Updated with new info about out of department requirements. =============================================================
A few notes for new CS graduate students who are working with me on their MS thesis research (or who would like to do so). Any CS graduate student working with me as their adviser will be required to complete a Plan A Thesis. While there is a Plan B project option, I have only allowed that in a few (two!) very special cases where a student joins me only during their second and final year in the CS program. We will work together to identify a suitable research topic, but in general it will be in the area of Natural Language Processing and/or Computational Linguistics. You can get a very good idea of the kind of research we do by looking at previous MS student's work : http://www.d.umn.edu/~tpederse/masters.html You should also look at the various software tools we have created over the years, and even give them a try. Some of them have web interfaces, others of them must be installed on a Linux system and run from the command line. You can find those by browsing around my web pages ( http://www.d.umn.edu/~tpederse ) If we have done our job well, you should be able to install and use these packages simply by consulting the documentation. Let us know how well we have met that goal, and suggestions for improvement are always welcome. Most of the software packages have mailing lists associated with them, and you are encouraged to join any and all that you find interesting. In addition, there is a NLP @ UMD mailing list that I ask all students who work with me to join, and anyone else who is interested in what we do here is surely welcome. This is a place where we make announcements and point out issues in the news that might be of interest. Please sign up here : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nlpatumd/ In addition to completing an original piece of research (ie your thesis), you will be required to take four 8000 level CS classes, plus two additional classes that may be either out of department or within the CS department. You may choose classes from within the CS department with my approval. If you would like to take classes outside the CS department, I will require that those be selected from among the following : STAT 5411 - Analysis of Variance STAT 5511 - Regression Analysis STAT 5515 - Multivariate Statistics STAT 5531 - Probability Models ECE 5801 - Introduction to Artificial Neural Networks MATH 5365 - Graph Theory MATH 5233 - Mathematical Foundations of Bioinformatics It is possible to take free electives while you are a graduate student - this is included in your TA or RA funding in fact! These are typically 5000 level classes (or below) that do not count towards your degree (but you can still take them for credit and grades). This could include areas of personal interest (such as Theater or Physical Education), or other academic areas (such as Mathematics, Economics, Linguistics, Psychology, or Engineering Management). As long as you are doing well in your required classes and your thesis research, I will very likely approve. It will take you four semesters of hard work to complete your thesis. We will start working in the first weeks of your first year, and we'll continue through to the end of your second year. Your course load at UMD is relatively light (only 6 courses over 4 semesters) - that is to allow you to spend significant time on your thesis work each semester. You should plan on finishing your thesis by May of your second year. This will require you to work steadily on your thesis through your four semesters at UMD. If you do this, you will certainly be able to finish your thesis by May of your second year. This will enable you to move on to whatever comes next most conveniently and without distractions or interruption. Students who delay finishing their thesis until the summer of their second year or later often have unexpected difficulties in making the transition to whatever is coming next. We will create a plan during your first year (in your thesis proposal) that will give you a realistic schedule that allows you to finish by May of your second year. It is really your responsibility to make sure you both understand and follow that plan. Also note that in some summers I may not be available to supervise or review your thesis work, so if you do not finish by May I may not be available to you until the following September. Your thesis work will inevitably include programming (typically in Perl). Any code that is used to produce results that are either published or that appear in your thesis *must* be released as open-source. The motivations behind this policy are described in a short piece that appeared in Computational Linguistics in 2008 : http://www.d.umn.edu/~tpederse/Pubs/pedersen-last-word-2008.pdf This philosophy is central to much of what we do, so please make sure you over the above very carefully. There are two required pieces of writing that you must complete as a part of your thesis. The first is your thesis proposal (mentioned above), which is normally completed by the end of your first semester. This is a 3-5 page document that describes the problem you will be working on, what approach you will take, how others have tried to solve this problem, and what the overall schedule for the work is. The second is the thesis itself, which should be completed by the end of your fourth semester (May of your second year.) Note that we will start writing your thesis well in advance of this deadline, doing preliminary writing in your first year and then working on the thesis throughout your second year. Both of these documents must be original, and you will do all of the writing yourself (with my guidance). It's very important that the writing be done in a proper academic or scholarly fashion, which means among other things that there must be no plagiarism in the work. Please make sure you read and understand the following, and always ask questions if you are ever in doubt about what is appropriate in your writing: http://www.d.umn.edu/~tpederse/Docs/A-Plagiarism-Case-Study.pdf Also, please read the following, which includes some general thoughts and tips on writing about research : http://www.d.umn.edu/~tpederse/Docs/The-Art-of-WAR.pdf The summer of your first year (between years one and two) is an excellent time to pursue an internship or similar opportunity. If you are an international student, it is important to realize you will need to obtain authorization from the US government in order to work as an intern (or participate in an off campus research experience such as a summer school). This authorization is obtained via something called Curricular Practical Training (CPT). You will need to get my approval for the internship, and also register for a 1 hour Internship class for the following fall. Additional info about CPT can be found here : http://www.isss.umn.edu/fstudent/cpt.html Also, if you are an international student it is important to understand the regulations surrounding Optional Practical Training (OPT). This is an authorization that allows you to work for 12 + 17 months after graduation. You can find more details about OPT at the following sites : http://www.isss.umn.edu/fstudent/opt.html http://www.isss.umn.edu/fstudent/opt-17Mext.htm Finally, please review the CS department graduate program brochure in detail. All degree requirements are spelled out there, as are expectations regarding academic performance: http://www.d.umn.edu/cs/degrees/grad/brochure.pdf These guidelines are specific to Dr. Ted Pedersen, and may not be followed by all other members of the CS department. Last revised September 22, 2013 Please direct any questions to : tpede...@d.umn.edu
