Computing and Information Sciences Ph.D.
Program Overview
Computing and Information Sciences Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree
Overview
The Ph.D. in Computing and Information Sciences is a research-oriented degree that focuses on the theoretical and practical aspects of cyberinfrastructure as applied to specific problems across multiple domains. The program brings together faculty from disciplines throughout the college's five departments and schools: Computer Science, Cybersecurity, the School of Information, the School of Interactive Games and Media, and Software Engineering.
Cyberinfrastructure
Cyberinfrastructure is the comprehensive integration of hardware, data, networks, and digitally-enabled sensors to provide secure, efficient, reliable, accessible, usable, and interoperable suites of software and middleware services and tools. The doctorate program plays a leadership role in cyberinfrastructure research by providing human-centered tools for the science and engineering communities.
Intradisciplinary Knowledge
There are three intradisciplinary computing knowledge areas: infrastructure, interaction, and informatics.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure comprises aspects related to hardware, software, communications technology, and their integration with computing systems through applications.
Interaction
Interaction refers to topics related to the combined action of two or more entities (human or computational) that affect one another and work together when facilitated by technology.
Informatics
Informatics is the study of computational/algorithmic techniques applied to the management and understanding of data-intensive systems.
Interdisciplinary Domains
The program focuses on domain-specific computing, or the interaction between computing and non-computing disciplines, in the areas of science, engineering, medicine, arts, humanities, and business.
Active Research Areas
Computing
- Algorithm and theory
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning
- AR/VR
- Communication and networking
- Data science
- Computing education research
- Graphics and visualization
- Human-computer interaction
- IoTs
- Mobile and pervasive computing
- Programming languages
- Security and privacy
- Software engineering
Domain applications
- Accessibility
- Biomedical computing
- Computational science
- Computational sustainability and Green IT
- Education informatics/technology
- Gaming
- Geographic information system
- Imaging and imaging informatics
- Services sciences
- Social computing
Curriculum
The Ph.D. in Computing and Information Sciences requires a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate level, comprised of graduate-level course work, including seminar attendance and research credits.
Course Sequence
- 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
- CISC-898: Continuation of Dissertation and Research (summer)
- 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
- CISC-898: Continuation of Dissertation and Research (summer)
- Electives
- Third Year
- CISC-890: Dissertation and Research
- CISC-898: Continuation of Dissertation and Research (summer)
- Fourth Year
- CISC-898: Continuation of Dissertation and Research
- Fifth Year
- CISC-898: Continuation of Dissertation and Research
Admissions and Financial Aid
This program is available on-campus only.
- Admit Term(s): Fall
- Application Deadline: December 31 priority deadline, rolling thereafter
- STEM Designated: Yes
Application Details
To be considered for admission to the Computing and Information Sciences Ph.D. program, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:
- Hold a baccalaureate degree (or US equivalent) from an accredited university or college.
- Satisfy prerequisite requirements and/or complete foundation courses prior to starting program coursework.
- Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.
- Submit a statement of purpose for research.
- Submit two letters of recommendation.
- Entrance exam requirements: GRE required. No minimum score requirement.
- Submit English language test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic), if required.
English Language Test Scores
- TOEFL: 88
- IELTS: 6.5
- PTE Academic: 60
Cost and Financial Aid
Ph.D. students typically receive full tuition and an RIT Graduate Assistantship that will consist of a research assistantship (stipend) or a teaching assistantship (salary).
Resources
Additional resources for the Ph.D. Program in Computing and Information Sciences, such as policies, procedures, and technical resources, are available.
Program Outline
In the computing and information sciences Ph.D., you will conduct both foundational and applied research to address diverse and important challenges within and beyond computing and benefit from world-class faculty, diverse academic offerings, and modern facilities. Our graduates are poised to excel in both computing and interdisciplinary environments in academia, government, and industry.
The doctoral program highlights two of the most unique characteristics of the Golisano College for Computing and Information Sciences: its breadth of program offerings and its scholarly focus on discovering solutions to real-world problems by balancing theory and practice. The program brings together faculty from disciplines throughout the college’s five departments and schools: Computer Science, Computing Security, the School of Information, the School of Interactive Games and Media, and Software Engineering.
The Ph.D. in computing and information sciences focuses on the theoretical and practical aspects of cyberinfrastructure as applied to specific problems across multiple domains. It is a blend of intra-disciplinary computing knowledge areas and inter-disciplinary domain areas.
Cyberinfrastructure
Cyberinfrastructure is the comprehensive integration of hardware, data, networks, and digitally-enabled sensors to provide secure, efficient, reliable, accessible, usable, and interoperable suites of software and middleware services and tools. The doctorate program plays a leadership role in cyberinfrastructure research by providing human-centered tools for the science and engineering communities. These tools and services focus on such areas as high-performance computing, data analysis and visualization, cyber-services and virtual environments, and learning and knowledge management.
