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1) Who makes PhD admission decisions? What are the important criteria?
2) Are GRE scores required?
3) I have a GRE score of xxx points. Will I be admitted? What is the minimum GRE score for admission?
4) Is a masters degree required for admission to the PhD program?
5) My previous degrees were in a subject other than computer science. Can I still apply?
6) I already have a masters degree or graduate work in cs. How does this change things? Can I transfer credits into the program?
7) I read that poly has several campuses. Can I pursue the PhD on any of the campuses?
8) Can I use the online applications to apply for the PhD program? Why not?
9) I have been admitted to or I am currently enrolled in the MS program in cs at poly. Can I transfer into the PhD program?
10) I am an undergraduate at poly who plans to pursue a phd later, either at poly or elsewhere. what should i do?
11) Is previous research experience required to get admitted to the PhD?
12) I am a local applicant living in the new york area. Can I visit and discuss my application face-to-face?
13) Do you admit people for part-time study towards a PhD?
14) Do all full-time PhD students receive financial support?
15) If I indicate that I might have some funding to support my studies, will this decrease my chances of being offered support from poly?
16) I am currently applying for the program. Should I contact faculty members to ask for admission or financial support?
17) The deadline for applications for admission with support has already passed. Can I still apply late?
18) Do you admit new PhD students in the spring semester?
19) Whom should I ask for letters of recommendation? How many letters are needed?
20) When should I expect a decision about my application? How much time will I have to make my decision? Will my decision be binding or can I later decide to attend another school?
21) Whom should I contact with additional questions?
1) WHO MAKES PhD ADMISSION DECISIONS? WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT CRITERIA?
PhD admission decisions are made directly by the faculty of the CIS
department. Each admission is evaluated individually. The most important
factors are previous academic background (GPA and courses taken), letters of
reference, previous research experience, relevant professional experience, GRE
scores, and statement of purpose. In addition, the candidate's area of
interest and area of previous research or work experience may also play an
important role, and applicants whose background matches current research
activities in the department will have a better chance. On the other hand,
if you plan to pursue research in an area that is not represented at all
in our department, then your chances will be lower and we would recommend
applying to another school instead. Go to top...
2) ARE GRE SCORES REQUIRED?
Scores for the GRE General Score are required from all applicants. We do not
require scores for the CS subject test, but you may submit them as part of
your application. Go to top...
3) I HAVE A GRE SCORE OF XXX POINTS. WILL I BE ADMITTED? WHAT IS THE MINIMUM GRE SCORE FOR ADMISSION?
We consider your entire application to make decisions on admission and
support. A high GRE score alone does not guarantee admission. There are also
no specified minimum scores for the GRE, but be aware that admission is
highly competitive so high scores are expected unless there is some other
significant strength in the application that can make up for it. Go to top...
4) IS A MASTERS DEGREE REQUIRED FOR ADMISSION TO THE PhD PROGRAM?
No, a Masters degree is not required, and people with undergraduate or graduate
degrees can apply. Go to top...
5) MY PREVIOUS DEGREES WERE IN A SUBJECT OTHER THAN COMPUTER SCIENCE. CAN I STILL APPLY?
Yes, though we expect you to have significant background in CS or closely
related fields. Admission is unlikely if we conclude that significant course
work would be needed to make up for missing background in CS. For closely
related fields such as Computer Engineering or EE this may often not be a
big problem, but if your undergraduate background is in a very different field,
then first getting an MS degree in CS may be a better idea. Go to top...
6) I ALREADY HAVE AN MASTERS DEGREE OR GRADUATE WORK IN CS. HOW DOES THIS CHANGE THINGS? CAN I TRANSFER CREDITS INTO THE PROGRAM?
You may be able to transfer some credits into our PhD program. This will usually
be decided after you arrive at Poly. Also, if you already have
a Masters degree in CS from another institution, then you will not be awarded
another MS degree from Poly. Having already a Masters degree can be advantageous
if it shows that a candidate has strong and broad background and/or if it
includes some research. On the other hand, we may also expect more from somebody
who already has a Masters degree. Go to top...
