Qualifying Phase
The qualifying phase of the PhD confirms a student’s readiness to undertake independent research that will formthe core of their PhD dissertation. Requirements for the qualifying phase includes completing a significant portion of the PhD coursework, as well as completing initial research (equivalent in scale to a MS project or a survey paper).
Course Requirements for the PhD
Students must complete a set of course requirements: five core courses, three approved electives and one seminar. Every core course not used to fulfill the core course requirement can be used as an approved elective, and any approved elective can be used as a seminar. ‘Reading and Research’ courses cannot be used to fulfill these requirements.
The set of courses and their classification may change over time. The web page of course offerings for the program will indicate for each quarter whether a given graduate course is a core course, an approved elective, or neither.
Click here for a detailed list of Core Courses and Approved Elective Courses.
Grade Requirements
There are specific grade requirements for both core courses and electives (described below). The spirit of these requirements can be summed up by the following motto: a student must demonstrate proficiency in all areas and excellence in at least one area.
The minimum formal requirements for the core courses (”Ph.D. Pass”) are the following: Students are required to complete the five core courses with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.25 in the five core courses. In computing the GPA, A=4, B=3, and a + or a – counts as .3 of a point. Note that for the core courses, students who significantly outperform even the typical ”A” students may receive a grade of ”A+” (recorded internally by the CS Department Student Representative since the University does not officially grant the grade of A+.) So, for instance a student with grades A+, B+, B+, B-, B- in the five core courses has a GPA of 3.26 and thus satisfies the minimum GPA requirement, as does a student with grades of A+, A, B+, B, and C-. In the graduate program grades below C- are not passing grades.
Students must complete their electives with a grade of B or better in each course.
Expected Timeline for Coursework
Students are expected to complete all coursework for the PhD (and satisfy minimum GPA requirements) before scheduling their Candidacy Exam. In addition, prior to scheduling their Qualifying Exam, a student must have completed 5 CS courses, 2 of which must be core courses from the approved (system, theory, or ML) core courses, and the rest composed of approved electives and at most 1 seminar.
If a student wants to complete the qualifying exam AND file for a Master’s degree, they must complete all coursework prior to scheduling their qualifying exam. Students who fail to meet the core course requirements stated in the preceding sections may continue on to write a master’s paper and complete a terminal master’s degree, if they meet the following requirement (“Master’s Pass”): complete all five core courses by the end of the spring quarter of the second year with a grade of at least C- in each core course and with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.00 in the five core courses. Such students will be supported for at most one quarter of their third year.
Students who wish to receive a Masters Degree
For students who want to receive a Masters degree through their qualifying phase, they must
- Complete all courses: 5 Core Courses, 3 Approved Electives and a seminar, and meet the grade requirements
- Write a Master’s paper
- Pass a Qualifying Exam, consisting of a public defense of the Master’s paper
- Satisfy the University requirements for an MSc
Upon completing these requirements, students will be eligible to receive a degree of Master of Science in Computer Science from the University.
Students with Prior Graduate Experience
Incoming students may get exempted from some of the above requirements of the Qualifying Phase, if they can show that they have obtained breadth and depth in Computer Science to the level of competency acquired in the Qualifying Phase of our program.
There are two mechanisms with which a PhD student can reduce or waive portions of their PhD coursework. First, for students with an existing MS degree in Computer Science, they can petition the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) to waive all 5 of their core required courses, on the basis that they have acquired knowledge in their MS coursework that closely approximates that of our core course requirements, Second, a student may petition the UChicago instructor of a required core course to waive that required course, on the basis that the student has taken a course substantially similar in topic and rigor. Such a decision is entirely at the discretion of the instructor, and based in part on information about the prior course (e.g. online syllabus). Note that the required electives and seminar cannot be waived using either mechanism.
It is important to note that for students who waive all 5 core courses on the basis of their prior MS degree, the timetable for completing our requirements gets essentially shortened by a year. In particular, they are guaranteed only 5 years of support. All of their timeline milestones will be accelerated by 1 year. These students will still be required to satisfy the Qualifying Phase requirements for the non-core courses (3 electives and a seminar).
All students will be required to pass a Qualifying Exam at the end of the Qualifying Phase. The student’s Committee may allow part or all of previous research to be the basis of the paper on which the Qualifying Exam is based.
Students who satisfy University requirements for an MSc may receive an MSc degree. Note that part of the University requirements to award an MS is that the work for which the MS is to be awarded (9 courses, 1 year of residency and MS paper) be done within the program.