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Department of Computer Science

Graduate Student Information

Welcome to the Computer Science Student Information Page!

This page is designed to provide information on key processes; many of which are departmental and require advisor and Director of Graduate Study (DGS) approval.  Please reach out to the following if you have any questions:

MS students: CS.MS.Admin@Vanderbilt.edu

PhD students: CS.PhD.Admin@Vanderbilt.edu

Please note: some of the following processes utilize both departmental and Graduate School forms.  Official requirements can be found in the Graduate Catalog and the CS Graduate Student Handbook.  If there are any discrepancies, the Catalog and Handbook supersede.

PhD Registration

  • Degree Audit

    Before registration: check your Degree Audit in YES to determine which courses you still need.

    After registration: check your Degree Audit in YES to ensure your course(s) are applied correctly.

    You may need to click the Refresh My Audits button to see the most up to date information.

    If you find any errors or need to update a section, please click here to submit a correction request.

  • Registration Information

    Fall and spring

    Standard course load - 9 hours

    • Always consult with your advisor - if they recommend enrolling in more or fewer than 9 credit hours, please notify us*.

    Internship - register for ZERO credit hours of research if your internship extends beyond the first 3 weeks of the term.  Please refer to the internship section on this page for more information.

    Do NOT register for ZERO credit hours unless you have reached 72 total hours.

    Summer

    Standard course load - ZERO credit hours of research

    • Always consult with your advisor - if they recommend enrolling in more than zero credit hours, please notify us*.
    • If you cannot find a research course with your advisor as instructor, please notify us* and we will initiate a request to have the course created for you.

    Internship — we will administratively register you for CS 5884, once your internship request has been approved.  Please refer to the internship section on this page for more information.

    Research courses

    QE Not Taken/Passed - register for CS 8999 with your advisor

    QE Passed - register for CS 9999 with your advisor

    At 72 hours? - ONLY register for ZERO credit hours of research.  You should never have more than 72 hours for your degree.

    *Email us at CS.PhD.Admin@Vanderbilt.edu

  • Individual Studies Courses

    To apply for an Individual Studies course, please log in to YES.  You can click here to access the user guide for step-by-step instructions.

    A maximum of 6 credit hours of Individual Studies may be counted toward your PhD degree.

MS Registration

  • Degree Audit

    Before registration: check your Degree Audit in YES to determine which courses you still need.

    After registration: check your Degree Audit in YES to ensure your course(s) are applied correctly.

    You may need to click the Refresh My Audits button to see the most up to date information.

    If you find any errors or need to update a section, please click here to submit a correction request.

  • Registration Information

    To be considered a full-time student, you must be enrolled in at least 9 credit hours during the Fall and Spring semesters.

    Didactic credit hours are not available during the summer semester.

    For assistance with course selection, please consult your academic advisor.  If you encounter any issues while attempting to register, you can email CS.MS.Admin@Vanderbilt.edu.  

  • Individual Studies Courses

    A maximum of 3 credit hours of Individual Studies may be counted toward your MS degree.

    To apply for an Individual Studies course, please log in to YES.  You can click here to access the user guide for step-by-step instructions.

  • International Students

    If you are entering your final semester and need to enroll in fewer than 9 credit hours, please contact ISSS at isss@vanderbilt.edu to request a Reduced Course Load Authorization form.

PhD Milestones

  • Preliminary Exam

    Requirements

    • Should be taken in the third semester/second year of your program.
    • 3.5 GPA is expected for all didactic requirements (please see catalog for more information).
    • Completion of courses in 3 of the distribution areas is highly preferred.
    • Exam is typically over a paper you have written and plan to submit/have submitted for publication. If you do not have a paper, a topic can be assigned to you, and you will write a paper on that topic for the exam.

    Exam Information

    • You must provide your paper to your committee at least 10 days prior to your exam.
    • The exam typically takes an hour and a half.
    • You will typically present for about 30 minutes (45 max) and field questions for the remaining time.
    • You can click here for more information about the exam.

    Committee

    Your committee will be assigned to you, and you will be notified via email.

