Frequently Asked Questions on Programmatic Issues

Q: GT courses are not offered in Shanghai during the spring semester. What do you recommend that I do during the spring?
A: For dual-MS degree program students, you can focus on taking SJTU courses or performing research during the spring semester. In that case, you will need to register for a non-tuition bearing marker course in order to maintain your GT student status. For students who are only getting the GT degree (single degree students), you can engage in an internship in China, or enroll in language or other courses at SJTU, or study at GT-Atlanta (subject to certain conditions if you were initially admitted through the GT-Shanghai campus).

Q: Will GT-Shanghai help me obtain an internship position in China?
A: We will work with GT’s Division of Professional Practice (DOPP) to help those non-Chinese citizen students (GT single degree students) to obtain internship positions with multinational companies in Shanghai / China. However, we cannot guarantee that you will get such a position, especially if there is a mismatch between your skills and qualifications and the available positions. Dual-MS degree program students are expected to focus on their SJTU thesis research during the semesters that they are not taking GT courses.

Q: If I participate in an internship during the spring semester, will my transcripts show such experience?
A: For the semester that you engage in an internship, you can register on OSCAR for a graduate co-op course that does not charge any tuition. Your transcripts will indicate "Graduate Co-op" for that semester. To be eligible, your internship must last at least 14 weeks and it must be relevant to your major. Since this involves quite a bit of paperwork and coordination among three different GT offices, internship students who wish to register for the graduate co-op course must declare the intention of doing so by the last day of classes in the semester prior to the internship semester.

Q: I am accepted into the MS degree program at GT-Shanghai. Can I study at GT-Atlanta for a period of time?
A: Yes; you can exchange to GT-Atlanta, subject to certain conditions.

Q: After obtaining my ECE MS degree at GT-Shanghai, I would like to pursue the ECE PhD degree at GT-Atlanta. Do I have to re-apply?
A: For ECE program students, you can stay on for the PhD program without having to re-apply, but you should pass the PhD preliminary exam in Shanghai before coming to Atlanta. The preliminary exam is offered around mid October and again in early March. Once you have passed the PhD preliminary exam, you will be re-classified as a PhD student. Note however, if it has been two or more semesters (including the summer) since you last enrolled at GT, you will have to apply for readmission to GT.
Q: What are the advantages of taking the ECE PhD preliminary exam while I am in the MS degree program?
A: Students who have passed the ECE PhD preliminary exam are automatically re-classified as PhD students, even before they graduate with the MS degree. Passing the preliminary exam increases the student’s chance of obtaining a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) position at GT-Atlanta, as well as makes the student eligible for exchanging to GT-Atlanta. Students are advised to take the exam as soon as possible. Check the ECE Graduate Handbook for additional details.

