The Computer Science Department has two programs to help track your progress towards the PhD, maximize your learning and happiness, and work with you to resolve any problems that may arise.
The first program consists of annual meetings between each PhD student and the Staff Graduate Advisor, Jay Subramanian, to discuss the student's progress and happiness, learn what is going well and not so well for the student, and discuss ways of dealing with any problems that come up. These meetings have two purposes: first, to help students resolve problems that might otherwise remain latent ; and second, provide the faculty with an overall sense of how our PhD students are feeling. The discussions in these meetings will be confidential to the greatest degree allowed by law (certain issues, such as Title IX violations, must be reported), but summary results and issues will be shared with the faculty.
The second program consists of annual reviews; its goal is to ensure that each PhD student receives meaningful and constructive feedback from their advisor every year. During the spring quarter, each student will fill out a questionnaire that summarizes their progress over the year as well as issues they would like to discuss. The student's advisor(s) will read the form and fill out additional questions giving their sense of progress and constructive suggestions for improvement. After the student has reviewed the advisor's comments, the student and advisor will meet to discuss the form. The review forms will be collected and retained by the CS PhD Student Services Office, under the control of the Director of Graduate Studies; the forms will not be publicly available.
Annual reviews apply only to PhD students in their second year or later; annual meetings will be held for all PhD students.
