Talk:Doctor of Computer Science

Advantages Section

The advantages section reads like an advertisement for a college PhD program. Is that really appropriate for this article? Mgius (talk) 21:40, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Is this really a legitimate degree?

I don't mean to be rude about this, but is this a legitimate degree? Doing a quick google, the only place I was able to find this degree offered is some online program. Every legitimate university that offers a doctorate in computer science appears to grant a research PhD. Vantelimus (talk) 07:23, 13 July 2009 (UTC)

Answer: yes

Colorado Technical University is a brick and mortar school accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that offers this degree along with other doctorates, masters, and bachelors degrees. The program is a hybrid program (part online, part residency) because most people seeking it are also working - thus the reason for an applied research degree rather than a PhD. RDOhio (talk) 02:40, 4 April 2012 (UTC)

PhD Equivalence

This degree is not included on the NSF list of research degrees. It was claimed at one point that this degree was equivalent to a PhD, with a citation to a Dept. Of Ed. document that did not mention it. Since this was corrected, an anonymous editor has been removing any edits that show the DCS not to be PhD-equivalent. If there is a good reason for this information not to be included, please let's discuss that here.Robminchin (talk) 04:03, 21 April 2017 (UTC)

My thoughts are that the article, which identifies the DCS as an "applied research doctorate" with "research … beyond master's degree level" (both of which are backed up by a citation), implies PhD equivalence unless there is a statement saying it is not regarded as such. There is no necessity for a whole section on the relationship to the PhD, although that would give a second section to a fairly short article. A section would also give room to explore not just the difference in course length (as was there previously) but also the NSF definition of a research doctorate as being "not primarily intended for the practice of a profession", which contrasts with the DCS being​ "aimed at practitioners with professional careers in the field" (as it says in an undisputed section of the current article).Robminchin (talk) 13:24, 21 April 2017 (UTC)

My proposal:

1. Restore the final sentence of the lead to say "While it is considered a terminal degree and requires coursework and research beyond the masters' level, the DCS is not considered equivalent to a Ph.D. in Computer Science." (with appropriate references).

2. Restore the section on Relationship to the PhD and re-write as: "The Doctor of Computer Science is not recognized by the National Science Foundation or the U.S. Department of Education as a research doctorate equivalent to a Ph.D in Computer Science. It should be noted that the DCS is intended, as stated above, for professionals in the field of computer science while the National Science Foundation defines research doctorates as being "not primarily intended for the practice of a profession". A further difference is that the DCS has a three year duration, with only one year equivalent (36 credits) on the dissertation, while an American Ph.D. normally requires a minimum of five years (often longer), with at least three years spent on the dissertation." (with references)

Does this seem acceptable? Robminchin (talk) 13:38, 21 April 2017 (UTC)

References for the above:

• "Technical Notes". Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014. National Science Foundation. December 2015. Retrieved 2017-04-18. – definition of research doctorate and description for the table in the second reference.
• "Types of research doctoral degrees recognized by the Survey of Earned Doctorates: 2014" (PDF). National Science Foundation. December 2015. Retrieved 2017-04-20. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) – list of all doctorates recognized by the NSF as research doctorates.
• Colleen Flaherty (2014-11-25). "Where the Time Goes". Inside Higher Ed. – article discussing how long PhDs take.
• "Doctor of Computer Science". Smart Catalog. Colorado Technical University. Retrieved 2017-04-18. – reference already in the article giving credit values for the time spent on dissertation and non-dissertation work on the DCS at an institution offering the degree and making this information available.

Further thoughts – alternative wording for the "Relationship to the Ph.D." section:

"Structurally the Doctor of Computer Science differs from the PhD in that the DCS has a three year duration, with only one year equivalent (36 credits out of a total of 96) on the dissertation, while an American Ph.D. normally requires a minimum of five years (often longer), with at least three years spent on the dissertation.

"There are two active definitions of what comprises a research doctorate in the U.S. The National Center for Education Statistics defines a Doctor's degree-research/scholarship as "A Ph.D. or other doctor's degree that requires advanced work beyond the master's level, including the preparation and defense of a dissertation based on original research, or the planning and execution of an original project demonstrating substantial artistic or scholarly achievement." The awarding institution defines which degrees meet this description themselves. The National Science Foundation defines a research doctorate as "a doctoral degree that (1) requires completion of an original intellectual contribution in the form of a dissertation or an equivalent culminating project (e.g., musical composition) and (2) is not primarily intended as a degree for the practice of a profession." Under this definition, the DCS, which (as noted above) is intended for professionals in the field of computer science, is not recognized by the National Science Foundation as a research doctorate equivalent to a Ph.D in Computer Science.

Additional citations:

• "Doctor's degree-research/scholarship". Glossary. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
• "Technical Notes". Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2015. National Science Foundation. December 2016. Retrieved 2017-04-23.

Robminchin (talk) 21:27, 23 April 2017 (UTC)

Equivalency - FV

"the DCS is not considered equivalent to a Ph.D. or a Doctor of Science (D.Sc or Sc.D) in computer science" Of the two live links among the three references, neither make any such assertion. Keith D. Tyler ¶ 10:01, 24 October 2022 (UTC)

The third link (to Table A-1 of the Survey of Earned Doctorates 2016) lists the degrees considered as research degrees equivalent to a PhD. It does not include the DCS as one of the degrees considered equivalent to a PhD. Robminchin (talk) 21:18, 24 October 2022 (UTC)