CS Graduate Orientation

August 20, 2014

Slides from today are in your packets and at

http://www.cs.rpi.edu/admissions/

grad/orientation14f/

Welcome

• Introductions• Department Head’s Welcome• Degree Requirements and Administrative

Information• Peer advisors• Mixer

Agenda

• Where are you from? (country, school, job, etc.)

• Are you here for MS or PhD?• What is your intended research area?• What do you like to do for fun?• Anything else you’d like to share about

yourself?

Introductions

• Places and keys• People• MS Requirements• PhD Requirements• Registration and paperwork• Financial

Degree requirements and administrative Information

• Lally, Amos Eaton, MRC, Winslow.• http://www.cs.rpi.edu/admissions/grad/

floorplan.html• Conference rooms, kitchenettes• Amos Eaton: lounge, student mailboxes• Lally: dept. office, faculty mailboxes,

photocopier, fax• CS library (i.e. bookshelf)

http://www.cs.rpi.edu/internal.html

Places

• Your office assignment is given on salmon paper.

• If you have joined a research group, your office is with them.

• Some coterminal students have been assigned offices, others have not. Let me know if you have not been assigned an office and want one.

Student offices, p. 1

• If you are not yet settled with a research group, your office may be AE 110 or 125.

• Your office is a research office, not for TA office hours.

• TA office hours may be held in AE 217.

Student offices, p. 2

• Talk with your officemates about sharing space, who sits at which desk.

• Work with officemates to make your office nice. Check with staff if your office needs anything, such as a chair, desk, white board, etc.

• Repair problems may be sent to fixx@rpi.edu.

Student offices, p. 3

• Check with all your officemates, and if you find things that belong to none of the occupants, discard them. Or if you think someone may want them, check with department staff.

• When you move out, be courteous to future occupants and remove your stuff.

Student offices, p. 4

• Staff have master keys• Key rings• You have some keys, others are on order.• Keys everyone will get:

– Amos Eaton building – Key to general access rooms within Amos

Eaton and Lally such as lounge, kitchenette, photocopier room

Keys

• If your office is in MRC, you will also kitchenette key, photocopier key, and card access to building.

• If your advisor is outside CS or in Tetherless World, get office assignment and keys through advisor.

Keys, part 2

• If you are assigned to AE 125 or AE 109, work on your office may be in progress.

• If you are assigned to AE 125, lock will be changed.

Keys, part 3

http://www.cs.rpi.edu/people/staff.html• Chris Coonrad –Dept. Secretary. Office

supplies, photocopier, fax, mail, telephones, travel reimbursements.

• Terry Hayden – Graduate program manager.• David Goldshmidt – Undergraduate

education, course scheduling.• Pam Paslow – MRC, student payroll.• Sharon Simmons – Assistant to department

head, works with undergraduates.

Administrative Staff

• Degree requirements• Exceptions to degree requirements• Program changes (such as MS to PhD)• Changing advisors• Office of Graduate Education forms and

rules

Contact me for

• Usual hours: M-F 8:30-5:00, lunch 12-1• No appointment needed• Don’t worry about interrupting my work:

my work is to help you.• If my door is shut, I’m either not there, or

busy.• If I’m not there, Chris Coonrad can tell you

whether I’ll be right back.• If I don’t reply to your email, stop by my

office.

How to contact me

• Peter Bailie and Steven Lindsey• Your CS password will be emailed to your

RPI account.• For information on CS accounts see:

http://foswiki.cs.rpi.edu/foswiki/bin/view/LabstaffWeb/WebHome

• Contact labstaff@cs.rpi.edu for questions.

System Administrators

• Your advisor is given on salmon paper.• We usually consider “advisor” and

“research supervisor” to be the same.• If you don’t have a research supervisor yet,

we may call your advisor your “academic advisor.”

• Provisional research advisor• CS advisor

Advisors

• Graduate Program Director Mark Goldberg will serve as your academic advisor if you don’t have a research advisor.

• Meet him once a month.• For your first meeting, go to Lally 302 at a

random time between 2:00 and 4:00pm August 22 or 29.

Academic Advisor

• See list at http://www.cs.rpi.edu/people/faculty.html

• Contact faculty you are interested in working with.

Finding a Research Advisor

• Role of advisor – funding, evaluating progress

• Meet your advisor regularly• If you want to change advisors, talk to the

advisor you want to switch to. If he/she agrees to the change, let me know and I’ll make the change. You should also inform your original advisor about the switch.

Research Advisors

• 2 systems courses, including CSCI-6140 Operating Systems

• 2 theory courses, including at least one of CSCI-6050 Computability and ComplexityCSCI-6210 Design & Analysis of Alg.CSCI-6220 Randomized Algorithms

MS Course Requirements

• 30 credits total• At least 18 credits at 6000 level• 6 credit thesis• Colloquium attendance• Committee by degree application deadline• Oral presentation

MS Other Requirements

• File Plan of Study from by end of spring semesterhttp://www.cs.rpi.edu/academics/grad/plan.html

• GPA at least 3.0• Graduate within two and a half years

SAP Requirements: MS

• File DSYR and Plan of Study form at end of every spring semester

• GPA at least 3.0• Pass candidacy within two years of passing

qualifying exam• Graduate within 5 years if you have a prior

MS• Graduate within 7 years without prior MS

SAP Requirements: PhD

• Core qualifying exam: within 3 semesters.• Committee• Research qualifying exam: within 2 years• Candidacy exam: within 3 years• 1 public talk• Colloquium attendance during first 2 years• Defense and thesis submission

PhD Requirements

• 72 credits if you do not have prior MS– At least 36 course credits– At least 24 research credits – You can also get MS on way to PhD with a few

additional requirements.

• 48 credits if you have prior MS:– At least 12 course credits– At least 24 research credits

• At least 2/3 of course credits at 6000 level.

PhD Credit Requirements

• Must do well in courses in 5 areas.• 3 required areas• Choose 2 of 6 optional areas.• If course is offered at both 4000 and 6000

level, must take 6000 level.• Courses and other details at

http://www.cs.rpi.edu/academics/grad/qual.html

PhD Core Qualifying Exam, p. 1

• Courses with grades below B do not count.• Must earn a total of 18.5 points.• Points are awarded as follows:

4.0 A 3.67 A- 3.33 B+ 3.0 B

PhD Core Qualifying Exam, p. 2

• Courses are weighted equally regardless of number of credits.

• Must complete by end of third semester.• If grade is not good enough, take another

course in the area.

PhD Core Qualifying Exam, p. 3

• Full-time graduate students must attend at least 32 colloquia or 50% of those offered in their first 2 years.

• Sign-in sheet at colloquia.• MS students who finish in less than 2 years

must attend at least 8 per semester or 50%.• Not applicable for part-time students.• All are encouraged to attend.• Colloquia posted on web site and

announced by e-mail.

Colloquium Attendance

Full-time status is required for• TA, RA, and fellowship eligibility• For international students, F-1 visa • For US students, certain types of aid

eligibility or loan deferment

Full-time status

• TAs must take at least 9 credits.• Others must take at least 12 credits.• You can’t drop credits if doing so will take

you below the minimum.• After the add deadline, you can’t add credits

to make up for dropped credits.• Increasing the number of research credits

counts as an add.

MaintainingFull-time status

• Maximum number of credits covered by full-time tuition is 15.

• TAs often take 2-3 classes.• You can use research credits to take more

credits without taking more classes.

How many credits to take

• 1000, 2000, 4000 level: undergraduate, usually 4 credits

• 6000 level: graduate, usually 3 credits• 1000 and 2000 level:

• Do not count for graduate degree.• Do count toward credit total for tuition

and full-time status.

Course credits, p. 1

• 4000 level: limited number may count toward graduate degree.• PhD: 15 or 1/3 of course credits may be

4000 level.• MS: 12 credits may be 4000 level.

• 4000/6000 level courses.• Meet together• Requirements may be different.

Course credits, p. 2

• Indicates you are working on research.• Register online, same as for classes.• At first, take a few per semester.• Later you’ll be taking all research credits.• Keep taking research credits until thesis

done, even if you have enough.• Research credits are graded S/U. • S grade indicates progress, real goal is

thesis completion.

Research credits, part 1

• You need at least 24 credits of CSCI-9990 to get a PhD.

• You need at least 6 credits of CSCI-6990 to get an MS.

• Don’t register for CSCI-6990 if you need CSCI-9990.

• If you can’t find the right type of research credits on the class hour schedule, contact Terry Hayden or David Goldschmidt.

Research credits, part 2

• If you can’t register for a class because it is full, contact the professor and/or go to class the first day. Use “Authorization” form.

• An Independent Study form is required to register for an independent study.

Registration issues

• Certifies department approval of your courses and research credits.

• Will be needed at graduation, and any time you submit a request to the Office of Graduate Education.

• Can re-do as often as needed if you change your plans.

• Credits must total 72 for PhD or 30 for MS.• Signed by you, advisor, and GPD.

Plan of Study

• If you were an undergrad here, you may find there is less leniency with regard to paperwork than you are accustomed to.

• Submit paperwork well in advance, because processing takes time.

• Check with Terry about how to proceed.

Paperwork issues

• Allow plenty of time for collecting signatures.

• For Graduate Program Director or Department Chair signature, give form to Terry Hayden.

• For Dean of Graduate Education, drop form off at 1516 Peoples Ave, or Terry will send in campus mail.

Signatures

• You can’t just not register for a semester. If you aren’t going to be taking any credits, you need to have some status such as on leave or withdrawn.

• If you finish all your credits but have not completed your thesis, you can register for a full-time load of research credits until you finish.

• Summer administrative registration: 0 credit for research assistants

Maintaining enrollment

• We have poster sessions where you can learn about research going on in the department.

Poster Sessions

• Graduate school can be a rocky road. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t follow the path you expected. Just find the path that’s right for you.

• Some people change advisors• Some people fail the qualifying exams• Some people join as a PhD student but

leave with MS only• Some come for the MS and stay for the PhD

Changes

• Academic: Success in research requires initiative.

• Administrative: Don’t hesitate to ask me questions. Exceptions to rules may be possible.

• Social: The department can be as fun as you want to make it. Organize events.

Initiative

• Read mail sent to your RPI email address.• Contact me if you do not receive mail from

csgrads email list.

Stay informed

• Domestic studentsSee Pam Paslow in MRC 304, 7:00am-2:30pm M-F next week. Bring – photo ID and social security card

OR– US passport

• International students– see Charlene Richard in Payroll - Rice

Building X2385 or richac@rpi.eduto set up an appointment

Financial support

• Pick up check in Academy Hall every other Friday or get direct deposit (see Pam Paslow and bring voided check).

• If picking up your check on a day other than payday, you’ll need to go the Rice Building (take shuttle bus).

Financial support, p. 2

• Your stipend will be divided by the number of pay periods per semester.

• If your information is entered late, you will not get paid until the second payday, but your checks will be larger.

• The number of pay periods may vary from semester to semester, which means the amount of your paycheck may change from semester to semester.

Financial support, p. 3

• Sets up account for you so that you can be reimbursed for travel

• All PhD students should complete.• MS students only complete if you think you

may travel to a conference

Concur form

• In “Student with access to Concur column” fill out RIN, name, RCS ID, address, and supervisor.

• Supervisor: put current advisor. Can be changed later if your advisor changes.

• Indicate if you want reimbursement by check or direct deposit.

• Get your advisor’s signature• Return completed form to Pam Paslow.

Concur form

• Provide cell phone and alternate e-mail address in case we need to contact you.

• Let me know if you have a “preferred name.”

• Keep your address updated in SIS.

Blue form

• School of Science picnic tomorrow, 1-5pm• Ticket is in your packet, unless you already

picked it up.• Look for Dedrick Recreational Facility• Email me by 5pm today to request a ride or

offer a ride.

Picnic

• Peer advisors • 4:00-4:15 Pick up refreshments and table

assignments• 4:15-4:55. Change table when bell rings

(see table assignment)

Peer advising and mixer