Overview of LTI Graduate Programs

1
Overview of LTI Graduate Programs

• Alon Lavie
• (filling in for Robert Frederking)
• Language Technologies Institute
• Carnegie Mellon University
• August 2004

2
The LTI MS and PhD Degrees

• Master in Language Technologies (MLT)
• Intended primarily as a professional degree
• Curriculum designed for maximum flexibility
  students allowed to be narrow in focus
• 1-2 year program
• PhD in Language Technologies
• Intended to create new LT advanced researchers in
  academia and industry
• Designed to give broad, deep education requires
  demonstration of research competence
• Normally 4-6 year program

3
The LTI Student Body

• Statistics as of August 2003
• 58 LTI PhD students
• 12 in thesis mode
• 32 MLT students
• 16 were expected to graduate by Spring 2004

4
Masters in Language Technologies

• LTI MS Requirements
• 120 units of senior-to-graduate courses
• Including at least 6 LTI courses and 2 other
  SCS
• Can include 12 units of Directed Research
• Within those units, student must pass
• Both 11-711 Alg for NLP and 11-791 SoftEng I, and
• Either one lab, 11-792 SoftEng II, or a project
  Masters Thesis
• One Task Orientation Focus course
• Masters Thesis is optional!! (but propose by Oct.
  Y2)
• Bobs recommendations
• If you want to apply for a PhD, research results
  are the most important thing
• Demonstrate either in directed research or 11-792

5
Masters in Language Technologies

• Typical Progression
• Semester 1 two 12 unit course
• Semester 2 two 12 unit courses one 6 unit lab
• Semester 3 two 12 unit courses one 6 unit lab
• Semester 4 two 12 unit courses
• ( 12 units of directed research (11-910))

6
PhD in Language Technologies

• LTI PhD Requirements
• Course work
• No more than 2 courses per semester (new!)
• At least 6 LTI courses and 2 other SCS courses
• Of those, at least one from each Focus Area,
  and at least two 6-unit lab courses (which are ½
  course each)
• Senior level undergrad courses do not count
• Proficiencies
• Writing, Presentation, Programming, Teaching (2
  TA-ships)
• Thesis Proposal (one week advance notice)
• Thesis Committee advisor, two other LTI, one
  external
• Thesis Defense (one week advance notice)

7
PhD in Language Technologies

• General Recommendations
• Pick your advisor carefully
• Fairly easy (and not uncommon) to switch
  advisors, but
• Switching after 2nd year will often delay
  progress
• Spend at least ½ time on research, starting in
  the first semester

8
LTI Student/Advisor Marriage Process

• Formalizes a previously informal process
• Does not apply to already-funded MLTs
• The Process
• Student goes to all research talks, meets
  one-to-one with faculty of interest as soon as
  possible
• If you consider faculty outside of LTI, tell Bob
  immediately!!
• Student indicates 1st, 2nd, and maybe 3rd choice
  for advisor
• Faculty indicates number of new students desired
  and preferences
• Whole faculty meets as Marriage Committee to
  find optimum match
• Most students will get their preferred match
  (assuming the advisor wants them and can support
  them)

9
Funding Process for MLT Students

• No central clearing-house for matching students
  with advisors
• Students search for a project/advisor to fund
  them as an RA anytime after admission
  notification
• Common that some students arrive in the fall
  (i.e. now) without a project lined up to support
  them
• No guarantees, but most if not all students that
  need funding find a project within their first
  semester
• Go to IC research talks and talk with the
  faculty!
• Some matches are worked out during the PhD
  marriage committee meeting
• Bob Frederking is the acting advisor for all
  self-funded MLT students

10
Semi-Annual Student Evaluationaka Black Friday

• Faculty meeting at the end of each Fall and
  Spring semester to evaluate the progress of all
  students enrolled in our graduate programs
• Entire LTI faculty attends, every individual
  student is discussed
• A BF evaluation letter is sent to each student
  short is good
• Student Statement for BF filled out by all
  students at the end of the semester
• Your advisor is your advocate!
• Its important that your advisor know what youve
  been doing!
• Its important that your advisor think you are
  doing well!

11
General Issues

• Come see (or email) Chris or Bob at the start of
  each semester
• Everyone gets an advisor in first semester
• Marriage Process
• Register for at least 48 units every semester
• See LTI web pages for available courses
  http//www.lti.cs.cmu.edu/Courses/
• At least 24 units of Directed Research ( at
  least ½ time on research). New version of
  11-910 Directed Research.
• ABD in absentia (ABS) is 5 units, after you
  defend
• somewhat new Research Speaking Requirement
• somewhat new 40-unit Summer Research course
• LTI Department Handbook is online (under
  Education)
• Reasonable Person Principle

12
CMU Policy on Cheating/Plagiarism

• In any presentation, creative, artistic, or
  research, it is the ethical responsibility of
  each student to identify the conceptual sources
  of the work submitted. Failure to do so is
  dishonest and is the basis for a charge of
  cheating or plagiarism, which is subject to
  disciplinary action. etc.
• Its generally good to build on the work of
  others, but you must cite them.
• For classes - follow the instructions about what
  is allowed and disallowed, especially for HW
  assignments!
• In case of doubt, ask the course instructor!
• If you don't want to ask, it's probably wrong to
  do!
• There is a link to the unpleasant details from
  the LTI Handbook.

13
What to register for Fall Semester

• No more than 24 units first semester (plus 24
  units of Research 11-910)
• Self-funded could register for 36, but plan on
  dropping one course if picked up by a project.
• If you think youre an exception, talk to Bob
  Frederking asap.
• Most students 11-711 and 11-721
• Speech-oriented 11-711 and 11-751
• IR-oriented 11-711 and 15-681/781
• Masters students
• For most, also 11-711 and 11-721
• 11-682 if you have little or no background in CS
  or Linguistics (or too weak for 11-711)
• Your advisor may have other specific suggestions.