7) I READ THAT POLY HAS SEVERAL CAMPUSES. CAN I PURSUE THE PhD ON ANY OF THE CAMPUSES?
No, only in Brooklyn and in some cases in Westchester. The PhD
program is based at the Brooklyn campus. Almost all faculty involved in
the program are based in Brooklyn, and most of the research actitivities in
the department take place there as well. There are a limited number of
part-time students that do most of their course work and thesis work at the
Westchester campus, though some parts of the program may require coming to
Brooklyn. All full-time supported PhD students are expected to pursue their
studies at the Brooklyn campus. Go to top...
8) CAN I USE THE ONLINE APPLICATIONS TO APPLY FOR THE PhD PROGRAM? WHY NOT?
We ask all applicants for the PhD program to apply by filling out
a printed application form and mailing it to the stated address. The reason
is that PhD applications require additional materials, and the online system
may sometimes lose or corrupt some of those materials. You may download
and print out the application form available
here. Go to top...
9) I HAVE BEEN ADMITTED TO OR I AM CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN THE MS PROGRAM IN CS AT POLY. CAN I TRANSFER INTO THE PhD PROGRAM?
Admission to the PhD program is separate from the MS program, and is
significantly more competitive. You need to apply for the PhD program like
everybody else. Be aware that to be considered for the PhD program, you
should be among the top students in the MS program. Talk to a faculty
member or the graduate advisor before applying for a transfer into the PhD
program. Go to top...
10) I AM AN UNDERGRADUATE AT POLY WHO PLANS TO PURSUE A PhD LATER, EITHER AT POLY OR ELSEWHERE. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
The earlier you start planning ahead the better. Ask a faculty member for
advice. Consider working on some research with a faculty member. Research
experience is usually more important for getting into a good program than a
slightly better GRE. Do not start planning in your final year. Also consider
schools other than Poly. While we always like to get good students, a change
of institution can sometimes be healthy for your academic career. Go to top...
11) IS PREVIOUS RESEARCH EXPERIENCE REQUIRED TO GET ADMITTED TO THE PhD?
No, though it is highly desirable if you have some. Make sure to describe
such experience in your statement and try to get a letter of reference
discussing it. Research experience is particularly important for applicants
who already have a Masters degree, while for students who are still undergrads
it is less common to have a significant research record. In general, we are
looking for applicants who have shown scholarship and initiative beyond the
basic degree requirements. Also discuss relevant professional experience in
your statement and resume. Go to top...
12) I AM A LOCAL APPLICANT LIVING IN THE NEW YORK AREA. CAN I VISIT AND DISCUSS MY APPLICATION FACE-TO-FACE?
Yes, in fact we recommend this. Make contact early to get advice on how to
apply and if we are the right choice for you. In some cases we may also ask
you to come for an interview during the admissions process. If you consider
spending several years of you life on a PhD, and live in the area, there is
no reason not to come by to have a look. Go to top...
13) DO YOU ADMIT PEOPLE FOR PART-TIME STUDY TOWARDS A PhD?
Yes, though we believe that it is not always a good idea to pursue a PhD
part-time. We understand there are circumstances where full-time study is
not possible and try to accommodate part-time students, but otherwise we
strongly recommend going full-time, at least for some of the duration of
study. In our experience, being part-time greatly increases the time it
takes to finish the program and decreases the success rate. Consider
carefully how this fits into your professional situation. There are some
employers (such as colleges or research labs) that may be very supportive
in terms of giving time off or tuition support. Note that part-time students
typically do not receive financial support such as scholarships or
assistantships from the department. Contact the advisor and discuss such
plans with our faculty. Go to top...
14) DO ALL FULL-TIME PhD STUDENTS RECEIVE FINANCIAL SUPPORT?
