PhD Program

The Doctor of/Doctorate in Philosophy program leads to the highest degree offered by the Faculty and is designed to provide students an opportunity to obtain the greatest possible expertise in their chosen field through intensive research. Advancement of analytical and/or experimental knowledge through a combination of specialized courses and a research thesis under the supervision of an experienced researcher forms the main component of the doctoral program. Where possible, research of interest to industry is encouraged.

The objective of the Ph.D. program is to educate highly qualified researchers required for the expansion of fundamental knowledge and technological innovation through research and development, as well as the needs of institutions of higher learning.

Major areas for doctoral work are: Mobile Computing and Wireless Networks; Distributed Systems; Computer Networks and Protocols; Parallel Algorithms and Architectures; Ad Hoc Networks; Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing; Semantics of Programming languages; Databases; Knowledge-Based Systems; Semantics Web; Symbolic and Algebraic Computation; Combinatorial Algorithms; Mathematical Programming; Artificial Intelligence; Natural Language Processing; Pattern Recognition; Image Processing; Graphics and Visualization Techniques; Multimedia Computing; Bioinformatics; Software Architecture; Requirement Engineering; Software Measurement; User Interface; Software Comprehension and Maintenance; Dependable Software.

The requirements for the degree of Doctor of/Doctorate in Philosophy are described in the general section on the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science

Degree Requirements

A fully-qualified candidate entering the doctoral program with a master's degree is required to complete a minimum of 90 credits. A candidate admitted beyond the bachelor's level is required to complete a minimum of 106 credits. Candidates admitted with a master's degree in a cognate discipline will, in general, be required to complete more than the minimum number of credits. Students may not credit any undergraduate equivalent course towards the requirements of a 90-credit or 106-credit Ph.D. program without the permission of their supervisor and of the Graduate Program Director.

Completion

For candidates admitted with a master's degree, the minimum period of residence is two years of full-time study or the equivalent in part-time study. Part-time students may be required by the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee, upon the recommendation of the supervisory committee, to carry out a portion of their research on a full-time basis. Where a candidate has been admitted with a bachelor's degree, the minimum period of residence is 36 months of full-time study after completion of the bachelor's degree.

Transfer Credits

Students may be granted transfer credit for courses taken in approved graduate studies prior to their entry into this program. A course submitted for transfer credit must be appropriate to the student's program of study at Concordia University. An application for such credit will be considered only at the time of admission.

Curriculum

Students admitted on the basis of a master's degree will normally be required to complete a minimum of 12 credits in course work. A student admitted on the basis of a bachelor's degree will normally be required to complete a minimum of 28 credits in course work. Students must also successfully complete the appropriate doctoral seminar ENCS 8011 (2 credits) when sufficient research progress has been made, normally six months after admission to candidacy. Each student's program must be approved by a supervisory committee consisting of three members of faculty, including the student's research supervisor. This supervisory committee will also arrange for the student's comprehensive examination and thesis evaluation.

Students must take a comprehensive examination, ENCS 8501, which is written . Normally the comprehensive examination will be taken when course work has been completed and within 12 (24) months after the first registration as a full-time (part-time) student in a Ph.D. program. Students will be assessed on the basis of a written examination of fundamentals related to their field of research. The comprehensive examination will normally be administered by a committee (the Comprehensive Examination Committee) consisting of the supervisory committee, at least one member external to the candidate's program and other members appointed at the discretion of the supervisory committee. Students who fail this examination are permitted to take it a second time in the following term. Students failing a second time are withdrawn from the program. Students should consult the program regarding specific examination procedures and requirements

Upon successful completion of the comprehensive examination, students must pass the doctoral research proposal ENCS 8511 (6 credits), within 18 (36) months after the first registration as a full-time (part-time) student in a Ph.D. program, before they are admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. Students will be assessed on the basis of oral presentations that must include: (i) a critical review of previous work relevant to the subject of the thesis, and (ii) a detailed research plan of action and expected milestones. Students are required to defend their doctoral research proposal before a committee that will normally be comprised of the same members as the Comprehensive Examination Committee. Students must demonstrate the viability of their project and their capacity to undertake doctoral thesis research. The proposal may be accepted, returned for modifications, or rejected. The rejection of a proposal will result in the student's withdrawal from the program. A student whose proposal is accepted will be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D.

Students are required to plan and carry out a suitable research, development, or design project, which leads to an advance in knowledge. The student must submit a thesis based upon this work and defend it in an oral examination. For purposes of registration, this work will be designated ENGR 8911 or COMP 8901: Doctoral Research and Thesis (70 credits). Theses will be examined by a committee consisting of the student's supervisory committee, an external examiner, and other examiners as approved by the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies.

All work for a doctoral degree must be completed with 18 terms (6 years) of full-time study or 24 terms (8 years) of part-time study from the time of original registration in the program.

All students are monitored on an yearly basis. Supervisors of Ph.D. students are required to evaluate the students' progress of their theses. An unsatisfactory rating may result in a failed standing. Students should consult the Academic Regulations section for other requirements.

Academic Regulations

All students in this program are assessed on yearly basis. This assessment is based on:

• Courses for which a grade point value has been assigned subsequent to their admission to their program, or in the case of reinstated students, subsequent to their reinstatement.
• Other degree requirements, for which no grade point value is assigned, such as doctoral/Ph.D. seminars, comprehensive examinations, doctoral research proposals and theses which are graded on a pass/fail or equivalent basis.

Standings of students are determined as follows:

• Good Standing: No failures on record, a maximum of one grade below B and a weighted cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 based on a minimum of 8 credits.
• Failed Standing: Failure to meet the criteria for good standing.
• Reinstatement: Subject to regulation four below, failed students may apply to the Graduate Program Director of the appropriate Department for reinstatement. Where the recommendation is to reinstate, this will be forwarded to the Dean of Graduate Studies for approval. Any special conditions will be specified at the time of reinstatement.
• Withdrawal: Failed students who were previously assessed as failed must withdraw from the Faculty degree program.
• Graduation Requirements: To be considered for the award of a graduate degree, students must have satisfied all degree requirements and have obtained a weighted grade point average of 3.00 based on all courses credited towards the degree and taken at Concordia subsequent to first registration in the program, and a maximum of one grade below B.

Find out about the admission process.