    Scheduling

    Work with your committee to determine a date, time, and location for your Preliminary Exam. You can reference the Scheduling Exams tab in this section for more information.

    Once scheduled, email this information to us at CS.PhD.Admin@Vanderbilt.edu.

    Extension

    If you cannot take your exam in your third semester, an extension must be requested via the Prelim Survey.

  • Qualifying Exam

    Requirements

    Should be taken in the third or fourth year of your program.

    The following requirements, found in your degree audit, must be completed before scheduling your qualifying exam (QE):

    • Completion of the didactic coursework requirement
    • Completion of the Responsible Conduct of Research (CITI and RCR) requirements
      • CITI status must be current - it cannot have expired.  If your CITI has expired, you must retake it.
    • Completion of the 2 Distribution Requirements (Computing Foundations and Other Areas)
    • Passing your Preliminary Exam

    Committee

    You will determine your PhD committee (which will also serve as your dissertation defense committee).  If you have an external member, we require:

    • a justification letter detailing the reason you need the external member on your committee
    • the external member’s CV

    Scheduling

    Follow this process to successfully schedule your exam and report your results:

    1. Click here to fill out the doctoral workflow to request both your committee and schedule your QE at the same time (using the same form).  This should be submitted at least 3 weeks prior to your planned exam date.
      • You must already have your date, time, and location determined before using this form.
        • You can reference the Scheduling Exams tab in this section for more information.
      • You will add the justification letter and external member's CV to this form, if needed.
    2. Click here to fill out and submit the departmental results form the day before or morning of your exam.
    3. Click here to fill out and submit the Graduate School results form after your exam.

    If you have questions about the doctoral workflow, please click here for the user guide.

    Extension

    If you cannot take your exam on time, an extension must be requested via the doctoral workflow.  Make sure to include detailed information on why you need the extension, your plan to accomplish the goals needed to take your QE, and the date by which you plan to take it.

  • Dissertation Defense

    Requirements

    Should be taken in your final term/months of the program, but no later than the deadline for your expected degree conferral date.

    Your CITI certification should be up to date (it expires after 4 years).

    Your degree audit should be completed, other than Dissertation Defense and Dissertation Final Approval.

    Committee 

    You will use the same committee as with your Qualifying Exam unless you request a change using the doctoral workflow in YES.  If you have questions about the doctoral workflow, please click here for the user guide.

    Scheduling

    Use the following process to successfully schedule your defense using the doctoral workflow in YES.  You can reference the Scheduling Exams tab in this section for more information.

    1. Click here to fill out and submit the departmental Graduation Notification form as soon as you are ready to defend.  Submission is preferred at least one month prior to your chosen defense date so we can send out your defense announcement and start your end date processing in a timely manner.
      • Please have the following information ready before using this form:
        • Defense date, time, and location
        • Your planned end date (last day as an RA/TA or can be graduation date if you are self-pay or externally funded).
    2. Click here to fill out and submit your request to schedule your defense.  Please submit your request at least three weeks prior to your chosen defense date.
      • Please have the following information ready before using this form:
        • Defense date, time, and location

    Exam Information

    1. Click here to fill out and submit the departmental Defense Results form the day before or morning of your defense.
    2. Take printed copies of your correctly formatted Title Page and Abstract to your defense for signatures afterward.
    3. Click here to fill out and submit the Graduate School Results form after your defense.
    4. Submit all required materials in VIREO before the deadline listed in the Academic Calendar.

    Extension

    If you plan to schedule your defense after your expected graduation date, please email CS.PhD.Admin@Vanderbilt.edu requesting an extension of your expected graduation date.

  • Scheduling Exams

    When requesting a room, consider the following:

    1. Room size
      1. Prelim and QE - only needs to fit you and your committee
      2. Defense - needs to be large enough to fit any faculty, students, or guests who would like to attend.
    2. Set up/preparation
      1. You can request extra time before your exam start time, if you want time to set up and prepare.
    3. Equipment
      1. Make sure the room has the AV or other equipment you will need.

