Course details

Summary

The PhD is a globally recognised postgraduate research degree, the highest level of degree you can achieve. PhD students are critical, curious, creative thinkers who undertake original research over at least 3 years. As well as your supervised original research, through your doctoral programme you will have opportunities to expand and develop your personal and professional skills. Doctoral candidates present their work at local and international conferences, and are encouraged to network and collaborate with a wide range of experts in their research field.

This course is also offered at overseas and Manukau location.

Computer Science

We are living in an information age. In our work, our leisure, our health and our education, we increasingly depend on access to information. We get the information that we need by using the tools of information technology (IT) by which information is stored, transmitted and processed.

The subjects covered by the department in its courses and research at postgraduate level lie mostly in the two general areas of "software systems" and "theory of computing". Other areas of informatics are covered in more depth by other departments in the University. The Department of Management Science and Information Systems (within the Business School) specialises in data base systems, groupware, and applications of computers to business and management. The Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Faculty of Engineering) has interests in computer systems engineering and software engineering.

Within the broad areas stated above, the department offers graduate programmes leading to the MSc and PhD degrees with specialisations including (but not limited to): algorithmic information theory, artificial intelligence, combinatorics, data compression, data communications and networks, distributed computing, graphics, image processing, multimedia and hypermedia systems, neural networks, parallel computation, programming languages and systems, robotics, software engineering, software security, theory of computation, and visual programming.

Programme structure

The University of Auckland PhD is a three-to-four year full-time advanced research degree.

On entry to the PhD programme, you will be enrolled provisionally. By the end of your first year, you must meet a number of goals to be confirmed into the PhD programme, including developing a full thesis proposal. After confirmation, you will continue to work on your research before submitting your thesis for examination after three years and within four years of your start date. The examination process includes an oral exam.

As part of your PhD study, you can take part in our doctoral skills programme, designed to help you achieve success in your research and develop skills for your future. We have a dedicated postgraduate careers advisor, and our library service includes specialist subject librarians to help you in your research. The central School of Graduate Studies provides dedicated support and advice for the doctoral community.

Where could this programme take you?

Our PhD graduates are successful in a wide range of fields and careers, as well as the traditional academic research career path. The PhD gives you extensive specialist and transferable skills, which are sought after in many sectors, including industry and government, and can even help you to develop entrepreneurship skills to run your own startup.

Entry criteria

• Masters-level qualification or the equivalent of a bachelors degree with honours
• GPE 5.5
• Evidence of significant research, usually undertaken as part of prior study

English language requirements:

IELTS 6.5; TOEFL (iBT) 90; TOEFL (paper-based) 575; CAE or CPE 176; PTE 58; MELAB 85.