This document is intended to be a guide for graduate students in the Department of Computer Science. We hope it addresses most of the questions you may have about being a graduate student. Iva Jean Jorgensen (the department coordinator) handles many of the administrative activities involving graduate students. These include announcing and administering exams, providing the proper forms for PhD candidacy, intent to graduate, etc. If you have questions or comments about this handbook, please contact Phil Schielke (phisch@cs.rice.edu).
The first thing to do when you arrive on campus is to see Iva Jean Jorgensen in the department office. She will give you your office assignment and a key; she will explain the process of getting an ID card and a parking sticker, and answer any questions you have about getting started. She will also give you a packet of materials to help you prepare for the Comprehensive Exams. The packet will include a syllabus and a set of exams from the previous years. In previous years, there were only four exams. The current system contains eight areas - most of which consist of a subset of the material covered on one of the old exams. You should review these materials to help you decide in which areas you need the most work. This will be very important when you decide which classes to take.
Graduate students register during the first week of classes. Obtain a registration form in the department office. Once you have decided upon a course schedule, a faculty member, usually the graduate committee chairman, must sign the form. You turn in the completed form to the Registrar's Office.
Other helpful information on life as a graduate student can be found in the Graduate Student Association (GSA) yellow pages. You will also want to check out the library (Fondren Hall), and Valhalla, the graduate student pub.
The best way to get help is to hang out with other students and professors, and ask questions! Each new graduate student will have another student assigned as a mentor to answer questions and give advice (see Section 4.1). It is not a stupid question if you don't know the answer. Much of the information you need is included in this handbook, but it is impossible to cover everything. Your professors, the department secretaries, labbies, and most fellow students will gladly answer your questions, but you have to ask.