    Please contact the following individuals for reserving a room for your exam/defense:

MS Milestones

  • Non-Thesis

    A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate coursework is required, along with the successful completion of a portfolio.

    Coursework breakdown - see catalog.

    Portfolio requirements:

    • Must be submitted as a PDF document.
    • At least 3 artifacts must be included:
      • One artifact is required to demonstrate the ability to apply computer science concepts in order to solve advanced problems.
      • One artifact is required to demonstrate the student’s oral or writing communication skills.
      • One artifact is required to demonstrate the student’s competence to conduct independent
        inquiry in computer science.
    • There must be a slide deck presentation.
    • A link to your GitHub repository is required.
    • Please click here for more information regarding full requirements and formatting.
  • Thesis

    A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate-level work is required, along with the successful defense of a thesis.

    Coursework requirements - see catalog.

    Thesis Requirements:

Transfer Credits

  • Transfer Information

    Policy

    Graduate credit may be transferred from accredited institutions, including prior graduate degrees earned at Vanderbilt University. Transfer credit eligibility is as follows:

    • Only didactic courses with a letter grade of B or better will be considered.
      • Pass/fail and audited courses are not eligible for transfer.
      • Research courses are not eligible for transfer.
    • The credit must have been earned within 10 years of matriculation.

    The grades you received for your quality hour transfer courses will count toward your GPA.  Non-quality hour transfer courses will not count towards your degree and will not factor into your GPA.

    Transfer credit is awarded only upon the approval of the DGS and the Graduate School.

    If you are transferring courses from an international institution, be aware that the grades may transfer in differently (an A on your international transcript may count as a B) based on the conversion calculations used.

    You can click here to view the catalog for more information.

    Hours

    • MS students - a maximum of 6 semester hours of transfer credit may be applied toward the master’s degree.
    • PhD students - can typically transfer in up to 24 didactic hours, but under extraordinary circumstances 36 didactic hours can be transferred in with CS DGS approval.  If you wish to request more than 24 hours, make sure to upload a justification memo to your departmental request form.

    Transfer Credit Process

    There is a two-step process for transfer credit approval:

    1. Departmental approval
      • Discuss the courses you wish to transfer with your advisor before submitting your request.
      • Click here to fill out the departmental Transfer Credit Request form.
        • All students - upload your transcript (unofficial is fine) and syllabi, if needed.  Please check form for guidelines.
        • PhD students - upload your justification memo, if needed.
      • Once you are notified of departmental approval, proceed with the Graduate School's form in step 2.
    2. Graduate School approval
      • Click here for the Graduate School Transfer Credit Request form.
      • You can click here for the user guide if you need more information.

CITI/RCR Training

  • Online CITI Training

    Important Information

    • This is a federal requirement and cannot be waived.
    • Make sure to register for the VUENG training.  It is the only training that will satisfy this requirement.
    • Make sure to use your Vanderbilt email address when registering to ensure automatic updates to your degree audit, upon completion.
    • Every module must be completed with a score of 75% or better.
    • Please click here for more information and to submit your certificate and completion report.

    MS students

    • Should be taken during the first year of study.

    PhD students

    • Should be taken at the completion of the first year of study.
    • CITI expires after 4 years.  Please make sure to retake your CITI online training again, if needed, to remain compliant.  You will use the same link as above for renewal CITI training.
  • In Person RCRG Courses

    In Person RCRG Registration

    RCRG course registration information will be emailed to you by the URO before each course date.  It is offered every May and August (with a possible session in October).

    MS students should register during the first year of study.

    PhD students should register at the completion of the first year of study.

    You must register separately for all five topics, RCRG 6303, 6304, 6305, 6306, and 6307.  Registration for these courses are separate from regular course registration.

    • 6307 can differ by research interest, so register early if you want that course to reflect your area of interest.  Any 6307 topic, however, will count toward the requirement.

