ACO Program Description

The Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization (ACO) program is a joint venture of the College of Computing, the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and the School of Mathematics, with additional participation from faculty of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The program is overseen by a Coordinating Committee drawn from the participating faculty with representation from the participating units. The program does not constitute an independent academic unit. 

Each ACO student has a home unit in one of the three sponsoring schools: Computer Science, Mathematics, or Industrial and Systems Engineering. The home unit handles funding, payroll, permits, waivers, and other day-to-day administrative matters, while ACO oversees the shared academic structure of the program.  

 

Academic Structure

ACO coordinates the academic framework of the PhD across participating units. This includes the shared program requirements, comprehensive examination, major academic milestones, and general program communication. The program is currently led by Director Santosh Vempala, with Greg Blekherman (Math) and Alejandro Toriello (ISyE) serving as Associate Directors.  

In addition to ACO, students will interact with several Georgia Tech offices during the course of the PhD: 

  • Home Unit (Computer Science, Mathematics, or ISyE): funding, GTA/GRA appointments, payroll and HR, permits and waivers, department-specific requirements.  
  • Graduate Education: Institute-level resources, academic milestones, and thesis/dissertation support.  
  • Registrar: course registration, enrollment verification, and transcripts. 
  • Office of International Education (OIE): for international students only: visa compliance, CPT/OPT, and international student advising.  

 

Academic Requirements 

Students must satisfy Georgia Tech’s Institute requirements for the PhD, as described in the general catalog. In addition, ACO students must meet the specific requirements of the ACO program, which may vary from those of other programs in the participating units.  

Regardless of home unit, each ACO student must complete the ACO core curriculum. Students must also complete at least 15 credit hours of additional coursework beyond the core, with some additional requirements determined by the home unit. All required courses must be completed with a grade of B or better. A list of current and past ACO-related courses can be found on the Schedule of Classes page. 

Additional degree requirements include: 

Georgia Tech’s forms for Doctoral students are available through Graduate Education.

Graduate-level coursework completed at another institution may be counted toward ACO requirements with approval from the Coordinating Committee. In some cases, the Committee may require a student to pass an examination in the relevant subject before granting approval.  

Current students should consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for more information and the page describing expected progress toward the PhD in ACO.