Key Information
- Duration: Full-time, 60 months
- Start dates & application deadlines:
- Starting August 2027 — Apply before Jan 2027
Overview
The Computer Engineering PhD programme at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) requires a minimum of 33 course credits beyond the bachelor's degree, including required Group A core topics, advanced electrical and computer engineering electives, a comprehensive doctoral portfolio evaluation, a dissertation research proposal, and a final public dissertation defense. Ph.D. candidates must complete an original dissertation representing a substantive contribution to the field within four years of achieving doctoral candidacy.
Key Facts
Doctoral research across the program spans key faculty specialization areas, including custom microelectronics, VLSI design verification, and reconfigurable logic; hardware security, embedded systems, and wireless sensor networks; and statistical signal processing, machine learning applications, and photonics.
Programme Structure
Courses include:
- Computer Architecture
- Custom VLSI Design
- Reconfigurable System Design
- VLSI Design Verification and Test
- Analog IC Design
- Hardware Security
- Signal and Linear Systems Theory
Admission Requirements
Academic Requirements
GPA: 3
English Requirements
- Duolingo English Test: 115
- TOEFL iBT: 80
- PTE Academic: 53
- IELTS: 6.5
Other Requirements
- GRE General Test required (waiver option available)
- Written Statement of Purpose: review criteria and guidelines on the department website.
- Ph.D. applicants strongly encouraged to already have an M.S. degree in computer science; strong background in computer engineering, computer science, and mathematics courses.
Tuition Fees
International: AUD 40,496 / year (approx. USD 29,010 / year)