Computer Science Doctoral Assessment of Comprehensive Knowledge

Written Component

All PhD students in the theoretical and computational science major with a concentration in computer science must follow these guidelines for demonstrating a written comprehensive breadth of knowledge in the discipline.

PhD students majoring in theoretical and computational science with a concentration in computer science must declare their research area by no later than three months before the oral comprehensive examination (although sooner, and within the first semester the student’s program, is preferred as it affects course selection for a student’s program). This area must be one of Algorithms, Systems, or Computational Intelligence. Each PhD student must demonstrate breadth in the two areas outside of their declared research area by having completed two courses in each of those areas, for a total of four courses. This can be done by:

a) completing regularly-offered or series University of Lethbridge Computer Science courses at the 7000-level in the research areas outside of their declared research area, and/or

b) providing evidence of having taken graduate-level Computer Science (or related) courses in the research areas outside of their declared research area. Note that: 1) at most two courses can be considered for this option, and 2) the courses must appear on the transcript(s) submitted with a student’s PhD application.

In both cases a grade of B (or equivalent) must be achieved in order for the breadth requirement to be satisfied. The student must provide a written submission to the Chair of the DGEC (or the CS delegate if the DGEC Chair is from Mathematics or Statistics) demonstrating how the course requirements have been satisfied for each of the areas outside of their declared research area. The following form (link to be added) can be used for this purpose. The student is strongly encouraged to consult with their supervisor in the creation of their written submission. The Chair (or delegate) will review the submission and may ask for additional information, or may require the student to take additional course(s) in the relevant area(s) if the evidence is not sufficient or if the course(s) are not deemed to be within the required areas. The Chair is expected to consult with faculty who teach or work in the relevant area as part of their assessment.

Oral Component

The oral component of the comprehensive exam will be set by the Comprehensive Examination Committee. The student can take the oral component of the comprehensive exam only after they have satisfied the breadth requirement in the two areas outside of their declared research area.

The oral comprehensive exam consists of the Demonstration of Breadth in their Declared Research Area via a presentation by the student and a question-answer examination by the committee. The student will be provided a bibliography consisting of papers (minimum of 10, maximum of 15) of related work in their declared research area, which will serve as the basis of the oral exam. This bibliography must be provided to the student between three months and three months plus two weeks before the date of the exam.

A maximum of two attempts on the oral component will be allowed. If a second attempt is required, the student will use the same bibliography for this attempt.

Approved by Graduate Council April 11, 2024