Department of Computing and Information Sciences Ph.D.
Overview
The Ph.D. in computing and information sciences is a research degree designed to produce independent scholars, cutting-edge researchers, and well-prepared educators. Faculty and students conduct both foundational and applied research to address diverse and important challenges, and our graduates are poised to excel within both computing and interdisciplinary environments in academia, government and industry. The Ph.D. program brings together faculty from disciplines throughout the college’s five departments and schools: Computer Science, Computing Security, the School of Information, the School of Interactive Games and Media, and Software Engineering.
100%
of full-time students are fully supported, with many having external fellowships from groups such as the National Science Foundation and Microsoft Research
100%
job placement by graduation, as faculty members in universities around the world and in industry R&D positions
68th
in the nation among all Ph.D. programs in computing (U.S. News and World Report)
Latest News
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May 7, 2025
From Stereotype to Slur in Three Clicks: Inside AI’s Mental-Health Hate Machine
Mad in America references a study coauthored by Ashique KhudaBukhsh, assistant professor in the Department of Software Engineering, and second-year computing and information sciences Ph.D. student Arka Dutta about how AI language models can swiftly escalate from mild stereotypes to promoting harmful narratives about mental health.
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March 19, 2025
No barriers, just firewalls
Mastercard speaks to computing and information technologies student Jared Husson about cybersecurity job training for deaf students.
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December 9, 2024
Deepfakes: Why we’re seeing more of them and how to differentiate reality from fiction
WROC-TV speaks to Matthew Wright, endowed professor and department chair in the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, and Computing and information sciences Ph.D. student Y. Kelly Wu about identifying deepfakes.
Featured Work and Profiles
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Computing Ph.D. Student Leads Groundbreaking Research with KAIST Interaction Lab
Jiangnan Xu Jiangnan Xu travels to Korea with the School of Interactive Games and Media to study the intersection of AI and the Metaverse.
Read More about Computing Ph.D. Student Leads Groundbreaking Research with KAIST Interaction Lab -
Blurring the Lines of Artificial Intelligence and Biomedicine Research
Linwei Wang Linwei Wang, professor of computing and recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), is using artificial intelligence to advance non-invasive personalized...
Read More about Blurring the Lines of Artificial Intelligence and Biomedicine Research
Research Areas
Our faculty and students conduct research to change how we live, work, and interact, focusing on both novel computing technology and how computing can support, facilitate, enable, and inspire progress in other domains.
- Artificial Intelligence
- Data Science
- HCI and Accessibility
- Software Engineering
- Security and Privacy
- Systems
- Theory
Please find Faculty Publications and Awards.
Computing and Information Sciences Ph.D.
A research degree designed to produce independent scholars, cutting-edge researchers, and well-prepared educators, you'll benefit from world-class faculty, diverse academic offerings, and modern facilities as you identify and research challenges within and beyond computing.
How to Apply
The following faculty are looking for new students with full financial support, starting Spring or Fall 2025:
For those wishing to apply to the Ph.D. program, there is a four stage process:
- Applicants submit their materials via the RIT online application system, which has detailed instructions for doing so. There is no hard deadline for this, but applicants who submit their materials before January 1 will receive stronger attention.
- The admissions committee will independently assess all applicants, academic qualifications (background, grades, test scores, prior experiences, achievement, recommendations, interviews, motivations, faculty inputs, etc), the Ph.D. director will evaluate faculty requests for students based on the needs of the faculty and department. The committee will interview, by phone or video chat, all candidates for the second stage.
- From November through April, the Ph.D. director, admissions committee, and faculty will work together to find the best matches from those qualified applicants for further evaluation and admission consideration. Candidates may be asked to contact specific faculty to discuss potential advisor relationships, or faculty may call candidates.
- When the candidate, faculty advisor, Ph.D. director, and committee agree on a match, we make an offer.
To learn more about applying to the Ph.D. program or about the graduate program admissions process at RIT please visit the Office of Graduate Admissions.
