Level 3

During the Level 3 phase you will carry out the research proposed in the dissertation proposal that was approved at the end of the Level 2 phase. Your research will be directed by your research advisor and the same doctoral thesis committee formed during Level 2. During this phase you are also expected to publish research results as they are developed in the proceedings of major conferences and journals. This final phase culminates in the Level 3 Exam — a public final defense of your dissertation research. A copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate Program Director in pdf format before completion of the Ph.D.

Timeline

The Level 3 exam must be completed before the end of the your seventh year in the Ph.D. program. This is a Graduate School requirement.

Coursework

During this phase, you will typically only register for seminars and CS 799: Dissertation Research.

Publication Requirement

You are expected to first-author an accepted high quality journal or conference paper first-authored before graduation. Proof of acceptance must be provided to the Graduate Program Director before completion of your degree, either in the form of a copy of the letter of acceptance from the editor or a preprint/reprint of the article.