Doctor of Computer Science
The Doctor of Computer Science (DCS) at Colorado Technical University is the terminal degree for computer science professionals, consultants, and academics. The program encourages students to think and act strategically and facilitates the ability to make positive contributions in their chosen area of technical expertise.
Outcomes:
- Critically evaluate, analyze, and solve problems within broad areas of computer science and software engineering
- Demonstrate expertise within an area of computer science or software engineering by summarizing the state of the art, selecting an important problem, conducting research addressing the problem and extending current knowledge with the results
- Communicate research results and prepare them for publication
- Make well-founded forecasts about future challenges and developments in computer science or software engineering
- Demonstrate ethical behavior in all aspects of professional life including honesty, integrity, professional practice, and protection of research subjects
Degree Requirements
Courses: Core
| CS801 | Research and Writing I | 3 |
| CS803 | Current Topics in the Discipline | 5 |
| CS806 | Research and Writing II | 3 |
| CS807 | Project Management and Process Engineering | 5 |
| CS811 | Research and Writing III | 3 |
| CS812 | Quantitative Analysis | 5 |
| CS816 | Research and Writing IV | 3 |
| CS821 | Research and Writing V | 3 |
| CS826 | Research and Writing VI | 3 |
| CS831 | Research and Writing VII | 3 |
| CS836 | Research and Writing VIII | 3 |
| CS837 | Requirements Engineering | 5 |
| CS841 | Research and Writing IX | 3 |
| CS846 | Research and Writing X | 3 |
| CS851 | Research and Writing XI | 3 |
| CS854 | Software Architecture and Design | 5 |
| CS855 | Futuring and Innovation | 5 |
| CS856 | Research and Writing XII | 3 |
| Electives | Select six 5-credit hour courses | 30 |
Electives: DCS students must complete six 5-credit classes that form a coherent area of study. These six classes can be selected from the list of elective courses below plus any other 800-level classes approved by the Dean.
Courses: Elective Choices
| CS810 | Simulation and Modeling | 5 |
| CS820 | Usability and Interaction | 5 |
| CS825 | Advanced Topics in Database Systems | 5 |
| CS838 | Concurrent and Distributed Systems | 5 |
| CS840 | System Metrics and Risk Analysis | 5 |
| CS850 | Networking and Security | 5 |
Total Credit Hours: 96
Each of the three years of the DCS program is designed to provide candidates with theoretical, research, and application capabilities in the field. The organization of each year is described below.
Year 1: Foundations
Year one focuses on computer science and software engineering topics and an orientation to research and writing at the doctoral level. Coursework covers current topics in computer science and software engineering, requirements engineering, project management and process engineering, and research methods in computer science and software engineering. The research and writing component results in a broad overview of the student’s area of concentration in order to put the research into context and inform the student’s selection of a research topic. Students prepare research proposals and begin their programs of research.
Year 2: Acquisition of Knowledge
Once the foundations are in place, year two is where each student develops an in-depth understanding of the knowledge and research methods in their chosen area of study. Coursework includes one required course in software systems architecture and design, plus three courses chosen in consultation with, and approved by, the Dean. These three courses, plus three courses in the third year, must form a cohesive unit that increases the student’s knowledge in a chosen area of investigation. In addition to coursework, students conduct research and writing in their chosen area.
Year 3: Leadership and Professional Advancement
Coursework in the final year of the program includes one required course in futuring and innovation, plus three courses from the student’s selected area of study. The research component of the program results in documentation of the student’s applied research in either a dissertation or a series of articles.
The program thus includes twelve 5-credit instructional courses, taken one per quarter for three years, plus a research-and-writing class taken each quarter. Each class is conducted online. Twice each year, students attend an intensive residential symposium lasting four and a half days.
Graduation requires successful defense of a research proposal and final dissertation. These documents must be approved by the student’s committee, consisting of a mentor and two readers.
Graduation Requirements
In addition to the successful completion of the above 96 credits with an acceptable GPA, students must also satisfactorily complete and defend their research proposal and final dissertation.
Degree Completion and Post Doctoral Study
The student must be continuously enrolled until all graduation requirements are fulfilled. A student who has not completed the research requirements by the end of the formal coursework continues by registering for CS893 Research Continuation according to CTU’s re-take policy.
In addition, a student may achieve a Post Doctoral Certificate if approved for that in advance by the doctoral dean. A typical program would include successful completion of four courses plus creation of two academic papers of publishable quality after the award of the CTU doctoral degree.
The Doctoral Advantage
While a relevant master’s degree is ordinarily required for admission to CTU doctoral programs, there is also the option of completing a CTU MSCS, MSIT, MSM-ISS, MSM-IT/PM, or MSSE degree while starting work on the Doctor of Computer Science degree. The program outcomes remain the same for the DCS and the master’s degrees under this option, but the normal completion time for the degrees in the combined program is reduced. Through this program, doctoral work is started after ten of the twelve required master’s courses have been successfully completed. Program plans must be approved by the Dean of Doctoral Computer Science.
Note, however, that for the MSSE degree to be awarded under doctoral advantage the student must successfully complete SE600, SE610, SE612 (for CTU Virtual Campus students), and SE620.
The MSCS, MSIT, MSM-ISS, MSM-IT/PM, or MSSE degree will be awarded upon successful completion of the ten approved master’s courses plus the first two courses in the doctoral degree program: one five-hour 800-level course plus one research and writing course.