Doctoral in Programming

Overview of the program
Programming is a relatively new field for a doctoral degree and was until-recently taught at vocational institutions. A vocational degree is a testimony to the rising importance of the field in the computer-oriented working environment.

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Structure and duration of the degree program.
A Doctoral of Programming takes around three to five years to complete. The structure of the program includes coursework which concludes after a comprehensive examination followed by a dissertation and some fieldwork.

Highlights of the coursework
The coursework depends on your orientation and the area of expertise you choose. Although a few courses are same for all the students, most of the courses are designed to fulfill the respective requirements of individuals. Specializations include concurrent programming, visual programming, functional programming, dynamic programming, data-oriented or data-structured programming. The general coursework includes underlying principles of programming, memory organization, algorithms, compilers, logical frameworks, game programming, web programming and database programming among others.

Admission criteria and graduation requirements
A Masters degree in a related field is mandatory for admission in the doctorate program. A number of universities accommodate students with bachelors but only those with extensive fieldwork experience. A high GRE score and a good GPA are required by most of the universities.

Career prospects and average salary
Careers in computers are mostly lucrative, but a terminal degree like a doctorate increases your chances of a better employment opportunity at a higher level. The average salary for those with a Doctoral of Programming is around $130,000 which is relatively higher than many fields even in computing.