    Important Information

    • Seats fill up FAST, so register as soon as possible once you receive the email.
    • Only 6303 reflects the grade (as Pass/Fail) for all topics attended.
    • BE ON TIME!  The doors will be closed at the start time provided.  If you are late, you will not be admitted.
    • You must attend all classes in their entirety to receive credit for your RCRG training.
      • Failure to attend all classes in their entirety will result in a failing grade for ALL courses and require you to retake all courses again at a later offering.
    • Contact Tana Hoffman if you have any questions.

Internships

  • PhD Internship Information

    Please submit an Internship Request form if you wish to request a new internship or an extension to an existing internship.

    Form submission deadlines for new internships are as follows:

    • Fall - July 15
    • Summer - May 15
    • Spring - November 15

    Internship requests submitted after the deadline can be processed, but are not guaranteed to be processed in time, which may lead to issues with enrollment, CPT authorization, salary disbursement, or may result in ineligibility to participate in the internship.

    All new internships must be approved prior to the end of open enrollment for the corresponding term.

    Extension requests should be submitted as soon as possible after receiving an extension offer.

    Enrollment

    • Summer - We will administratively enroll you in the Internship course (CS 5884) once your internship has been approved.
    • Fall and Spring - Register for ZERO hours of research (CS 8999 or 9999) or you can take LOA if you will be gone the full term or for multiple terms.

    Partial internships

    • Domestic students - can be requested but are often not possible due to a number of constraints.  If you wish to request a partial internship, make sure you discuss the details with your advisor fully before submitting the form.
    • International students - partial internships are not possible during the spring and fall due to visa constraints.

    Health Insurance

    • For spring or fall internships - if your internship employer offers health insurance, please contact SHIP to determine if waiving your student health insurance is your best option.  If you do not need insurance for the semester, and do not waive it, you may pay out of pocket for it.

    After your internship has been approved, you must provide the following information to us via email (CS.PhD.Admin@Vanderbilt.edu):

    • Changes to your internship dates, if any
    • The day you return to campus to resume your RA/TA position
      • This is critical, as your salary will not be reinstated until we receive your notification.

    International students

    • Make sure to reach out to ISSS for approval and CPT information prior to submitting the form.
    • Due to visa policy, international students cannot take an internship in the first year of their program.
  • MS Internship Information

    Please click here for the Internship Request form.  At this time, only summer internships are offered to MS students.

    The deadline to submit your form for a summer internship is May 15.

    Internship requests submitted after the deadline can be processed, but are not guaranteed to be processed in time, which may lead to issues with enrollment or CPT authorization, or may result in ineligibility to participate in the internship.

    All internships must be approved prior to the end of open enrollment for the corresponding term.

    Enrollment

    We will administratively enroll you in the Internship course (CS 5884) once your internship has been approved.

    Please reach out to CS.MS.Admin@Vanderbilt.edu to notify us of any changes to your internship dates.

    International students should reach out to ISSS for approval and CPT information.

Leave of Absence

  • LOA/MLOA Information

    You can take a leave of absence (LOA) for the following reasons:

    • Medical reasons - click here for more information
    • Personal reasons
    • Defending your PhD dissertation:
      • Past the end of term deadline but before the end of term
      • Early in the term and you no longer need access to campus/lab resources

    To start the process, please click here.  Once fully approved, your status will be updated in the system.

    Your LOA must be approved prior to the start of the term for which it is requested.

    Student Health Insurance (SHIP) - please make sure to contact SHIP to waive insurance if you will not need it while on LOA.  It will not automatically pause when your LOA is approved, and you will have to pay out of pocket for it!

Graduation Information

  • General Information

    Intent to Graduate and Commencement forms open in YES at the beginning of the term you want to graduate in.  Please check for the open and close dates for these forms on the Academic Calendar, linked below.  Please submit the form if you think graduating in summer is a possibility.

    The final deadline to submit all thesis and dissertation requirements to VIREO and the Graduate School is listed in the Academic Calendar, linked below.

    • Failure to submit all thesis or dissertation requirements by the stated deadline will result in ineligibility for graduation in the current term.
    • In order to graduate in the following term, you must be considered an active student.  In order to remain active, you have two options:
      • Leave of Absence (LOA) - Graduation Out of Residence: you can request an LOA, so you do not have to register for the term you are graduating in but are still considered an active student.
      • Register - you can register for the term you are graduating in.

