Expected Progress Toward the Ph.D. in ACO

Most items in this section are not a strict requirement, but a guideline as to how ACO students should progress. ACO students should strive for a cumulative GPA of 4.0. All required coursework must be passed with a grade of B or better.

Year 1: Classes, searching for prospective research advisement. CS and ISYE students are encouraged to identify an advisor by late Fall of the 1st year. All students should start investigating research topics and are expected to attend the ACO student seminar. The Comprehensive Exam is offered in two parts. The first part is offered the week before the Spring semester of the first year, and the second part the week before the Fall semester of the second year.  

Year 2: Pass the comprehensive examination. By the end of the second year, each student should have a formal dissertation advisor. Students can continue with their course requirements, and should be actively pursuing research.  

Year 3: Independent research; defense of the research proposal. By the completion of the third year, students should have produced at least one result satisfying the following specification based upon their field of study:

• CS: Accepted to a top tier conference/symposia (*)
• ISyE: Accepted to a top tier conference/symposia. (*) 
• Math: Draft of a paper publishable in a top-tier specialized journal.

(*) Some examples: FOCS, STOC, SODA, IPCO, NeurIPS, COLT, EC, etc.

In subsequent years, students are expected to devote their efforts toward completing the dissertation. The expectation is that ACO students should complete their degree in approximately five years. The quality of the dissertation is expected to meet the following specifications based on the respective field of study:

• CS: One or two papers accepted by top conferences and the corresponding articles submitted to top journals.
• ISyE: At least one paper accepted by Mathematical Programming or a wider-scope journal of similar quality.
• Math: At least one paper accepted by a top specialized journal, other papers submitted.

For the first two years of ACO study, the following schedule of core courses is typical: (suggested, but not compulsory...)