Welcome to the Main Repository of comps-related material, maintained by your representatives in the PhD program committee. This is part of the Computer Science Department's PhD Bible. This page extends the official requirements document maintained by the deptartment [1], with information that is too detailed to be contained in an official requirements document or with amendmends to the requirements; Some of the most helpful information presented herein was first offered in [2].
The comprehensive exams (affectionately called, the comps) are divided into three areas: theory/math, systems, and applications. Each area has a set of required and elective comps; the corresponding bypass courses are also listed in parentheses, next to the comp below.
There are thriteen comps and you must pass eight of the thirteen---note however, it is not any eight. See the chart below for required/elective comps. If a student receives an A- or better in the listed equivalent course, they will receive credit for that comp. See the Alternatives section below for more info.
| Area | Comps |
|---|---|
| Mathematical and Theoretical Foundations | |
| Computer Systems | |
| Artificial Intelligence and Applications |
This comprehensive exam structure passed in June of 1999. Students who were already in the PhD program at the time are allowed to use this new description of the comp requirement.
All exams are 1 hour long.
The comps are given in the Autumn Quarter each year (customarily, around late October/early November). The tentative schedule is to have two comps a day, three days a week, over two weeks. For example: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, a break over the weekend, and then Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Take a look at the latest schedule.
There is a total of 13 comps offered, but the student only has to pass 8.
One way to advance to candidacy is to pass 6 of the 8 exams (or pass equivalent courses; see the Alternatives section).
Reasonable Progress is defined as passing 6 in the first two years and all 8 by the end of the third year.
For each area, there is at least one bypass course that is deemed a valid substitute for passing the comps. Exceptions should be kept to a minimum and need to be approved by the PhD program committee (contact Dr. Rajeev Motwani or Kathi DiTommaso). A bypass course must be passed with a letter grade of A- or better. TAing a bypass course does not grant a pass of the corresponding comp.
Before Autumn 2005, the department offered copies of the previous 3 years of Comp exams and the Reading List in printed form. Now old exams are available online in the Comprehensive Examinations Archive. Note that some of the exams do not have solutions, as they were not provided by the responsible faculty. It's up to you to put pressure on comps writers to provide solutions with their exams. Put your representatives to work!
During the Fall 2006 comps, Shaddin Faris Doghmi made a wiki to facilitate creating study groups. It is still in use this year at http://phdcomp.pbwiki.com. Email shaddin@stanford.edu for the password.