Ph.D. Course Requirements

Students enrolled in the M.Sc./Ph.D. program must complete all core/mandatory courses and elective courses outlined in the M.Sc. degree section and are also required to complete the Ph.D. courses below. These students will earn a M.Sc. degree by satisfying the requirements outlined above.

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program must complete the requirements below, though additional courses may be required by the academic advisor and the qualifying examination.

Ph.D. Courses

• Two 300-level courses: one must be an approved regular CS course.

Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination (qualifier) is course based. Students must pass three courses to pass the qualifier using the following rules:

•   One of the courses must have a grade of A- or A; the other two must have a grade of B+ or better.

•   All three courses must be selected from eligible qualifier courses. The list of eligible qualifier courses is available on the CS website. The list sorts all eligible qualifier courses into several research areas. The qualifier courses must be from three different research areas. 

•   The three courses must be taught by three different faculty.

•   Ph.D. students must pass the qualifier within four semesters of being formally registered as a Ph.D. student by the registrar according to university rules (or seven semesters from registration for M.Sc./Ph.D students).

•   A student who fails to meet the qualifier requirements within the deadline will have failed the qualifier and be dismissed from the program.

Some additional details about the procedure of the qualifier:

•   The KAUST Ph.D. program stipulates that students must take at least two 300 level courses during the Ph.D. candidacy. These two courses may be used as qualifier courses.

•   Ph.D. students can use courses they completed before starting their Ph.D. as qualifier courses, e.g., courses taken while completing an M.Sc. at KAUST.

•   No waiver will be given for any courses taken outside of KAUST.

•   The list of eligible courses, the research areas, and the way the courses are sorted into research areas can change over time. Students should choose courses and areas according to a single version of the course list: either the version of the eligible course list that was current at the time of the start of the Ph.D. or an eventual updated later version.

•   As soon as students pass the qualifier, they should submit a filled out qualifier form to the Graduate Program Coordinator including a transcript. The qualifier form is available on the CS website. Upon verification, students will receive a confirmation that they have passed the qualifier.

Ph.D. Proposal Defense Committee

The Ph.D. dissertation proposal defense committee, which must be approved by the Associate Dean, must consist of at least three members and typically includes no more than six members. The chair, plus one additional faculty member must be affiliated with the CS program.

Notes:

•   Members 1-3 are required, member 4 is optional

•   Members 2 or 3 may serve as the co-chair

•   Adjunct professors and professors emeriti may retain their roles on current committees, but may not serve as chair on any new committees

•   Professors of practice and research professors may serve as members 2 or 3 and may also serve as co-chairs

Once constituted, the composition of the proposal committee can only be changed with the approval of both the academic advisor and the Associate Dean.

Ph.D. Proposal Defense

Ph.D. Proposal Defense

In addition to the subject component of the qualifying examination, Ph.D. students must also pass the research component examination (Ph.D. proposal defense). This exam should take place within one year of students passing the subject component of the qualifying examination. Ph.D. students must successfully defend the proposal within 7 semesters of admission. M.Sc./Ph.D. students must successfully defend the proposal within 11 semesters of admission. Failure to complete the exam in the stipulated time frame may result in academic probation and/or dismissal. The exam consists of two parts:

• Proposal: submission of a 10-page (suggested length) proposal describing the proposed topic of research, relevant survey of the literature and any preliminary results or laboratory preparation. This should be submitted to the examining committee at least 10 days prior to the scheduled presentation.
• Presentation: approximately 30 minutes on the dissertation topic presented to the examining committee followed by questions to cover a total period of an hour.

Scope of the Examination

The scope of this examination is to demonstrate that students have the ability and are adequately prepared to undertake Ph.D. level research in the proposed area. This preparation includes necessary knowledge of the chosen subject, a review of the literature and preparatory theory or experiment as applicable. It is not necessary to have final results, a working computer program, a functioning piece of equipment, or fully analyzed data. It is also not necessary to present a definitive dissertation outline.

Scheduling

Students should schedule the examination at a time acceptable to the committee within one year of passing the subject component of the qualifying examination. For any special circumstances, extensions must be approved by the program chair at least one month prior to the deadline.

Students who successfully pass the dissertation proposal defense are deemed Ph.D. candidates. At the end of the proposal defense, a Ph.D. proposal results form must be completed and handed out to the GPC.

Ph.D. Final Defense Committee

The Ph.D. dissertation defense committee, which must be approved by the Associate Dean, must consist of at least four members and typically includes no more than six members. At least three of the required members must be KAUST faculty and one must be an external examiner from outside KAUST. The chair, plus one additional faculty member must be affiliated with the CS program. The external examiner writes a report on the dissertation.

Notes:

• Members 1-4 are required, members 5 and 6 are optional
• Co-chairs may serve as either members 2, 3 or 6
• Adjunct professors and professors emeriti may retain their roles on current committees, but may not serve as chair on any new committees
• Professors of practice and research professors may serve as members 2, 3 or 6 depending upon their affiliation with the student’s program, they may also serve as co-chairs
• Visiting professors may serve as member 6, but not as the external examiner

The only requirement with commonality with the proposal committee is the academic advisor, although it is expected that other members will carry forward to this committee.

Co-supervisors can be considered one of the above four members required, provided they come under the categories listed (i.e. meets the requirements of the position).

View a list of faculty and their affiliations here.