Return to: School of Graduate Engineering and Applied Science: Degree Programs
The CpE Program offers a Ph.D. degree which requires a dissertation describing publishable quality research (directed by a faculty advisor) of significant depth. Students should consult the School of Engineering and Applied Science–Academic Rules section of the Record for school-level degree requirements that are additional to the following CpE Graduate Program requirements.
Students who receive the SEAS 24 bulk-transfer credits may waive up to 12 credits of course work. The distribution of the 12 credits waived will be determined by the Director with input from the advisor. At least 12 credits must be taken at UVA.
Qualifying Exam
The objective of the qualifying examination is to assess the student’s potential to begin doctoral-level research. Each Ph.D. candidate is required to select a primary and two secondary areas for the examination from the following set of research areas:
1) Computer Architecture (includes High-Performance Computing)
2) VLSI (includes System on Chip, Low Power Design)
3) System Software (includes Software Engineering, Distributed Systems, Dependable and Secure Computing)
4) Cyber-Physical Systems (includes Embedded, Autonomous, Mobile and Robotic Systems)
5) Machine Learning (includes Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, Vision, Image and Signal Processing)
6) Networks (includes Internet of Things, Cloud Computing)
A student who does not pass the qualifying exam on the first try must retake it at the next offering. A student who fails the examination twice will lose financial support and must leave the program at the end of that semester.
Dissertation
For guidelines regarding the Dissertation Committee, please see “Committee Requirements” in the School of Engineering and Applied Science-Academic Rules section of the Record. In addition to School requirements, CpE students must have at least one member from the ECE department and at least one member from the CS department. The home department of CpE students is defined as the advisor’s home department.
The student should prepare a dissertation proposal done under the guidance of the student’s advisor. Successful completion of the dissertation proposal examination will result in elevation to candidacy for the degree. The assessment of the dissertation proposal is performed by the advisory committee at the time of the defense of the proposal. If a suitable proposal is not presented but the faculty believes the student has sufficient research potential, another research presentation will be scheduled within 6 months. If a suitable proposal is still not presented, the student is subject to dismissal from the program.
At a minimum, all Ph.D. candidates are required to submit an advisor-approved article related to their research to a refereed journal or conference, prior to completing their dissertation defense. If the student’s advisor is not a co-author of the paper, the advisor must provide the CpE graduate committee with a note indicating the advisor’s approval of the paper.
The dissertation defense presentation should not exceed 45 minutes. Students must distribute the written dissertation to committee members at least two weeks prior to the defense presentation.
