Info for Grad Students

This page collects resources and advice for undergraduates considering graduate school and for current graduate students. Whether you are thinking about applying to programs, working through coursework, or deep in dissertation research, I hope you find something useful here. (Thanks to colleagues who made me aware of some of these resources, including A. Antón, H. Vaughn, and D. Comer.) The majority of the advice on this page is intended to be broadly applicable regardless of your institution; Purdue-specific resources and information about working with Prof. Spafford appear near the end.

Students interested in working on an independent study project with me should see the information on my courses and teaching page. If you are interested in having me serve on your committee or as an advisor, see the Working with Prof. Spafford section at the bottom of this page.

Pursuing a Graduate Degree

A graduate degree—especially a Ph.D.—is a multiyear commitment. Before you start filling out applications, invest time in understanding why you want to pursue this path and what you hope it will enable. A clear vision for your direction will strengthen every part of your application and, more importantly, will help you make better decisions along the way.

Long-Range Planning

Here is a document describing a method of long-range life planning: Structuring Your Future: A Proven Method for Personal and Professional Planning. Ask yourself the hard questions: Where do you want to be in five or ten years? What kind of problems are compelling enough to consume years of your life? Your application to any doctoral program should reflect a well-considered vision for your future, not simply a desire for a new title.

Master's Degree vs. Direct-to-Ph.D.

If you have strong research experience—publications, significant undergraduate research, or industry R&D work—applying directly to Ph.D. programs is reasonable. If your research background is limited, a master's program (particularly a thesis-based one) can strengthen your application, clarify your research interests, and produce stronger letters of recommendation. Some students use a master's as a trial run to confirm their commitment to research before entering a five-to-six-year program. Neither path is inherently superior; choose based on your current readiness and goals.

Many programs offer a transition path from a master's degree into the Ph.D., but not all do. In particular, “professional master's” programs (sometimes labeled “M.Eng.” or “M.S. in Software Engineering”) are typically designed as terminal degrees oriented toward industry employment; they may not include the research component needed for Ph.D. admission. If you are considering starting with a master's and later pursuing a doctorate, confirm that the specific program supports that transition before enrolling.

Students transitioning from another discipline—for example, mathematics, electrical engineering, or physics into computer science—should expect to complete at least the equivalent of a master's-level course of study to build the necessary foundations. Some programs formalize this as prerequisite coursework; others handle it through additional qualifying requirements. Factor this into your timeline planning.

Understanding Ph.D. Funding

Historically, many Ph.D. programs in computer science have provided full funding—covering tuition and providing a living stipend—through teaching assistantships, research assistantships, or fellowships. However, the funding landscape is currently uncertain: federal research budget changes, shifting institutional priorities, and growing applicant pools mean that full funding is not always available, even at strong programs. Initial self-funding or part-time matriculation may be the best—or only—path for some students, and this does not necessarily reflect the program's quality. That said, if a program consistently offers no funding to any of its research Ph.D. students, ask hard questions about why. Funding structures vary: some programs guarantee several years of support; others require annual reapplication or depend on your advisor's grant funding. Understand the funding model before accepting an offer—preferably before applying.

The Ph.D. Path

So, you think you want to get a Ph.D. degree? It may not be quite what you think. And it may well be the case that you are certain you want one but aren't sure of the steps. These resources should help.

The typical trajectory includes coursework and qualifying exams in the first two years, a research proposal and committee formation in years two through three, and dissertation research, publications, writing, and defense in years three through six. Computer science Ph.D.s typically take five to six years. Students who finish faster usually enter with significant research experience or a clear project direction. Do not let unrealistic timelines drive unsustainable work habits.

Life Hints

Hints on how to be content in life. As with most such things, your own mileage may vary.

Finding and Applying to Programs

A scattershot approach to applications wastes your time and application fees. Instead, work systematically from the research literature inward to specific programs.

Start with the Literature

Read recent proceedings from the top conferences and journals in your area of interest. Note which research groups are producing work that excites you, and where those groups are based. This is the most reliable signal of active research alignment—far more informative than institutional rankings. Conference and journal websites typically list the authors' affiliations, making it straightforward to identify where the work you admire is being done. This process will also help you identify which topic areas are currently active and where the field is heading—valuable context for choosing a research direction.

Be aware that you may not have free rein in choosing your thesis topic. Your research will typically need to align with the interests and expertise of faculty in your department, and often with specific funded projects. A topic that fascinates you but does not overlap with any faculty member's active work will be difficult to pursue—you will struggle to find an advisor, committee members, and possibly funding. Use the literature search to identify not just what interests you, but where faculty are actively working in those areas.

