Boston University · Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences

PhD in Computing & Data Sciences

Awarded degree: PhD in Computing and Data Sciences

PhDJoint degreeFully funded (conditions apply)

Overview

A research PhD in Computing and Data Sciences with coursework, research rotations, ethics training, an oral area exam, a dissertation prospectus and a defended thesis. BU guarantees PhD students in good standing a 5-year funding offer with tuition, mandatory fees, basic health insurance premium and a stipend.

Official program name: PhD in Computing & Data Sciences
Awarded degree: PhD in Computing and Data Sciences
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Degree level: PhD — research doctorate
Program classification: Joint degree naming data scienceOne degree whose official title names data science together with another field, such as Statistics and Data Science.Focus: Computational data science
School: Boston University — Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Location: Boston, MA
Required credits: 64 credits (16 courses) post-BA/BS; 48 credits (12 courses) post-MA/MS
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration: Not verified
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

Why this program is listed

One doctoral degree whose title names computing and data sciences together; offered by the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences.

Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

We list data science bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees — dedicated, joint, and (separately labelled) related degrees with an officially named data science concentration. Eligibility rules

Format and attendance

Delivery, required in-person attendance, class schedule and study intensity are shown separately, each only as the university states it. “Fully online” appears only when official wording supports it.

Academic delivery: On campusClasses meet in person on campus.
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Class schedule: Not verified
Study intensity: Not published

Curriculum

Dissertation

Oral area exam, dissertation prospectus and defense of a final thesis.
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Other

Research rotations under CDS-affiliated investigators.
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the university states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Prior degree: RequiredBachelor's or master's degree in a methodological or applied discipline related to CDS
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Statement / essay: RequiredPersonal statement and research statement
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Résumé / CV: RequiredCV/Resume
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Interview: RequiredOnline interviews for finalists
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Application fee: Required$95 — $95
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: OptionalNot required; may be provided.
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
TOEFL iBT: RequiredApplicants with degrees from English-medium institutions are exempt.
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the university printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadline
December 15th · for Fall 2027
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Tuition for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Funding

Funding policy and awards exactly as the university publishes them. Available assistantships do not establish guaranteed funding; loans must be repaid and are not scholarships. Understanding funding

Funding classification: Fully funded — subject to published conditions

Tuition coverage and a stipend are offered to all admitted students, subject to conditions the program publishes (for example satisfactory progress).

Duration stated: 5 years

Funding guarantee: 5-year funding offer for all PhD students in good standing
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Tuition coverage: Full tuition scholarship and mandatory student fees
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Stipend: Stipend as described in the admission offer letter
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Health insurance: Premium for BU's basic Student Health Insurance Plan
Source: bu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Scholarships, fellowships or assistantships for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation and enrollment restrictions

Two separate questions: is the university institutionally accredited, and does it publish restrictions on who can enroll (for online programs, usually by state of residence)?

Institutional accreditation

New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

Programmatic accreditation

No programmatic accreditation verified for this program. Institutional accreditation does not imply it.

Published enrollment restrictions (state authorization)

None recorded for this program.

International applicants

Not verified for this program.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 11, 2026.

DAPIP — NECHE institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
bu.edu/cds-faculty/programs-admissions/graduate-admissions-requirements/ — Official admissions page, verified October 11, 2026
bu.edu/cds-faculty/programs-admissions/phd-degree/ — Official admissions page, verified October 11, 2026
bu.edu/cds-faculty/programs-admissions/phd-degree/funding/ — Official admissions page, verified October 11, 2026

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Data Science Degrees is independent and not affiliated with Boston University. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the university.