Ph.D. Computer Science

Degree Prep

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

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

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

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

Degree Roadmap

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

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

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

Degree Requirements

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

Questions?

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

Funding Opportunities

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

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

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

Clubs & Organizations

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

Learn about clubs related to your major:

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