Consult Mentors and Faculty

Faculty in your current department know the research landscape in ways you cannot yet access. They know who is doing strong work, which programs have healthy cultures, and which advisors are taking students. Ask specifically: “Given my interests in X, which programs and faculty should I be looking at?” Their answers will be informed by professional networks, conference interactions, and sometimes firsthand knowledge of a program's internal dynamics. Do not rely on recommendations from large language model (LLM) chatbots for this purpose—their training data is limited and dated, and they cannot weigh the factors that matter most to you.

Research Program Characteristics

Once you have a candidate list, dig deeper. Look into funding models, time-to-degree norms, qualifying exam structure, placement record of recent graduates, and cost of living in each area. Also consider factors that will affect your daily life for three to six years: geographic location, climate, proximity to family or support networks, availability of related disciplines (interdisciplinary work often depends on what else the university offers), university size, and the surrounding community. If possible, talk to current students in programs you are considering. Create a comparison matrix so you can evaluate programs systematically rather than relying on impressions.

Cast a reasonable net: apply to a few aspirational programs, several strong-fit programs, and one or two where admission is very likely. Do not apply only to the top-five ranked departments—ranking does not capture advisor fit, and advisor fit matters more than almost anything else.

The Application Process

Before submitting, treat your application like a critical deliverable: verify that all components—curriculum vitae (CV), Statement of Purpose (SOP), transcripts, and writing samples—are uploaded correctly and are the most current, error-free versions. If you have customized your SOP for each program, verify that the institution-specific details match where you are submitting. Confirm that all letters of recommendation have been submitted. A well-designed application is useless if it is late.

The waiting period (typically December through March) offers opportunities for productive preparation: read recent papers from your potential advisors, strengthen technical skills relevant to your target programs, and research practical details (living costs, housing, community characteristics) of the areas where you have applied.

Evaluating Offers

If you receive multiple acceptances, visit campuses if you can—many programs fund admitted student visits. Talk to current students about completion rates, qualifying exam structure, lab culture, and quality of life. Ask potential advisors about first-year expectations, conference travel support, and work-life balance. Weight factors according to your priorities, but remember: your relationship with your advisor and your daily quality of life will matter more than institutional rankings. The Council of Graduate Schools' April 15 Resolution gives you until April 15 to accept offers without penalty.

If You Don't Receive Acceptable Offers

Despite your best preparation, you may not be accepted to any programs you wish to attend. Do not view this as a personal failure; it often reflects a mismatch between your current preparation and that year's applicant pool at your target institutions. Consult with your mentors about next steps: a gap year with research experience, a funded master's program as a stepping stone, or a broader range of target programs on the next round. Reapplication is common and not stigmatized—many successful Ph.D. recipients were initially rejected. And remember: many individuals have meaningful careers without a Ph.D. You are defined by what you accomplish, not by the degrees you hold.

Understanding Science and Research

A Ph.D. represents a transition from understanding what works to deeply comprehending why it works—from building technology to establishing proof related to fundamental principles. It is interesting to note how many students get tripped up by not understanding some fundamental elements of proof, and by confusing building something as a matter of technology with proving something by example. If you only want to create things, there may be no reason to invest the time and effort required for a Ph.D.

Professional and Research Ethics

Your career depends on your professional integrity more than almost any other single factor. Making honest mistakes can be a setback. Cheating, plagiarism, falsifying data, or any of several other transgressions can ruin your career and potentially result in legal action, including being sued or prosecuted. Even minor misbehavior can cause you a lot of damage. A Ph.D. does not confer immunity from consequences; if anything, it makes your work more likely to be scrutinized.

As a computing professional (especially if you work in security), you have a certain set of duties to society and to your colleagues. You should definitely know and understand them—you won't be able to claim ignorance if you're caught in a dishonest act.

All graduate students who work with me (and especially those in CERIAS) should be aware of what I consider to be acceptable standards of conduct.

I require all of my students to complete the CITI Program self-study ethics module.

Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Plagiarism

Communicating Well

Having the most brilliant ideas is not enough to excel. You must also be able to express yourself clearly—in written work, in presentation materials, and in conversation. This skill will be tested from your very first application (your Statement of Purpose is the first piece of academic writing that faculty will evaluate) and will remain essential throughout your career.

Writing

Your Statement of Purpose (SOP) is your chance to demonstrate that you understand what research entails and why you are prepared to contribute to your field. It should present a focused vision: your area of interest, your relevant preparation, why specific programs align with your goals, and why your proposed research matters. You do not need a fully defined thesis topic—faculty expect you to refine your focus—but showing that you have thought carefully about direction is essential. Write the SOP in your own authentic voice; if it reads as though it was generated by an AI system, it may be summarily rejected.