Intradisciplinary Knowledge
There are three intradisciplinary computing knowledge areas: infrastructure, interaction, and informatics.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure comprises aspects related to hardware, software (both system software and applications), communications technology, and their integration with computing systems through applications. The focus is on the best organization of these elements to provide optimal architectural solutions. On the hardware side, it includes system-level design (e.g., for system-on-a-chip solutions) and their building block components. On the software side it covers all aspects of systems and applications software development, including specification and design languages and standards; validation and prototyping, and multi-dimensional Quality-of-Service management; software product lines, model-driven architectures, component-based development, and domain-specific languages; and product estimation, tracking, and oversight. The communications subtopic includes sensor networks and protocols; active, wireless, mobile, configurable, and high-speed networks; and network security and privacy, quality of service, reliability, service discovery, and integration and inter-networking across heterogeneous networks. At the system level, there are issues related to conformance and certification; system dependability, fault tolerance, verifiable adaptability, and reconfigurable systems; real-time, self-adaptive, self-organizing, autonomic systems. Some of the specialties available in this area are networks and security, digital systems and VLSI, software design and productivity, and systems software.
Interaction
Interaction refers to topics related to the combined action of two or more entities (human or computational) that affect one another and work together when facilitated by technology. It encompasses several subtopics relating to how people and technology interact and interface. Several common threads weave through all of these areas, many of which rely heavily and build upon foundations in the social and behavioral sciences with an emphasis on understanding human and social/organizational phenomena. To some extent, these fields follow an engineering approach to the design of interactions in which solutions are based on rules and principles derived from research and practice but require analyses that go beyond the analytical approach. From this perspective, solutions can be measured and evaluated against goals and intended outcomes. However, while efficiency and effectiveness are often the watchwords of these fields in practice, this is also where science meets art in computing. Creative design and sensitivity to human needs and aesthetics are critical. Some of the specialties available in this area are human-computer interaction, computer-based instructional systems, and access technologies.
Informatics
Informatics is the study of computational/algorithmic techniques applied to the management and understanding of data-intensive systems. It focuses on the capture, storage, processing, analysis, and interpretation of data. Topics include algorithms, complexity, and discovery informatics. Data storage and processing require investigation into tools and techniques for modeling, storage, and retrieval. Analysis and understanding require the development of tools and techniques for the symbolic modeling, simulation, and visualization of data. The increased complexity of managing vast amounts of data requires a better understanding of the fundamentals of computation. These fundamentals include complexity, theory to determine the inherent limits of computation, communication, cryptography, and the design and analysis of algorithms to obtain optimal solutions within the limits identified. Some of the specialties available in this area are core informatics, discovery informatics, and intelligent systems.
Interdisciplinary Domains
The program focuses on domain-specific computing, or the interaction between computing and non-computing disciplines, in the areas of science, engineering, medicine, arts, humanities, and business. By incorporating domain-specific computing, the research conducted in this program applies computing and information science principles to the solution of problems in application domains that lie outside the scope of the traditional computing discipline. The research requirement incorporates fundamental concepts in cyberinfrastructure that are necessary for understanding the problems commonly encountered in advancing scientific discovery and product development in cross-disciplinary domains.
Active Research Areas
Computing
- Algorithm and theory
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning
- Communication and networking
- Computer vision and pattern recognition
- Data management and analytics
- Education research
- Game design
- Graphics and visualization
- Human-computer interaction
- Natural language processing
- Pervasive and Mobile Computing
- Programming languages
- Security and privacy
- Software engineering
Domain applications
- Accessibility and inclusion
- Biomedical computing
- Cognitive sciences
- Computational astrophysics
- Computational finance
- Geographic information system
- Imaging and image informatics
- Service sciences
- Social computing
RIT’s Ph.D. in Information Science
The Ph.D. in information science requires a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate level comprised of graduate-level course work, including seminar attendance and research credits. Students complete required foundation and core elective courses and teaching skills courses. Elective courses provide foundation support for the student's dissertation research area. These courses come from cyberinfrastructure courses, domain courses, and other electives.
Dissertation and Research
Students are required to conduct original research that leads to peer-reviewed publications.
Assessments
Each student must pass three assessment examinations in the following order:
1. Research potential assessment: qualifying exam
Completed after the first year, this assessment evaluates the research tasks students have worked on in their first year in the program. Passing this assessment will qualify students to continue in the doctoral program.
2. Thesis proposal defense: candidacy exam
This is an oral examination completed after the thesis proposal is written. Formal admission to candidacy will be granted after successfully passing the research potential assessment requirement and having a research proposal approved by the dissertation committee. The dissertation committee will have a minimum of four members including the student's adviser.
3. Dissertation defense
This is the final examination. The dissertation defense includes the dissertation committee and an optional external reader from outside RIT. The exam consists of a formal, oral presentation of the thesis research by the student, followed by questions from the audience.
Students are also interested in: Computer Science MS, Computing Security MS
Research
Our faculty and students conduct 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.
- Artificial Intelligence
- Data Science
- HCI and Accessibility
- Software Engineering
- Security and Privacy
- Systems
- Theory