What does the examining committee look for?

In general, the examining committee looks for evidence that the student has sufficient understanding of computer science and sufficient promise in research to make success in a doctoral program likely.

More specifically, the committee looks for:

1. Breadth and depth of knowledge and problem-solving ability at a level commensurate with the Ph.D. The areas in which the student has qualified define the expected breadth of knowledge.

2. Mastery at a high professional level of some topic in computer science. Generally this topic is related to the student's Master's thesis research. A student should be able to demonstrate not only technical expertise about some topics, but also an ability to explain and evaluate the topic in an overall research context. For example, a student who has solved some technical problem but cannot explain why the problem was interesting, or the use to which the solution might be put, or where his/her research area fits into the computer scientific enterprise, has not demonstrated the kind of ability needed for doctoral research.