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Note: This page provides a general overview. For complete and accurate information, please consult with your advisor. For current course offerings and information, refer to the Cornell University Registrar: Courses of Study.
Degree Requirements
The Ph.D. program includes several key requirements. Students must develop technical breadth in robotics by completing two foundational courses from an approved list during their first year, earning a grade of B or better in each. They must also establish technical depth in their discipline by minoring in another subject within their field. This involves taking 2–3 courses, as defined by their minor advisor, and ensuring that at least one special committee member (excluding the chair) represents the subject. These courses must be completed before the B Exam, with a minimum grade of B in each.
Technical breadth in robotics: Students are required to take two foundational courses in robotics during their first year. These courses will be chosen from an approved list. Currently, the list consists of: foundation of robotics, autonomous mobile robots, human-robot interaction: algorithms and experiments, fast robots, robot perception, robot learning.
Technical depth in discipline: The Graduate school requires Ph.D. students to choose one major and two minor subjects of study. For the Robotics Ph.D., the major subject of study is “Robotics” and one of the minor subjects must be the other subject in the student’s field. For example, a robotics student in the aerospace engineering field will have their major subject be “Robotics”, one of their minor subjects be “Aerospace Engineering,” and their other minor subject be in any other field of study.
Community engagement seminar: All students in the program will be required to take the community engagement seminar during their second year. This seminar examines principles, frameworks, and methodologies for addressing societal problems arising from robotics research. By participating, students will gain a deeper appreciation of the ways their research can serve a public purpose, and learn methods to be responsive to community needs.
Ethics: Students will choose one of an approved list of existing classes. Examples include INFO 4301 (Ethics in New Media, Technology, and Communication), ECE 2750 (Ethical Issues in Intelligent Autonomous Systems), and INFO 4270 (Ethics and Policy in Data Science), INFO 1260 (Choices and Consequences in Computing), FSAD 6800 (Ethical Design: Engine of Positive Change). Students may choose another suitable course and have it approved by their special committee.
Special Committee
Graduate study is conducted under the special committee system with the student’s research advisor serving as chair. The typical special committee comprises three faculty members representing the student’s major and minor subjects. Committee members are selected by the student with the guidance of his or her research advisor. The student’s special committee has complete discretion in determining the direction of the student’s studies including necessary coursework. The graduate field and special committee systems are inherently well suited for interdisciplinary studies.
Students must choose an advisor who represents their major field and concentration by the end of the first semester. They must choose their full committee, made up of at least three members of the graduate field faculty, by the end of their third semester.
Examinations
Q Exam
The purpose of the Qualifying Exam (Q Exam) is to gauge the candidate’s potential as a doctoral student. The scope of topics should not be so broad as to influence the selection of courses taken by the candidate prior to the exam. A thorough understanding of relevant undergraduate courses and graduate courses already taken should be sufficient to pass the examination.
Students entering with master’s degrees take the Q Exam at the end of their first semester; students entering with a bachelor’s degree take the Q Exam at the end of their second semester.
A Exam
The purpose of the Admission to Candidacy Exam (A Exam) is to determine whether the candidate has attained mastery of the major and minor subjects. In addition, a review may be conducted of the progress of the research and of the plans to complete the dissertation.
Conducted by the student’s special committee, this examination is expected to be taken before the seventh semester of residence and must be taken at least two semesters before the Defense of Dissertation Examination (B Exam). All members of the student’s special committee are expected to participate in the exam.
B Exam
The Defense of Dissertation Examination (B Exam) comprises a public presentation of the student’s dissertation followed by an oral exam by the student’s special committee. All members of the student’s special committee are expected to participate in the examination. All members of the field are encouraged to attend and participate in the public portion of students’ B Exams.
More information on examinations can be found in the Graduate School’s Research Degree Requirements.