Director of Graduate Studies: Wolfgang Ahrendt.
Syllabus
(approved by the Pro-Vice-President on 11 December 2007. Ref. nr. C2007/1147)
(revised 29 October 2014)
1 Subject Matter and Goals
The aim of the graduate research education is to give the student
fundamental understanding of the various areas of Computer Science and
Engineering, and a broad understanding of current research issues and
practical applications, with in-depth insight into one or more fields,
and skills in research methodology. The licentiate program aims to make
the student capable of independent participation in research and
development work. The doctoral program aims to make the student capable
of critically and independently planning, carrying out, and presenting
work in research and development.
1.1 Fields of Specialisation
The graduate research education is in Computer Science and Engineering, possibly with one of the following specialisations:
- Bioinformatics
- Computing Science
- Computer Engineering
- Software Engineering
- Language Technology
2 Prerequisite Qualifications and Knowledge
The basic qualification for admission to our graduate research
education is a master's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science
or in a related subject ("civilingenjörsexamen" or "fil kand" in
Sweden) (minimum 240 credits). Equivalent knowledge acquired by other
means will also count as qualification. Students with a base exam
("grundexamen") from the faculty of mathematics and natural sciences or
equivalent can be admitted for graduate research education at Chalmers.
3 Organization and Structure
The PhD degree requires 240 higher education credits, and the
licentiate degree 120 higher education credits. These correspond to 4
years and 2 years respectively of full time study. The graduate research
studies consist of:
- preparatory courses (if necessary)
- mandatory courses
- general courses
- individual studies
- participation in research seminars and guest lectures
- research or development leading to a scientific dissertation
Teaching is by supervision, lectures, and seminars. The student
participates in scientific activities through attendance at seminars and
guest lectures even if these are not directly related to any part of
the formal course.
4 Courses
4.1 Preparatory Courses
These courses ensure a solid background in fundamental areas of
Computer Science and Engineering, and help the student choose an area of
specialization for the dissertation. Which courses to take, and how
many, is determined by the student together with the supervisor and
examiner. The credits earned in these courses are not part of the
mandatory course points for a licentiate (30 higher education credits)
degree, respectively, for a PhD (60 higher education credits) degree.
4.2 Mandatory Courses
Doctoral students admitted after September 1, 2012, are required to
take 15 credit points from the area of Generic and Transferable Skills
during their graduate studies. Of these, 9 credit points are mandatory
for the licentiate degree, and another 6 credit points for the PhD
degree.
In addition to the courses within Generic and Transferable Skills,
the student is also required to participate in the introduction day for
doctoral students (before the licentiate examination, at latest).
Further requirements are an oral popular science presentation to be
performed prior to the PhD thesis defence and a written popular science
presentation to be published on the back of the PhD thesis.
4.3 General Courses
The graduate school offers a set of courses of more general nature.
Graduate courses offered by other departments at Chalmers may be
included as general courses, provided that they cover topics relevant to
Computer Science and Engineering.
4.4 Individual Studies
The examiner and the supervisor together with the doctoral student
determine individual study courses. These courses have a focus on the
student’s specific research topic, and may include graduate courses
given at Chalmers as well as courses given elsewhere. Undergraduate
courses may also be included provided that a grade of 4 or higher has
been achieved. To take an undergraduate course, the graduate student
must apply to the responsible teacher before the course begins.
4.5 Course Requirements
A licentiate degree requires minimum 30 higher education credits
obtained through courses, of which minimum 21 higher education credits
must be from general courses and individual studies.
A PhD degree requires minimum 60 higher education credits obtained
through courses, of which minimum 45 higher education credits must be
from general courses and individual studies.
The course requirements are summarized in the following table:
Lic PhD
General Courses + Individual Studies 21 45
Chalmers Mandatory Courses 9 15
Total Course Requirements 30 60
5 Dissertation
5.1 Licentiate Thesis
For the licentiate degree, the student must carry out independent
work, write a thesis describing this work, and present the thesis at a
seminar. The thesis is graded Passed ("Godkänd") or Not passed ("Icke
godkänd").
5.2 Doctoral Dissertation
For the PhD degree the student must write a scientific (doctoral)
dissertation, and defend it at a public examination. The dissertation
should have the quality required for publication in its entirety or in
summary in a scientific journal of high reputation. It is graded Passed
("Godkänd") or Not passed ("Icke godkänd"). The grade takes into account
the content as well as the defence of the dissertation.
6 Requirements for the Degree
6.1 Licentiate Degree
The requirements for the licentiate degree comprise 120 higher
education credits, of which minimum 30 higher education credits are
acquired in courses and maximum 90 higher education credits in the
licentiate thesis.
6.2 Doctoral Degree
The requirements for the doctoral degree comprise 240 higher
education credits, of which minimum 60 higher education credits are
acquired in courses, and maximum 180 higher education credits in the PhD
thesis.
7 Supervision
Each graduate research school student is entitled to supervision:
full time students to four years of supervision for the doctoral degree,
and to two years for the licentiate degree; part time students obtain
the same amount distributed over a proportionally longer time period.
When admitted the student is assigned a supervisor group,
consisting of an examiner, a main supervisor, and one or more assistant
supervisors. The examiner and main supervisor should not be the same
person.
In the beginning of the studies, the examiner, the supervisors, and
the student together work out an individual study plan for the
student's path of education. The study plan should be signed and handed
to the director of graduate studies within three months of admitting the
student. Each student has a follow-up group which, in addition to the
main and assistant supervisors, includes at least one additional person,
usually within the subject of the dissertation. This group meets the
student at least once per year to discuss progress towards the degree.
After each follow-up meeting, a revised and signed study plan is handed
to the director of graduate studies.
8 Examination of Knowledge
Courses are followed by written and/or oral examinations. The
student's performance is graded Passed ("Godkänd") or Not passed ("Icke
godkänd"). The examiner decides the credits and final grade for each
course, and also decides the grade for the licentiate thesis. A doctoral
dissertation is graded by a committee, which is specially appointed for
each thesis defence. Three months before the planned date of defence a
draft of the dissertation must be submitted to the vice head of
department for doctoral education and to the members of the student's
follow-up group.
9 Further Directives
With full time study, a doctoral degree is normally calculated to
take four years, and a licentiate degree two years. The student must
present his or her study results and future plans regularly. The
director of studies regularly follows up on the individual study plan.