CSE PhD Program

111 graduate credit units, consisting of the following:

• Core (60 units)
  • Numerical linear algebra (18.335)
  • 4 subjects, covering 4 of 6 core areas (“ways of thinking” foundational to CSE)
    • Discretization and numerical methods for PDE
    • Optimization methods
    • Inference, statistical computing, and data-driven modeling
    • High performance computing, software engineering, and algorithms
    • Mathematical foundations (e.g., functional analysis, probability)
    • Computational modeling (i.e., a subject that treats the application of computational methods to modeling in any science or engineering discipline)
• Concentration (24 units)
• Unrestricted electives (24 units)
• Doctoral seminar in CSE (CSE.900, 3 units)

The purpose of the CSE PhD qualifying evaluation is to assess whether students are successfully developing the necessary knowledge and attributes of CSE doctoral candidates at MIT. CSE PhD’s qualifying evaluation is course-based. Specifically:

• Students must designate which three of their five core subjects will be used as their qualifying subjects no later than at the start of their third regular semester.
• A core subject associated with the student’s computational concentration must be one of these three qualifying subjects.
• Subjects taken before a student declares and receives program approval for their individual list of qualifying subjects may be used at the discretion of program leadership.
• Any transfer credit(s) received may not be used towards the qualifying evaluation.
• Students are required to obtain an A grade (with any modifier) in all three qualifying subjects and also have a minimum cumulative GPA of 4.5 out of 5.0 at the time of qualification to be deemed successful.
• If a student receives a grade less than an A- in a designated subject, the student must discuss an alternative with the assistant director and/or co-directors.
• All qualifying subjects must be successfully completed no later than the fourth regular semester.

After successful completion of the qualifying evaluation and no later than the end of the fifth regular semester, CSE PhD candidates must form their Doctoral Thesis Committees and hold an initial meeting. The thesis committee consists of a minimum of three members:

• Thesis advisor: must be a MIT faculty member or senior research scientist.
• Committee chair: must be a CCSE faculty member or senior research scientist. Note: if the advisor is CCSE-affiliated, then the advisor may fulfill both the role of the advisor and the chair.
• In addition to the committee chair, one other member must be CCSE-affiliated (in this case, either a CCSE faculty, senior research scientist, or principal research scientist is acceptable).
• Any committee member external to MIT must hold a doctoral degree.

The thesis committee is responsible for monitoring and providing advice on the doctoral candidate’s academic and research progress. The committee does not assume responsibility for the quality of the research performed; rather, its role is to critically evaluate the progress reported and offer suggestions and advice which may help the candidate in pursuit of their research goals. The quality of the research is the sole responsibility of the candidate and is the essential measure by which the faculty judge performance in the doctoral program.

After the initial thesis committee meeting, CSE PhD candidates are required to submit a written thesis proposal and participate in an oral thesis proposal defense. The objectives of the thesis proposal and proposal defense are to ensure that the student has:

• developed a deep understanding of their research field, including a comprehensive and critical review of the relevant literature,
• identified a problem that could produce a doctoral-quality contribution, and
• devised a reasonable plan for how to proceed.

The thesis proposal must be successfully defended by the end of the student’s sixth regular semester in the program.

The doctoral thesis document is a major, original work that makes a significant contribution in its field. It is the principal component of the doctoral program, and the part that serves as the major indicator of the candidate’s abilities. Work already completed elsewhere, not under the supervision of a member of the MIT faculty, cannot be accepted in full or partial fulfillment of the thesis requirement.

CSE students are expected to maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 4.5 (out of 5) during the course of their studies to be considered in good academic standing.

If a student’s term GPA is at or below 4.0 for two sequential terms, if a student receives an Unsatisfactory (“U”) grade in CSE.THG, or if a grade of C or lower is given in any subject, the student is failing to meet minimum program requirements; a program warning letter will be issued and the MIT Graduate Academic Performance Group (GAPG) may be alerted.

If a student receives a grade of D in any subject, that subject may not be used to satisfy CSE PhD curricular requirements. Additionally, subjects taken with the graduate P/D/F grading option cannot be used to satisfy the CSE PhD Program of Study.

Students who fail to meet the academic performance requirements are expected to make substantial improvement by the end of the following term to return to good academic standing. Failure to meet this expectation may lead to additional actions taken, up to and including a warning from the Vice Chancellor, being allowed to register only for a less advanced degree, and/or denial of further registration.

Students who feel that their performance may not be meeting the CSE PhD academic performance requirements or have extenuating circumstances that need attention should contact the CCSE assistant director as soon as possible to discuss their individual situation and ways the program and Institute can better support them.