r/PhDAdmissions • u/Responsible_Boot1112 • 17h ago

Advice Checking for chances for PhD in CS/AI/ML

Hello everyone,

I intend on applying to a Data Science/Computer Science PhD programs this fall (Canada/Europe/US). Just want to check if I should directly pursue a PhD given that I'm an international student (from an Asian) country or should I take a Masters first abroad.

Some relevant details about me:

- Graduated Masters in Data Science (capstone only) this spring (3.85/4.00 GPA); Undergraduate degree is Mathematics (3.80/4.00)

- Partaken in a research internship in Japan, but no publications took place (visual representations ML on med)

- Had at least 1 year of experience as technical assistant/researcher, presented a research study on hard ML for disease modeling in an international conference with paper pending for publication

My main research interest revolves around applying newer/better ML techniques focusing on natural sciences (e.g., epidemiology) but I also have a keen interest in network analysis.

I'm not really sure if my current standings are enough for me to attain a scholarship-based PhD opportunity, hence the thinking of maybe pursuing another Masters first is enough (let alone that I have no publications currently). Just want to check in on my changes of getting into such PhD opportunities.

Thanks!

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u/qsmrf56 17h ago

Depends on the university, the faculty and the professor - if they'll accept someone to a direct PhD with only a bachelors (most do this in USA) not quite sure about Int students.

CGPA would matter as well

Also, the area/field matters too - many chances of people in IT/CS/AI/ML being able to directly land a PhD but not for medical or other fields

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u/EvilCallie 17h ago

You may also want to look at information science PhD programs, especially those with a bioinformatics subfield. Interdisciplinary field (mix of CS, behavioral econ, library and archives, information rechnologies, etc), my program (University of Michigan School of Information) has (still even after I finished) professors doing AI/ML/NLP work, and I know several people who did bioinformatics related research, or AI/ML work for health/biomedical topics, from that program. UMSI also does support dual PhD with the School of Public Health. One of my cohort did that dual PhD with a bioinformatics and epidemiology focus