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What to Expect In the First Year of Your PhD

First, there isn’t one right way to do grad school.  Everyone’s journey will be different.

In your first year, your goal is to find an advisor with whom you have a good working relationship, to start research, and to take classes.

An Advisor
An advisor/advisee relationship is a mutual agreement between the student and the faculty member.  The advisor’s role is to guide and counsel the student on the research and academic planning for, and completion of, the Ph.D. degree.

Courses and registration
Registration opens in the beginning of June. You must register for at least one OPEN course prior to the first day of classes to avoid being assessed a late registration fee (see Rackham’s policy).  After registering for an open course, you may be interested in registering for other courses.  However, you may not be able to directly get into the course(s) you would like.  If you find yourself in this situation, you should get on the waitlist.  Many of the CSE classes are by override only.  That means that you should reach out to the professor to request that you be added to the course.  Alternatively, you can attend the first day of that class to obtain an override from the instructor.

Required courses: Breadth, Depth, Cognate
You will select courses from four categories: breadth, depth, and cognate.  Courses that count towards the PhD requirements and are in CSE have two different designations: breadth and depth.  Breadth courses are associated with one of the five research areas (hardware, software, artificial intelligence, interactive systems, theory) and provide students with a broad coverage of topics in the area.  Depth courses are not associated with an area.  They provide a deeper coverage into a topic of interest.  You can find the designation for each course in the CSE Degree Requirements List.

You are required to take three breadth courses and complete each with a grade of B+ or better. Equivalency is possible (see below).  You will take two depth courses with a grade of A- or better.  These courses cannot be completed via equivalency.

Cognate courses are those not taught in CSE.  Graduate courses taken from other programs cannot overlap in content with any CSE course related material. Any course in question must have prior approval of the CSE Graduate Program Committee.  Equivalency is possible (see below).

Please speak with your advisor to determine which courses to take.  Please see the CSE graduate program guide to learn more about breadth, depth, and cognate courses.

Intro to Graduate Research
This is a one-credit class taught in CSE.  This seminar series is designed to introduce you to the skills needed to be a successful graduate student researcher in computer science and engineering.  Throughout this course, not only will you be exposed to new research methods early in your career, but you will become familiarized with skills current graduates have found integral for success. Course topics include promoting your research, developing a healthy relationship with your advisor, publishing in computer science, and developing teaching skills.

The objectives of this course are to:

  • Prepare you to perform research in computer science
  • Provide advice on forming effective and healthy relationships with your advisor(s) and colleagues
  • Develop your skills in technical communication
  • Prepare you for future positions, from being a GSI to finding an internship and beyond!

Course equivalency requests
You can satisfy breadth and cognate requirements by requesting equivalency for graduate courses that you have previously completed at an accredited graduate-degree-granting institution.  Note that equivalency will remove the requirement that you take a course, but it does not grant credit nor do these courses contribute to your overall GPA.  

The process for obtaining equivalency for breadth courses is:

  • You complete the CSE Course Equivalency Form available via this webpage for each course.
  • Submit to the CSE faculty who most recently taught the course (atlas.ai.umich.edu) as many items from the list as possible (e.g. course outline, course description, work you completed for the course, etc.) and ask them to sign the form, if they approve your request.
  • If the faculty instructor approves your request, then you must submit it to your CSE academic advisor for approval. (Electronic signatures suffice.)
  • If approved by your academic advisor, then the request must be submitted to the CSE Graduate Programs Office for consideration by the Graduate Committee (please email the form, do not submit a physical copy).
  • If your request is approved by the Graduate Committee, you will be notified via email.

You can also satisfy the cognate requirement via an equivalency request.  However, the policy is a bit different because it requires Rackham approval.  If you have completed non-CSE graduate-level coursework at an accredited graduate-degree-granting institution, you may ask your advisor to approve up to 3 credit hours (on a semester calendar, or 5 credit hours on a trimester calendar) of cognate coursework to fulfill Rackham’s cognate requirement. If approved, the final, official transcript from that institution must first be submitted (even if no degree was awarded) to the Rackham Graduate School. Then, the advisor must send an email to the Graduate Programs Office requesting that the graduate-level course (including name and number) from the accredited institution be used ‘in spirit’ to satisfy Rackham’s cognate course requirement. The Graduate Coordinator will forward the request to Rackham’s Academic Records and Dissertations area for consideration. If approved, an email will be sent to the Graduate Coordinator, advisor, and student.