PhD Qualifying Course

Details of the First Year PhD Qualifying Course

Important Dates

Second week of classes of Term 1: Students can start seeking professors to discuss possible interest in their papers.
The report on the second paper must be completed and submitted no later than the last day of classes in Term 1.
The report on the fifth and final paper must be completed and submitted no later than the last day of classes in Term 2.
For reports on the second and fifth papers: Individual professors may have an earlier deadline than listed above. However, in all cases, the last report submission date must be clearly determined and mutually agreed upon between the student and professor, and must not be later than the last day of classes.
There is a penalty of 2 marks from the total for each day of missing the deadline.

Course Objectives

To learn about research at the beginning of the PhD program, in order to
(a) critically read published research,
(b) start thinking about a thesis topic,
(c) make an informed decision on a PhD thesis supervisor,
(d) potentially shorten the time to get a PhD degree and publish research.
To work with faculty members of your choice (one per report) whose research interests you. Keep in mind, faculty members who have many current PhD students might be less likely to take on an additional PhD student this academic year.
To read research papers and write mathematics. The latter includes getting familiar with LaTeX (or one of its variants such as Scientific Word, lyx), which is the standard software for mathematical writing.
To become comfortable with scientific computing. Most thesis research involves scientific computing since original research means developing new methodology and implementing them. Depending on the research, scientific computing might be implemented in Splus/R, matlab, SAS/IML, C/C++, Fortran, and/or Perl/Python, etc.
To sharpen time management skill in a research environment.

Choosing a Paper

Students must choose 5 papers (approximately 1 per month) and submit timely reports.
Students are expected to complete at least 2 papers in the first term and 3 in the second term.
Students must complete this course in their first 2 terms in the program. For instance, if a student begins the program in January, they must complete the course the next fall.
The selection of papers begins in the second week of classes in September. At this time, students can start seeing professors to discuss possible interest in their papers.
To choose a paper, a student makes an appointment with the corresponding faculty member (e.g., by sending an email). During this appointment the professor's expectations regarding the report are discussed and clarified. Keep in mind that it may take up to a week for you and the professor to find a time for the first meeting.
Papers are chosen on a "first-come-first-served" basis.
Papers are chosen sequentially. For example, paper 2 cannot be chosen before the report on paper 1 has been submitted. In keeping with this, students are asked not to "negotiate" with more than 2 professors at any given time.
Students are strongly encouraged to meet at least once with the professor before making a decision on the paper. This allows the student to get a clear understanding of the nature and extent of the intended work.
When a student has chosen a paper, they must immediately e-mail this decision to the course coordinator (the Graduate Advisor via gradadvisor [at] stat.ubc.ca (subject: Stat%20548%20paper) (email)) and the Student Services Coordinator (via gradinfo [at] stat.ubc.ca (subject: Stat%20548%20paper) (email)) and cc the professor. The professor should then mark this paper as "unavailable".
Grades will be submitted in each term.
Students should refrain from choosing 2 papers on the same topic.
Students should tell the professor what papers they worked on before, in the first meeting concerning the possible choice of a paper.
Students may request additional appointments with the professor (typically one or two additional meetings) to discuss progress and clarify outstanding issues.
Students are expected to work independently and refrain from seeking help from other students and/or professors.
Professors are asked to keep the status of their papers as "available" until the paper has been firmly chosen by a student. The rule "first-come-first-served" should be applied. In case of "tie" or "close call", the professor makes a choice and immediately informs all the involved students.

Grades

Professors: please send your grades and reports to gradadv [at] stat.ubc.ca (subject: 548%20grade%2Freport) and gradinfo [at] stat.ubc.ca (subject: 548%20grade%2Freport) as soon as possible.
Each report will receive a percentage grade. The grade will depend on the professor's assessment of the degree to which the report met their expectations.
Missing deadline leads to a loss of marks at a rate of 2 marks per day.
Students can ask the Student Program Coordinator gradinfo [at] stat.ubc.ca (subject: 548%20query) for a copy of the Faculty Assessment of their submitted reports.
Some important skills/abilities to be assessed in this course are
- Mathematics/Statistics theory: fill in math/stat details if relevant
  - avoid incorrect math derivations
  - strive for completeness (convince faculty member of your understanding of the details)
- Writing: consider proper use of notation, referencing, etc.
  - always define a symbol before using it, or just after using it
  - use different notation for different objects (e.g., do not use the same f for different densities)
  - use consistent notation
  - use proper logic/organization when writing proofs/derivations
  - avoid LaTeX/TeX errors (greater familiarity with LaTex/Tex will be expected throughout the year)
- Computing: computer implementation, if relevant. Code should be well-documented, efficient, easy to modify, easy for someone else to use.
- Innovation/initiative: taking ideas on new directions and discussing additional comparisons beyond paper
  - suggest possible novel developments
  - identify critical limitations of the method and suggest possible ways to overcome them
  - find errors and correct them
- Sensible approach to data and modelling

Students are encouraged to take a close look at the different sections of the "Faculty Assessment Form".

PhD Qualifying

If the student obtains an A average (83%) in this course and performs satisfactorily in their other course work, they will be considered to have qualified. The next major step in their Ph.D. program will be the comprehensive exam.

Important Resources

Plagiarism—basically using someone else's words or writing as your own—is a serious offense. You are responsible for understanding what constitutes plagiarism, and for ensuring that you do not commit any act of plagiarism under any circumstances. Please take the time to read the following documents carefully:
- UBC's official policy on plagiarism
- Academic Honesty and Standards at UBC
- The Faculty of Graduate Studies resources on Academic Honesty and Standards and Plagiarism
- Procedures to deal with academic misconduct
- Procedures to deal with plagiarism in course work
The following are resources to help with your technical writing:

List of Papers by Faculty

Faculty Assessment

Professors must assign a percentage grade to the student's report. Please notice that students must have an overall average of at least 83% to pass the qualifying process. UBC's grade conversion table is copied below for further guidance.

     90-100 = A+
     85-89 = A
     80-84 = A-
     76-79 = B+
     72-75 = B
     68-71 = B-
     64-67 = C+
     60-63 = C
     55-59 = C-
     50-54 = D
     00-49 = F (Fail)

Faculty Assessment Forms

As a PDF file -- here
As a Latex file -- here
As a Plain text file -- here

Graduate (MSc/PhD)

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