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Future-proof your career with a PhD in computer science from UT Dallas

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Computer science experts are in high demand as technologies advance at breakneck speed. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the employment of computer and information technology occupations to grow 12 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations. Experts also believe demand for educators in the field will also increase, calling for more PhD holders in computer science and software engineering.

It’s no secret that computer science and software engineering PhD holders today are enjoying greater employment prospects. Opportunities are ample, ranging from working in research and product development divisions of companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, to becoming a faculty member at a University, to working for or creating your own technology startup. Higher-level positions at companies are also becoming more accessible to computer science and software engineering PhD graduates too, as it is common for employers to reserve their top-ranking positions for doctoral degree holders.

How can Bachelor and Master graduates in computer science, software engineering, and related fields capitalize on these opportunities? An ideal place to start is to pursue a computer science or software engineering PhD at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas). Its esteemed Department of Computer Science offers candidates intensive preparation in design, programming, theory, and applications. Training is provided for both academically-oriented students as well as those with professional goals in the many businesses, industrial and governmental occupations requiring advanced knowledge of computer theory and technology.

University of Texas at Dallas – Department of Computer Science

Tap into UT Dallas’ research prowess

The Department is respected for numerous reasons, but one stands out: Research excellence.

Its 53-strong tenure-track faculty and 45 full-time senior lecturers are engaged in cutting-edge research and teaching in areas of artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, data science, networks, systems, theory, and software engineering.

In research-based rankings such as csrankings.org, UT Dallas ranks 8^th in the area of natural language processing, 5^th in the area of software engineering, 12^th in artificial intelligence, and 6^th in real-time systems in the United States (2009-2019 period).

The Department holds three designations as National Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) by the US National Security Agency (NSA) for Cybersecurity Research, Cybersecurity Education and Cyber Operations. Faculty researchers here have won external grants totaling US$45 million over the last five years.

In 2016, the UT Dallas Computer Science Department was ranked 37^th in the nation for its research expenditures, based on data from ASEE. Faculty members also direct ten research institutes and centers and have won numerous awards and accolades for their innovative research. Thirteen of their computer science faculty have won the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award.

University of Texas at Dallas – Department of Computer Science

Outstanding facilities for PhD candidates

Aspiring PhD candidates will be heartened to note that they have access to state-of-the-art facilities at the university. UT Dallas boasts outstanding facilities and research labs that facilitate students’ learning, in addition to supporting the Department’s core research areas in the field.

The Cyber Security Research and Education Institute (CSI) serves as a national resource for government, industry and academia by conducting cutting edge research in cybersecurity threats and solutions. Meanwhile, the team at the Human Language Technology Research Institute and the Center for Machine Learning work on some of the most challenging problems in artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing (NLP) and speech recognition. The newly created Center for Applied AI and Machine Learning conducts industry-funded, applied research in artificial intelligence and machine learning to help companies leverage on these emerging technologies.

PhD students here are fully funded – their tuition is fully covered by the university, in addition to receiving a monthly stipend for living expenses. UT Dallas’ location in the middle of the Telecom Corridor – a technology business center that is home to thousands of high-tech companies – makes it ideal for computer science and software engineering studies. Many companies have hired UT Dallas computer science and software engineering graduates in large numbers.

University of Texas at Dallas – Department of Computer Science

Producing highly accomplished computer science PhD graduates

UT Dallas graduates are known for their high placement rates. Many of their computer science and software engineering PhD graduates have gone on to find jobs in top-tier universities, research facilities, government agencies and prestigious companies, such as Adobe, Amazon, Apple, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Bank of America, among others.

One such graduate is Dr. Ashkan Yousefpour, who currently is a Visiting Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, working in the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research (BAIR) Lab. In 2020, he will join Facebook as a Research Scientist in Menlo Park, California.

Another UT Dallas PhD graduate, Dr. Vipin Singh Sehrawat, will be joining Seagate as a Lead Staff Engineer for Cryptography and Product Security in December.

Other impressive aspect of UT Dallas include its sizeable number of female PhD computer science and software engineering graduates and a high volume of published papers in highly prestigious journals and conferences.

With all the above, it’s clear that computer science and software engineering PhD graduates at UT Dallas are primed for success. If you’re eager to make important contributions to the field of computer science, start your journey at this institution.

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