Basically, yes, but let's be more precise. For applicants that indicate that
they require financial support to attend, or that do not show sufficient
financial resources in their application, we will typically only offer admission
if we can offer sufficient financial support (though there may be exceptions).
For applicants that have other support, we may sometimes admit people without
offering support (see also next item). Go to top...
15) IF I INDICATE THAT I MIGHT HAVE SOME FUNDING TO SUPPORT MY STUDIES, WILL THIS DECREASE MY CHANCES OF BEING OFFERED SUPPORT FROM POLY?
The answer may depend on the type of funding you already have. If you have an
outside scholarship (say, a US or foreign government or private scholarship) or
a commitment by a company to support you over several years, then we would
expect you to use this funding if admitted. If you show personal and family
funds as your source of support, then we would assume that you would still
prefer getting support from us, and that you would not be happy to entirely
support yourself from those funds over the several years of your PhD study.
In that case, chances are that you would be considered the same as applicants
requiring support. In some case, when we do not have enough funding to
support all strong applicants, we may offer admission without support in the
first year, with the expectation that the department will make an effort to
find support in the second year if the student maintains a
strong record in the first year. Go to top...
16) I AM CURRENTLY APPLYING FOR THE PROGRAM. SHOULD I CONTACT FACULTY MEMBERS TO ASK FOR ADMISSION OR FINANCIAL SUPPORT?
Please do not email multiple faculty members to ask about admission and
possibilities for support. You may contact an individual faculty member if your
research interests and background are directly related to his/her work. But
please do not broadcast requests to all faculty. To inquire on the status of
your application, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies. Go to top...
17) THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION WITH SUPPORT HAS ALREADY PASSED. CAN I STILL APPLY LATE?
Yes, you can still apply a little later. We STRONGLY recommend applying by
the deadline though. If you apply later, your chances of obtaining support will
be diminished, and very late applications (say April or later) will likely not
receive any consideration for support. For admission without support, you may
apply until May 31, but earlier is better. Be aware that for international
students, some time is needed for the visa process, so very late applications
might run into problems even if no support is requested. Go to top...
18) DO YOU ADMIT NEW PhD STUDENTS IN THE SPRING SEMESTER?
Usually not, except in cases such as internal transfers into the program or
when a faculty member recommends a particular student for admission and agrees
to provide support. Other applications are usually only evaluated once a year
in the spring for the next fall semester. Go to top...
19) WHOM SHOULD I ASK FOR LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION? HOW MANY LETTERS ARE NEEDED?
We require at least 2 letters, but strongly recommend asking for 3-4 letters.
Some of the letters may be from job supervisors and employers, but we suggest
that at least 2 should be from faculty at your undergraduate (and graduate
if applicable) places of study. If you have been out of school for several
years, nonetheless make an effort to contact those faculty members and ask for
a letter. Do not apply with multiple letters from various employers. Letters
should address previous research experience that you might have had during your
studies. Go to top...
20) WHEN SHOULD I EXPECT A DECISION ABOUT MY APPLICATION? HOW MUCH TIME WILL I HAVE TO MAKE MY DECISION? WILL MY DECISION BE BINDING OR CAN I LATER DECIDE TO ATTEND ANOTHER SCHOOL?
For applications for financial support that meet the February 15 deadline,
decisions are typically made during March and April. For other applications
that arrive later, decisions should be made around two months after we receive
the application. For admissions with financial support, we follow the
guidelines
of the Council of Graduate Schools. This means that we try
to make offers before April 15, and we will not require a binding decision
before April 15. Any decision to accept our offer of admission with support
will be considered binding. Occasionally we may decide to make offers of
support after April 15, due to additional funding becoming available. In that
case, you will get a limited amount of time (1-2 weeks) to make a binding
decision. Go to top...
21) WHOM SHOULD I CONTACT WITH ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?
Please contact the Director of Graduate Studies for all additional questions,
by sending email to dgs@cis.poly.edu. The Director position may
rotate between different faculty members, so please use the above email for
contact. Go to top...