Students admitted into the program typically have a master's degree in computer science or a closely related discipline. In rare cases, an exceptional student with a bachelor's degree and a strong academic record may also be directly admitted.
Degree requirements
Students in the computer science doctoral program must:
- Complete a minimum of 30 credits beyond the master’s degree (students without a prior master’s degree must complete a minimum of 60 credits)
-
At the beginning of their studies, identify a dissertation advisor from a full-time CS faculty member who shares their research interests
- Pass the qualifying examination covering algorithms, architecture, operating systems and programming languages
- Pass the research proficiency examination (RPE) with a written RPE report and a presentation
- Present and defend a prospectus that describes the intended research topic
- Successfully defend a dissertation
Detailed requirements are provided in the 2024-2025 Graduate Student Handbook.
Student testimonial
Anh Quach discusses why she chose Binghamton University and the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science to pursue her PhD in computer science.
