Every Ph.D. student is required to take the Research Proficiency Exam (RPE) by the end of their second year at PSU. This will satisfy the comprehensive exam requirement, which measures a Ph.D. student's knowledge within their domain of research.
- Years are counted from the term in which the student enters the Ph.D. program.
- Extensions to the two-year period may be granted by a Ph.D. student's advisory committee in consultation with the CS director of graduate studies.
- Part-time students may routinely obtain an extension to three years. Note, the university limit is 5 years if entering with a MS degree and 7 years otherwise.
- Students must be registered for a minimum of 1 graduate credit in each term they are taking or working on the RPE.
The RPE exam consists of a written research paper and an oral presentation:
- With the approval of the CS director of graduate studies, a Ph.D. student is assigned to a 3-person committee created by the student’s faculty advisor.
- The committee members must be knowledgeable in the research area. If appropriate, one member of the committee may be a faculty member from a different department or institution.
- The Ph.D. student conducts research on a problem and writes a paper that is in a form appropriate for publication at a conference or workshop in that research area. Standard formatting can be used as appropriate for that area.
- The student schedules the RPE presentation with the RPE committee.
- Presentations can take place at any time during the academic year, and do not need to be coordinated with each other.
- The presentation is open to all and the paper must be circulated to the faculty a week before the presentation.
- The presentation is 45 minutes for the talk followed by 15 minutes for questions. The format is that of a typical technical talk that first motivates the problem, then describes related work, followed by the research contributions.
The RPE committee decides on a Pass/Fail/Retake:
- A pass needs to be agreed upon unanimously by the RPE committee.
- In case of a retake, the student needs to address the committee's feedback and retake the exam within six months.
- The exam can only be taken twice.
Relevant Documents
- RPE Checklist - To be filled out at the time of applying to take the RPE.
- RPE Result Report - Used by an RPE committee to report the result of the exam.