What is a DAP Committee?
Student must form an official "DAP committee" of three faculty to evaluate the document. The committee will consist of the advisor, the Journal club instructor(s), and one other faculty member selected by the student. The third member is typically someone with an interest in the analysis of the data set, and does not have to be an expert in ML or part of the student's thesis committee.The student should form the committee as early as possible during the DAP research process, and inform Diane of who the members are. Two faculty from the committee are required to attend the presentation.

What is a DAP Prospectus?
Students must write a 1-2 page prospectus, including the DAP's title, general topic, proposed data source, and a brief summary of proposed analysis methods, and circulate it to the committee. Again, the student should do this as early as possible, preferably when the student forms the committee.

How do I schedule my DAP presentation?
You must register for the Machine Learning Journal Club (10-915) for the semester in which you plan to present your DAP. Follow the instructions on the class web page to sign up for a slot. The schedule will be decided early in the semester -- usually signups are open before the first class. So, make sure you sign up early to get a slot.

When should I submit a DAP Draft to my Committee?
Student should provide a near-final draft of the DAP document (approximately 15 pages) at least one month in advance of the DAP oral to the DAP committee.

Here is a webpage listing statistics electives and approved research concentrations.
http://www.ml.cmu.edu/current_students/electives.html

You will need to let Diane know which elective courses you are using to make up your research concentration. If the course you want to take is already listed on the webpage, in a concentration area, then no need to ask if it will count. If the course you want to take is not on the list in your research concentration, then the co-directors will need to determine if it will count towards your research depth requirement.

Speaking Skills Form

Sign up in advance to schedule your talk
We will open up the sign-up sheet for talk slots in advance of the course start date, you must sign up for a slot in order to register for the course. Those students who have already taken 10-915 twice and still need to finish a talk requirement must sign up in advance for a talk but are not required to register for a third time.

Advisor Attendance
Advisors are to attend both the student's speaking skills talk and the DAP oral. Student must check with their Advisor to make sure they will attend.

How do I register for courses?
http://www.cmu.edu/hub/sio
You should plan to spend 50% of your time in courses and 50% of your time doing research. Therefore you should be registered for at least 24 units of 10-920 Reading and Research each semester. Once you have completed your core courses and electives then your research units increase so that you are registered for a total of 48 units each semester. Once you propose then you should register for 10-930 Dissertaton Research instead of Reading and Research.

Adding/Dropping Courses
You are able to add or drop a class in your schedule until the 10th day of when classes begin. After that you will need to see the Graduate Program Administrator for help in making adjustments to your schedule.

Changing the Maximum Units
Please send email to the Graduate Program Administrator to request an increase in your maximum units if you are having trouble registering for classes.

Auditing a Course
First you need to actually register for the course. Fill out the course audit form and have your advisor and the course instructor sign to indicate his/her permission. Submit the signed form to the Graduate Program Administrator for school signature and submission to Enrollment Services.

The ML Department policy is that whenever possible, students and their advisors are responsible for covering the costs of conference related travel. However, when that is impossible, the department has limited funds to provide partial support. To apply for travel support, you must fill out the travel form and have your advisor sign it. The maximum to be reimbursed will be $200 plus the registration fee, if
only attending the conference or workshop; $600 plus registration fee, if presenting a paper.

When should I plan to TA?
You should not plan on TAing a course until at least your second year.

How many courses do I have to TA?
You are required to TA in two courses while you are in your PhD program.

How do I find a course to TA?
For ML Dept. courses contact the instructor directly. For CS Dept. courses, contact Mark Stehlik (mjs@cs.cmu.edu).

The thesis committee should be composed of four or more members (including the student’s research advisor), at least one of whom is an external member and at least one of whom is a Machine Learning faculty member.  The external member is typically from outside the university but could be from another department at Carnegie Mellon if appropriate.  The Department has the right in unusual cases to alter the composition of the committee to assure appropriate quality and breadth.

Once I have defended, how long do I have to turn in my final thesis?
May Graduation:
If you are graduating in May and plan to attend the May Commencement ceremony then your final thesis has to be turned in 2 weeks before the Black Friday meeting.

August or December Graduation:
You must have your final thesis turned in on the last day of the month following your defense semester end. If you defend in the summer then your final thesis has to be turned in by the end of September. If you defend during the fall semester then your final thesis must be turned in by the end of January.

The final thesis must have the approval from all of your committee members and your advisor must send email to the Graduate Program Administrator as a confirmation of approval.

SUBMITTING YOUR THESIS:

• Before you submit the final copy:
  • Check research credits with Russ O'Lare (rdo@cs)
  • Get a TR number from Graduate Program Administrator.
  • Check for proper title page format.
• When the final copy is ready:
  • Talk with Diane about making your thesis into a ML Technical Report by putting it on-line.
  • Print and fill out the Survey of Earned Doctorates form and return to Diane. (You may have to use Internet Explorer to print; Netscape doesn't seem to work.) This is requested by NSF and is a requirement of the university for graduation.
  • Fill out the UMI Dissertation Publishing Form pages 4 and 5, page 6 if you want to copyright your thesis and return to Diane with thesis. If you wish to register your copyright you must attach a check. If you do not wish to register for a copyright, do not fill out this portion of the form.

How do I publish my thesis?
Fill out the UMI Dissertation Publishing Form pages 4 and 5, page 6 if you want to copyright your thesis and return to Diane with thesis. If you wish to register your copyright you must attach a check. If you do not wish to register for a copyright, do not fill out this portion of the form.

You will also need to fill out the PhD Dissertations Checklist
Research Showcase Option
Research Showcase is Carnegie Mellon's institutional repository. It collects and organizes Carnegie mellon's research output into a single location, amd makes it accessible to scholars and researchers worldwide.