PhDs In Computer And Information Science

If you are a science or engineering graduate who wants to stand out from the crowd and broaden and enhance your career prospects, a research degree might be what you're looking for. Studying for a PhD is a challenging and rewarding investment that pays dividends for the rest of your life.

 

Develop Your Skills Through Research
The doctorate, or PhD, is a higher degree that should be seen as training in research. This involves a wide range of skills, including management of time and other limited resources, self-direction, problem-solving, investigation, evaluation, appreciation of research methods, communication and presentation. But pursuing a PhD is not simply about developing a collection of skills: it is also about pursuing a deep interest in an academic discipline, being creative and original and discovering ideas or phenomena that have not been studied by anyone in the same way previously. Working closely with one or two expert supervisors, often in the context of an established research group, a research student will shape a programme of work to find answers to hard problems. This will usually lead to publication of the ideas and progress of the work at workshops and conferences and perhaps in academic journals. This will offer the opportunity to meet with international experts, to discuss the work and seek new perspectives on the issues that have arisen.

 

Be Ahead Of The Game
A PhD is a highly regarded qualification that is relevant not only to students who are interested in pursuing a career in research, but also more broadly. The depth of problemsolving, analytic, methodological and presentational skills that are acquired in the pursuit of the degree makes postdoctoral graduates some of the most flexible and sought after personnel in industry  and in the professions. A PhD graduate has an extra level of confidence built on experience with presenting, defending and independently pursuing novel ideas. PhD graduates often make good team-players because they have already worked in the environment of a research group striving towards common goals. They also often make good leaders because of the opportunities they have had to co-supervise and mentor more junior research students. Studying for a PhD develops independence and personal organisation. These are all qualities that mark people for success in all walks of life.

 

Research Degrees In Computerand Information Sciences
Studying for a research degree in Computer and Information Sciences puts you at the forefront of modern life. Nothing has changed the world so much and so rapidly as the development of the computer and the information exchange it has made possible. World communications, future energy systems, better understanding of our environment, of ourselves and  of the effects of our interactions all depend on the continued enhancement of our harnessing of computing technology. Scientists are already improving the means of interaction with computers to include multi-modal interactions, based on voice, gestures and facial expressions. Our computing environment Is changing, too, with pervasive computers distributed around us in everyday appliances. In the future, almost all information exchange will be electronic and there are vast problems of trust and authentication that need to be resolved. Access to massive electronic information repositories will pose extremely challenging problems for information retrieval. Scientists are investigating ways of mining such repositories using concepts that relate different knowledge domains and assist people in building connections between disparate areas that could lead to new insights and new solutions to yet more challenging questions.

 

Prof. Maria Fox,
Department of Computer and Information Sciences (CIS),
University of Strathclyde

 

Science / Engineering courses / colleges