Typical PhD progression

1
All About the PhD Preliminary Exam

• Typical PhD progression
• Take courses
• Pass PhD preliminary exam (written)
• Find thesis topic
• Pass PhD proposal exam (oral)
• Complete thesis
• Pass PhD defense (oral)

2
What is the Preliminary Exam?

• What is the PhD Preliminary Exam?
• a 6 hour closed book exam, given over 3 days in
  late January
• tests breadth of knowledge in core computer
  science
• must be passed to earn a PhD proposal exam
  cannot be taken until the preliminary exam has
  been passed
• Information sources on the prelims found in
• http//www.cis.udel.edu/graduate/
• PhD Preliminary Exam Format
• PhD Preliminary Exam Reading List
• Previous Preliminary Exam Questions (1997 thru
  2007)

3
PhD Preliminary Exam Format

• Area 1 Systems (Day 1)
• Subarea Computer Architecture Relevant Courses
  CISC 662
• Subarea Operating Systems Relevant Courses CISC
  663
• Subarea Networks Relevant Course CISC 650
• Area 2 Software (Day 2)
• Subarea Computer Graphics Relevant Course CISC
  640
• Subarea Compilers Relevant Courses CISC 672
• Subarea Artificial Intelligence Relevant Course
  CISC 681
• Area 3 Theory (Day 3)
• Subarea Design and Analysis of Algorithms
  Relevant Courses CISC 621
• Subarea Theory of Computation Relevant Course
  CISC 601
• Subarea Logic in Computer Science Relevant
  Course CISC 604

4
PhD Preliminary Exam Format contd

• Area 1 Systems (Day 1)
• Subarea Computer Architecture Relevant Courses
  CISC 662
• Subarea Operating Systems Relevant Courses CISC
  663
• Subarea Networks Relevant Course CISC 650
• Subareas may change from year to year, but rarely
  do.
• Each subarea exam contains four problems.
• Students answer 2 questions from each of 2
  preselected subareas.
• Each problem is intended to take about 1/2 hour.
• Codes are used to make answers anonymous to the
  faculty graders
• Each problem is graded by 2 faculty
• Conditional passes are not uncommon (e.g. retake
  pass Area 3 next year)
• A student may attempt the prelims at most 2 times

5
How to Apply for the Prelims

• Email from the CIS Graduate Committee inviting
  applications
• Due roughly in early December
• Application contains
• The 2 subareas you select in each Area
• Describe
• research experiences ( publications)
• dissertation area(s) of interest
• potential research advisor(s) -- go talk with
  them beforehand!
• Questions to CIS Graduate Committee
  cisgpc_at_cis.udel.edu

6
Prelims Panelists

• James Atlas
• Dan Blanchard
• Emily Gibson
• Peng Wu