PH.D.
The Columbia University Department of Computer Science is looking for top-quality students to join its PhD program. The department hosts exciting projects in a growing number of research areas. (See below.) Columbia University is located in New York City, one of the cultural, financial, and communications capitals of the world. This central location makes it possible for the members of the Department of Computer Science to have close ties with the nearby research labs of AT&T, Google, IBM (T. J. Watson), Alcatel-Lucent, NEC, Siemens, Telcordia Technologies, Verizon, and Yahoo!, as well as with a number of major companies including financial companies of Wall Street.
OVERVIEW OF THE PH.D. PROGRAM
A small number of highly qualified students are admitted each year to the Ph.D. program in Computer Science. Admission is very competitive, based primarily on research-oriented reference letters, subject and general GRE scores, and academic grades. Applicants need not already hold a master's degree; bachelor's degree level applicants are also encouraged to apply.
Most admitted students receive full financial support through Graduate Research Assistantships or Teaching Assistantships, which consist of a monthly stipend plus full tuition exemption (continuation of support is, of course, contingent upon the students' satisfactory progress in the Ph.D. program and availability of funding). In addition, the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences awards a small number of prestigious "Presidential Distinguished Fellowships," while the Department of Computer Science also awards selective "Departmental Fellowships." These fellowships provide full financial support to their recipients. Applicants are strongly encouraged to seek external funding, such as government and industry fellowships. Also, Columbia rents low-cost subsidized apartments near campus for both single students and students with families.
All Ph.D. students are expected to participate in departmental and laboratory activity full-time on-campus throughout the program, except possibly for summer internships elsewhere. Therefore the department does not normally consider admission of part-time students. Also, note that it is not possible to participate in the Ph.D. program through the Columbia Video Network.
HOW AND WHEN TO APPLY TO THE PH.D. PROGRAM
All applications to our Ph.D. Program must be made electronically. No paper-based applications will be accepted. Unfortunately, we cannot make any exceptions to this rule. The online application system is available at https://mice.cs.columbia.edu/recruit. The deadlines for the submission of your fully completed application are:
To start the Ph.D. program in the Spring semester: apply by October 1 of the previous year.
To start the Ph.D. program in the Fall semester: apply by December 15 of the previous year.
You can still apply after these deadlines. However, be aware that applications are usually reviewed soon after the deadline, so late applications may not be processed as quickly or have the best chance of getting funding from our department.
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION
Please check the answers to our comprehensive frequently asked questions (FAQ's), as well as our online application system; they both contain detailed information about all aspects of the application process.
You are also encouraged to investigate the research conducted in the Department of Computer Science prior to application. In particular, think about which faculty members share your research interests, and also look at the research group homepages. Feel free to contact potential faculty advisors by email to request information about their recent research and publications, and to ask about opportunities in their research groups or labs.
Finally, you should become familiar with our Ph.D. degree requirements.
QUESTIONS?
We receive an enormous volume of email with application-related questions, so we ask that you please read this website carefully before sending us email. If you do not find an answer to your question, then contact us by email. Questions about particular research groups and/or individual faculty members should be directed to the appropriate faculty members by email.