Ph.D. in Software Engineering

(Thesis with some Courses Option)

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Introduction     |     Degree Name     |     Program Language     |     Significance and Justifications of Program Creation     |     Vision     |     Mission     |    Objectives     |     Outcomes     |     Beneficiaries     |     Employment Opportunities     |     Admission Requirements     |     Requirements for Obtaining the Degree    |     Program Structure    |     Study Plan​

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Introduction

 

The College of Computer and Information Sciences at King Saud University is one of the oldest colleges of computer and information technology in the Kingdom. It was established by the Royal Decree No. 7/1558 / M on 19/5/1404 AH. The study started in the college at the beginning of the academic year 1404/1405 H.  The College currently has (5) scientific departments, including the Department of Software Engineering. The College currently offers a number of bachelor's and master's programs in all departments and offers doctoral programs in three departments. The College's vision is to lead the way in teaching and scientific research in the fields of computing and information technology. Its mission is to contribute to transform our society to be modern knowledge-based through innovative education and research in computing and information technology that develops analytical capabilities and creative thinking.

 

The department of Software Engineering (SWE) is the latest addition to the college of computer and information sciences. The SWE BSc program was approved by the college of computer and information sciences council and by the council of the University in 1428H. The first batch of BSc students started in 1429-1430 (2008-2009) academic year The first batch of SWE graduates was in summer 1432H (July 2011). We currently count more than 400 students enrolled in the BS programs with tens of graduates each year. The MSc program started 7 years ago in 1433-1434 H (2013-2014) academic year. The first batch of graduates from the MS program was in 1435-1436 (2015-2016). The program has regularly a number of students graduating from the program each year. The total number of graduates from the MS program so far is approximately 60.

 

Software Engineering is an established discipline focusing on all aspects of software development lifecycle in large-scale, complex and distributed software systems. In particular, it concentrates on software processes and development methodologies, software tools and technologies, integration and configuration management, software automation and testing techniques, software quality and reuse, and software security aspects. Software engineering professionals are in high-demand from small to medium to large organizations due to the reliance on software systems for all aspects of business. Potential employers of software engineers include all software vendors and Internet-based companies, electronic business organizations, research and development laboratories, oil sectors, aerospace companies, government agencies, banks, insurance companies, and manufacturing organizations. Software engineers are concerned with both the theoretical and practical aspects of technology, cost, and social impact of software systems to make it more realistic, effective, and efficient. 

Starting from the expected role of King Saud University to contribute in the achievement of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 through the education of highly-skilled graduates, the creation of a PhD program in software engineering, the first of its kind in the kingdom, will produce researchers and academicians in the software engineering discipline and software industry. The successful operation of the master program in software engineering for the last seven years and the need from the academia and industry have influenced the development of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in Software Engineering. In addition, this would be the first Ph.D. program in Software Engineering in the Kingdom. The aim of this Ph.D. program is to allow the students expand their knowledge and experience in developing and modifying large, complex software systems and to contribute to the creation of Highly-Qualified Personnel (HQP) in the Kingdom in this area. Through challenging curricula, innovative courses, high-end research and a technical emphasis, students will learn, conduct research, and apply knowledge, tools, and techniques in a real-world environment, and in the light of well-known international universities such as Carnegie Mellon University, University of California at Irvine, McMaster University, and Concordia University.

The department of software engineering has 23 faculty members including 3 full professors, 10 associate professors (one of them has already applied to be promoted to the rank of professor), and 10 assistant professors (one of them has already applied to be promoted to the rank of associate professor). Research Interests in the department include a nice variety of topics and problems that are core to software engineering as well as a variety of domains where software engineering can have important applications. Core topics include Software requirements, Software Architectures, Software Testing, Software Evolution and Maintenance, Mining Software Repositories, Software Project Management, Software Usability and Human Computer Interfaces, etc. while the potential applications of software engineering domains include intelligent software systems, multimedia systems, mobile and pervasive systems, etc. The PhD program proposed in this document was designed to encompass these research interests as well as to cover new research trends such as search-based software engineering, Software analytics, big data and could computing, etc.

 

Overall, the program aspires to produce industry leaders and researchers who are technically competent and possess advanced managerial, leadership, and communication skills. Individuals completing this program will be able to conduct research, lead and improve the software industry and the state of the practice in years to come.

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Degree Name

Ph.D. in Software Engineering

 

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Program Language

English

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Significance and Justifications of Program Creation

We have conducted a survey with a list of persons holding important positions in important institutions such as Aramco, Ministry of Defense, Saudi Telecom, and King Abdullah University using the questionnaire dedicated to this purpose. The positions occupied by the respondents are varied, and include Director of the Technical Support Center at the Ministry of Defense -Air Defense Forces (Communications and Information Technology Department), Director of Material Services Department at Aramco, Director General of Saudi Telecom, etc. The results of the survey were positive and encouraging. The vast majority of those surveyed believe that the proposed program is very compatible with nine of the ten questions that were raised in the survey, with high percentages. Among the interesting features of the program mentioned by the respondents are the comprehensiveness of the program, the diversity of courses in line with the new developments in the field, and the importance of the program as a support of the industrial evolution and diversification in line with the 2030 vision. (Please see the full details of the survey in the attached documents).

