faculty member zeyun Yu and new doctoral graduate

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

Doctoral

Program Format

On Campus
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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

Required Credits

Required credits are distributed according to your program of study.

Doctoral Milestones

Other doctoral milestones include the thesis proposal (which also serves as the preliminary exam) and the defense of the dissertation.
Learn more.

PhD Qualifying Examination Guidelines

Guidelines

Day 1 Syllabus

Day 2 Syllabus

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

John Boyland
Boyland, John
  • Professor, Computer Science
Christine Cheng
Cheng, Christine
  • Associate Professor, Computer Science
Thomas Haigh
Haigh, Thomas
  • Professor, History - General
  • Affiliate Professor, Computer Science
Rohit Kate
Kate, Rohit
  • Associate Professor, Computer Science
Chiu Law
Law, Chiu
  • Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering
  • Associate Professor, Computer Science
Jake Luo
Luo, Jake
  • Associate Professor, Health Informatics & Administration
  • Affiliate Professor, Computer Science
  • Graduate Program Director, Health Care Informatics
Amol Mali
Mali, Amol
  • Associate Professor, Computer Science
faculty photo susan mcroy
McRoy, Susan
  • Professor, Computer Science
  • Department Chair, Computer Science
Shana Ponelis
Ponelis, Shana
  • Associate Professor, Information Studies Administration
  • Affiliate Professor, Computer Science
Mohammad Rahman
Rahman, Mohammad H.
  • Richard and Joanne Grigg Professorship
  • Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  • Chair, Mechanical Engineering Graduate Program Committee
  • Affiliate Professor, Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering
Bob Sorenson
Sorenson, Robert
  • Teaching Faculty 3, Computer Science
Jerald Thomas
Thomas, Jerald
  • Assistant Professor, Computer Science
faculty image weizhong wang
Wang, Weizhong
  • Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering
  • Associate Professor, Computer Science
Shideh Yavary Mehr
Yavary Mehr, Shideh
  • Assistant Visiting Professor, Computer Science
faculty member zeyun Yu
Yu, Zeyun
  • Professor, Computer Science
  • Professor, Biomedical Engineering
  • Director, Big Data Analytics and Visualization Lab
Zhen Zeng
Zeng, Zhen
  • Assistant Professor, Computer Science
Jun Zhang
Zhang, Jun
  • Professor, Electrical Engineering
  • Professor, Computer Science
Tian Zhao
Zhao, Tian
  • Associate Professor, Computer Science

Advising

Therese Crary
Crary, Therese
  • Advisor, Graduate Programs
  • Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Health Informatics
Bob Packard
Packard, Robert
  • Advisor, Graduate Programs
  • Civil/Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering

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
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Computer Science

Contact Info: ceas-cs@uwm.edu

Street Address
College of Engineering & Applied Science
3200 North Cramer Street
Milwaukee, WI 53211

Mailing Address
College of Engineering & Applied Science
P.O. Box 784
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0784