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PhD in Computer and Information Engineering

The PhD Program in Computer and Information Engineering (CIEN) is managed by the Department of CIEN at the College of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Khalifa University. The program is designed to equip students with state-of-the-art knowledge in one of the fastest-growing fields in high-tech.

Overview

The program is multidisciplinary with a focus on three main themes: Computing Systems, Optimization and Security, and Communications and Networks. The program is highly flexible and offers courses in various CIEN areas, allowing students to choose a set of courses that particularly suits their research and career plans.

Careers

Graduating with a PhD in CIEN opens doors to diverse career paths in academia, industry, and research. Academically, roles such as assistant professor and postdoctoral researcher are common, involving teaching, curriculum development, and leading research projects. In the industry, PhD holders are sought after for positions like research scientist, AI/ML engineer, data scientist, and senior software or hardware engineer, contributing to advancements in areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, and wireless communications.

Admission Criteria

Applicants for the PhD in Computer and Information Engineering (CIEN) must satisfy Khalifa University (KU) general graduate admission requirements as well as program-specific requirements.

Program Requirements

Students admitted to the PhD program with a Master's Degree must satisfy the following requirements:

• Complete a minimum of 24 credits of coursework (8 courses of 3 credit hours each).
• Pass all courses with a minimum passing grade of C in every course.
• Achieve an overall CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) of at least 3.0 out of 4.
• Pass the Written Qualifying Exam (WQE), which assesses the technical background of the student.
• Pass the Research Proposal Examination (RPE), typically before the end of the 4th semester for full-time students and before the end of the 6th semester for part-time students.
• Have at least one full paper accepted for publication in a quartile one ranked journal, per Scopus, in the research field of the dissertation before submitting the request of intent to defend the dissertation.

Structure and Requirements

The PhD in CIEN consists of a minimum 60 credit hours, distributed as follows: 3 credit hours of Program Core courses, 21 credit hours of Program Technical Elective courses, 36 credit hours of Dissertation research, and two zero-credit PhD Research Seminar courses.

Courses

• ENGR 701: Research Methods in Engineering
• CCEN 733: High Speed Computer Arithmetic
• CCEN 734: Advanced Computer Architecture
• CCEN 715: Memory Centric Computing for AI
• CCEN 741: Advanced Digital Communications
• CCEN 742: Advanced Concepts in Stochastic Processes, Detection, and Estimation Theory
• CCEN 743: Broadband Communication Systems
• CCEN 744: Optical Wireless Communication System
• CCEN 745: Blockchain Applications, Design, and Systems
• CCEN 746: Convex Optimization and Reinforcement Learning for Engineering Applications
• COSC 732: Machine Learning and Applications
• COSC 737: Network and Cyber Physical Systems Security
• COSC 738: High Performance Computing
• COSC 788: Advanced Computer Networks
• CCEN 747: Native AI for Networks

Dissertation

Students must complete a PhD Research Dissertation that involves novel, creative, research-oriented work under the direct supervision of a full-time faculty advisor from the Computer and Information Engineering Department, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor.

Study Plan

A typical study plan for full-time and part-time students is provided, outlining the courses and research activities for each semester.

People

The CIEN PhD Program is operated by internationally renowned faculty members with high-impact research and worldwide recognition. The research expertise of the program faculty covers various areas in computer and information engineering.