Students intending to pursue a PhD without first obtaining a master's degree may apply to the direct PhD track.

The goal of the doctoral program is to prepare students to become leading researchers and educators, both in academia and in industry.

Doctoral candidates take a set of courses in one major and two minor areas of concentration as well as completing a set of core courses. The minor areas can be from areas outside the department, such as psychology or mathematics. Under the guidance of a faculty member, doctoral candidates must produce significant, innovative research in some area of computer science and write and defend a PhD dissertation.