    You can check your progress towards graduation in your degree audit.  Once all items are marked green, your graduation requirements are considered complete.

    Helpful links:

    Academic Calendar

    Graduate School Checklist for Graduation

    Contact Information - for Vireo, formatting, or document submission questions

    SHIP - make sure to contact SHIP regarding your health insurance.  It does not end automatically!

    Commencement Information

    Diploma Information

  • OPT Information

    OPT Departmental Process:

    1. Please submit your OPT request to CS.PhD.Admin@Vanderbilt.edu with your advisor cc'd on the email.  Your advisor will need to reply to the email confirming your OPT date.
    2. Once we have confirmation of the OPT date, we will submit the memo for DGS signature.
    3. Once it has been signed, we will email the letter to you. 
  • PhD Graduation Information

    Requesting your defense

    You must click here to submit your departmental Graduation Notification form as soon as you determine your defense date, time, and location, even if you do not plan to graduate in the current term.  We request this be submitted at least 30 days before your planned defense date, as this will allow us to send out your defense announcement in a timely manner.

    To submit your request to schedule your defense, you will use the Doctoral Workflow in YES.  You only need to submit your scheduling request (unless you also want to change your committee).  We request this be submitted at least 3 weeks before your planned defense date; because it must be approved no later than 2 weeks prior to your planned defense date.

    Defense results forms

    You must click here to submit your departmental Defense Results form the day before or morning of your defense.

    You must submit the Graduate School Results form in YES after your defense.

    Defending after term deadline

    If you defend after the dissertation deadline, and your graduation is pushed to the next term, you must be considered an active student in that term.  In order to remain active, you have two options:

    • Leave of Absence (LOA) - Graduation Out of Residence: you can request an LOA, so you do not have to register for the term you are graduating in but are still considered an active student.
    • Register - you can register for ZERO hours of research for the term you are graduating in.
      • Discuss this option with your advisor to determine how you will be funded for your graduation term.  You may be responsible for paying out of pocket for tuition/insurance/fees for your final term.
      • If you need to register but have a job waiting which offers health insurance coverage, you can waive Vanderbilt's student health insurance.  Please click here for waiver information.

    Student Health Insurance (SHIP)

    Graduation does not automatically cancel your SHIP policy.  Make sure to contact SHIP regarding cancelling your student health insurance, because you will pay out of pocket if it is not cancelled.

  • MS Graduation Information

    Non-thesis students

    You must click here to complete your departmental Graduation Notification form when you submit your Intent to Graduate form in YES.

    Your portfolio is due one week before the term's commencement date.  For details about your portfolio requirements, please refer to the MS Milestones section of this page.

    Thesis students

    You must click here to complete your departmental Graduation Notification form.  We request you submit it at least 30 days before your defense date, as this will allow us to send out your defense announcement in a timely manner.

    You must click here to complete your departmental Results form after your defense.

  • MS-in-Passing Graduation Information

    MS in Passing Information

    This is typically done after successfully completing you QE.

    • Completing your QE is not a requirement but a milestone.

    You cannot get your MS in passing the same semester as your PhD.

    You will have to choose either thesis or non-thesis and satisfy the requirements for the track you choose.

    • Thesis – completion/defense of a Thesis
    • Non-thesis – completion of portfolio (click here for more information about how to complete your portfolio)
    • Requirements for both can be found in our catalog here
      • You can check your degree audit to make sure you have 30 hours of didactic (for non-thesis) or at least 24 hours of didactic (for thesis).  You must make sure of the following:
      • You can only have 3 hours of CS 8390
      • You must have at least 12 hours of CS didactic courses that are 6000+ levels
      • You can only have 6 hours of transfer work

