Phd in Electrical and Computer Engineering, with Bsc and Msc in Comp Sci

Just looking at Lex Friedmans Wikipedia, says he got a bachelors and masters in CompSci, before his PhD in Computer and Electronic Engineering. Can you do this in the UK? Is it possible to move to engineering with only a CompSci background? Sorry if this is a stupid question.

Reply 1

mnot

Universities Forum Helper

A PhD in STEM is really an advanced research project, and the subject you do your PhD in is more to do with administrative purposes, it would be more useful to see his thesis title & abstract.

But yes you can move field if you have the relevant background knowledge & competencies to undertake the research (you also have to evidence this, ultimately for a PhD you will need to produce novel publishable contributions to your field.. so the bar is reasonably high, but there is a lot of room for growth & development simultaneously).

Reply 2

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

The name of the PhD usually reflects the department you do it in, rather than the specific area of your project. In the US its not uncommon for CS and EE departments to be joint (e.g. at MIT). Also in the US CS often falls under engineering schools anyway.

But in any event as above if your proposed PhD project happens to be in an area that cconventionally falls under one department at a given uni which has the supervisor you want to work with, but you have the background for it, then there is no limitation on that per se. For example, someone may have done an undergrad in molecular biology then a PhD in a department of chemical engineering if it so happens they are doing it on a biotechnology topic which falls under the department of chemical engineering at the institution they do their PhD. Same with CS and EE. Also its not uncommon for people do an undergrad in maths then PhDs in engineering fields or physics or CS.

Note though in all these cases you wouldn't really be an "engineer" (although the title is not protected in the UK anyway). Ultimately I think you may be putting too much emphasis on the names of these degrees and not the substance (or what a person would do with them).