The Ph.D. in computing and information sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology is a research degree aimed at developing independent thinkers, cutting-edge researchers, and well-prepared instructors.
Faculty and students perform basic and applied research to address a variety of pressing issues. The Institute’s graduates are prepared to succeed in transdisciplinary and computational contexts in academia, government, and industry.
A Computer Information Science degree equips students with the network and computer skills required to build, create, and maintain information systems that aid in the solving of business issues, support business challenges, and the management of corporate operations and decision-making.
Computer and information scientists develop and upgrade software and hardware for computers. Algorithms are sets of instructions that tell a computer what to do, and researchers use them to build and enhance software, computers, and information.
The information sciences Ph.D. is a research degree that develops autonomous academics, cutting-edge researchers, and well-prepared instructors.
As you discover and explore topics inside and outside computing, you’ll work with RIT’s world-class computer experts and make use of the university’s extensive academic programs and sophisticated facilities.
You will perform both fundamental and applied research to solve varied and essential concerns inside and outside computing in the computer and information sciences Ph.D. program, and you will benefit from world-class instructors, a variety of academic courses, and sophisticated facilities.
In academia, government, and business, our graduates will flourish in computer and transdisciplinary situations.
The Ph.D. program emphasizes two of the Golisano College for Computing and Information Sciences’ distinguishing features: its variety of degree options and its academic concentration on finding real-world solutions by combining theory and practice.
The theoretical and practical cyberinfrastructure as applied to particular challenges across different areas is the emphasis of the Ph.D. in information sciences. It combines intra-disciplinary computer knowledge domains with cross-disciplinary domain areas.
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What Do Rochester Institute of Technology Offer Ph.D. Students
Our researchers and students work on innovative computing technologies and how computing may support, facilitate, empower, and inspire advances in other fields to revolutionize how people live, work, and interact.
As more of our world connects to the internet, we face an increased risk of malevolent assaults that may steal our data and money, spy on us via our gadgets, damage our infrastructure, and even take over our automobiles and put us in danger.
We’re looking for ways to defend security and privacy in situations like these, using tools like sophisticated encryption, machine learning, and Internet measurement, among others.
Our research labs provide students with free reign to test, explore and research. These include:
- Global Cybersecurity Institute’s Collaborative Research Space [Acharya, Hu, Krutz, Meneely, Mirakhorli, Mishra, Nunes, Oh, Pan, Rahbari, Raj, Rastogi, Reznik, Rivero, Wright, Yang, Yuan, Zampieri]
- Wireless & lo T Security and Privacy lab (WISP) [Rahbari]: http://www.rit.edu/wisplab
- The Applied Cryptography and Information Security (ACIS) Research Laboratory [Lukowiak, Radziszowski]
- Network and Information Processing (NetIP) Lab [Yang, Kwasinski]
Institute is ranked:
- 100% of full-time students are fully supported, with many having external fellowships from groups such as the National Science Foundation and Microsoft Research
- 100% job placement by graduation, as faculty members in universities around the world and industry R&D positions
- 68th in the nation among all Ph.D. programs in computing (U.S. News and World Report)
Admission Requirements & Eligibility
Candidates must meet the following prerequisites to be considered for admission to the doctoral program in computer and information sciences:
- Fill up a graduate application online. For information on application deadlines, entrance conditions, and more, see Graduate Admission Deadlines and Requirements.
- Submit copies of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work, including any transfer credit obtained, on official transcripts (in English).
- A bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent in the United States) from an authorized institution or college is required.
- Students from a variety of backgrounds (e.g., engineering, science, humanities, fine arts, business, and subjects with appropriate computer backgrounds) are invited to apply since the curriculum spans a variety of disciplines.
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is recommended (or equivalent).
- Please include a recent résumé or curriculum vitae with your application.
- It is necessary to provide two letters of recommendation. For further information, see the Application Instructions and Requirements.
- Not all programs need you to submit your admission test results (GMAT or GRE). For further information, see the Graduate Admission Deadlines and Requirements page.
- Submit a personal statement outlining your educational goals. For further information, see the Application Instructions and Requirements.
- If you have any professional or research paper samples, please send them in.
- Have completed at least one full year of study in programming and computing concepts; possess a strong mathematical background in subjects such as discrete mathematics, probability, and statistics; and have aptitude, vision, and experience (if applicable) in computing and information sciences-related research.
International candidates who do not speak English as their first language must present official TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE exam results.
Conditional admission may be considered for students who do not meet the minimal requirements. For further information on English requirements, see Graduate Admission Deadlines and Requirements.
An English exam waiver may be considered for international candidates. To see whether you qualify for a waiver, go to Additional Requirements for International Applicants.
Application Process at Rochester Institute of Technology
For those wishing to apply to the Ph.D. program, there is a four-stage process:
1. Applicants submit their materials via the RIT online application system, which has detailed instructions for doing so. There is no hard deadline for this, but applicants who submit their materials before January 1 will receive stronger attention.
2. The admissions committee will independently assess all applicants, academic qualifications (background, grades, test scores, prior experiences, achievement, recommendations, interviews, motivations, faculty inputs, etc.).
The Ph.D. director will evaluate faculty requests for students based on the needs of the faculty and department. By phone or video chat, the committee will interview all candidates for the second stage.
3. From November through April, the Ph.D. director, admissions committee, and faculty will work together to find the best matches from those qualified applicants for further evaluation and admission consideration.
Candidates may be asked to contact specific faculty to discuss potential advisor relationships, or faculty may call candidates.
4. When the candidate, faculty advisor, Ph.D. director, and committee agree on a match, we offer.
An interview by one or more members of the doctoral program faculty and/or admissions committee may be required for candidates considered for admission prior to final selection. This interview may be conducted virtually.
To learn more about applying to the Ph.D. program or the graduate program admissions process at RIT, please visit the Office of Graduate Admissions.
Curriculum and Courses
Our faculty and students research to change how we live, work, and interact, focusing on both novel computing technology and how computing can support, facilitate, enable, and inspire progress in other domains. We achieve this via the following PhD courses:
First Year
CISC-810
Research Foundations
CISC-820
Quantitative Foundations
CISC-830
Cyberinfrastructure Foundations
CISC-890
Dissertation and Research
CISC-896
Colloquium in Computing and Information Sciences
Infrastructure Elective
Interaction Elective
Informatics Elective
Second Year
CISC-807 Teaching Skills Workshop
CISC-890 Dissertation and Research
CISC-896 Colloquium in Computing and Information Sciences
Third Year
CISC-890 Dissertation and Research
Career Opportunities Post Ph.D.
The Bureau of Labour Statistics projects a 15.3% jump in the number of jobs in C.S. requiring a doctorate degree by 2022.
Some well-known roles available for Ph.D. graduates include:
- Data Scientist/Data Analytics.
- Data Science Engineer.
- Information Assurance Analyst.
- Health Science Specialist.
- Audiovisual Specialist.
- Chief Information Officer.
- Competitive Intelligence Specialist.
- Database Applications Specialist/Designer.
An online Ph.D. in computer science is a lucrative degree and allows for more independent, creative input into projects, along with more freedom to design products, implement change, and inspire students and employees.
Employees with doctorates tend to enjoy higher salaries and lower unemployment rates than those with lower-level degrees.
