Frequently Asked Questions

Full-time students entering the program with a baccalaureate degree will take approximately 4-5 years to complete their PhD. Full-time students entering the program with a master’s degree may complete their degree in as few as three years. Part time students typically take more than five years to finish their degree but it depends on their academic background and the amount of time they are able to commit to finishing.

The Computing Ph.D. program does not issue application fee waiver codes to applicants.

Visit this page for up to date resident and non-resident cost analysis: Graduate Tuition Fees. Here is a link to a breakdown of an estimated budget, as well: Cost of Attendance. Many students obtain assistantships that provide a salary, tuition expenses and health insurance.

All admitted applicants are automatically considered for program-funded Graduate Assistantship positions. However, there are a limited number available and they are competitive. Admission to the program does not guarantee availability of GA funding.

Applicants who wish to be considered for Graduate Assistantships must submit all application materials prior to the priority admission deadline of January 5.

Admitted students are ranked during the admissions process and a limited number of Graduate Assistantships are assigned accordingly. We will begin communicating the first wave of graduate assistantship offers beginning in early March and will continue to make offers until all positions are filled. GA awards are limited and the selection process is highly competitive. Admission to the program does not guarantee availability of GA funding.

No. This program and all required courses are designed to be in person.

To be eligible for admission, applicants must hold a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) from an accredited institution.

Applicants to all emphasis areas should have completed coursework in computer programming or be able to provide documented experience in programming.

Each emphasis area has specific coursework requirements. Refer to the “Emphasis Area Requirements” section on the Application Requirements page.

Yes, applicants are not required to have a specific degree but should have completed coursework in computer programming or be able to provide documented experience in programming. Additionally, applicants must have completed the prerequisite courses (or equivalent) for their emphasis area.

Applicants without a Master’s degree are recommended to have a GPA of 3.0 or better in the last 40 hours of undergraduate coursework.

Applicants with a Master’s degree are recommended to have a GPA of 3.3 or better in their Master’s degree program.

Please note that these are recommendations and applicants are evaluated on all aspects of the application.

January 5 is the Priority Deadline for Fall Admission and first wave of funding consideration. April 15 is the Final Deadline to apply for fall admission. All application materials must be received by the corresponding deadline in order to be reviewed by the Computing Admissions Committee. Visit this page for a list of all deadlines: Future Student Deadlines.

You must submit a statement of purpose, official transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a CV (resume), Admission Questionnaire (PDF of email responses) and English Proficiency test scores (international applicants only). For additional details visit the Ph.D. Application Requirements page

No, applicants should not email unofficial transcripts prior to applying to the program. Our program will not provide preliminary reviews for prospective students. Carefully review the instructions on how to submit transcripts as detailed on the Boise State Graduate College website. All international applicants must submit official transcripts to International Admissions.

Our program also will not admit students provisionally with unofficial transcripts. All applicants must submit official transcripts. All official transcripts must be received by the application deadline to be considered for admission.

All official transcripts must be submitted to Boise State University Graduate College. During our busiest time of year, transcripts can take up to a week for processing and review.  Follow the Graduate College’s instructions on submitting official transcripts.

International applicants must submit transcripts to the International Admissions Office.  Visit the International Admissions page regarding submission of international transcripts.

Graduate coursework can be transferred to Boise State University and applied to Ph.D. in Computing requirements after a student is admitted to the program. Current students, please refer to the transfer credit page for instructions.

We do not assess or make decisions on what classes will transfer until after a student has been admitted and enrolled in the program.

Students may transfer up to 21 credits of previous graduate course work.  Regardless of how many credits transfer, all students must take four classes at Boise State within the program to graduate.

Potentially any graduate-level course can be transferred and used as an elective as long as it fits with the selected emphasis. However, the decisions of which classes to allow for transfer must be confirmed by the student’s faculty advisor.

No. We do not accept or consider GRE scores.

Test results should be sent as official copies directly from the testing agency and cannot be emailed to the program. Boise State University’s school code for sending TOEFL scores is 4018. Learn more about English Proficiency requirements here: International Admissions.

Our program reviews applications in two batches, one after our priority deadline, January 5 and one after the final deadline, April 15. You can expect to receive a decision in approximately four weeks. This means if you apply before January 5, decisions will be communicated in March. If you apply after January 5, you will hear back in May. These projected times are approximate; a higher volume of applicants may require more time for processing and may delay announcements.

Students do not need to select an advisor before they are admitted. However, we ask all applicants to identify 2-3 faculty members they may want to work with on the Computing PhD Admission Questionnaire. You can view a list of all participating faculty and potential advisors in our Faculty Directory.

All students must identify an advisor by the end of their first semester.

The Computing Ph.D. program is interdisciplinary and has participating faculty in numerous departments on campus. We recommend browsing our faculty directory and reviewing individual profiles to seek out faculty who align with your experiences and aspirations. View the faculty directory.

You are welcome to try to connect with faculty whose research you find interesting. When e-mailing faculty tell them briefly about your background and why you are interested in pursuing your Ph.D. and inquire about their current research projects and any potential opportunities for GA funding. Due to the number of prospective students applying to the program, please understand that it may not be possible for faculty to respond to every inquiry from prospective students.

The computing certificate programs are a great fit for part-time students. Students can complete the course requirements in as little as 1 year by taking two classes per semester.

Our certificates are composed of the core classes required for their Ph.D. emphasis counterparts. Students who aren’t sure if they are ready to commit to a full Ph.D. have the opportunity to start their course work and get to know their peers and members of the computing faculty.

Prospective students often ask if they can complete a Ph.D. in Computing as a part-time student. Yes, the degree can be completed while working either full or part-time, but students should expect their degree to take additional time.

Part-time students should expect to complete their course work in two to three years and spend four or five years completing their dissertation.

If you are interested in pursuing your PhD as a part-time student please contact the Program Administrator or Co-directors before you begin the application process. It is important that you apply to the program with a detailed and realistic plan.

Plagiarism is not tolerated in any form, even on applications to the program. All application materials submitted must represent a student’s own ideas, authentic voice and original effort. The use of generative AI tools to write personal statements is not acceptable.

If an applicant is found to have committed plagiarism or academic dishonesty on their application for admission their application will be denied.

Once enrolled, it is up to course instructors determine when academic dishonesty is committed. Disciplinary action will be decided in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct for Boise State. Refer to the current Code of Conduct for full details.

Routinely check your Boise State University student email account for updates from the computingphd@boisestate.edu address or from program staff. Follow us on Linkedin for announcements and refer to the School of Computing website for news and events.