    Requesting MS in Passing

    1. Submit an Intent to Graduate form, found in YES, in the term you wish to get your MS-in-passing.  You can click here for the user guide, if you have any questions.  You can check the academic calendar for submission dates.
      • Choose MS in passing
      • Choose either thesis or non-thesis track
    2. You must click here to complete your departmental Graduation Notification form when you submit your Intent to Graduate form.  If defending a thesis, please make sure to submit this form at least 30 days prior to your expected defense date, so we have time to send out your defense announcement in a timely manner.
    3. Make sure you either complete/defend the thesis and submit all documents by their appropriate deadline.
      • Thesis - check the academic calendar for deadlines
      • Portfolio - your portfolio is due one week before the term's commencement date

Forms

Additional Resources

  • Helpful Resources

    Academic Calendar - important dates and deadlines.

    Career Development - personalized career support and helping students to find opportunities that match their goals.

    Graduate Catalog - questions about policy and program requirements can be found here.

    Graduate Tuition and Fees - information about tuition rates and fees for each term

    Graduate and Postdoc Academic Success Program (GPAS) - helpful service offering learning strategies for successful navigation of your PhD studies.

    Graduate School Academic Forms & Guidelines - some graduate forms can be found here along with user guides.

    Housing and Residential Information - Information about available graduate housing.

    International Student Resources (ISSS) - International student support.

    Science and Engineering Library - offers learning spaces, instructional support, and innovative research services.

    Student Care Coordination - promotes mental health and wellbeing.

    Student Health Insurance Information - SHIP questions and information regarding waiving SHIP, if needed.

    University Registrar Workflows - questions about forms found in YES can be found here.  You can also email questions to YES@Vanderbilt.edu.

  • Safety Information

    If you get locked out of your lab/office space and no staff are available, or it is after office hours, call Vanderbilt University Police at 615-322-2745.

    Keep your doors locked and secure your personal belongings.  Be aware of your surroundings when entering and exiting the building.

  • Travel Policies and Procedures

    Preparing for Travel

    Below are the steps required prior to any travel on behalf of your research group/VUSE:

    1. Obtain permission/approval from your advisor/DGS.
      • International students - reach out to ISSS
        • Travel with important documents such as:
          • up-to-date and signed for travel I-20
          • valid passport
          • valid visa
          • a letter from your program (if possible) - admission letter, letter stating active enrollment and your program is aware of your travels, etc.
    2. Your advisor must email a grant manager to confirm funding is available and it is allowable on the project.
    3. The grant manager must reply to the advisor and you stating:
      • if travel is allowed
      • if there is funding
      • the email will contain further instructions
    4. Book your travel.  Airfare must be booked via Concur (no exceptions).  Hotels should also be booked via Concur, but there are exceptions (i.e. you are staying at the hotel hosting the conference).
    5. If you are traveling internationally:
    6. Save all travel receipts.  Note: you may seek reimbursement for your prepaid air travel/conference fee before travel to the conference and we recommend doing so.

    Returning from Travel

    Upon return from travel, you must:

    1. Submit your reimbursement within 60 days of the last day of travel (mark this clearly in the business description box by putting: Last Day of Travel: xx/xx/xxxx). Failure to do so will result in the reimbursement being considered taxable income.
    2. Make sure you enter in the correct project ID/task that was is in the approval email.
    3. Upload your itemized receipts and the email from the grant manager approving the travel.

    CCC International Travel Laptop Program

    The CCC is offering a loaner laptop program that aims to help avoid complications when traveling internationally.  We strongly recommend using our loaner laptops instead of your personal or work devices while traveling internationally. 

    How to Request: 

    • Submit your request for a loaner laptop to VUIT at least 48 hours before travel 
    • Specify that you're part of the CCC loaner laptop program 
    • Indicate your preference for Windows or Mac 
    • VUIT will set you up as a user on the machine and arrange delivery of the device 

    These laptops are reserved exclusively for CCC members and managed by Vanderbilt University Information Technology (VUIT).  You must also complete the university's international travel registration process when traveling on behalf of Vanderbilt.  If you have any questions about this process, please reach out to Lindsay Meyers, Assistant Dean for Special Projects at: lindsay.meyers@vanderbilt.edu.

Department of Computer Science