More broadly, learn to write well independently of AI writing tools. Develop your own distinctive voice and style. Text produced by AI systems is often recognizably generic, and its use in academic work can result in serious negative consequences—ranging from a rejected application to academic misconduct charges. AI tools may be helpful for checking grammar or brainstorming, but the ideas, structure, and expression in your writing must be genuinely your own.

I also recommend the following books. These can be a great help in developing proper style in writing technical papers. You can find them at any good bookstore, or online from a store such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Professor Matt Might has some great suggestions on useful references in one of his blog posts. I definitely suggest checking the books he mentions if you are serious about your writing (and you should be).

I have become a fan of Grammarly. The free version is helpful, and the premium version is quite good. You should consider it as an add-on to whatever you use to write. Speaking of what you use to write, Word, Pages, and similar programs have minimal built-in grammar and spelling checking that you should enable when you use them.

Presentations

Effective communication extends beyond written documents to formal presentations—conference talks, thesis proposals, and defenses. Use presentation tools to support your ideas, not substitute for them. Practice presenting with minimal (or no) text on the screen; include only material that complements what you are saying. Never make your presentation by reading your slides to the audience.

Always remember that “less is more.” Running over the allotted time or putting up screens with so much dense content that they cannot be read are sure ways to create a negative impression. Many formal speaking guides emphasize identifying at most four or five key points you want the audience to remember, and speaking only to those points.

PowerPoint presentations are not necessarily a good thing. See what the Gettysburg Address would have been like if Lincoln had used PowerPoint.
Put together by Peter Norvig, former VP at Google and Distinguished Education Fellow at Stanford's Human-Centered AI Institute.
(Also, you might like to watch this video by Don McMillan.)

Letters of Recommendation

Your letters of recommendation often carry more weight than your GPA or test scores. The most important factor is choosing recommenders who know you and your work well enough to write specifically about your abilities. A faculty member who only taught you in a lecture course—even one where you earned an A—can typically write only a generic letter (“this student performed well in my class”), and admissions committees can tell the difference immediately. Generic letters add little value; specific letters that describe your research thinking, initiative, and growth are what move applications forward.

Priority order for recommenders:

  1. Research advisors who supervised your thesis, publications, or significant projects
  2. Faculty for whom you served as a research assistant
  3. Faculty who taught courses where you engaged deeply—office hours, independent exploration, extended discussions beyond the syllabus
  4. Industry or government supervisors of genuine R&D work

Avoid letters from teaching assistants, family friends, or prominent people who barely know you. Ask at least six to eight weeks before the first deadline, and make it easy for writers to decline gracefully. Provide each writer with your curriculum vitae (CV), draft Statement of Purpose (SOP), transcript, a description of your research interests, and the list of programs with deadlines. Send a reminder two weeks before each deadline and track submission status.

If someone agrees to write but seems hesitant, or asks you to draft the letter yourself, consider whether another writer would serve you better.

A note from Prof. Spafford: If you are asking me for a letter, I can write the strongest letter for students I have worked with directly—on research, in my lab, or through sustained intellectual engagement beyond the classroom. If our only interaction was a course where you were one of many students, my letter will necessarily be limited in what it can say about your research potential. You may be better served by asking someone who knows your work more closely.

Being a Graduate Student

There are many useful tips for graduate students of all kinds. I believe these are good resources to start with.

Managing Stress and Well-Being

Graduate school is intellectually rewarding but also demanding. Financial pressure, impostor syndrome, isolation, and the open-ended nature of research can take a real toll. Recognizing this early and building support structures is not a sign of weakness—it is a practical strategy for completing your degree and maintaining your health while doing so.

Financial Stress

Ph.D. stipends are modest, and financial anxiety is one of the most common stressors graduate students face. Understand your tax obligations—stipends and fellowships are taxed differently from regular wages, and the rules are not intuitive. Build a basic budget early. Know what emergency resources exist at your institution before you need them.

Emotional and Mental Health

Impostor syndrome—the persistent feeling that you do not belong or that your admission was a mistake—is pervasive in graduate school. It is remarkably common even among highly accomplished students. If you are struggling, talk to someone: a trusted mentor, a counselor, a peer. Most universities provide free counseling services for graduate students. Do not wait until a crisis to find out what support is available.

Setbacks are a normal part of academic life. A paper gets rejected. An experiment fails. A qualifying exam does not go well. These things happen to everyone—including faculty with decades of experience. A setback is not a personal failing; it reflects circumstances and preparation at a particular moment in time. Learn from the feedback, adjust your approach, and try again. If the setbacks start to feel overwhelming, that is exactly the time to reach out for help—from your advisor, from a counselor, or from the resources listed below.

