discussion with the faculty about areas of interest.   This description of the Computer Science PhD course guidelines augments the school-wide  PhD course requirements .   Students should make themselves familiar with both.

Starting in 2024-2025, Computer Science courses that previously had 3-digit course numbers now have 4-digit numbers.  The SEAS 4-year course planner tool shows both previous and current numbers for each course.  In general, where this documentation mentions a "middle digit", it now should be read as referring to the "second digit".

Course Guidelines for Ph.D. Students in Computer Science

We expect students to obtain broad knowledge of computer science by taking graduate level courses in a variety of sub-areas in computer science, such as systems, networking, databases, algorithms, complexity, hardware, human-computer interaction, graphics, or programming languages.

Within our school, CS courses are roughly organized according to sub-area by their middle digit, so we expect students to take courses in a minimum of three distinct sub-areas, one of which should be theory (denoted by the middle digit of 2, or CS 231.  Note that CS 2281r is an exception; it is not a theory course). Theory is specifically required as we expect all students to obtain some background in the mathematical foundations that underlie computer science. The intention is not only to give breadth to students, but to ensure cross-fertilization across different sub-disciplines in Computer Science.

Just as we expect all students obtaining a Ph.D. to have experience with the theoretical foundations of computer science, we expect all students to have some knowledge of how to build large software or hardware systems , on the order of thousands of lines of code, or the equivalent complexity in hardware. That experience may be evidenced by coursework or by a project submitted to the CHD for examination. In almost all cases a course numbered CS 26x or CS 24x will satisfy the requirement (exceptions will be noted in the course description on my.harvard). Students may also petition to use CS 161 for this requirement.   For projects in other courses, research projects, or projects done in internships the student is expected to write a note explaining the project, include a link to any relevant artifacts or outcomes, describe the student's individual contribution, and where appropriate obtain a note from their advisor, their class instructor, or their supervisors confirming their contributions.  The project must include learning about systems concepts, and not just writing many lines of code.   Students hoping to invoke the non-CS24x/26x/161 option must consult with  Prof. Mickens ,  Prof, Kung,  or  Prof. Idreos  well in advance of submitting their Program Plan to the CHD.  

Computer science is an applied science, with connections to many fields. Learning about and connecting computer science to other fields is a key part of an advanced education in computer science. These connections may introduce relevant background, or they may provide an outlet for developing new applications.

For example, mathematics courses may be appropriate for someone working in theory, linguistics courses may be appropriate for someone working in computational linguistics, economics courses may be appropriate for those working in algorithmic economics, electrical engineering courses may be appropriate for those working in circuit design, and design courses may be appropriate for someone working in user interfaces.

Requirements

The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GSAS) requires all Ph.D. students to complete 16 half-courses (“courses”, i.e., for 4 units of credit) to complete their degree. Of those 16 courses, a Ph.D. in Computer Science requires 10 letter-graded courses. (The remaining 6 courses are often 300-level research courses or other undergraduate or graduate coursework beyond the 10 required courses.)

The requirements for the 10 letter-graded courses are as follows:

• Of the 7 technical courses, at least 3 must be 200-level Computer Science courses, with 3 different middle digits (from the set 2,3,4,5,6,7,8), and with one of these three courses either having a middle digit of 2 or being CS 231 (i.e., a “theory” course; note that CS 2281r is an exception and is not a theory course).   Note that CS courses with a middle digit of 0 are valid technical courses, but do not contribute to the breadth requirement.
• At least 5 of the 8 disciplinary courses must be SEAS or SEAS-equivalent 200-level courses. A “SEAS equivalent” course is a course taught by a SEAS faculty member in another FAS department. 
• For any MIT course taken, the student must provide justification why the MIT course is necessary (i.e. SEAS does not offer the topic, the SEAS course has not been offered in recent years, etc.). MIT courses do not count as part of the 5 200-level SEAS/SEAS-equivalent courses. 
• 2 of the 10 courses must constitute an external minor (referred to as "breadth" courses in the SEAS “ Policies of the Committee on Higher Degrees [CHD] ”) in an area outside of computer science. These courses should be clearly related; generally, this will mean the two courses are in the same discipline, although this is not mandatory. These courses must be distinct from the 8 disciplinary courses referenced above.
• Students must demonstrate practical competence by building a large software or hardware system during the course of their graduate studies. This requirement will generally be met through a class project, but it can also be met through work done in the course of a summer internship, or in the course of research.
• In particular, for Computer Science graduate degrees, Applied Computation courses may be counted as 100-level courses, not 200-level courses.
• Up to 2 of the 10 courses can be 299r courses, but only 1 of the up to 2 allowed 299r courses can count toward the 8 disciplinary courses. 299r courses do not count toward the 5 200-level SEAS/SEAS-equivalent courses. If two 299r’s are taken, they can be with the same faculty but the topics must be sufficiently different.
• A maximum of 3 graduate-level transfer classes are allowed to count towards the 10 course requirement.
• All CS Ph.D. program plans must adhere to the SEAS-wide Ph.D. requirements, which are stated in the SEAS Policies of the Committee on Higher Degrees (CHD) . These SEAS-wide requirements are included in the items listed above, though students are encouraged to read the CHD document if there are questions, as the CHD document provides further explanation/detail on several of the items above.
• All program plans must be approved by the CHD. Exceptions to any of these requirements require a detailed written explanation of the reasoning for the exception from the student and the student’s research advisor. Exceptions can only be approved by the CHD, and generally exceptions will only be given for unusual circumstances specific to the student’s research program.

Requirement Notes

• Courses below the 100-level are not suitable for graduate credit.
• For students who were required to take it, CS 2091/2092 (formerly CS 290a/b or 290hfa/hfb may be included as one of the 10 courses but it does not count toward the 200-level CS or SEAS/SEAS-equivalent course requirements nor toward the SM en route to the PhD.

Your program plan  must always comply  with both our school's General Requirements, in addition to complying with the specific requirements for Computer Science. All program plans must be approved by the Committee on Higher Degrees [CHD]. Exceptions to the requirements can only be approved by the CHD, and generally will only be given for unusual circumstances specific to the student’s research program

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