Q: I plan to take the ECE PhD Preliminary Exam. On the prelim exam registration form, I am asked to select a primary area of interest for PhD research. Does it have to be the area that I entered in my ECE graduate application? Does it affect how I should complete the MS Coursework Form?
A: The area that you select on the PhD prelim exam registration form and the area(s) that you indicated on the ECE Graduate Application form do not have to be identical; both are for information and planning purposes and are not-binding. They do not affect how your MS Coursework Form should be completed.
Q: What is the format of the ECE PhD preliminary exam?
A: It is a 4-hour, closed book, closed notes exam on undergraduate materials. The exam consists of 25 problems; each student must select 8 problems to work on and submit for grading. Students are only permitted to bring pencils, pens, eraser, and a basic scientific calculator - trigonometric and log functions can be used but the calculator must not have programming modes. The passing score for the preliminary exam is 65 out of 100. Be sure to read the preliminary exam study guide.
Q: Will the GT College of Computing (CoC) recognize my ECE PhD prelim exam results?
A: No. Doctoral programs at the CoC have an entirely different set of requirements.
Q: I would like to pursue PhD studies at the College of Computing (CoC) at GT-Atlanta immediately following my GT MS ECE degree. Do I have to re-apply?
A: Yes, you will need to submit a new application to the CoC PhD program. Your TOEFL and GRE scores are already in the GT database so you will not need to ask ETS to send them again.
Q: How do we transition from the GT-Shanghai MS ECE program to the GT-Atlanta ECE PhD degree program?
A: First, pass the ECE PhD prelim exam at the earliest opportunity. Keep your GT GPA high. Approximately 6-9 months before the start of your planned PhD studies at GT-Atlanta, you can contact selected professors to inquire about Graudate Research Assistantship (GRA) opportunities. If any professor agrees to sponsor you, please inform the GT-Shanghai Office about the GRA arrangement. We will then give permission to the ECE Graduate Office and the Registrar’s Office to switch your campus from GT-Shanghai to GT-Atlanta, after you have completed the GT MS ECE degree at GT-Shanghai. Your I-20 form will be requested at that time.
Q: I have completed 18 credit hours of GT coursework at GT-Shanghai and have passed the ECE PhD prelim exam. I have contacted a GT-Atlanta professor and received a GRA offer from him to study for the PhD. Can I transfer to GT-Atlanta now?
A: Under no circumstance can you transfer out of GT-Shanghai to another GT campus before you complete the SJTU MS degree. If you have completed the SJTU MS degree but not the GT MS degree, and wish to transfer out of GT-Shanghai to GT-Atlanta or GT-Savannah, please have the PhD advisor contact the GT-Shanghai Director, Prof. Zhou, to be sure that all communication is clear and accurate. Most professors offer the GRA position because the student will come in with the GT MS degree. If all parties are “on the same page” regarding the student’s qualifications and intentions, the student can transfer to GT-Atlanta or GT-Savannah with the J-1 (not F-1) visa, as an Exchange Student. Those who matricuate into the GT-SJTU Dual-MS degree program but intend to complete the GT MS degree at another GT campus are considered exchange students per instructions received from the GT Office of International Education.
Q: If I pass the ECE PhD preliminary exam, earn the GT ECE MS degree, and begin my GT ECE PhD studies at a later date, do I have to take the preliminary exam again?
A: Currently, there is not an expiration date for the PhD preliminary exam results so you will not need to take the exam again once you have passed it.

Q: I see many courses listed for the “video” campus. Can GT-Shanghai students sign up for any of those video courses?
A: In order to manage costs and ensure adequate staffing for exam proctoring etc, only selected video courses are made available to GT-Shanghai students. Those video courses will have a section code QSH (Q for video, SH for Shanghai) and will be announced on the GT-Shanghai website. When you login to OSCAR during the Phase I or Phase II registration period, you will only be able to see RSH (Shanghai on-site) and QSH (video to Shanghai) courses. All GT courses are coded with campus restrictions - Shanghai and video (distance learning) are separate campuses.
Q: I am really interested in a particular video course that is taught from GT-Atlanta. Can I request for it to be added to the GT-Shanghai video course offerings?
A: If at the end of the Phase I registration period, the video campus section (section Q) has at least 7 students registered for the course, we can consider adding a Shanghai video section (section QSH) to the GT-Shanghai course offerings. However, the decision is subject to the approval of the course instructor, as well as GT-Shanghai fund availability.
Q: How do I get the textbooks?
A: We will announce courses and the corresponding textbooks for the following year as early as possible but usually no later than 3 months in advance. You can comparison shop for textbooks at many online vendors such as www.allbookstores.com and have the books shipped to you. You may also find in China, international editions of some of the textbooks that we use. For example, you may check with the following book sellers:

book.dangdang.com
www.china-pub.com
www.onlybook.com.cn
www.phei.com.cn
www.tup.com.cn
www.sciencep.com
www.ptpress.com.cn
If international edition of the textbook is not available, the program will provide 1-2 copies of the textbook to be placed on reserve at SJTU. Please note that copyright rules www.usg.edu/legal/copyright/ from the Board of Regents must be followed. The program purchases and ships textbooks to Coulter Fellowship students.

Last revised on November 12, 2009.