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PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy
Colchester Campus
Full Time
SEP-25
4 years
Select a course option
PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy
Colchester Campus
Full Time
SEP-25
4 years
Select a an exam type
An Integrated PhD provides a route into research study if you do not have a Master’s degree, or have very little research training. It enables you to spend your first year completing a Masters-level qualification, followed by a full-time PhD studied over 3-4 years. We also offer a ‘standard’ PhD in this subject which can be studied either full-time (3-4 years) or part-time (6-7 years).
In your first year, this course provides you with the flexibility to master the areas of computing that interest and excite you most. You choose from a range of topics including:
In your second year you move into the PhD element of the course. Our research activity and supervision for the research part of this degree is concentrated in the following principal research areas: artificial intelligence, biologically inspired architectures, educational technology, e-learning, natural and evolutionary computation, natural language engineering, software agents and software engineering. Our cross-disciplinary projects draw on the expertise of our electronic engineers, computer scientists, mathematicians, physicists, and psychologists.
Our work is supported by extensive networked computer facilities and software aids, together with a wide range of test and instrumentation equipment. Our research covers a range of topics, from the theory of computation and the philosophy of computer science, computational intelligence and computer games to artificial intelligence and robotics, with most of our research groups based around laboratories offering world-class facilities. Our impressive external research funding stands at multi-million pounds per year, and we participate in several EU initiatives and undertake projects under contract to many outside bodies, including government and industrial organisations.
Our School is a community of scholars leading the way in technological research and development. Today’s computer scientists are creative people who are focused and committed, yet restless and experimental. We are home to many of the world’s top scientists, and our work is driven by creativity and imagination as well as technical excellence. More than two-thirds of our research is rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent' (REF 2014).
Your future
Studying within our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering provides both the recent graduate and the practising computer scientist with the opportunity to gain new skills or enhance existing ones.
Our graduates have achieved success in a variety of professions. Many have pursued careers in computing and information technology, while others have gone on to work in research organisations or become university academics.
Our recent graduates have progressed to a variety of senior positions in industry and academia. Some of the companies and organisations where our former graduates are now employed include:
We also work with the university’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.
A good honours degree, or international equivalent, in: Computer Science; Computer Engineering; Computer Networks; Computer Games; Computing; Software Engineering, Electronic Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Telecommunication Engineering; Information Engineering; Automation; Mechatronic Engineering; Mathematics or Physics. Our four-year integrated PhD allows you to spend your first year studying at master’s level in order to develop the necessary knowledge and skills and to start your independent research in year two. Graduates of Computer Science; Computer Engineering; Computer Networks; Computer Games; Computing; Software Engineering must have studied: ONE programming module (e.g., C, C#, C++, Java, Python, Object Oriented programming, Advanced Programming); ONE maths module (e.g., Mathematics; Calculus; Algebra; Differential Equations); and ONE other computing related module (e.g., Database, Web development, Software engineering, Operating system, Computer architecture; Computer systems etc.). Graduates of Electronic Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Telecommunication Engineering; Automation; Mechatronic Engineering; Mathematics; Physics must have studied: ONE programming module (e.g., C, C#, C++, Java, Python, Object Oriented programming, Advanced Programming), ONE maths module (e.g. Mathematics; Calculus; Algebra; Differential Equations) and ONE other math module (e.g. Mathematics, Calculus, Algebra, Differential Equations, Probability and statistics, Signals and systems, Control theory, Control systems, Computer systems, Embedded systems, Microprocessors).
Students living in
Domestic
£4,786 per year
Students from Domestic
This is the fee you pay if the University is in the same country that you live in (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
£18,750 per year
Students from EU
Fees will increase for each academic year of study.
£18,750 per year
Students from International
Fees will increase for each academic year of study.
The University of Essex prides itself on being at the forefront of research innovation and global change....