CSE PhD Program
Source: https://cse.mit.edu/programs-admissions/cse-phd-program/ Parent: https://cse.mit.edu/programs-admissions/
Innovating fundamental methodologies in computation to advance the state of the art
CSE PhD Program Overview
Students in the standalone CSE PhD program create an individualized program of study in consultation with their advisors and program leadership which consists of nine graduate subjects and a graduate seminar. Core and concentration subjects cover six “ways of thinking” fundamental to CSE:
- discretization and numerical methods for partial differential equations;
- optimization methods;
- statistics and data-driven modeling;
- high-performance computing and/or algorithms;
- mathematical foundations (e.g., functional analysis, probability);
- modeling (i.e., a subject that treats mathematical modeling in any science or engineering discipline).
Research is an integral aspect of the program; students begin their thesis research upon matriculation. The emphasis of thesis research activities is the development and analysis of broadly applicable computational approaches that advance the state of the art. Students are awarded the Doctor of Philosophy in Computational Science and Engineering upon successful completion of the program requirements and defense of a thesis describing significant contributions to the CSE field.
“This program recognizes the existence of computational science and engineering as a discipline in and of itself, so you don’t have to be doing this work through the lens of mechanical or chemical engineering, but instead in its own right.”
Nicolas Hadjiconstantinou CCSE Co-Director & Quentin Berg Professor of Mechanical Engineering
CSE PhD Program Requirements
Computational Science and Engineering Doctoral Program Guide
Program of Study
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)
Qualifying Evaluation
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.
Doctoral Thesis Committee
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, at least two of whom must be MIT faculty members:
- Thesis advisor: must be an MIT faculty member or principal/senior research scientist.
- Committee chair: must be a CCSE faculty member or principal/senior research scientist.
- Note: if the advisor is CCSE-affiliated, then the advisor may fulfill both the role of the advisor and chair.
- In addition to the committee chair, one other committee member must be CCSE-affiliated faculty or principal/senior research scientist.
- Any committee member external to MIT must hold a doctoral degree.
Candidates should form their committees after consultation with their advisors and, if needed, the Co-Directors by contacting qualified individuals (as described above), discussing research plans and objectives, and verifying their willingness to serve on the committee. Once a candidate has finalized their committee members, this information must be reported to CCSE via the Thesis Committee Membership form.
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.
Thesis Proposal & Thesis Proposal Defense
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.
Thesis & Thesis Defense
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.
Please see the Computational Science and Engineering Doctoral Program Guide section 3.8. Thesis and Thesis Defense for more detailed information.
Academic Performance & Progress
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.
Considering Applying?
Applicants to the CSE PhD program are expected to have an undergraduate degree in CSE, applied mathematics, or another field that prepares them for an advanced degree in CSE, as well as relevant research experience.