Sustainable Habits

Plan regular exercise, adequate sleep, and social connection from the start. Identify hobbies and interests outside of research. Build a support network that includes people outside your lab and outside academia. There will occasionally be intense periods—conference deadlines, dissertation writing—that require long hours. These should be exceptions, not norms. Doctoral work requires endurance, not constant sprinting. Remember that this is now your professional life, not simply an unusual interlude; structure your time accordingly.

For Purdue Students

Purdue provides a range of support services. Knowing these exist before you need them reduces barriers when challenges arise.

You are also welcome to talk with me about stress, depression, workload, or any other issues at any time. I have been a certified Mental Health First Aid instructor, have completed Purdue LGBTQ Safe Zone training, and have been on the faculty here for 39 years. I cannot promise to address everything you bring my way, but I will try my best to help non-judgmentally. (Note: I am required by university policy and law to report possible crimes and sexual assault that are disclosed to me.)

Conducting Reviews

Other Resources

Of course, my students probably want to read (and identify with) characters in the comic strip Piled Higher and Deeper.

And if my students (or others) are trying to find a good thesis topic and title, here are some suggestions.

Working with Prof. Spafford

You Want Me to Serve on Your Committee?

You want me to serve on your thesis committee? I am willing to consider such service when the topic area is one where I believe I can provide helpful feedback. Note that I take such service seriously, and I tend to be picky about what is written and claimed in both the dissertation and defense. I have refused to sign at least one Ph.D. defense form because I did not find the work to be appropriate as a scholarly work—so be warned: my signature is not a given.

I suggest you look at the resources I have linked to on this page. They may prove to be useful as you progress through your research.

If you still want me to be on your thesis committee, then please observe the following:

Once I agree to be on your committee, I expect the following to occur, in roughly this order:

  1. You will eventually provide me with a document describing your thesis research in more detail. This will include a comprehensive bibliography of related work, a statement of goals and assumptions, an outline of how you will proceed to prove your thesis, an approximate schedule of completion, and a statement of the consequences of your work. Your advisor must have approved this document. This same document will likely be used for your thesis proposal/prelim exam.
  2. At least once a semester, you will send me an email detailing your progress. You are welcome to stop by to see me and discuss your work or seek input, but this is not required unless you need it. However, I would like to be kept informed of your progress.
  3. At least 1 month before you expect to begin a job search, you will make an appointment to meet with me. You will provide a copy of your updated C.V., copies of any publications, and copies of any statements you have prepared (e.g., statement of research or statement on teaching). We will discuss your goals and expectations, and go over the list of places where you intend to apply.
  4. You will check with me before scheduling your thesis defense to ensure that I am in town. I will not agree to a defense date that is within 5 days of the submission deadline in any semester except in very rare circumstances. Nearly every dissertation requires some editing and revision before submission, and sufficient time should be allocated for this process.
  5. No later than two weeks before the scheduled defense, you will provide me with a final paper copy of your thesis. This is a version that your advisor is happy with, and that you expect to defend. My decision of whether or not to sign the thesis approval form will be based, in part, on this version of the dissertation. I will not accept a new version provided less than two weeks before the defense—and especially not at the defense itself! Schedule accordingly.
  6. Your defense should be structured as your advisor recommends. However, in general, assume your audience is familiar with the general context of your work. Assume your committee has read your dissertation. Address the important and subtle points to make your case. Be precise in your writing and speaking. Try to keep your presentation to under 45 minutes without questions unless your advisor directs otherwise.
  7. After you deposit the final version of your dissertation, it is normally the case that you present members of the committee with bound copies. I keep my copies as reminders of the hard work and creativity of the students, and I will be honored to receive a copy of your finished work.

You Want Me to be Your (Co-)Advisor?

I am not currently accepting new Ph.D. students, except in very special circumstances. You are welcome to discuss graduate work with me, but please don't get your hopes up that I might be your advisor. I am willing to serve on thesis committees, however (see above). See the CERIAS web pages for names of other Purdue faculty working in the same areas of interest. I am also willing to serve as a co-advisor with some other faculty. Talk to me if you are interested in this.

First, read through everything above, especially about what I expect from thesis students who have someone else as an advisor—I expect all of that and more.

Students who want me as an advisor need to be very self-motivated and have a good understanding of what they want to do. Some advisors provide several meetings a week with students, but my schedule won't allow that. Some advisors provide their advisees a fleshed-out set of topics to complete, but that is not my approach. My approach is to guide students in discovering their own interests and achieving results. This is not a strategy that often results in multiple publications and a quick exit from grad school. Instead, I tend to work with students who want a deeper and more complete understanding of the field. This is not for everybody.

I expect my advisees to know how to write well in English, carry on a reasonable discussion with others, be willing to investigate ideas on their own, and apply themselves to whatever topic they are working on. If that doesn't describe you, then many other faculty members are looking for Ph.D. students.