Informatics and Computing, Doctor of Philosophy

In addition to University Requirements:

• Complete individual plan requirements.

Minimum Units for Completion	60
Additional Admission Requirements	Required
Dissertation	Dissertation is required.
Comprehensive Exam	Comprehensive Exam is required.
Oral Defense	Oral Defense is required.
Research	Individualized research is required.

Purpose Statement

The PhD in Informatics and Computing program will prepare you to work in the transformative "fourth paradigm" of science and engineering, an interdisciplinary field relying on big data and advanced software, hardware, and statistics skills. After a streamlined, five-year plan of study, you’ll be ready to be a leader in industry and government research labs, a faculty member or research scientist in academia, or entrepreneur in cutting-edge informatics application areas.

As a graduate, you will make contributions to exciting projects that address critical areas of national need in these areas:

• bioinformatics
• population health and health informatics
• environmental sustainability
• ecology and ecoinformatics
• software engineering
• wearable computing
• cyber-physical systems
• cybersecurity

Your research and education will be strengthened through broad collaborations with a variety of academic, government, and private entities. Informatics and Computing PhD program partnerships span the university, multiple centers and institutes, and various organizations.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this training program will demonstrate the following advanced competencies and program learning outcomes (PLOs):

PLO1: Identify, explain, and assess the major theories, research methods, and technical approaches driving informatics- driven science and engineering and the impact of these elements on society.
PLO2: Identify, explain, synthesize, and apply the fundamental concepts of informatics, including large-scale data representation and organization, various types of programming languages, software development methods, data processing, information extraction and machine learning, and statistical analysis.
 PLO3: Identify, explain, synthesize, and apply the interdisciplinary combination of core informatics and in-depth disciplinary expertise defining one of the following emphasis areas:

• Health and Bioinformatics, focusing genetic and genomic analysis, population health, and disease transmission;
• Ecological and Environmental Informatics, focusing on ecological and environmental analyses and remote sensing;
• Cyber and Software Systems, focusing on the design and implementation of cyber-physical and large-scale software systems.
• Bioengineering Informatics, focusing on data analysis and control in bioengineering applications.

PLO4: Identify, survey, analyze, organize, and critically distill information from the scientific literature within an informatics emphasis area and creatively identify open research questions.
PLO5: Independently apply appropriate expertise, methods, and tools to the creative design, execution, and assessment of an investigation that addresses original informatics research questions.
PLO6: Compose and engage in highly effective written and oral communication in informatics areas; demonstrate clear argumentation and logical cohesion in a variety of written and oral communications, including scholarly dissemination, funding requests, industry, and lay-communication.

 

Additional Admission Requirements

• Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

• The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Graduate College.
  
  Admission requirements include the following:

  • Transcripts.
  • Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale ("A" = 4.0), or the equivalent.

  
  Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.
  
  Ready to apply? Begin your application now.

  International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.

• • GRE® Revised General Test

• • Three letters of recommendation
  • Personal statement or essay

• • Resume or Curriculum Vitae

• • Expertise in key foundational areas in informatics, including core topics such as programming, data structures, software development methods, and statistics, as well as areas that support specific emphases, such as biology, ecology, and cyber systems.60

Doctoral Requirements

• Take a minimum of 60 which includes core requirements and an emphasis:

• Core Requirements (minimum of 42 units):

  • Informatics Foundations: INF 501, INF 502, INF 503, and INF 504 (12 units)
  • Professional and Communication: INF 601, INF 602, and INF 603 (3 units)
  • Statistical Methods: STA 570, STA 571, and STA 572 (9 units)
  • Research Rotation: INF 684 (3 units)
  • Dissertation: INF 799 (minimum of 15 units)

   

• Emphasis Requirements (select one emphasis; minimum of 18 units):
  
  • Health and Bioinformatics Emphasis
    • Select from: INF 610, INF 611, INF 612 (12 units; each seminar may be repeated if each repeat covers a different topic)
    • Select an additional 6 units from other INF-prefixed seminars or other graduate-level coursework at NAU, as guided by research needs and advisor input
  • Ecological and Environmental Informatics Emphasis
    • Select from: INF 620, INF 621, INF 622 (12 units; each seminar may be repeated if each repeat covers a different topic)
    • Select an additional 6 units from other INF-prefixed seminars or other graduate-level coursework at NAU, as guided by research needs and advisor input
  • Cyber and Software Systems Emphasis
    • Select from: INF 630, INF 631, INF 632, INF 633 (12 units; each seminar may be repeated if each repeat covers a different topic)
    • Select an additional 6 units from other INF-prefixed seminars or other graduate-level coursework at NAU, as guided by research needs and advisor input
  • Bioengineering Informatics Emphasis
    • Bioengineering Foundations: ME 563, ME 573, BIO 540, (BIO 698 or ME 698) (10 units)
    • Select an additional 8 units from other INF-prefixed seminars or other graduate-level coursework at NAU, as guided by research needs and advisor input

• In addition, students must successfully complete the following requirements:
  

  • Comprehensive qualifying examination by the end of the fourth term;
  • Advancement to candidacy examination by the end of the seventh term; and
  • Dissertation defense.

• Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.

Additional Information

• This degree program consists of a minimum of 60 units of study and can be completed in 5 years. Students may take more than 15 units of dissertation credit, as it is a requirement that students enroll in INF 799 each term they are preparing their dissertation. Students may also take more than 18 units of emphasis coursework, as guided by research needs and advisor input.
  
  Students admitted to the program may be required to correct deficiencies in their preparation by taking additional undergraduate or graduate coursework, as guided by research needs and advisor direction and counsel.
   
  Some required courses in this degree program may have prerequisites that students must also complete. For specific prerequisite information, students should investigate detailed course information or discuss the issue with their advisor.

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