PHD Prelim.xml

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
<!DOCTYPE concept PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DITA Concept//EN" "http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/v1.1/OS/dtd/concept.dtd" []>
<concept id="phd-prelim">

  <title>Preliminary Proposal</title>
  <shortdesc></shortdesc>

  <prolog>
    <author type="creator">Graduate Program Committee</author>
    <copyright>
      <copyryear year="2014"/>
      <copyrholder>CS Department</copyrholder>
    </copyright>
  </prolog>
  <conbody>

    <p>The Preliminary Proposal Exam is the second of four milestones to be completed by a PhD student. The Preliminary Proposal Exam serves as the University's required Preliminary Exam. The Preliminary Proposal Exam should occur as early as possible after completing the PhD Qualifying Process. It has a recommended deadline of 12-18 months from completion of the Ph.D. qualification process or M.S. degree, whichever comes second. This and subsequent stages requires that the Ph.D. advisor and advisory committee be constituted.</p>

    <p>The Preliminary Proposal Exam is an oral presentation and examination expected to last between one and three hours. The actual conduct, content, and scope of the Preliminary Proposal Exam are under the control of the student's advisory committee. However, the intent of the Preliminary Proposal exam is to assess the student's readiness to begin independent research on the proposed problem. In particular, it seeks to answer two questions:</p>

    <ol>
      <li>Does the work proposed appear satisfactory to qualify as completing a PhD? This means that the proposed work is not so ambitious as to be implausible for a PhD student, yet is ambitious enough to warrant granting of a PhD if completed.</li>

      <li>Is the student adequately prepared to do the proposed work? In particular, does the student have an adequate grasp of the current state-of-the-art in the proposed research area? This is likely to be determined in part by a literature review, which should also be useful to the student at the time of writing the dissertation. </li>
    </ol>

    <p>It is expected that, to satisfy these objectives, the student will prepare a document and submit it to the committee sufficiently in advance of the exam that the committee members have adequate time to review it. This document will likely consist of (a) a literature review and discussion of relevant work, and (b) a research plan describing the work to be completed and its significance. To whatever extent is reasonable, it is advisable that the document include a timeline for completion and description of any equipment, supplies, or support necessary for successful completion.</p>
    
    <p>Depending on the will of the committee, the Preliminary Proposal Exam may be limited strictly to a presentation and discussion of the document presented by the student. In addition the committee may, but certainly is not obligated to, chose to ask questions to test the student's background knowledge in the relevant areas of Computer Science. Ideally, the student and advisor will discuss and reach an agreement on the format and scope of the exam well in advance. By passing the student's research proposal, the committee is certifying that, if the student does the stated work in a satisfactory manner, it will prove adequate for a dissertation topic. Note that once the Preliminary Proposal Exam has been completed, there is no necessary requirement that the student's final dissertation adhere to the proposal. The student and committee are free to change the direction of the work as it progresses, based on mutual consent, if they deem that appropriate.</p>
    
    <p>The student is considered to have failed the exam if two or more members of the examination committee give negative votes. If performance on the Preliminary Proposal Exam is unsatisfactory, one full semester must lapse (a minimum of 15 weeks) before the administration of a second examination. The Preliminary Proposal Exam cannot be attempted more than twice.</p>
  </conbody>
</concept>