Therefore, we believe that some of the important reasons for the creation of PhD program in software engineering include the following:

1. Contribute to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 of a knowledge based economy by addressing the challenge of designing, developing, integrating, validating, and maintaining realistic, large-scale, and high-quality software-intensive systems.

2. Cultivate cutting-edge research in software systems in future graduates of software engineering or relevant areas.

3. Enable students to create design and development strategies for modern software systems to the local, regional and international software industries and academia.

4. Enable acquiring deep knowledge in chosen specialty, and broad general knowledge of Software Engineering aspects.

5. Creating an opportunity for those who wish to pursue a PhD program in software engineering within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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Program Vision

To become a model of excellence and hold a leadership position in higher education and scientific research in the field of Software Engineering in the region.

 

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Program Mission

To provide a high quality and advanced research based graduate education toward producing highly qualified professionals in software engineering with elevated moral and ethical values who will be successful in their professional engagement and contribute positively to the socio-economic growth of the Kingdom.

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Program Objectives

Graduates from the PhD program in Software Engineering will be able to accomplish progressively the following objectives after graduation:

1. Make significant scientific contributions in both fundamental and applied research areas related to the field of Software Engineering.

2. Hold successfully software engineering academic and/or research positions in Universities and/or industry.

3. Contribute to the knowledge economy of Saudi Arabia through active participation in the resolution of software engineering practical and real world problems in Saudi Arabia.

4. Assume progressively top leadership positions in academia and/or industry.

 

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Program Outcomes

Graduates from the PhD program in Software Engineering will have the following knowledge and skills by the time of graduation:

Knowledge and Comprehension:

• Master the advanced concepts, models, methods, and techniques relevant to the area of specialization within Software Engineering.

• Identify and formulate accurately research issues and problems related to the area of specialization within Software Engineering.

• Apply advanced mathematical, statistical, optimization, and computing models and methods to solve software engineering research problems.

• Evaluate, compare, document, and defend research outcomes and results.

• Recognize and observe ethical responsibility and behavior in scientific research.

Mental Skills:

• Demonstrate strong critical thinking skills.

• Possess strong reasoning and problem solving skills.

• Deal with confidence and professionalism with new, complex, and unpredicted problems.

Professional and Practical Skills:

• Communicate research problems, ideas, and solutions in both written and verbal.

• Work and collaborate within research teams.

• Possess the ability to continuously learn new ideas, approaches, and solutions to Software engineering research problems.

• Demonstrate leadership skills allowing graduates to lead teams and projects.

General Skills:

• Utilize the knowledge and skills acquired in the program to understand and evaluate the impact of Software Engineering problems and solutions on the economy and the society.

• Acquire independence, self-starting, and initiative skills  to address problems and propose solutions

• Possess the necessary capabilities that allow the graduates from the program to have an active and positive role in their community

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Program’s Beneficiaries

• Saudi Students and non-Saudi students (from inside and outside the Kingdom) interested to pursue a Ph.D. program in Software Engineering within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• Universities in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere can hire Ph.D. holders who graduated from the program as faculty members.

• The Software industry in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere can hire Ph.D. holders who graduated from the program with advanced research and technical skills.

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Employment Opportunities Available

The graduates from the Ph.D. program can work in both academia and industry as:

• Faculty members in universities to contribute to the education of future generations as well as conduct advanced software engineering research.

• Scientific researchers in specialized public or private research centers.

• Professionals in the software engineering industry to solve research and development problems and lead the development of the software industry in the Kingdom. 

• Consultants or managers such as R&D consultant, Chief Software Engineers, Project Managers, Director of Software Development and IT, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), etc. 

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Admission Requirements

In addition to the admission requirements contained in the unified regulations for postgraduate studies in Saudi universities and the organizational and executive rules and procedures for postgraduate studies at King Saud University, the Department requires the following:

1. Applicants must hold a BSc. Degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Information technology, Information Systems, or Computer Engineering from King Saud University or a University recognized by the Ministry of Education, with a minimum GPA of 3.75 out of 5.

2. Applicants must hold an MSc. Degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Information technology, Information Systems, or Computer Engineering from King Saud University or a University recognized by the Ministry of Education, with a minimum GPA of 3.75 out of 5.

3. Applicants shall possess a score of no less than (53) in the TOEFL IBT exam or equivalent.

4. Applicants should have a score of no less than (148) in the GRE (quantitative reasoning part) or a score of no less than (80) in the post-graduate Qudurat exam.

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Requirements for Obtaining the Degree

• Thesis with some Courses Option

1. Passing 24 study units of the program

2. Passing a comprehensive exam.

3. Completing successfully and defending a doctoral dissertation.

4. Publishing at least one two (2) papers: one in a conference, and one in a peer-reviewed, ISI-indexed, and well-recognized journal such as IEEE, ACM, Springer and Elsevier.

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Program’s General Structure

• Thesis with some Courses Option

Passing (24) credit hours as courses and seminars in addition to (24) credit hours as thesis a follows: