This document has been superseded by the new CS Ph.D. manual for students entering in Fall, 2021 or afterwards.  The CS Ph.D. manual includes all of the advice in this document and adapts it to the Fall 2021+ requirements.

The course requirements for the CS Ph.D. described in the graduate manual are quite complicated.    They are also in flux as the faculty are working on changes both to the program and to the graduate manual.   The purpose of this document is to explain how we, the faculty, think of course requirements.   Lots of frequently asked questions then are easier to answer.

If you are on the Computer Engineering (CE) track within CS, or you are a CE student of a CS faculty member, you should stop reading this:  your course and other requirements are set by the CE manual.

Primacy of Research and Intellectual Purposes of Courses

The purpose of the Ph.D. process is to learn how to become an effective, independent researcher.    You learn how to do research by doing research, initially with a lot of guidance, and, over time, with less and less guidance.   This cannot be stressed enough:   you are not in a Ph.D. program to take courses; you are in a Ph.D. program to learn how to do research, and courses serve this end.

Courses serve three intellectual purposes.    The first is make you a well-grounded computer scientist with a feel for the breadth of CS, and perhaps beyond.      The second is to give you depth within the area of CS you are working in (areas currently to correspond to the tracks noted in the graduate manual).  The final purpose is to give you the tools to better pursue your research.

Your Advisor and Courses

When considering courses, it is very easy to confuse intellectual purposes (such as the above) and accounting purposes (such as meeting some requirement in the graduate manual).   It is important to talk to your advisor on a quarterly basis about courses, first from the intellectual perspective, and then from the accounting perspective.   Your advisor knows your background, your area/track,  your research, and your goals better than anyone else, and is thus best equipped to lead you in the right direction.   Your advisor should also know the accounting rules, but if they do not, they can always reach out to phd-student-help@cs to ask.  You can too.

If you are a first year student, you have an interim advisor who should be filling this role.    If you are an upper year student who has been between advisors for a significant period of time, you should already be talking to the DGS, who will fill this role.

Nested Requirements and Expectations

One reason why the graduate manual’s description of course requirements is complex is because there are multiple entities involved, and, consequently, many of the explicit requirements are necessarily accounting-related.   However, we have arranged these requirements to nest, so it is not as bad as it looks.   Here is a summary, from the inside out:

• University
  • Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) web training and course (e.g., GEN_ENG 519) must be taken as early as possible.   If you do not pass this requirement,  your means of support are extremely limited.
  • English Language Proficiency.   If you are a foreign student, you must pass Northwestern’s tests before you can TA (or graduate, since TAing is required for graduation).  You should get this done as early as possible.   You have a limited number of attempts.
• The Graduate School (TGS)
  • 9 graded graduate courses (“graduate course” means it’s approved for TGS credit, which is the case for most 300+ level courses in CS.   If in doubt, look on CAESAR or ask.)
  • 3.0+ GPA
  • At most half of courses in the first three quarters can be 499s (see below)
• The CS Department (CS)
  • 15 graded graduate courses (6 beyond the TGS requirement)
  • At least 6 units must be 400+, not including “Teaching Experience” “courses” (GEN_ENG 545/546)
  • Introduction to Graduate Studies should be one of the courses
  • 3.0+ GPA
  • There are no additional limits on 499s (see below).
  • Course waivers are possible.   Getting a course waiver means you have the intellectual background the course provides.  It does not mean the accounting requirements change (see below).
• Your Track
  • Here, you are expected to attain a certain level of breadth and depth.   The track’s description in the graduate manual explains the intellectual requirements in detail and suggests courses to achieve those requirements.   These courses will also help you meet the CS and TGS accounting requirements (the 15 graded graduate courses).
  • The courses suggested by the track are not the only ways to meet the intellectual goals of the track.    Your advisor is tasked with helping you meet the intellectual goals of the track through course suggestions, or in determining that you meet them without taking a course.   The track’s other faculty can help when things are not clear.  If there remains a lack of clarity, your advisor can contact phd-student-help@cs.
• Your Advisor
  • Your advisor may have additional intellectual expectations and course requirements given your specific circumstances.
• Your Quals Committee
  • Your intellectual background, including courses, is fair game during your qualifying exam.    Your advisor is tasked with helping you prepare for it.

Reconciling Intellectual and Accounting Requirements: the 499

Some Ph.D. students enter the program with minimal preparation, while others enter with a great deal of background, for example from a high quality undergraduate or masters program.   The former set of students need to take a lot of courses to acquire intellectual background they should have.  On the other hand, it would be nonsensical to have the latter set of students take courses that cover intellectual background they already have.   It is also the case that not all courses in the world with the same name are equal.    Some Ph.D. students may need to “repeat” courses here at Northwestern to make sure they do cover the relevant intellectual ground.    Finally, all Ph.D. students need to have time to pursue guided research, from day one.

To summarize the above: At the start of their Ph.D. journeys, students require varying amounts of time for graduate reading and research.   This needs to be reconciled with the graded course requirements (the 15 courses you are required to take).    The graded course we use to do this is CS 499.

Do you need to take a course to cover some intellectual background you need?   Take the course and get a grade.   Do you need to do graduate reading and research and also need to have a graded course?  Take CS 499 with your advisor.   Do you need to do graduate reading and research and you already have enough graded courses?   Take CS 590 with your advisor.

FAQs

• Who is responsible for my progress in classes and research?
  You are.   Your advisor is responsible for helping you make progress.
• I’m a first year.  Are you serious about this primacy of research business?
  Yes.   Very.    This is common to strong Ph.D. programs, such as those producing your competitors.
• Who should I address a question to?  
  In general, follow this order:  your advisor, other faculty in your track,  phd-student-help@cs, dgs-phd@cs, department chair
  If you have an issue with your advisor, please contact dgs-phd@cs or the department chair.
  You can also go directly to TGS for any reason.
• Do I really need to do this RCR thing?   Both the web  training and the course?    Really?     It all seems obvious.
  Yes.   All hell breaks lose if you don’t do this because it is a federal requirement.   And you may not get paid.  Do this in your first year, ideally as soon as possible.   Seriously.
• I’m a foreign student.   Do I really need to have English Language Proficiency as measured by passing the University’s tests?
  Yes.  You cannot TA without passing this test, and you cannot graduate without TAing.    More importantly, a good command of English will pay dividends in your research and job prospects.   Treat this as an opportunity.    Note that if you have a degree from an institution that is English-speaking as determined by TGS, this requirement may be waived.   This is up to TGS, not the CS department.
• Am I on track for my classes and quals?
  This question needs to be addressed first and foremost to your advisor.  CS has a general expectation that advisors know how their students are doing.    If your advisor is unsure, they can seek guidance from the other faculty in your track, or can contact phd-student-help@cs or dgs-phd@cs.
• Do I really need to sign up for courses?
  Yes.   Very bad things happen if you don’t, including losing funding.   This is true even if you are upper year student and are only signing up for 499s (graded graduate reading and research) or 590s (ungraded graduate reading and research).    Just do it.
• Do I really need to take 15 graded courses?
  Currently, yes.   However, note that 499s can be among these.   And remember that 499 can mean graduate reading and research.
• What graded courses should I take?  
  Your advisor should be helping you determine these, as well as the appropriate mix of courses and graduate reading and research (499s).  Whatever you are taking, it should be motivated for intellectual reasons, not accounting reasons.
• Can’t I just test out of courses, or transfer courses here?
  From the intellectual perspective, yes.   From the accounting perspective, unfortunately not, but you can achieve the same effect.   If you and your advisor agree that you already have the intellectual background of CS NNN (and you can get help on making this determination by talking to the course coordinator of CS NNN), then you can take a 499 instead (i.e., have more graduate reading and research).
• I entered the program with an advanced degree/lots of background.   It seems crazy that I need to take 15 graded courses!
  It is.   This is really the same question as “Can’t I just test out of courses, or transfer courses here?”   The answer is the same.   You can get the intended effect (more time for graduate reading and research time) in the same way.
• I’m worried about these 499/class substitutions…
  If you’d like a written record, ask your advisor to email phd-student-help@cs with their determination and a paragraph of support, and cc you.
• Does 499 count toward the 15 graded courses requirement and is there a limit?    Yes, it counts.   There is no CS limit.   The TGS limit is that you cannot have more than 50% of your courses be 499s during your first three quarters at Northwestern.  
  
• Why cant I just take CS 590 instead of CS 499?   CS 590 courses also serve the “graduate reading and research” purpose, but are not graded.   As a consequence, they do not count toward the 15 graded courses requirement.   As a practical matter, you basically want to use 499s until you satisfy your graded courses requirement, and then take CS 590.        Note that there are other CS and TGS 5XX courses that serve other purposes.   Pay close attention to whether there are graded or not.
• The graduate manual says CS 499 is not a replacement for CS 590!
  It’s not, from an accounting perspective.  From an intellectual perspective, namely to create time for graduate reading and research, it can be.  499 also serves an additional intellectual purpose, namely to try one-off projects.
• Have I completed the 15 required graded courses?
  There are two questions here:  (a) Have you met the intellectual requirements of CS and your track?  (b) Have you met the accounting requirements?    (a) is a question for your advisor.   (b) can be checked by looking at your transcript on GSTS.
• I’m interning.   Why do I need to take a course?!  
  This has to do with accounting requirements and a TGS concept called “continuous registration”, neither of which CS has control over.   Just do the Crown Internship (CRDV 510).    There is a form.  Fill it out and submit it.
• Should I get an MS degree once I’ve taken enough courses?
  Yes.   Once you have completed 12 courses (with a minimum of 9 graded courses), you are eligible.    This is an important backstop on your way to the Ph.D.   Some tracks in CS make the MS degree an automatic part of the quals process.   In other tracks, you will need to apply for it yourself.   It’s a form.
• Am I on track for my thesis proposal (prospectus) and defense?
  Whether you are ready to propose is a question for your advisor.   Whether you are ready for your thesis defense is a question for your thesis committee, which is chaired by your advisor.   TGS has time constraints on proposals and defenses.   These are lax, and you should get nowhere near them.
• What’s changing?
  We will be adding more requirements to the thesis process.  A revision of the graduate manual is in progress.  We also anticipate removing the 15 course CS requirement (reducing it to the 9 courses required by TGS).   You should not make decisions now based on these possible future changes.