The thesis should demonstrate a sound understanding of the main issues in the area, and it should add to existing knowledge either by developing a new approach to familiar problems or by applying familiar procedures and frameworks to new areas. PhD degrees in Computer Science PhD degrees take three years to complete, and students are expected to complete their research and submit their dissertations within the given time. We attach great importance to timely completion of PhDs, and the completion rate in our Department is very high. The maximum length of the thesis is 80,000 words. This traditional research degree leads suitably qualified postgraduates to explore a specialist topic beyond the current state of the art.
Students undertake independent research in an industrial or academic setting.
They work in close co-operation with a supervisor and are free to join research projects. Training focuses on good research practice. This programme offers well-qualified applicants an opportunity to complete a PhD within three years of registration. Students take advanced courses for the first nine months, corresponding broadly to one of the MSc Computer Science degrees. After passing the exams, the remainder of the three-year programme is devoted to the preparation of a PhD thesis not exceeding 60,000 words in length.