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In this part of the form, the student lists courses that will be required. This essentially becomes a
contract between the student and the Coursework Committee. The student should propose courses that
demonstate demonstrate sufficient depth, breadth, and preparation for the PhD Qualifying Exam. Note that this part
of the form usually does NOT include all course that the student plans to take. Instead, the list
represents core requirements that must be satisfied at some point by the student.
This part can be imagined as a replacement for the required courses in the previous curriculum.
In that case, 4 courses were required: 1 in systems, 1 in theory, and 2 in a particular research
specialty. Consider what would constitute the personalized replacement for that. A typical
number of courses to place in this part would be 4 to 6. It is also possible to provide
alternatives. For example, one requirement might be to take CS 546 or CS 548.
Strategy
The purpose of this part is to help the Coursework Committee and other faculty during annual progress
evalations to determine the motivation for selecting the particular required coursework. This will help
them in giving helpful suggestions and in deciding whether to approve the Program of Study. In most
cases, the Strategy part will be no more than a couple of sentences.
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