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INSTORE PHD PROGRAM

A new PhD program entitled "Interdisciplinary Statistics and Operations Research" (INSTORE) will start in Fall 2007. This program is designed for students who seek a more flexible program than the two traditional programs, in Statistics and in Operations Research, which will continue to run alongside the new program.

The program will be suitable for students who desire to combine elements from the traditional Statistics and Operations Research programs, or to develop a significant expertise in the applications of statistics and operations research to some outside area such as genetics, finance, social science or environmental science.

CORE COURSES

The following 11 courses are considered "STOR Ph.D. Core Courses":

STOR 634 (formerly STAT154) Measure and Integration - Fall
STOR 635 (formerly STAT155) Probability - Spring
STOR 654 (formerly STAT164) Statistical Theory I - Fall
STOR 655 (formerly STAT165) Statistical Theory II - Spring
STOR 664 (formerly STAT174) Applied Statistics I - Fall
STOR 665 (formerly STAT175) Applied Statistics II - Spring
STOR 612 (formerly OR210) Models in Operations Research - Fall
STOR 614 (formerly OR211) Linear Programming - Spring
STOR 641 (formerly OR220) Stochastic Models in O.R. I - Fall
STOR 642 (formerly OR221) Stochastic Models in O.R. II - Spring
STOR 762 (formerly OR233) Discrete Event Simulation - Fall


At least SIX of these courses must be taken by each student in the INSTORE Ph.D. program, including at least FOUR during the first year, which must then be offered for the Comprehensive Written Examination (CWE). Individual tracks (see below) may impose additional requirements. STOR 762 is not part of the CWE and therefore cannot be counted among the four courses offered for CWE.

In addition to the core courses, there are two others required of every student in this program:

1. The STOR Consulting Course is taught in a year-long format (students register for the full year, but the course is still only worth three credit hours total). This course will replace the two existing consulting courses, STOR 705 (formerly OR 350) and STOR 765 (formerly Stat 190).
2. There is also a one-credit "STOR Presentation Course" modeled on the existing O.R. literature presentation course (STOR 790, formerly OR 389).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

A.  At least 4 of the Core STOR Courses must be taken during the 1st year.
B.  At least 6 courses total (STOR and external courses) must be taken during the 1st year.
C.  At least 6 of the Core STOR Courses must eventually be taken (although it is not necessary to take all 6 during the 1st year, nor is it necessary to take CWEs on all 6 of them).
D.  At least 4 STOR courses above the Core level must be taken.
E.  The STOR Consulting Course is required (and counts towards D and G).
F.  At least 2 external courses must be taken (including those which may have been taken during the 1st year).
G.  A total of 15 courses, plus the STOR Presentation Course, must be taken.

In addition to the formal course requirements, it is anticipated that research conducted within this program will require advanced programming skills using a language such as C++, C or Fortran. Students who do not already have this background are encouraged to take a programming course such as COMP 411 (formerly 114).

COMPREHENSIVE WRITTEN EXAM (CWE)

A. CWEs must be taken before the beginning of the 2nd year.
B. CWEs must be taken on six 1st-year courses, including at least 4 Core STOR Courses.

C. CWEs may be taken on (at most 2) external courses. In this case there will be a separate doctoral-level written exam covering the content of that course (not the course final exam).

DISSERTATION ADVISING

As with the traditional Statistics and Operations Research programs, a critical part of the program requirement is a PhD dissertation. Each student must select a dissertation advisor, who is normally but not necessarily a member of the STOR faculty. In the event that a student chooses an advisor from another department, there must be a co-advisor who is a member of the STOR faculty.

Students normally begin the process of selecting a dissertation advisor in their second year, and must have one in place by the beginning of the third year. The usual process is that a student begins working with his/her dissertation advisor, who suggests additional reading (outside the coursework) that is relevant to the student's chosen dissertation area, and perhaps formulates some specific research problems for the student to solve. When this has progressed far enough for the student to prepare a written dissertation proposal, he or she does this in consultation with the advisor. Usually around this time, a dissertation committee is formed. The dissertation committee consists of five professors, formally appointed by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) in consultation with the student and advisor. The committee includes a chair person who is one of the STOR faculty but not the student's advisor. Given the interdisciplinary focus of the program, it is actively encouraged and may be required that at least one committee member be from outside the STOR department.

The preliminary examination for the PhD is an oral exam conducted by the five committee members, and should normally be taken no later than the end of a student's third year in the program. The student prepares a written proposal, normally of 30-50 pages in length, that is circulated to the committee in advance of the exam. The exam itself consists of an oral presentation by the student, of roughly 30 minutes, followed by questions from the committee. If the committee judges that both the written report and the oral presentation are satisfactory, the student is deemed to have passed the preliminary oral and to proceed to the writing of a PhD dissertation. At this stage, the student is awarded an MS degree.

After the student has completed his/her dissertation, he or she then takes the final oral examination. This consists of a public presentation, usually around 45 minutes in length, followed by a private session with the student's committee during which further questions may be asked. The committee members may request changes or corrections to the dissertation before it may be formally submitted to the graduate school. The student should consult the relevant web pages to ensure that all forms that are due have been correctly completed and signed.

TRACKS:

The coursework and CWE structure allow a great deal of flexibility for adaptively combining Statistics, Operations Research, and external fields of study. However, there are certain specific "Tracks" that have been set up that contain suggested sequences of courses to allow students to focus on certain areas of study. At the present time (October 2006) one track has been approved, on "Applied Statistics and Optimization", but further tracks are planned on "Econometrics and Financial Mathematics" and on "Bioinformatics". Further details of these tracks will be found elsewhere on these web pages. Additional tracks will be set up as the program expands. The mechanism also exists for a student to propose his/her own track subject to approval by the department's faculty.

APPLYING TO THE PROGRAM

Students who wish to apply to the INSTORE program should complete a regular application to the Graduate School, indicating their intention to complete the INSTORE program. In addition, they should indicate which tracks they are interested in, though the Admissions Committee may suggest other alternatives.  Students are permitted to switch tracks in the middle of their PhD program subject to the approval of the program faculty.

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