Tepper OR/ACO Ph.D. Information

Course Requirements and Qualifier Exam

Tepper OR Ph.D. Students

The requirements for the OR Ph.D. students can be found here:

After three semesters of course work, you have to take the Qualifier Exam. The exam is given over two days in January, before the start of the Spring semester. Nine questions are on the exam, covering the following topics:

  • Integer Programming (47-830)
  • Advanced Integer Programming (47-831)
  • Nonlinear Programming (47-832)
  • Linear Programming (47-834)
  • Graph Theory (47-835)
  • Networks and Matchings (47-836)
  • Advanced Linear Programming (47-838)
  • Dynamic Programming (47-840)
  • Stochastic Processes (15-857A)

The numbers listed above are course numbers covering material related to the exam. All these courses are Tepper School Graduate Courses, except the last one which is a Computer Science Department Course.

Note that the material covered in the above courses is intended to help you prepare for the Qualifier Exam. However, the material on the exam is not necessarily covered in these courses. Additional reading and independent study is expected.

If one of the above courses is not offered during your preparation of the Qualifier Exam, a reading list will be provided upon request.

Tepper ACO Ph.D. Students

The requirements for the ACO Ph.D. students can be found here:

After three semesters of course work, you have to take the Qualifier Exam. The exam is given over two days in January, before the start of the Spring semester. Seven questions are on the exam, covering the following topics:

  • Linear Programming (47-834)
  • Graph Theory (47-835)
  • Discrete Mathematics (21-701)
  • Networks and Matchings (47-836)
  • Integer Programming (47-830)
  • Advanced Integer Programming (47-831)
  • One elective, usually from: Nonlinear Programming (47-832), Advanced Linear Programming (47-838), Convex Polytopes (47-861)

The numbers listed above are course numbers covering material related to the exam. All these courses are Tepper School Graduate Courses, except Discrete Mathematics which is a Mathematics Department Course.

Note that the material covered in the above courses is intended to help you prepare for the Qualifier Exam. However, the material on the exam is not necessarily covered in these courses. Additional reading and independent study is expected.

Administrative Steps for Getting a Ph.D. Degree

An enlightening memo from the former Tepper Ph.D. Program Director.

Reimbursement for Conference Travel

To get reimbursed for travel expenses, a student must get approval from one OR Faculty member prior to the trip. That OR Faculty member has to let the OR Ph.D. head know that the trip is approved. The amount allocated to each OR Ph.D. student for the academic year 2008-2009 is as follows:

  1. All students: Up to $1,000 to cover expenses to attend and give a talk at one (or more) conference(s).
  2. First year and second year students: Provided that they do not request money under provision A), up to $500 to cover expenses to attend one conference.

To obtain reimbursement for travel expenses, the following steps should be taken:

  • BEFORE the trip: Get approval from an OR Faculty member for the trip.
  • AFTER the trip:
    1. Send to vanhoeve@andrew.cmu.edu a reimbursement request detailing the charges, and the total amount requested. This email must contain the name of the OR Faculty member who has approved the trip.
    2. After receiving confirmation that the request is acceptable, submit all receipts to Lawrence Rapp.
    3. Submit a short description of the purpose of the trip as well as the title of the presentation given (if any) to Lawrence Rapp for inclusion in the Tepper Ph.D. Newsletter.

Reimbursement for Computer Maintenance

For the academic year 2008-2009, each OR Ph.D. student gets up to $200 to fix little things related to their laptop, such as replacing the battery or buy work related software. Students must contact vanhoeve@andrew.cmu.edu before the purchase to get approval.

To obtain reimbursement for Computer Maintenance expenses, the following steps should be taken:

  • BEFORE the purchase: Get approval by sending a descriptive email to vanhoeve@andrew.cmu.edu.
  • AFTER receiving approval, having purchased and received the product:
    1. Send to vanhoeve@andrew.cmu.edu a reimbursement request detailing the charges, and the total amount requested.
    2. After receiving confirmation that the request is acceptable, submit all receipts to Lawrence Rapp.

Thanks go to Francois Margot for setting up the initial version of this page. Corrections or suggestions: please email vanhoeve@andrew.cmu.edu
Last update: August 4, 2008

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