Notice

As many of you already know, I'm currently in the Masters of Science in Software Engineering (MSSE) program at the UMN and will be graduating from that program this spring (2007). After a summer break, I'll begin the Ph.D. program starting in the fall and plan to finish within 6 years (2013). Here is a rough schedule of how these next years will break down:

• Coursework. All of the classes I've taken for the MSSE program will transfer, but I will still need to take 15 credits of additional coursework that will assure that I have both a broad knowledge of the field of Computer Science, and will allow me to take a few classes that are specific to the area that I am planning to study: Programming Languages. This phase will take me 1-2 years depending on whether I want to do the courses full-time or not (I haven't decided).
• Preliminary Exams. After I am finished with the required coursework, I will need to pass two preliminary exams: one written, and one oral. The written exam will consist of reading 10-15 papers and textbooks and will test me on my core subject area. The oral exam happens in front of a committee and will likely be organized around me presenting my thesis proposal. Only after I pass these two exams will I be formally considered a candidate for the Ph.D.
• Research and Dissertation. This is the largest phase of the process and is the part where I'll actually do research and write a dissertation. This phase could take anywhere between 4-6 years.
• Final Exam. After the research and dissertation have been completed, I'll take the final oral exam which will be in front of a committee and will be where I defend the thesis and research I've done and reason about its value to the Computer Science community. The UMN has a policy that every Ph.D. thesis defense is open to the public so theoretically, anyone that wants to come, could.

I plan to work full time while doing the Ph.D. and will do school part time until I'm finished. The only exception might be the initial coursework. I'm relatively confident that I can do the coursework full time while working full time since that's what I've been doing for the past 2 years in the MSSE program anyway.

Looking back, I remember being a mediocre student in High School and a poor student in college (which was unrelated to my social life). School has been an uphill climb for me and knowing that the next step for me is the Ph.D. program both encourages and frightens me. Mostly though, I'm just thankful.

I did quite a bit of introspective footwork before applying--mainly because I wanted to be sure that it was the right decision for Mandy and I, but also to make sure that I had the right motives in mind. Why would I want to do this? What were my reasons? Could I have enough discipline to make it through the whole thing? Would it wreck personal or family relationships?

Although I brainstormed many motivations, I realized that my primary purpose for doing a Ph.D. is that I do not want to waste the time that God's given me. I want to take the time that I have left in my life, and do the best I can with it. If you're interested, I'm also including a link to my full statement of purpose that I submitted to the UMN that talks a little more about:

1. My background, experience, and goals.
2. The topic I feel needs research.
3. My strengths and weaknesses and how they will both help and hurt me.

I have been given so many great gifts in my life: a supportive wife, a desire to be challenged to grow through perseverance and discipline, and to make an impact through teaching. Getting a Ph.D. will help me develop myself in many of the areas I identified and will allow me to use the gifts and weaknesses that God has given me in an intentional way.