Doctor of Philosophy [Ph.D] (Computer Science)

at National University of Singapore

All graduate research students are admitted directly into a full-time graduate programme that leads to either:

• Doctor in Philosophy (PhD), if the candidate passes the Qualifying Examination (QE); or
• Master of Science (MSc), if the candidate fails the Qualifying Examination but is allowed to complete as an MSc candidate

PhD students admitted to the Department of Computer Science (CS) will follow the structure for the CS PhD programme:

Structure of PhD Programme (Computer Science)

 

Year 1

Semester 1

• 8MC coursework + CS6101 (Exploration of CS Research)

 

Semester 2

• 8MC coursework + Research

 

Year 2

Semester 1

• 8MC coursework + Qualifying Examination (QE)

 

Semester 2

• Research

 

Year 3

Semester 1

• Research + Thesis Proposal/Doctoral Seminar

 

Semester 2

• Research

 

Year 4

Semester 1

• Research

 

Semester 2

• PhD Defense (Seminar Presentation + Oral Defense)

 

Coursework Requirements

 

All CS PhD candidates must complete the number of courses as indicated in the above structure.

 

For CS PhD candidates who are required to complete 24 modular credits (MC), the modules must satisfy all of the following three conditions:

1. At least 12 MCs must be at level 6000, and at least another 8 MCs must be at level 5000 or above.  Only a maximum of 4 MCs level 4000 is allowed.
2. At least 16 MCs must be offered by the CS department.  CS PhD students may take at most 8 MCs of modules at level 5000 or above offered by other departments.
3. At least 4 MCs each in any three of the five clusters:
   • Algorithm and Theory
   • Computer Systems
   • Knowledge Systems
   • Media Technologies
   • Programming Language and Software Engineering
4. The cluster of modules can be found in this Annex (PhD).  Note that modules not listed in the Annex may still be used to meet Conditions (a) and (b). 
5. At most 4 MCs can be CS/CU-graded. 

 

Students should complete all coursework requirements by the end of third semester.

 

CS6101 Exploration of Computer Science Research aims to introduce CS research students to various CS research areas in the form of study groups. This module will not be considered as one of the level 6000 coursework requirements. 

 

Other Admission Requirements

GRE/ GMAT/ TOEFL/ IELTS

International applicants* are to submit GRE/ GMAT/ TOEFL/ IELTS test scores as evidence which demonstrates their academic language ability and readiness for graduate study. Candidates may be required to sit for other tests as prescribed by the School.

 

Candidates who have graduated from Indian universities may submit GATE scores instead.

 

Candidates should have a minimum GRE score of 320 (verbal & quantitative) and 3.5 (analytical), or a GMAT score of 650 and above. The minimum TOEFL scores for Internet Based Test (IBT) is 90; or IELTS score of 6.0. GRE and TOEFL scores will be valid for 5 years and 2 years respectively.

 

Overseas Interview

The University will conduct overseas interviews for foreign students who have applied for the Research Scholarships. These interviews will be held in mid-March (for the August intake) and mid-August (for January intake). Applicants will be notified of the date, time and venue of the interviews in advance. Applicants should inform the University of any change in their postal addresses.

 

For International Student:

• S$15,836