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    Ph.D. in Computer Science

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    About the Program

    The Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering is offered for the first time in Fall 2011. The mission of the doctoral program in the College of Engineering is to provide students with intensive advanced training in research that leads to the highest level of scholarly achievement, and enable them to conduct research independently to address new challenges as innovators. The PhD program is highly research-intensive.

    The PhD program is designed to enhance students' competencies in contributing to the existing body of knowledge, innovation and creation of new knowledge and techniques. Students are expected to equip themselves with strong theoretical and methodological foundations and to develop their ability to conduct research independently.

    The total credit hours for the program  is 60 credits. Students enrolled in the program are required to complete a minimum of 27 credit hours of coursework and 33 credit hours of research work. A typical duration of the program is six semesters (three years) and the maximum duration is twelve semesters (six years).

    The program currently caters only for full time students.

    Ph.D. in Computer Science

    Program Highlights

    • The Ph.D. program in Computer Science is a research-oriented degree that prepares exceptional students for careers at the cutting edge of academia, industry, and government.
    • Ph.D. candidates master the discipline of computer science in its broadest sense, display knowledge of a specialized area, and perform independent research.
    • The program educates highly qualified researchers required for the expansion of fundamental knowledge and technological innovation through research and development.
    • It offers advanced courses in highly dynamic and emerging research areas in computer science.
    • It provides students with an opportunity to obtain the greatest possible expertise in their chosen field through intensive research

    Program Objectives

    Graduates of the doctoral program will be able to fulfill most of the following educational objectives:

    1. Foster Innovation of new ideas, methods and techniques in science and engineering.
    2. Contribute to the advancement of scientific body of knowledge in engineering and related fields.
    3. Lead research and to express the results in scientific forums.

    Learning Outcomes

    By the time a student completes all requirements of the program, the student will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

    1. Able to systematically review, analyze, assimilate and interpret the body of scientific literature and innovations in their discipline area,
    2. Apply and validate innovations and discoveries in the lab or real world settings in more efficient and effective ways,
    3. Produce high quality research, and
    4. Disseminate effectively the research output in reputable international journals, conferences, patents, research proposals and other scientific venues.

    Admission Requirements

    For PhD program admission requirements please Click Here

    Graduation Requirements

    In order to graduate, students of the PhD program must have successfully completed the following requirements:

    • A minimum of 27 credit hours of course work must be completed. The grade point average (GPA) must be 3.0 or higher on a scale of 4.00.
    • Pass the qualifying exam after completing 18 credit hours.
    • At least two publications accepted in peer reviewed and indexed journals.
    • An acceptable thesis must be completed within six years after the admission.

    For more information about Study Plan and detailed Course Descriptions please Click Here

    International affiliation

    Qatar University’s College of Engineering (CENG) and the Faculty of Engineering Sciences (FES) of University College London (UCL) signed an MOU to advance their existing relationship and engage collaborative opportunities in a program of research and doctoral training in Engineering Sciences. The agreement serves to establish a collaborative program for the promotion of research, the exchange of information and resources, and the conduct of joint training and research programs in the area of Engineering Sciences.

    Under the agreement, QU and UCL will facilitate staff exchanges for teaching and research at appropriate levels and other similar activities, in addition to the exchange of teaching and research materials. Both organizations will identify ways of making the exchanges viable, involving different teachers and specialized researchers, and taking advantage of other expertise and studies in both institutions.

    The agreement also outlines that UCL will establish a doctoral training program for QU students in which 2 years will be spent at QU and one year at UCL. The organization’s Faculty of Engineering Sciences will apportion 10 places for QU students to pursue this program. The selected graduates will be registered as visiting research students while attending UCL.

    QU students seeking admission to the UCL doctoral training program must first have successfully passed admission to QU -- they can then apply for admission to UCL as Visiting Research Students on condition of fulfilling the required UCL standard admission policies and criteria (including English Language proficiency).

    Ph.D. Supervising Committee

    All candidates are under the direction of a supervising committee consisting of a minimum of two faculty members, including the principal supervisor and the co-supervisor(s). The candidate obtains a supervisor during the first month of the PhD program. A research topic is agreed to by the candidate and the supervisor.

    The candidate and supervisor agree on possible members of the supervisory committee whom they invite to serve. The supervisory committee should be selected and approved within the first semester of the program.