The CS PhD application deadline is December 15, 2023. On December 16, all applications will be moved into the Slate reader bin, making them available for review. On that day, you’ll also receive an Excel spreadsheet by email, which will include applicant demographics and faculty of interest/research area of interest information.

Please see below for guidance on the PhD admissions process. Any additional questions can be directed to PhD Academic Program Manager Kim Franklin.

  • Navigate to Slate Reader.
  • Log in using your JHED ID and password.
  • On the left sidebar, click “Browse.”
  • Click on the “EN Computer Science PhD” bin/box.
    • On this page you will find ALL of our CS PhD applicants.
    • You will be able to see applicant Area of Interest and Faculty of Interest on this main page, which should help streamline your process.
    • If you want to open an application, just click on the page icon in the rightmost column.
    • If you want to search for a particular applicant by name or application number, you can do that in the search field located in the top right corner of the screen.

  • The CS PhD Admissions Rubric is a tool of measurement that faculty may opt to use in evaluating PhD applicants. It was developed to help identify qualities that are considered important in a PhD student, as described by CS faculty advisors. The Department would like to stress that theRubric is only meant to be used as a guide for faculty members; its use is not required.
  • The Rubric can be used in document form, found here, outside of Slate. Complete it electronically and save, or print it and make notes—whichever works best for your process.
  • The Rubric can also be utilized in Slate as a Review Form when you assign an applicant to your queue.
    • To add an applicant to your queue from the “EN Computer Science PhD” bin/box, click on an applicant (highlighting it blue) and then select the button in the top right corner, “Add to Queue.”
    • When you open an application in your queue, click on the bottom right tab, “Review Form/Send to Bin,” which will open a window to the right. Check the “CS Application Evaluation Form” box at the top right to open the rubric evaluation tool. Click the SEND button at the bottom to save your review. Once you have clicked SEND, you cannot make changes to your review. Any edit to the review will have to be done on the back end by WSE Graduate Admissions.
    • You can locate a quick list of all applicants assigned to your queue by using this portal.

  • Funding Plan: Fill in the WSE PhD Funding Form and send it to PhD Academic Manager Kim Franklin. Include the applicant’s Slate link for reference.
    • Recall that in a standard PhD student funding plan, the dean covers 100% of tuition the first year and advisors are responsible for health insurance (approximately $3,000 for the year), a matriculation fee ($500), and a stipend ($45,300 in AY23–24). In years 2–6, the dean covers 80% of tuition and advisors are responsible for the remaining 20% of tuition. In year 7 and beyond, the tuition split is 60/40 dean/advisor.
    • Note that when a student TAs within the department, the advisor’s portion of tuition, health insurance, and stipend are covered by the department that semester.
  • Approval of Committee: Send the applicant’s Slate link to the Admissions Committee to request their approval for admission: Benjamin Van Durme (Chair), Philipp Koehn, Daniel Khashabi, Matt Green, Renjie Zhao, and Kim Franklin (vandurme@jhu.edu; phi@jhu.edu; danielk@jhu.edu; mgreen@cs.jhu.edu; rjzhao@jhu.edu; kimfranklin@jhu.edu). Include the name of the student in your email and CC at least one faculty member in the Department of Computer Science who seconds this nomination.
  • Issuing an Acceptance Letter: Once Kim has your funding plan and hears back from the Committee that the offer is approved, she will generate a formal acceptance in coordination with the faculty member(s) serving as advisor(s). Please do not tell the applicant, or imply to the applicant, that they will be accepted until the Committee has authorized the offer. At that time, if you wish to contact the applicant ahead of the department’s official notice, it is your call whether the informal or formal notice will mean more as first response.

  • The CS PhD candidate On-Campus Visit for finalists and/or already admitted students is scheduled for Thursday, February 8 and Friday, February 9. A schedule of activities organized by the department can be found below. Any additional interviews, lunches, dinners, etc. outside of these times should be organized by sponsoring faculty members.  The department will be funding Thursday’s lunch and Friday’s breakfast and happy hour plus up to $500 toward travel expenses per visitor; faculty advisors are expected to cover any additional costs. If you would like to invite a candidate, please email Kim Franklin with the name and email address of your invitee(s), their planned visit days, and a funding source for expenses that exceed $500. Following receipt of this information, hotel and travel bookings will be made by the department.
    • Thursday, February 8
      10:30 a.m. – CS Seminar, speaker TBD, Hackerman B-17. (No speaker is scheduled as of 1/26/24, but that could change. This is a good optional activity for invitees.)
      12:00 p.m. – Lunch and welcome remarks by Department Head Randal Burns, Director of Graduate Studies Scott Smith, PhD Student Council leadership, and PhD program administrators, Kim Franklin and Meagan Wade.
      3:00 p.m. – Campus tour with current PhD students. Please meet in the CS office suite, Malone 160. This will likely include a visit to nearby student apartments to provide examples of common residential options.
      Evening – Faculty should try to arrange individual meet-ups and dinner with candidates and current student lab groups.
    • Friday, February 9
      9:00 a.m. – Morning meet and greet with bagels, pastries, fruit, coffee, etc. in the Malone Hall lobby for candidates, sponsoring faculty advisors and their student labs, and PhD Student Council members.
      10:00 a.m. – Campus tour with current PhD students. Please meet in the CS office suite, Malone 160. This will likely include a visit to nearby student apartments to provide examples of common residential options.
      5:00 p.m. – Happy hour (with food) for current and prospective CS PhD students and faculty in the Malone Hall lobby.
    • Faculty will continue to have the option to invite their prospective and/or admitted students to visit campus outside of the department-organized visit days. The same $500 department contribution and hotel/travel booking process referenced above still applies.
  • The CS PhD Virtual Visit is scheduled for Thursday, January 25 beginning at noon and continuing until Friday, January 26 at 4:30 p.m. We will follow the same pattern of scheduling as we have the last two years, with a department introduction at noon on Thursday followed by an interview block from 1:30 to 5 p.m. EST and a social with current students and faculty in “virtual Malone Hall” at 6 p.m. On Friday, there will be AM and PM interview blocks—the first from 9 a.m. to noon and the second from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST, followed by a department-led wrap-up session. Please see the draft schedule found here.