Doctor of Philosophy

CME 302, CME 306, and CME 307 must be completed during the first year of the CME-PhD program.

Complete nine units of research rotations in the first year.

This requirement is satisfied by securing a research rotation agreement with a faculty member and enrolling in CME391. Students may rotate with one or multiple faculty advisors. Research rotations aim to identify a suitable topic for PhD work and align with a faculty advisor by the summer of year one.

Students must complete CME 212 before advancing to candidacy at the end of year 2.

Complete three units of seminars before advancing to candidacy at the end of year 2. One unit must come from CME 300, one unit from either CME 500 or CME 510, and the remaining unit can come from any other listed seminar.

General Core classes must be completed by the end of year 3.

Programming Electives must be completed by the end of year 3. CS 149 is recommended.

Computational and Mathematical Electives are courses with a strong computing or mathematical component. Students may select from the listed electives or petition for additional courses not on this list. These classes may be taken at any point in the program prior to advancing to TGR.

Specialized depth electives are courses determined in concert with the PhD advisor in order to develop in areas relevant to the student's research. The courses below are suggested options for specialized depth electives. Students may select from the list below or petition for additional courses not on this list. These classes may be taken at any point in the program prior to advancing to TGR.

Enroll in dissertation research under your PhD advisor. Begin enrolling in CME 400 the first quarter after you have aligned with your advisor. This requirement is satisfied by enrolling in a minimum of 60 units of CME 400 across the duration of your PhD program.

To fulfill the remaining 18 units of your PhD program, please complete any combination of CME 400 and/or any classes listed in the Specialized Depth Electives section.

Pass the ICME qualifying exams at the end of the first year. These written exams are held in June and September. Students can attempt each exam twice. The qualifying exams cover material from CME 302, CME 306, and CME 307. 

A student who fails two or more qualifying exams after two attempts would not be eligible to advance to candidacy. Such students may be allowed to complete a CME MS degree. A student who fails one qualifying exam after two attempts will be required to undertake remedial action under the supervision of the failed exam’s faculty member. The typical corrective action is for the student to complete a literature survey on the exam topic. The survey scope should be agreed upon with the faculty member responsible for the exam. The faculty member is responsible for certifying the completion of this requirement, which must be concluded before the declaration of candidacy. 

Present at a research forum organized by the institute during the second year of the PhD. Students will showcase highlights from research rotations undertaken during the first year or present their PhD work’s initial steps. Students will prepare in consultation with their PhD advisor and receive faculty feedback following the research forum.

Align with a permanent research advisor no later than the summer quarter of year one. Students must submit the signed advisor agreement opens in a new tab to ICME student services before the start of their second year.

Aligning with an advisor is an essential milestone in the PhD program and is required for making satisfactory degree progress and maintaining good standing.

Upon aligning with an advisor, students on the ICME first-year fellowship transition from department fellowship to advisor-provided funding. Therefore, students must select an advisor who can financially support them. 

PhD students who do not align with an advisor by summer quarter of year one are subject to dismissal from the program.

PhD students may need to change advisors after initial alignment due to unexpected circumstances. Since an advisor is necessary for continued funding and good standing, please consult the Director of Student and Academic Services or Director of Graduate Studies as early as possible to ensure proper coordination and uninterrupted support. Additional guidance is available in this resource opens in a new tab.

It is strongly recommended that students submit a dissertation proposal to their advisor in conjunction with advancing to candidacy. The student and advisor will determine the process and format of this proposal. Students should indicate the dissertation proposal submission in section D of the university candidacy form.

Submit the completed candidacy opens in a new tab form to the ICME student services team by the end of spring quarter in year two. The student’s dissertation advisor must review and sign the form.

University policy requires all doctoral students to declare candidacy by the end of the sixth quarter in residence, excluding summers. Candidacy expires five years from the date of submission of the candidacy form, rounded to the end of the quarter. In exceptional cases, the department may extend a student’s candidacy but is under no obligation to do so.

PhD candidacy forms are approved automatically if all the pre-candidacy requirements are satisfied. Exceptional circumstances (such as, but not limited to, extended sickness, visa problems, or leave of absence) will be considered by the ICME director, who will be responsible for making necessary adjustments to the process, if applicable and within the bounds of university policies. Students should petition the ICME director and student services in writing to initiate the process and detail their circumstances.

In all other cases where a student has not met the candidacy requirements by the end of year two, the ICME faculty steering committee will review the student’s progress holistically and provide a recommendation. Students are encouraged to submit a short assessment of their progress and provide further evidence that might be useful to the committee.

In consultation with the advisor, the student must form a Reading Committee. A Reading Committee Form opens in a new tab must be completed and filed with the ICME student services office before the approval of TGR status. University policy requires the appointment of a principal dissertation advisor currently on the Academic Council. Former Academic Council members, emeritus Academic Council members, or non-Academic Council members can serve as co-advisor. Please consult the Graduate Academic Policy opens in a new tab for guidelines on how to form your Reading Committee.

At least six months before the planned PhD Defense, the student and the Reading Committee must set a Green Light Meeting. In this meeting, a final dissertation proposal will be reviewed and discussed. The student will present a draft PhD thesis outline indicating prior work status and plans for additional work.

The presentation should not be a practice thesis defense but a chapter-by-chapter review of the completion status for each part of the expected PhD thesis. A month-by-month schedule for the time remaining until the PhD defense should be presented at this meeting. The purpose of the Green Light Meeting is to ensure all members of the Reading Committee are familiar with the plans for the completed PhD thesis and agree with the proposed content and schedule. Detailed instructions are provided on the ICME Intranet.

Any time after completing an acceptable draft of the dissertation, with the approval of the advisor and Reading Committee, the student may schedule the University Oral Examination (Dissertation Defense). To do so requires the completion of the University Oral Examination form opens in a new tab. Once the examiners, the date, and the time for the oral examination have been established, this form must be submitted to the ICME student services office for approval at least two weeks before the proposed examination date. It is the student’s responsibility to schedule the time and day of the exam and ensure that all examiners can attend. The student is also responsible for ensuring that the exam Chair is given the University Oral Examination Form before the exam starts. If the Chair of the exam does not have the form before the start of the exam, the exam is invalid.

The student must be registered during the term the University Oral Examination is taken. The student is encouraged to email an announcement for the public portion of their Dissertation Defense to the ICME student services office two weeks before the defense to advertise it. For information on forming your Oral Exam Committee, see Stanford’s Graduate Academic Policy opens in a new tab.

 The Oral Exam can be up to three hours. The student should consider this when scheduling the time with the Oral Exam Committee. The Oral Exam Chair should submit the examination results to the ICME student services office immediately following the exam. See further information on the ICME Intranet and the Graduate Academic Policy page.

ICME PhD students are required to complete a dissertation. Consult the university's page on dissertation information opens in a new tab for rules governing the dissertation format, fees, forms, and deadlines.