Requirements for the Doctoral Program in ACO


Program Requirements

The Coordinating Committee for the Ph.D. program in Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization has established the following core curriculum. This curriculum is designed to provide students with significant flexibility in choosing courses, while simultaneously ensuring a solid grounding in the fundamentals of ACO.

More information on specific courses can be found in the home departments:

Courses

All ACO students will be required to take 2 semester CS classes, 2 semester Math classes, and the equivalent of 2 semester Tepper classes (i.e 4 mini classes). Also required is 1 probability class.

Students who are based in the Department of Mathematical Sciences with a start date on or after July 1, 2024 are required to complete the course requirements by the end of their 6th semester.

Qualifying Exam

Every ACO student will be required to take the same Qualifying Exam. This exam will be given in January after the student's 3rd semester. The exam will contain 1 question on Algorithms, 1 question on Discrete Math, 1 question on Linear Programming, 1 question on Convex Optimization, 1 question on Integer Programming.

Please see http://aco.math.cmu.edu/ACO_CSD_qual_reqs.html for specific exam requirements for Computer Science Department ACO students.

Research

Research is obviously a big component of the ACO program. Each department has different research expectations, as well as policies, for when students should find research advisors. You should talk with your department head to understand the research expectations for your department.

Weekly Research Seminar

During your participation in the Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization program, you are expected to participate in the weekly ACO research seminar. You are also expected to take advanced courses in the area of your research in addition to the course requirements listed above.

Dissertation

Regardless of your home department, by the end of the third semester (if not earlier), you must choose a faculty member to supervise your research and dissertation. As an ACO student, you will be subject to an annual review by the ACO faculty who will judge whether the thesis work is proceeding satisfactorily. The procedures for forming a thesis committee, completing a thesis proposal, and defending the thesis are governed by the rules of the student's home department.

Teaching and Programming Skills

To graduate, you will need some teaching experience, and all students must demonstrate programming skills. (For every student, a faculty member, approved by the student's advisor, must attest that the student has adequately demonstrated programming skills.)


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