Doctor of Computer Science - Emerging Media Concentration
The Doctor of Computer Science in Emerging Media (DCS-EM) at Colorado Technical University is the terminal degree for computer science professionals, consultants, corporate strategists, technology officers and academics with expertise in computer science.
Emerging media uses a multidisciplinary approach to examine how social networks, new media, web science and virtual worlds are reshaping business, education, research and entertainment.
Outcomes:
- Critically evaluate, analyze, and solve problems within emerging media
- Demonstrate expertise within an area of emerging media by summarizing the state of the art, selecting an important problem, conducting research addressing the problem, and extending current knowledge with the results
- Communicate the research results and prepare them for publication
- Investigate the strategic, social and financial implications of emerging media
- Make well-founded forecasts about future challenges and developments in emerging media
- Demonstrate ethical behavior in all aspects of professional life including honesty, integrity, professional practice, and the protection of research subjects
Degree Requirements
Courses: Core
| CS801 | Research and Writing I | 3 |
| CS802 | Qualitative Analysis | 5 |
| CS806 | Research and Writing II | 3 |
| CS811 | Research and Writing III | 3 |
| CS812 | Quantitative Analysis | 5 |
| CS816 | Research and Writing IV | 3 |
| CS820 | Usability and Interaction | 5 |
| CS821 | Research and Writing V | 3 |
| CS826 | Research and Writing VI | 3 |
| CS831 | Research and Writing VII | 3 |
| CS836 | Research and Writing VIII | 3 |
| CS841 | Research and Writing IX | 3 |
| CS846 | Research and Writing X | 3 |
| CS851 | Research and Writing XI | 3 |
| CS855 | Futuring and Innovation | 5 |
| CS856 | Research and Writing XII | 3 |
| EM820 | Business Strategies for Social Media | 5 |
| EM822 | Games, Gamification and Serious Games | 4 |
| EM830 | Virtual Economy and Business | 5 |
| EM835 | Information Accountability and Web Privacy Strategies | 5 |
| EM842 | Applications for Mobile Development | 4 |
| EM845 | Web Science and Technology | 5 |
| EM860 | Virtual and Cloud Computing Architectures | 5 |
| Elective | Select one 5-credit course from 800-level CS/EIS/EM courses | 5 |
Total Credit Hours: 96
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 business strategies for social media, strategic use of virtual worlds, and research methods in computer science and emerging media. 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 emerging media. Coursework includes four courses, such as Quantitative Analysis, Usability and Interaction, Virtual Economy, and Information Accountability. These courses 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 research area.
Year 3: Leadership and Professional Advancement
Coursework in the final year of the program includes Futuring and Innovation, Virtual World Simulation, Web Science and Technology, and Virtual and Cloud Computing Architectures. 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. Students are required to attend an intensive two and half day residential symposium a minimum of five times during their enrollment in the program. The symposia are scheduled four times throughout the year and doctoral students are welcome to attend all four symposia available. First term doctoral students will have an additional required CTU student orientation the day prior to the residential symposium for returning students.
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 (DCS) 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.