During their first two years in the PhD program, students must receive a "Quals Pass" (B+ or better) in three core qual courses - one each from I, II, and III - and a fourth "Quals Pass" in a course from any on the core or elective list.
Core Qual Courses |
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| I | COMPSCI 531 OR COMPSCI 532 |
Introduction to Algorithms OR Design & Analysis of Algorithms |
Either, but only one, of these two courses may count as credit for the Qual requirement; credit for passing the exam is given for 531. |
| COMPSCI 534 | Computational Complexity | Course COMPSCI 534 is ONLY offered every other Spring, although the exam is offered every year. See schedule below. | |
| II | COMPSCI 510 | Operating Systems | |
| COMPSCI 550 | Advanced Computer Architecture | ||
| III | COMPSCI 520 | Numerical Analysis | |
| COMPSCI 570 | Artificial Intelligence | ||
Elective Qual Courses |
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| COMPSCI 512 | Distributed Information Systems | ||
| COMPSCI 514 | Computer Networks | ||
| COMPSCI 516 | Data Intensive Computer Systems | Offered as a Core Qual with exam in Spr 2021. | |
| COMPSCI 527 | Computer Vision | ||
| COMPSCI 554 | Fault Tolerant and Testable Computing | ||
| COMPSCI 555 | Probability for Electrical and Computer Engineers | ||
| COMPSCI 671 | Machine Learning | ||
Qualifying Exams - Spring Semester 2021
The courses listed below will have a qualifying exam offered prior to the start of the spring semester. Students interested in taking one or more of these exams should register by TBA.
| Date and Time TBA | Date and Time TBA | Date and Time TBA |
| COMPSCI 516 Data Intensive Computer Systems Sudeepa Roy |
COMPSCI 520 Numerical Analysis Xiaobai Sun |
COMPSCI 534 Computational Complexity John Reif |
| Syllabus | Syllabus | Syllabus |
| Course COMPSCI 516 will not be taught in Spring 2021, but the Qual Exam will be offered. | Course COMPSCI 534 is offered every other Spring. It will be taught in Spring 2021, and will not be taught in Spring 2022. The Qual Exam is offered every Spring. |
Qualifying Exams - Fall Semester 2020
The courses listed below will have a qualifying exam offered prior to the start of the fall 2020 semester. Proctored exams will be given on Zoom; students interested in taking one or more of these exams should register by TBA.
| Tuesday August 11, 2020 2 - 5pm |
Wednesday August 12, 2020 9am - 12pm |
Thursday August 13, 2020 2 - 5pm |
Friday August 14, 2020 9am - 12pm |
| COMPSCI 531 Algorithms John Reif |
COMPSCI 570 Artificial Intelligence Ron Parr |
COMPSCI 550 Architecture Daniel Sorin |
COMPSCI 510 Operating Systems Jeff Chase |
| Syllabus | Syllabus | Syllabus | Syllabus |
To register for a qual exam, send an email to gpc at cs.duke.edu. For more details on the qual requirement, see the Qualification Requirement section of the Computer Science PhD Degree Requirements.