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Requirements for the Doctoral Degree

The Doctoral Degree Admission to Candidacy Comprehensive Exams Thesis Topic Time Limit for Degree Completion Dissertation Doctoral Examination Minor Field of Study Other Requirements Enrollment Requirements Additional Graduation Requirements Responsible Conduct for Research (RCR)

The Doctoral Degree

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy recognizes demonstrated proficiency and high achievement in research. After adequate preparation, the candidate must successfully complete both comprehensive examinations in their academic field and a searching and authoritative investigation of a special area in the chosen field, culminating in a written dissertation. The program of study for each doctoral degree program must include, at a minimum, 30 approved credit hours.

Admission to Candidacy

Doctoral students customarily apply for degree candidacy after completing at least three semesters of coursework beyond the bachelor's degree.

To qualify for candidacy, students must do the following:

• Complete the requirements for training in Responsible Conduct for Research (RCR) .
• Complete all course requirements (except the minor).
• Achieve a satisfactory scholastic record.
• Pass the comprehensive examination.
• Submit a formal statement naming the dissertation reading committee and delineating the research topic for approval to the school chair and Graduate Education (on behalf of the Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education).

Upon satisfactory completion of these requirements, the Office of Graduate Education will formally admit the applicant to candidacy for the degree on behalf of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development.

Comprehensive Exams

The comprehensive examination assesses both general knowledge of the degree area and specialized knowledge of the student's chosen research field. Each program is responsible for scheduling comprehensive examinations at least once a year and for providing students information regarding exam formats, rules, and scope. Exam retakes are to occur no later than the end of the student’s second full term (Fall, Spring, or Summer) in residence following the failed attempt.

Thesis Topic

Before a student becomes a candidate, they should present a formal statement for the approval of the school chair or college dean and Graduate Education that outlines the student's dissertation advisor, the topic selected for investigation, the objectives, and the steps by which the student proposes to achieve them. (Note that individual programs may have additional requirements for approving the dissertation prospectus or proposal before approval by the chair/dean and Graduate Education.) The dissertation topic must give promise of being either a genuine addition to the fundamental knowledge of the field or a new and better interpretation of facts already known.

Time Limit for Degree Completion

Students must complete all degree requirements within seven years from the end of the term in which they pass the comprehensive examination.

Dissertation

The dissertation must demonstrate that the candidate possesses powers of original thought, talent for research, and ability to organize and present findings. Resources such as the Thesis and Dissertation Manual, deadlines, checklist, and templates are found in the Thesis & Dissertation website . Dissertations must be submitted electronically via the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation link available on that resource site.

The format of the dissertation (in general appearance) must meet the criteria published in the Thesis and Dissertation Manual. For other format or style questions, students should refer to style manuals appropriate to their disciplines.

Doctoral Examination

If the dissertation advisory committee finds the dissertation satisfactory, it schedules the candidate for an oral examination on the subject matter of the dissertation and the field in which it lies. An examining committee approved by Graduate Studies on behalf of the Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education will conduct the examination. The candidate's academic unit should forward the announcement of the oral examination, including the names of the examining committee members, to Graduate Education at least 10 working days prior to the exam.

If a candidate should fail to pass the final oral examination, the examining committee may recommend permission for one additional examination. In the case of failure, the Registrar does not receive a report of the examination results.

Minor Field of Study

In addition to an adequate knowledge of the major field of intended research, the student must demonstrate mastery of another smaller body of knowledge—the minor field—preferably outside the student's school. The purpose of the minor is to encourage a wider interest on the part of the student and can include topics that will help them in their research or those that will allow them to explore and prepare for their future careers.

The minor will normally consist of at least six semester hours of work in related courses, selected by the student in consultation with a guidance committee and approved by the Graduate Education (on behalf of the Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education). These courses should be at the 6000 level or above, but the use of certain 4000 level courses may also be approved. The student must receive a letter grade of C or higher for a course to count towards the doctoral minor. (Courses that are taken as pass/fail are not eligible to count toward the doctoral minor). Courses taken at other institutions may be included in the minor. Once the student has satisfactorily completed the minor, the school chair will send a confirmation, accompanied by course grades, to Graduate Studies for final approval and recording.

Although the student need not complete the minor as a prerequisite to become a candidate, the minor must be completed and approved in order to be cleared for graduation.

Other Requirements

Enrollment requirements.

The matriculation requirements for doctoral students are similar to those outlined for the master's degree with the addition of the residency requirement: doctoral students should spend at least one full-time semester in residence at Georgia Tech and should conduct research for their dissertation while in residence. Under special circumstances, candidates may receive permission to pursue their research in absentia, provided the chair of the appropriate school approves and a Georgia Tech faculty member directs the project. Although doctoral students working full-time on thesis research should normally be registered for a full course load of 9000-level dissertation hours each semester, this requirement is at the discretion of the advisor and the department. No minimum number of 9000-level dissertation hours is required for the doctoral degree. Doctoral students must be registered in the semester of graduation.

If a student has completed all degree requirements and will no longer require any of the Institute's facilities or faculty time, the student may request an enrollment waiver available on the Thesis & Dissertation Forms website .

