Doctoral Program Requirements

• Advisor

  Most students select a research advisor (who will in most cases later become the thesis advisor) during the admissions process prior to formal enrollment, and work closely with him or her on directed research from their first day in the program. A few doctoral students conduct small projects with several different faculty, and then choose a research advisor towards the end of their first or second semester.



• Community Service

  The Department of Computer Science takes pride in maintaining a well-developed sense of community, and sees as an essential part of its doctoral program the preparation of its students for this important aspect of their future careers.  It therefore strongly encourages its students through their advisors to contribute a year of service to the department's professional, operational or social needs, preferably starting by the second year in the program if not earlier.



• English Proficiency

  A score of "level 10" on the English Placement Test (EPT) offered by Columbia’s American Language Program (ALP) is required for the doctoral degree for any student whose undergraduate degree was not awarded by an institution in a country where English is the "official and spoken language". The GSAS policy is specified here and the SEAS policy is specified here.
  



• Breadth Requirement

  While the thesis research provides depth, it is also important to ensure breadth across the subfields of Computer Science.  The core consists of five topics, each of which may be satisfied by an examination or a course. A student must also take five elective courses, three of which must be distributed across the three main areas of Computer Science (AI, Systems and Theory). The other two electives may be taken in any area, or from outside Computer Science. Some of the elective requirements may be waived during the student’s first semester on the basis of courses taken previously.



• Teaching/TAing

  Success as a computer scientist depends not only on the ability to generate and explore new ideas but also on the ability to communicate those ideas effectively. For this reason, students are expected to develop and exercise presentation and teaching skills as part of their education.  All students are required to fulfill two "teaching units", which may involve a combination of teaching assistant, recitation leader and/or instructor positions.



• Candidacy Exam

  The candidacy oral exam certifies that the student has demonstrated a depth of scholarship in the literature and the methods of the student's chosen area of research, and has demonstrated a facility with the scholarly skills of critical evaluation and verbal expression.

   

• Thesis Proposal

  In the thesis proposal, the student lays out an intended course of research for the dissertation.  By accepting the thesis proposal, the student's dissertation committee agrees that the proposal is practicable and acceptable, that its plan and prospectus are satisfactory, and that the candidate is competent in the knowledge and techniques required, and formally recommends that the candidate proceed according to the prospectus and under the supervision of the dissertation committee. [Revised by full faculty vote April 13, 2007.]
  



• Dissertation and defense

  The semester in which the dissertation is distributed to the defense committee is the last occasion for which the candidate needs to be registered. The doctoral dissertation and defense is typically completed during the fifth or sixth year in the program. Some very highly motivated students, particularly in theoretical areas, may finish in less time. Remaining enrolled beyond the sixth year (enrolled in GSAS, not counting time enrolled in SEAS) requires special approval.  Excruciatingly detailed dissertation formatting requirements are given here. A latex template for the dissertation is here. Some defense hints can be found here.