Upon the student's entry into the Department, a faculty member is appointed to advise the student on selection of courses ant to provide an introduction to research opportunities. The student receives continuing guidance throughout his or her career from this advisor or another faculty member of the student's choice To provide graduate students with a broad perspective on their discipline, all Ph.D. candidates take two courses in statistics, an introductory core course in their area of specialization and several courses from areas outside of their own specialty. Although the Department places strong emphasis on research training, we believe that students should also have teaching experience.
Students proceed through several steps before formally becoming candidates for the Ph.D. degree.
During the first and second years of study, students take the required courses and satisfy the requirement for computer literacy. After passing this exam the student forms a Dissertation Advisory Committee. At this stage, the student receives a Master of Arts degree. The final dissertation report is defended in an oral examination conducted by the student's advisory committee and a representative appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies. This examination is sometimes preceded by a lecture on the thesis research that is open to all members of the Department.