CS Ph D Program TimeLine and Candidacy Exam

CS Ph. D Program Time-Line and Candidacy Exam

6 x 3 + 9 + 15 = 60 credit hours underlined has to be done by that time Time-Line Each Ph. D student and her/his advisor develop a detailed Doctoral Plan of Work and a suitable time-line toward graduation. Here is a generic guideline to follow. • 1 st semester: • • academic advisor selection (beginning of semester), Doctoral seminar (2 cr. hs), 1 -2 classes (3 or 6 cr. hs), some research hours (1 -3 cr. hs), Prelim exam. 2 nd semester: • • • 9 or 8 2 + 2 x 3 + 1 or 2+3+3 9 2 classes (6 cr. hs), some research hours (2 -3 cr. hs), Prelim exam (if not passed earlier), research advisor selection (by end of semester or earlier), Doctoral Plan of Work. 3 rd semester: 2 x 3 + 3 9 2 x 3 + 3 • 2 classes (6 cr. hs), • research with dissertation advisor (3 cr. hs). • 4 th semester: • • • 8 or 9 1+7 or 1+3+5 Doctoral seminar (1 cr. h), a class (3 cr. hs), if necessary, research with dissertation advisor (5 -7 cr. hs), candidacy exam (by end of semester or earlier). 5 th and 6 th semesters: 30 7 th and 8 th semesters: more 15 + 15 • Dissertation I and Dissertation Prospectus Defense • • Dissertation II and Dissertation Defense Some research credit hours can be collected from Dissertation II 14 6 x 3 + research + 15 credit hours

Candidacy Exam The idea is to get student to register for Dissertation I earlier (to save our/his/her money and shorten time to graduation) • Separate Candidacy Exam from Prospectus Defense • What we had now as Candidacy Exam is called Prospectus Defense • The goal of Candidacy Exam is to check student’s readiness to do research in chosen research area • Candidacy Exam in 4 th semester or earlier, after all course work is finished • Prospectus in 6 th semester or earlier, when the topic of dissertation is identified and some preliminary work is done. Some current numbers Fall 2008 - Spring 2011 1. Enrollment into research: 1. 95 (semesters, average) 2. Candidacy Exam: 6. 4 3. Graduation time: 12. 8

Candidacy Exam Format The idea is that advisor checks Ph. D student’s readiness for doing intensive research is chosen research area. Advisor and committee determine the exact format of the exam. Here are generic guidelines on the exam. You don’t want to pass a student who is not ready and may struggle later. • • • consists of two parts: written exam and oral exam research advisor forms a Candidacy Examination Committee, consisting of research advisor plus two CS graduate faculty that are familiar with student’s chosen research area Advisor in consultation with the committee members determines a set of papers and other material considered fundamental in that research area, and informs student about this reading list after one month the written part of the exam takes place; student gets a set of exam questions developed by the committee and provides his/her answers in written form. each committee member gets a copy of student’s written answers to evaluate the oral part of the exam takes place in a couple of weeks; during oral examination the committee members get opportunity to discuss with student his/her answers, to clarify some points, to ask few other related questions the outcome of the Candidacy Exam (in form of pass/fail) is the committee members’ judgment of whether student is familiar with fundamental issues in chosen research area, adequately addresses them, and is ready for intensive research in this area Ph. D Candidacy Examination Form get signed (http: //www. kent. edu/CAS/CS/graduate/upload/Ph-D-Candidacy-Examination-Format-and. Definition. pdf) after passing the candidacy exam, student can enroll in Dissertation I