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Doctor of Computer Science
The Doctor of Computer Science program at Colorado Technical University is the terminal degree for computer science professionals, consultants and academics. The program encourages the student to think and act strategically and facilitates in the ability to predict future trends and make positive contributions in their area of technical expertise.
Program Objectives
- Perform research that advances the field of computer science.
- Effectively communicate technical material to non-technical decision makers.
- Develop a software process improvement plan for an organization.
- Design, test and implement an experiment, reporting on the results.
- Evaluate established and emerging security systems.
- Predict future trends and developments based on data and research.
Each year of this three-year program is designed to provide candidates with the theoretical, research and application capabilities necessary to pursue a successful career in their chosen field.
Year 1: The Foundation
Year one focuses on the software engineering process: analysis, design, simulation and modeling. This research can result in a broad overview of computer science and enable the use of simulation and modeling skills to produce an experimental design.
Year 2: Acquisition of Knowledge
Once the foundation is in place, year two is where the student chooses an area of specialty and has an opportunity to form a personal understanding of the advanced research and methods used in that area of discipline. The focus of research will be in database systems, software usability and new developments in computer science. Projects in year two include the preparation of an industry white paper and a proposal for research to be carried out in the third year.
Year 3: Leadership and Professional Advancement
The final year of the program involves developing metrics and risk analysis programs, exploration of high level design issues, evaluation of methods of maintaining security in distributed systems, and anticipating and planning for the future. The deliverable in year three is an applied research project, to be submitted to an academic journal.
The D.CS. program includes 12 five-credit classes, one per term for three years. These are taught using the Professional Learning Model™ in an executive format. Each combines an active online component with an intensive residential session, lasting four days at our Colorado Springs campus. These are graded classes, and students must maintain an average of 3.5 out of a possible 4.0 in these classes.
The program also includes 12 Research and Writing courses that produce six publishable projects. These are independent study with the assistance of a faculty mentor. Each project must receive a grade of "satisfactory" in order to complete the degree
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Hours |
| CS800 |
Processes, Methods & Environments |
5 |
| CS801 |
Research and Writing I |
3 |
| CS805 |
Experimental Design/Analysis |
5 |
| CS806 |
Research and Writing II |
3 |
| CS810 |
Simulation & Modeling Techniques |
5 |
| CS811 |
Research and Writing III |
3 |
| CS815 |
Foundations in Computer Science |
5 |
| CS816 |
Research and Writing IV |
3 |
| CS820 |
Usability and Interaction |
5 |
| CS821 |
Research and Writing V |
3 |
| CS825 |
Advanced Topics - Database Systems |
5 |
| CS826 |
Research and Writing VI |
3 |
| CS830 |
Advanced Topics - Computer Science |
5 |
| CS831 |
Research and Writing VII |
3 |
| CS835 |
Directed Readings |
5 |
| CS836 |
Research and Writing VIII |
3 |
| CS840 |
System Metrics and Risk Analysis |
5 |
| CS841 |
Research and Writing IX |
3 |
| CS845 |
Software Architecture & Design |
5 |
| CS846 |
Research and Writing X |
3 |
| CS850 |
Distributed Sys. Networking/Security |
5 |
| CS851 |
Research and Writing XI |
3 |
| CS855 |
Socio-Technical Futuring |
5 |
| CS856 |
Research and Writing XII |
3 |
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