Engineering PhD: Computer Science PhD
UWM’s doctoral program in Engineering offers a concentration in computer science. This flexible program allows you to develop a study plan tailored to meet your needs. Your plan will be evaluated based on its appropriateness as a computer science pursuit, course availability and the availability of a qualified College of Engineering & Applied Science faculty member to serve as your major professor.
Your chosen area of specialization will be the subject of your doctoral dissertation. When you graduate, you will have marked scholarship in the broad field of computer science as well as a distinguished critical or creative achievement in your chosen specialization.
Program Type
Program Format
Graduates are in High Demand
Doctorally-trained computer scientists are increasingly in demand for positions in management and research & development.
Sample positions where advanced degrees are often preferred, plus projected growth from 2019-2029:*
- Information Security Analyst. Growth: 31%
- Computer Information Research Scientist. Growth: 15%
- Computer and Information Systems Manager. Growth: 10%
- Postsecondary Teacher. Growth: 9%
- Computer Network Architect. Growth: 5%*
*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

What to Expect
This degree requires a minimum of 66 graduate credits. Many courses are offered in the late afternoon or evening, so you will have the option of completing much of the program on a part-time basis.
Many students earn Teaching Assistantships (TAs), Research Assistantships (RAs) or Fellowships during their graduate study which helps to fund their education while also building leadership skills. Assistantships decisions are made by the academic departments only after an applicant has been accepted to the program.
Program Details
UWM’s graduates of this program have pursued careers with:
- Apple
- FasTrak Softworks, Inc.
- Microsoft
- Rockwell Automation
- U.S. Bank
More Information
Contact the College of Engineering & Applied Science Graduate Programs Office.
We’re a top tier R1 research university and our Computer Science students have the opportunity to work with faculty members engaged in cutting-edge research in areas such as:
- Object-oriented programming
- Computational robotics
- Intelligent dialog systems
- Artificial intelligence
- Extensible languages
Our college has a wide range of faculty-led labs that perform cutting edge research. For a full list, click here.
Faculty
- Professor, Computer Science
- boyland@uwm.edu
- 414-229-6986
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences E364
- Associate Professor, Computer Science
- ccheng@uwm.edu
- 414-229-5170
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences 1261
- Professor, History - General
- Affiliate Professor, Computer Science
- thaigh@uwm.edu
- 414-229-6840
- Holton Hall 349
- Associate Professor, Computer Science
- katerj@uwm.edu
- 414-229-4264
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences E333
- Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering
- Associate Professor, Computer Science
- lawc@uwm.edu
- 414-229-6203
- Engineering and Mathematical Sciences 1219
- Associate Professor, Health Informatics & Administration
- Affiliate Professor, Computer Science
- Graduate Program Director, Health Care Informatics
- jakeluo@uwm.edu
- 414-229-7333
- Northwest Quadrant B 6469
- Associate Professor, Computer Science
- mali@uwm.edu
- 414-229-6762
- Engineering and Mathematical Sciences 1245
- Professor, Computer Science
- Department Chair, Computer Science
- mcroy@uwm.edu
- 414-229-6695
- Engineering and Mathematical Sciences 1275
- Associate Professor, Information Studies Administration
- Affiliate Professor, Computer Science
- ponelis@uwm.edu
- 414-229-2514
- Northwest Quadrant B 3488
- Richard and Joanne Grigg Professorship
- Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
- Chair, Mechanical Engineering Graduate Program Committee
- Affiliate Professor, Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering
- rahmanmh@uwm.edu
- 414-251-8406
- University Services & Research Building (USRB) 201D
- Teaching Faculty 3, Computer Science
- rds@uwm.edu
- 414-229-2796
- Engineering and Mathematical Sciences E386F
- Assistant Professor, Computer Science
- jeraldlt@uwm.edu
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences 990D
- Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering
- Associate Professor, Computer Science
- wwang@uwm.edu
- 414-229-2247
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences 1285
- Assistant Visiting Professor, Computer Science
- yavaryme@uwm.edu
- 402-525-3175
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences
- Professor, Computer Science
- Professor, Biomedical Engineering
- Director, Big Data Analytics and Visualization Lab
- yuz@uwm.edu
- 414-229-2960
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences 327
- Assistant Professor, Computer Science
- zhenzeng@uwm.edu
- 414-251-7986
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences 1225
- Professor, Electrical Engineering
- Professor, Computer Science
- junzhang@uwm.edu
- 414-229-4246
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences 1207
- Associate Professor, Computer Science
- tzhao@uwm.edu
- 414-229-5682
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences 1145
Advising
- Advisor, Graduate Programs
- Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Health Informatics
- crary@uwm.edu
- 414-229-7267
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences E379
- Advisor, Graduate Programs
- Civil/Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering
- rpackard@uwm.edu
- 414-251-8543
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences E379
UWM is one of only two R1 research universities in Wisconsin. We’re also a top externally funded institution with robust opportunities for teaching and research assistantships. Partners that support our important research include:
- Environmental Protection Agency
- National Institute for Health
- National Academy of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine
- National Science Foundation
- United States Department of Defense
- United States Department of Energy
- Regional businesses: Johnson Controls, Rockwell Automation, Harley Davidson, We Energies