Applicants to the Computer Science PhD are encouraged to submit GRE scores when applying to the program. While not required, GRE scores are an opportunity for applicants to strengthen their application.
For international applicants without a US degree, the University requires official TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic or Duolingo exam scores. For accepted exemptions, click here.
The objective of this program is to prepare exceptionally qualified individuals for research careers in academia and industry. The program is designed for students who offer evidence of exceptional scholastic ability, intellectual creativity, and research motivation. The PhD degree is viewed as a certification by the faculty that the student has a solid foundation in computer science and has performed original research in the area.
The requirements for the PhD in Computer Science include:
Students will be assigned a temporary adviser during their first semester. Each student should identify a research area of interest and a suitable thesis adviser during their first year. By the time they file a plan of study, they will also have selected a thesis Advisory Committee, for which their adviser will be the chair.
PhD in CS students have the option to study in either Clemson (McAdams Hall) or Charleston (Zucker Family Graduate Education Center), SC. Click here for more information on Charleston graduate programs.
Coursework requirements for the Ph.D. vary depending on whether the student enters with a B.S. or M.S. degree. Courses are intended to demonstrate breadth in computer science as well as experience in research. All Ph.D. students are required to complete:
For research hours, students typically register for CPSC 8880: Directed Projects prior to selecting an Advisory Committee. This can be a good mechanism for getting to know a prospective advisor. Students who have identified their Advisory Committee and who are performing research towards their dissertation should register for CPSC 9910: Dissertation Research.
Additional Coursework Requirements for Students Entering with a Master's Degree
In addition to the CPSC 9500, CPSC 8880 and CPSC 9910 requirements, students entering with a master's degree must also complete 12 hours of 8000-or-higher-level courses within the School of Computing (exclusive of 8810, 95x0, 9810, 9910, and any DPA prefix), for a total of 40 credit hours. One 3-credit 8000-or-higher-level course not meeting these restrictions may be included in the 12 credit hour requirement with the approval of both the student's Major Advisor and the Program Coordinator.
Of the 12 hours of required 8000-or-higher-level courses within the School of Computing, 9 credit hours, or 3 courses, will be submitted with the student's Ph.D. portfolio. For additional detail, see the Ph.D. portfolio requirements outlined below.
CPSC 6810/8810 MSCS Ready modules cannot be counted toward any Computer Science Ph.D. credit requirement.
Additional Coursework Requirements for Students Entering with a Bachelor's Degree
In addition to the CPSC 9500, CPSC 8880 and CPSC 9910 requirements, students entering with a bachelor's degree must also complete 32 additional hours of coursework for a total of 60 credit hours. Up to 12 credit hours of 6000-or-higher-level coursework at Clemson may be counted toward the 32 additional hours of required coursework. Of the remaining 20 credit hours, 18 must be 8000-or-higher-level courses within the School of Computing (exclusive of 8810, 95x0, 9810, 9910, and any DPA prefix). Any credit from courses external to the School of Computing must be approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator. Up to 6 credit hours of 8810 may also be counted. In exceptional cases, a higher amount may be approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator. Transfer of credit for courses external to Clemson is also possible, subject to approval of the Graduate Program Coordinator and all requirements and restrictions set forth by the University Graduate School Policies and Procedures manual.
Of the 18 hours of required 8000-or-higher-level courses within the School of Computing, 9 credit hours, or 3 courses, will be submitted with the student's Ph.D. portfolio. For additional detail, see the Ph.D. portfolio requirements outlined below.
CPSC 6810/8810 MSCS Ready modules cannot be counted toward any Computer Science Ph.D. credit requirement.
To pass the portfolio review for the PhD in Computer Science, students must demonstrate superior mastery in three of six core areas of computing. These core areas can be found in the table below:
PhD Core Area |
Courses(CPSC) |
|---|---|
| Data Science and Informatics | 8420, 8430, 8450, 8470, 8480*, 8490, 8620*, 8630, 8650 |
| Foundations and Theory | 8380, 8390, 8400, 8480*, 9400 |
| Human Centered Computing | 8310, 8330, 8410, 8500, 8510 |
| Networks, Systems, and Security | 8200, 8220, 8240, 8510, 8520, 8550, 8570, 8580, 8620*, 8830, 8860 |
| Software Engineering | 8270, 8280, 8290, 8700, 8710, 8720, 8730, 8750 |
| Visual Computing | 8030, 8050, 8110, 8190 |
* CPSC 8480 and 8620 span core areas but will count in only one core area each
For the course titles of each course, please see courses of instruction. For syllabi, please see syllabus repository.
A grade of A in an 8000-or-higher level course listed in each chosen core area or a strong letter of support from the course instructor is expected (an A grade generally provides much stronger evidence of mastery of the area, so students should exercise caution if considering submission of a portfolio without A grades in their chosen core courses). Up to two of these courses may come from another university, in which case the approval of the Program Coordinator is required. Another mechanism for demonstrating mastery includes a strong research publication record in a given area.
Students must also demonstrate potential for research. A research paper in which a significant component of the writing was done by the candidate must be included. The paper should be of sufficient quality to indicate that the student has the ability to conduct original research and make an acceptable written presentation of the results. Although not required, students are strongly encouraged to submit the paper to a journal, conference, or workshop. For such submissions, the student may be the sole author or may be a co-author with other faculty and/or other students. However, if the paper has joint authorship, the other authors must submit written documentation identifying those sections of the paper that were written by the candidate. The paper should exhibit the scope and quality of a publication-worthy paper, but it does not have to be accepted or published to be included in a successful portfolio. Although a published paper provides more convincing evidence for research potential, a rejected submission, along with peer reviews, can also be used to evaluate potential. The paper may or may not be related to the student's eventual dissertation area. A candidate's MS research paper, thesis, or a derivative thereof may be used to satisfy this requirement.
Additionally, the student must provide:
Optional material may be included at the discretion of the student, and in consultation with the student’s Major Advisor. This material may include:
The dissertation proposal serves several purposes. It ensures that the student has a clear grasp of a specific problem or set of problems; it provides a format for discussion of the solutions or approaches to solving the problem(s); and it provides documentation that the student has undertaken a reasonable survey of the literature related to his or her research.
The proposal itself is presented to the student's Advisory Committee. The purpose of the proposal is to inform the committee of the nature and scope of the proposed dissertation and to obtain their approval and guidance concerning the proposed research. The written proposal should include the following items:
The written proposal must be presented publicly, and approved by the student’s Advisory Committee. The presentation must be scheduled in consultation with the Advisory Committee, and the written document must be available to the Committee at least two weeks before the presentation occurs. The Advisory Committee will be asked to give written approval of the proposal after the presentation, and that approval will be based primarily on the written document. If the proposal is not approved, it may be repeated an indefinite number of times, subject to the consent of the Committee, but the proposal must be approved at least six months prior to the completion of the dissertation.
Students can schedule their presentation by submitting this form.
The doctoral dissertation is the written record of the research that the student has conducted and must provide evidence of the student's ability to independently perform original research leading to the discovery of significant new knowledge. Thus, the dissertation should demonstrate the student's technical mastery of the subject, independent scholarly work, and conclusions that modify or enlarge what has previously been known. The dissertation is expected to:
The format of the dissertation must conform to the current SOC and Graduate School standards. Copies of the dissertation must be delivered to the student's Advisory Committee members at least two (2) weeks prior to the final oral examination.
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