PhD studies
Computer Science PhD studies at Bar-Ilan
Admissions Criteria for a PhD in Computer Science:
Holders of a Master’s Degree in the track with a thesis in Computer Science.
In exceptional cases, those with an MSc in another (close) field will also be accepted; this requires the approval of the departmental Computer Science PhD advisor, or the research field coordinator.
Direct track (without master’s degree) or combined (master’s and PhD) - in accordance with the university’s PhD regulations.
In exceptional cases, those with a MSc in another (close) field will also be accepted; this requires the approval of the departmental Computer Science PhD advisor, or the research field coordinator.
These conditions are in addition to the general regulations of the university’s PhD Committee.
The agreement of a department staff member (at least at the level of a senior lecturer) to be your supervisor.
In exceptional circumstances, if students wish to change their supervisor, approval must be received from the department and the School of Graduate Studies.
Academic Program for a PhD in Computer Science:
Course Requirements:
In each semester of your Computer Science PhD, you must accumulate two classes and seminars (one hour per week) in CS Department courses for a total of 16 classes and seminars (8 hours per week).
To choose courses, please consult with your supervisor.
According to university regulations, a student in the combined/direct Computer Science PhD program must complete all the course obligations for a master's in computer science.
Therefore, the student is exempt from PhD courses during their first two years of studies. Starting from their admission to the PhD program, each semester of the PhD program, the student must take two classes and seminars (one hour per week) in courses from the Department of Computer Science, for a total of 12 classes and seminars (6 hours per week).
Course exemption in exchange for teaching: students can apply for an exemption from the requirement to take a course each semester.
A request should be made separately each semester.
Exemptions will only be approved if the student teaches a course that semester (as a tutor or lecturer), which requires a lot of study and preparation time.
Participation in the Departmental Colloquium.
Presentation of a detailed study program and receiving approval from the department chair, and afterwards from the university’s PhD committee, within a year of beginning the studies.
Presentation of a progress report (approved by the supervisor) at the end of the year to the department and the university’s PhD committee.
For information about the Computer Science PhD, get in touch using the contact page: Telephone: 03-531-8866 | Email: phd@cs.biu.ac.il | WhatsApp: 03-531-8866
English: A PhD student in Computer Science who seeks an exemption from the English requirement needs to register for the Academic Writing course (Code 41-044).
Exemptions are not available from the department.
Submission and presentation of the Computer Science PhD research proposal will be done by the end of the first year of studies (or earlier, if required by the terms of your scholarship), according to the regulations established by the School of Graduate Studies.
After submitting their written proposal, the student will present it in person (via Zoom) to the supervisor and examiners. The presentation will be around 30-40 minutes (about an hour with comments and discussion).
The presentation will address all the components of the research proposal - literature review, research problem, initial results, and research program.
After the presentation, the examiners may approve the proposal, or demand updates/changes to the proposal (and approve the proposal after sufficient attention is made to their comments).
3/4 Report: Computer Science PhD students must present a 3/4 report to the department committee for graduate degrees by the 10th of August in their third year of studies.
The report (which should be a maximum of one page) should describe the research they have carried out during the Computer Science PhD, including making reference to the research program laid out in the proposal (it’s fine if the program has changed, that’s part of research; there just needs to be an explanation and reference to this).
The report should include the student’s list of publications during their PhD.
Committee approval of the report is a prerequisite for registering for the fourth and final year of the program.
Please note that the report is obligatory for all students, irrespective of scholarship (departmental, president’s or otherwise), and/or tuition coverage.
This report can replace that year’s regular progress report, described in clause 5 above (new articles added during the previous semester should be marked with a star).
Guidelines for presenting your Computer Science PhD for examination:
- Three printed copies (without acknowledgments at this point)
- A disk or DiskOnKey with the following files:
The doctoral thesis, summaries, title pages (external cover + page detailing the instruction) - take into account that the disk will remain at the School of Graduate Studies for the duration of the review process.
Guidelines for presenting a Computer Science doctorate as a collection of articles - click here.
Dissertation database for all doctorates that are in the course of writing or have been submitted - click here
Forms:
- Personal information form.
- Supervisor approval (if you have more than one supervisor then each must sign the form separately).
- Subject guidelines form signed by the student and the supervisor.
- Declaration form.
- If the thesis is written in English: confirmation of linguistic editing (the supervisor can sign).
- If the title of your thesis changes after your research proposal was approved, you must submit an application for this (“change of research topic”).
The thesis and forms must be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, building 403.
For information about a PhD in Computer Science, get in touch using the Contact Us page
Telephone: 03-531-8866 | Email: phd@cs.biu.ac.il | WhatsApp: 03-531-8866
