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Doctoral Program Requirements
The primary focus of the doctoral program is research, with the philosophy
that students learn best by doing - beginning as apprentices and becoming
junior colleagues working with faculty on scholarly research projects. All
students spend at least half-time effort on directed research, usually
full-time after the first two years or so. Students are
expected to participate in departmental and laboratory activities
full-time on-campus throughout the program, except possibly for summer
internships elsewhere. Therefore the department does not normally consider
the admission of part-time students.
- Advisor
Most students select a research advisor
(who will in most cases later become the thesis advisor) during the admissions
process prior to formal enrollment, and work closely with him or her on
directed research from their first day in the program. A few doctoral students
conduct small projects with several different faculty, and then choose a
research advisor towards the end of their
first or second semester.
- English Proficiency
The GSAS policy is specified
here and the SEAS policy is specified
here.
- Breadth Requirement
While the thesis research
provides depth, it is also important to ensure breadth across the subfields of
Computer Science. The core consists of five
topics, each of which may be satisfied by an
examination or a course. A
student must also take five elective courses,
three of which must be distributed across the three main areas of Computer
Science (AI, Systems and Theory). The other two electives may be taken in any
area, or from outside Computer Science. Some of the elective requirements may
be waived during the student’s first semester on the
basis of courses taken previously.
- Teaching/TAing
Success as a computer scientist depends not only on the
ability to generate and explore new ideas but also on the ability to
communicate those ideas effectively. For this reason, students are expected
to develop and exercise presentation and teaching skills as part of their
education. All students are required to fulfill two "teaching units",
which may involve a combination of TA and instructor positions.
- Candidacy Exam
The candidacy oral exam certifies that the student has demonstrated a depth of
scholarship in the literature and the methods of the student's chosen area of
research, and has demonstrated a facility with the scholarly skills of
critical evaluation and verbal expression.
- Thesis Proposal
The thesis proposal is a type of contract between the faculty and the
student. An accepted thesis proposal indicates that the work proposed by the
student, once completed, will be accepted by the faculty as sufficiently
innovative and substantial as to be recognized with the award of the degree.
-
Dissertation and defense
The semester in which the dissertation is distributed to
the committee is the last occasion for which the candidate needs to be
registered. The Ph.D. dissertation and
defense is typically completed during the fifth or sixth year in the program.
Some very highly motivated students, particularly in theoretical areas, may
finish in less time. Remaining enrolled beyond the sixth year (in GSAS) requires
special approval. The dissertation formatting requirements are
here. Some defense hints can be found
here.
Last updated on
May 17, 2005
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