What You Need to Graduate, by Dr. Tracy Hammond, CSE, TAMU
Partial List of Graduation Requirements (in progress). This page is under construction.
(Student is taken as a whole. Below are sample ways to exhibit this.) (Anywhere there is a total number as opposed to a yearly number, the MS is approximately 1/3.)
Complete Thesis/Dissertation Proposal/Statement
- Details for writing the proposal/statement can be found below:
Knowledge of General Computer Science
- Pass CS courses
- Pass CS Qual (PhD students only)
- Pass SRL Prelim
- Pass CS Prelim
Knowledge of Lab's Research
- Give 3+ lectures on Lab's Research
- tutorial counts
- classes count (CHI, SR)
- Pass SRL Prelim
Teaching
- Give 3+ lectures on Lab's Research
- TA 1+ undergraduate-level (sub-400) computer science course
Multidisciplinary Interaction
- Work on a multi-disciplinary grant.
- Take a class in outside area and apply that work to your work
Collaboration
- Work significantly with another member of the lab on a research project of which you both become co-authors of a paper
- You should both have a non-primary author (T.H. doesn't count) and be a non-primary author. (Helping and working with others is an important part of learning.)
Follow Through / Completion
- Projects should be followed through to completion. (obviously thesis project, but probably one other small project as well)
Research Depth
- One project (thesis) should show that you have developed a significant new paradigm for solving a problem.
Understand the Scientific Method
- Each project should
- determine a need
- invent a solution
- evaluate and test that the solution solves or does not solve the need
Research Breadth
- You should have papers and projects in more than one research topic.
Writing and Publication and Dissemination
- Be first author on 2+ long papers accepted to highly competitive conferences including: IUI, UIST, SigGraph, AAAI, CHI, IJCAI, NIPS.
- Be first author on 3+ long papers (include above) to highly competitive conferences including: IUI, UIST, SigGraph, AAAI, CHI, IJCAI, IAAI, GI, HCI, Eurographics
- Be first author on a long paper at a conference dedicated to your research: e.g., SBIM,
- Be an author on 1.5+ journal publications (maybe first on one, second on another)
- In some cases, we can look at second authors.
- (This is a general guideline, there will be variations.)
Creativity
- You research topic should present a new paradigm for research.
- You need to exhibit the ability to invent new solutions and research spaces.
- Future work is a significant part of a thesis defense.
- Develop and outline a research problem for someone at a lower learning stage.
Mentoring
- Help others on their path to a degree.
- Mentor and lead the research in someone at a lower learning stage.
Presentation Skills
- Present a research talk at a conference or similar 3+ times.
- Present a research talk formally at TAMU 1+ times.
- Present a poster of your research 6+ times.
- Present your research to SRL 6+ times
Research Usability Longevity
- Your research results should be packaged in such a way to ensure ease of use and accessibility
- 3+ should have used it.
Broader Impacts
- Show that your research may be usable in a broader perspective than just a computer science research experiment
Service
- Do something good for the the department. (GSA)
- Give 6+ demos of lab stuff to visitors. (Aggieland Saturday, undergrads, cs video counts only once)
- Work to help finish the work for a grant in the lab. (DARPA)
Independence
- Be the lead on projects.
- Be able to figure it out.
- Go where no other woman or man has gone before
- Approach the new frontier.
Grant Writing Experience
- Take the lead in writing one grant (must be 'approved' by lab and T.H.)
Write Dissertation/Thesis
Pass SRL Defense
- Give presentation in front of the lab. 2/3 must sign off.
