Students in the ACO PhD program must satisfy both Georgia Tech Institute requirements for the PhD and the specific academic requirements of the ACO program. Because ACO is an interdisciplinary program with students housed in different home units, some requirements are shared across all students while others depend on the student’s home unit. All required coursework must be completed with a grade of B or better.
Institute Requirements
All PhD students must satisfy the Institute requirements for the doctoral degree. These include Institute policies on matters such as the minor, candidacy, and degree completion. ACO students should use this page for ACO-specific coursework requirements and consult Georgia Tech Graduate Education and the general catalog for Institute-level policies and forms.
ACO Requirements for All Students
Every ACO student regardless of home unit must complete the ACO core curriculum, complete additional coursework beyond the core, satisfy the doctoral minor requirement, complete Responsible Conduct of Research training, pass the comprehensive examination, defend a research proposal, and successfully defend a dissertation.
ACO Core Curriculum
The ACO core curriculum consists of the following one-semester courses:
Computing
- CS 6515 Introduction to Graduate Algorithms or CS 6520 Complexity or, for College of Computing students only, CS 7545 Machine Learning Theory
- College of Computing students must select one of the latter two
- The corresponding question on the comprehensive examination is based on CS 6515. Mathematics and ISyE students are expected to take CS 6515 unless they already know the material. Students in Computer Science are generally expected to already know the material of CS 6515.
- CS 6550 Design and Analysis of Algorithms
Industrial and Systems Engineering
- ISyE 7661 Theory of Linear Inequalities
- ISyE 7686 Advanced Combinatorial Optimization
Mathematics
- Math 6014 Graph Theory
- Math 6121 Algebra I
- ISyE or CoC students may substitute with Math 6112 Advanced Linear Algebra
- Math 7018 Probabilistic Methods in Combinatorics
Additional Course Requirements
Each student must complete at least 15 semester hours of coursework at the 6000 level or above in addition to the ACO core. Some of these additional requirements depend on the student’s home unit.
Computer Science
- Two theory courses at the 7000 level or above
Industrial and Systems Engineering
- ISyE/Math 6761 Stochastics I
- ISyE 6663 Nonlinear Optimization
- CS 7545 Machine Learning Theory
Mathematics
- Math 6337 Real Analysis I
- Math 6338 Real Analysis II (not required, but is strongly encouraged)
- Two of the following three:
- Math 6112 Advanced Linear Algebra
- Math 6321 Complex Analysis
- a 6000-level or above topology/geometry course
Minor Field of Study
In addition to the ACO core and additional coursework, each student must complete a minor field of study that satisfies the Institute requirement. For ACO PhD students, the minor must include at least 9 hours of coursework approved by the ACO Director. Courses from the ACO core may not be counted toward the minor. Students from the School of Mathematics are encouraged to do a minor in machine learning.
Students should obtain approval for the minor by emailing the ACO Director with the theme of the minor and the following relevant course information:
- department, course number, name of course
- number of credit hours
- name of instructor
- semester when taken
- grade received
After obtaining approval from the ACO Director, please file the required form through the graduate office in your home unit. Full details and forms are listed on the Minor Field of Study page.
Responsible Conduct of Research
ACO students must complete two forms of Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training: online training and an in-person RCR course.
For in-person training, Mathematics students can use Math 6001 Introduction to Graduate Mathematics. More information can be found on the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Education’s website.
Other Degree Milestones
In addition to coursework, students must also complete the remaining major ACO milestones:
- pass the comprehensive examination, ideally by the second year
- defend a research proposal
- successfully defend the dissertation
Transfer Coursework and Course Waivers
Graduate-level courses taken at another institution may be used to satisfy ACO course requirements with approval from the Coordinating Committee. In some cases, the Committee may require the student to pass an examination in the subject before granting approval. Students seeking a waiver for a required course should contact the ACO Director and provide supporting documentation.
