Design Perceptive

Finally!  My bachelor’s is out of the way and I . get on to the really cool stuff.  I am starting grad school in the Spring under Dr. Manfred Huber.  This is under the purview of the Computer Science and Engineering department’s new BS-to-PhD program.  The program goes something like this:

• 4 core courses (total of 12 hours)
  • Algorithms + 3 of OS, Compilers,Architecture and Data Modeling
• 9 hours of 6000-level subject area coursework
• 9 hours of Research-oriented coursework
• 18 hours Dissertation

I start with AI-II, Algorithms and a 6000-level research course.  I won’t have to purchase any books.  My friend, Kartik, will be giving me his Algorithms book and the AI book is the same from AI-I.  I still have that one.  This is a pretty exciting time for me.  Of course, my major area of study will be Artificial Intelligence, but that’s a very big field.  I’m using the research course to look about and see what I want to do.  I also hope to publish out of it.  I’m sure it won’t be anything spectacular, but if I can use my time in any of my classes as an angle to publish, then I’m going to try to do so.

My next major milestone will be to pick my committee.  This will be in the 3rd or 4th long semester.  So, I am shooting for Spring or Fall of 2011.  Diagnostics will occur in the 4th or 5th on completion of 30 graduate hours.  The comprehensive exam occurs two long semesters after diagnostics.  Then, research proposal one semester directly after that.  Finally, my defense is some time after that depending on how quickly I can do the research and write the dissertation.  They give a 99 credit-hour/14 long semesters limit before having to pay non-resident tuition.

I had better get on it.