The Designated Emphasis in Data Science is accepting applications from eligible Ph.D. students starting this quarter (fall 2020).
More information about the program is available here:
https://grad.soe.ucsc.edu/designated_emphases#ds
Please forward this announcement to interested Ph.D. students, as well as your graduate program directors and managers for wider dissemination.
PLEASE NOTE that interested applicants should use the Application Form linked below to apply, as well as the DS DE Faculty Advisor Form linked below (and not the form on the SOE page, which is obsolete and will be updated soon):
Application form (google form): https://bit.ly/dsde-application
DS DE Faculty Advisor Form (pdf): https://bit.ly/dsde2020
As the two forms above explicitly highlight, prospective students will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of univariate calculus, linear algebra, basic programming, and introductory statistics. At the discretion of the DE executive committee, students who do not satisfy these basic requirements might be asked to take appropriate courses, either on campus or from online platforms, before being accepted into the DE DS. In addition, Ph.D. students applying to the program must identify one program faculty sponsor who has accepted to serve in their qualifying exam and dissertation committees. To encourage interdisciplinarity, the faculty sponsor must not be a member of the department hosting their main graduate degree.
Students admitted into the program will receive priority for enrollment in the courses required to complete it, many of which are currently oversubscribed. During the first three years, we will limit admissions to no more than 20 students each year, which is in line with the resources committed to the program at this time. If we receive more than 20 qualified applications in a single year, the Executive Committee will attempt to select a class that is representative of the diversity of disciplines in the applicant pool.
While the 2 forms linked above are open throughout the year, the Executive committee will review applications only once per quarter during this first year, and possibly only once a year in future years. If an application is rejected, the student will have to reapply to be reconsidered for admission to the DS DE.
THE CURRENT DEADLINE for the first round of applications is Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, 11:59 pm.
Thank you for disseminating this information, and we’re looking very much forward to reviewing applications from your students.
-The DS DE Executive Committee (Adrian Brasoveanu, Narges Norouzi, Robert Lund)