Computer Science

The computer is widely recognized as the most influential invention of the 20th century. Having become a central feature of our everyday life, computers are everywhere: There is one on your desk, one in your cell phone, and one in your MP3 player. An education in Computing will allow you to apply your knowledge, skill and creativity to diverse fields of endeavour, covering the full range of human activity, from medicine to space exploration, from business to arts, and from environmental science to the entertainment industry.

The Ph.D. program is managed by the Ph.D. program committee who are responsible for: maintaining consistency in the requirements for individual candidates, approving the candidate's progress through various milestones, handling disputes that may arise, and acting as chairs and examiners when needed. The Ph.D. program committee is appointed by the School Director. The Ph.D. program committee reports annually to the Director on the progress of each Ph.D. student.

There are four formal requirements imposed by the School:

• a breadth requirement (which can be met through a combination of graduate courses, an MSc thesis, and work experience);
• a six-page topic proposal;
• a comprehensive examination (which includes a written research proposal and an oral defense);
• and a Ph.D. thesis.

Candidates who fail to complete any requirement within the time limit specified will be required to withdraw from the program. The Ph.D. program committee may approve extension to time limits, subject to the rules of the School of Graduate Studies, and will normally do so for part-time and inactive students.

Ph.D. Breadth Requirement

A candidate for the Ph.D. degree should demonstrate broad knowledge of the various areas of Computing Science, and in particular, the way in which these areas relate to one other.

A token-based approach is used to evaluate the candidate's knowledge. A token represents knowledge of an area such as might reasonably form a graduate course. The following activities would normally count as tokens: a grade of at least B- in a graduate course at Queen's (excluding CISC 897 & CISC 810) or equivalent in standard to one at Queen's, a research project, appropriate work carried out in industry, or a Master's thesis.

The candidate demonstrates breadth by presenting ten tokens with an appropriate distribution among the following areas:

1. Theory of computation,
2. Computer systems,
3. Applications within computing, and
4. Multidisciplinary Studies

Area 4 (Multidisciplinary Studies) is optional and is intended to encourage recruitment of students who may not have a "conventional" computing background but who clearly demonstrate the skills and methodology that we expect of our doctoral students. At least two tokens in each of the core computing areas (theory of computation, computer systems and applications within computing) are required. The School of Computing Graduate Handbook classifies graduate computing courses under the three core areas and therefore gives guidance about how a token in each area can be obtained. Normally, at least 4 courses from the School of Computing are required. The Ph.D. program committee ultimately decides whether a proposed token is acceptable.

Procedure:

When a supervisory committee has been appointed, the candidate presents a plan for meeting the breadth requirements to it for discussion and approval. The proposal must provide a clear description of each token. Courses require calendar description and name of instructor, a thesis token requires title and abstract of thesis and a work token requires job description.

When breadth proposal has been agreed upon, it is sent to the Ph.D. program committee for approval or modification. The Ph.D. program committee ensures that similar requirements are applied to all students.

Where a token is failed, a candidate may appeal to the Ph.D. program committee to substitute another token or to repeat the failed requirements.

The breadth proposal must be approved by the supervisory committee and submitted to the PhD committee before the end of the first term into the program. The breadth requirement must be fulfilled within one year of the first registration to maintain satisfactory progress.

Ph.D. Topic Proposal 

The second School requirement is a 6-page maximum (Queen’s thesis format not including references) topic proposal. This document is to be submitted before the end of the third term after the initial registration in the Ph.D. program. Failure to submit the proposal on time is considered unsatisfactory progress.

The document gives a description of a subject area (one paragraph, roughly comparable to a course description), and a proposed topic for research to be conducted within that area. The document then provides a brief survey of the key and most pertinent literature contributions for the proposed topic.

The Ph.D. supervisory committee provides feedback on the document and their expectation for the Ph.D. Research proposal. The feedback from the supervisory committee gives the expected weights of the literature survey and research plans in the PhD research proposal paper. The feedback is communicated to the Ph.D. committee which in turn communicates it to the student.

Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination

Graduate students enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Computing at Queen's are required to pass a Comprehensive Examination as described in Calendar of the School of Graduate Studies.

The examination ensures that candidates are well-versed of the state of the art in the area in which they intend to pursue research, that they have a critical perspective of the area, and that they are able to formulate a research plan to explore open problems and research opportunities. Candidates should have acquired their own views of the area, be able to be critical of previous work, be able to discuss the area with other researchers at their own level, and able to outline a well-thought research plan.  Although they may not themselves have contributed to the area, they should be as informed and analytical as those who work in it.

The proposal requirement is met by writing a PhD research proposal paper (as defined below), presenting it orally to an examining committee, and answering questions about the proposed research and the associated area.

The PhD research proposal paper is a 40-page maximum (Queen’s thesis format not including references) research proposal. This document is to be submitted before the end of the sixth term after the initial registration in the Ph.D. program. The document should normally cover background material (e.g., motivation and literature survey), the problem to be tackled, methods to be used (e.g., research plans and experimental design), results sought, evaluation metrics (i.e. how research success will be measured), and milestones (including progress to date). The proportions of text for the literature survey and for the research plans will have already been communicated to the student through the feedback received on their topic proposal.

Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination

Graduate students enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Computing at Queen's are required to pass a Comprehensive Examination as described in Calendar of the School of Graduate Studies.

The examination ensures that candidates are well-versed of the state of the art in the area in which they intend to pursue research, that they have a critical perspective of the area, and that they are able to formulate a research plan to explore open problems and research opportunities. Candidates should have acquired their own views of the area, be able to be critical of previous work, be able to discuss the area with other researchers at their own level, and able to outline a well-thought research plan.  Although they may not themselves have contributed to the area, they should be as informed and analytical as those who work in it.

The proposal requirement is met by writing a PhD research proposal paper (as defined below), presenting it orally to an examining committee, and answering questions about the proposed research and the associated area.

The PhD research proposal paper is a 40-page maximum (Queen’s thesis format not including references) research proposal. This document is to be submitted before the end of the sixth term after the initial registration in the Ph.D. program. The document should normally cover background material (e.g., motivation and literature survey), the problem to be tackled, methods to be used (e.g., research plans and experimental design), results sought, evaluation metrics (i.e. how research success will be measured), and milestones (including progress to date). The proportions of text for the literature survey and for the research plans will have already been communicated to the student through the feedback received on their topic proposal.

Ph.D. Thesis

A thesis presenting original research is submitted for approval by a thesis examining committee. The research described in the thesis should constitute a significant contribution to knowledge in an area of Computing Science. It must be original and of such quality as to warrant its publication in a recognized journal.

Candidates should consult the Calendar of the School of Graduate Studies and Research for University Regulations regarding Ph.D. theses. The thesis is examined in accordance with the general rules of the School of Graduate Studies and Research.

Requirements

• Applicants should normally have completed an M.Sc. in Computing Science or a closely related field at an established university. They are admitted in accordance with the general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Candidates normally enter the program at the beginning of the Fall term (September).
• Statement of Interest
• For international students, if required, a TOEFL total score of at least 550 (paperbased) or TOEFL iBT minimum scores of: writing (24/30); speaking (22/30); reading (22/30); listening (20/30), for a total of 88/120. Applicants must have the minimum score in each test as well as the minimum overall score.
• Transcripts
• Two current academic recommendations are required from professors under whom the applicant has recently studied.
• IELTS (International English Language Testing System) - score of 7 on the academic module
• Pay the non refundable application fee on-line (currently $105 CDN).

Want to improve your English level for admission?

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• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

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Scholarships

• Basic Funding Package (teaching and research assistantship, internal fellowships, bursaries and incremental growth).minimum $18,000; most students receive between $18,000 and $22,000 per year
• Queen’s Graduate Awards (QGA)
• Graduate Entrance Tuition Awards (GETA)
• International Tuition Awards (ITAs)
• Conference Travel Awards