Additional Graduation Requirements

In addition to the requirements listed elsewhere, the candidate is required to complete the following:

• Complete an Online Application for Graduation to petition for the degree to the Registrar's Office during the term preceding the anticipated final term of work.
• Have an overall GPA of at least 3.0.
• Register for a minimum of one hour of dissertation in the term of graduation. This reduction from the normal minimum course load of three hours may be used only once. If all requirements for graduation, including submission of the final approved dissertation, have been completed prior to the last day of registration and the student was registered for the preceding term, the student may apply for a waiver of the enrollmen t requirement, where the application is available on the Thesis & Dissertation Forms website .
• Submit the dissertation to the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation website, linked from the Thesis & Dissertation website , prior to the final submission of the completed dissertation to Graduate Education.

If both the dissertation and the examination are satisfactory, and the candidate has completed the requirements of residence, minor field, and any additional school requirements, Graduate Education will certify the candidate as qualified to receive the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Responsible Conduct for Research (RCR)

All Georgia Tech doctoral students must complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) education, which includes an online training component and a doctoral-level RCR course. All master’s thesis students must also complete RCR education. For more information, see https://rcr.gatech.edu/academic-policies .

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Graduate Education

Office of graduate and postdoctoral education, doctoral degrees.

Earning a doctoral degree at Georgia Tech opens many doors for our students. There are several reasons to continue your education to this level: a deep interest in the subject of your program; a desire to pursue an academic career as a researcher and/or educator; or to continue to sharpen your skills in order to work in a particular industry. Completing a doctoral degree can provide you with technical tools and the confidence to use them to create innovative solutions.

The Office of Graduate Education has prepared an admissions checklist to help you navigate through the admissions process.

Machine Learning (Ph.D.)

The curriculum for the PhD in Machine Learning is truly multidisciplinary, containing courses taught in eight schools across three colleges at Georgia Tech: the Schools of Computational Science and Engineering, Computer Science, and Interactive Computing in the College of Computing; the Schools of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering; and the School of Mathematics in the College of Science.

College of Computing

Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing

Learn more:.

• Cutting-Edge Research
• World-Class Faculty
• Current Ph.D. Students

The HCC Ph.D. program meets industrial and societal needs for education and research in humanizing computer technology, while attracting the best and brightest from around the world. As a result, HCC graduates are exceptionally well prepared for careers in both academia and industry.

Admission + Program Requirements

Thanks for your interest in the Human-Centered Computing (HCC) Ph.D. program. The application deadline each year is December 15 and students are only admitted during the fall semester. GREs are not required from HCC PhD applicants.

Complete the online application.

Qualifying Exam

All HCC Ph.D. students are required to take a qualifying exam. The purpose of the qualifying exam is for the student to demonstrate competency in:

• Basic computing concepts and methods
• Written research communication
• Oral research communication
• Core HCC knowledge
• Core knowledge in student’s HCC specialization.
• Design and evaluation of human-centered systems
• Synthesis of ideas from different fields, such as from computing and cognitive, educational, and social sciences

Parts of the Exam  

The qualifying exam consists of three parts:

• Written Exam
• Research Portfolio  (demonstrates the skills enumerated below, and includes at least one publication quality paper)

The HCC qualifying exam is administered in the spring term of each academic year and all students are expected to take it in their second year. Students that need accommodations must contact the Office of Disabilities Services. The exam is administered by a faculty committee selected by the advisor in consultation with the student. It consists of the student’s advisor(s) and three additional HCC faculty members. The HCC faculty will evaluate the written component of the qualifying exam and will decide whether or not the student is invited to complete the oral component. A student may retake a failed exam once and all students must pass within three years of entering the program.

After a second attempt of the written component of the qualifying exam, the HCC faculty will decide whether or not the student is invited to complete the oral component. A student who fails the second qualifying exam will be asked to leave the program. The collective decision of the faculty is final.

Thesis Proposal Defense and Dissertation Defense

Georgia Tech requires that "Doctoral students must spend at least two full-time semesters in residence at the Georgia Institute of Technology and ordinarily must complete research for the dissertation while in residence" (Georgia Tech 2014-15 General Catalog).

• The student’s advisor(s)
• At least two additional HCC faculty members
• At least one other faculty from another academic unit in Georgia Tech (outside HCC, typically the minor field) or a committee member external to Georgia Tech

All committee members must have a Ph.D. degree. Committee members external to Georgia Tech need not be affiliated with a university.

We expect all students to defend their thesis proposal by the end of the fourth year of their Ph.D. program. After the proposal is accepted, the student is expected to initiate a meeting with the thesis committee at least once a year to review research progress.

When completed, the dissertation must be publicly defended before a dissertation committee of at least five members (in addition to the four above, at least one committee member must be external to Georgia Tech). Please see  Georgia Tech Guidelines for thesis proposals .

Application Requirements

• Georgia Tech Online Application
• Three Letters of Recommendation (preferably from academics)
• Examples of HCC research

Explore and learn more about the program's core classes, research and more on the HCC Ph.D. Program of Study page.

Learn about our program of study

Research & Labs

Research is the most important part of the HCC Ph.D. and often varies quite a lot from student to student and advisor to advisor. In general, we encourage all HCC Ph.D. students to get involved in research in their first term and we expect each student’s research to result in publications throughout the duration of their program.

Discover our labs and research

Teaching and Service

All Ph.D. students are required to serve as teaching assistants twice during the duration of their program. Further, we expect all of our students to be active participants in the program including performing community service, which may include organizing seminars, helping with the Ph.D. student recruiting, helping with the HCC program website, etc.

From the Catalog: