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Dissertations/Theses
Core resources, proquest dissertations & theses global 1861+; full text 1997+, dissertations & theses @ princeton university, princeton university doctoral dissertations, 2011+ (dataspace), catalog of princeton university senior theses 1926+, proquest dissertations & theses - uk & ireland 1716+, foreign doctoral dissertations database (crl), american doctoral dissertations, 1933 - 1955, chinese doctor and master dissertations, dart-europe e-theses portal, digital library of theses and dissertations of the university of são paulo, ethos: electronic theses online service, networked digital library of theses and dissertations, riss international 1910+, shodhganga 2010+, theses canada portal.
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The Senior Thesis
From the outset of their time at Princeton, students are encouraged and challenged to develop their scholarly interests and to evolve as independent thinkers.
The culmination of this process is the senior thesis, which provides a unique opportunity for students to pursue original research and scholarship in a field of their choosing. At Princeton, every senior writes a thesis or, in the case of some engineering departments, undertakes a substantial independent project.
Integral to the senior thesis process is the opportunity to work one-on-one with a faculty member who guides the development of the project. Thesis writers and advisers agree that the most valuable outcome of the senior thesis is the chance for students to enhance skills that are the foundation of future success, including creativity, intellectual engagement, mental discipline and the ability to meet new challenges.
Many students develop projects from ideas sparked in the classes they’ve taken; others fashion their topics on the basis of long-standing personal passions. Most thesis writers encounter the intellectual twists and turns of any good research project, where the questions emerge as they proceed, often taking them in unexpected directions.
Planning for the senior thesis starts in earnest in the junior year, when students complete a significant research project known as the junior paper. Students who plan ahead can make good use of the University's considerable resources, such as receiving University funds to do research in the United States or abroad. Other students use summer internships as a launching pad for their thesis. For some science and engineering projects, students stay on campus the summer before their senior year to get a head start on lab work.
Writing a thesis encourages the self-confidence and high ambitions that come from mastering a difficult challenge. It fosters the development of specific skills and habits of mind that augur well for future success. No wonder generations of graduates look back on the senior thesis as the most valuable academic component of their Princeton experience.
Navigating Colombia’s Magdalena River, One Story At A Time
For his senior thesis, Jordan Salama, a Spanish and Portuguese major, produced a nonfiction book of travel writing about the people and places along Colombia’s main river, the Magdalena.
Embracing the Classics to Inform Policymaking for Public Education
For her senior thesis, Emma Treadway, a member of the Class of 2022, considers how the basic tenets of Stoicism — a school of philosophy that dates from 300 BCE — can teach students to engage empathetically with the world and address inequities in the classroom.
Creating A Faster, Cheaper and Greener Chemical Reaction
One way to make drugs more affordable is to make them cheaper to produce. For her senior thesis research, Cassidy Humphreys, a chemistry concentrator with a passion for medicine, took on the challenge of taking a century-old formula at the core of many modern medications — and improving it.
The Humanity of Improvisational Dance
Esin Yunusoglu investigated how humans move together and exist in a space — both on the dance floor and in real life — for the choreography she created as her senior thesis in dance, advised by Professor of Dance Susan Marshall.
From the Blog
The infamous senior thesis, revisiting wwii: my senior thesis, independent work in its full glory, advisers, independent work and beyond.
Department of Astrophysical Sciences
Recent Ph.D. Theses
ProQuest Catalog of Ph.D. Theses in the Department of Astrophysical Sciences
Graduate School
Architecture
General information, program offerings:, director of graduate studies:, graduate program administrator:.
The School of Architecture, Princeton’s center for teaching and research in architectural design, history, and theory, offers advanced degrees at both the master’s and the doctoral levels. The curriculum for the master’s degree, which has both a professional and a post-professional track, emphasizes design expertise in the context of architectural scholarship. Architecture is understood as a cultural practice involving both speculative intelligence and practical know-how. Each student constructs a personal course of study around a core of required courses that represents the knowledge essential to the education of an architect today.
The five-year doctoral program focuses on the history, theory, and criticism of architecture, urbanism, landscape, and building technology. The approach is interdisciplinary, covering a broad range of research interests from an architectural perspective. Working closely with the faculty of the school and allied departments in the University, students build individual programs of study involving at least two years of course work, general examinations, and a dissertation.
In 2014, the School of Architecture launched a new computation and energy Ph.D. track. The new track focuses on developing and researching new techniques of embodied computation and new systems for energy and environmental performance. It is supported by connections to the School of Engineering and Applied Science , the Department of Computer Science and the Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment . With the addition of new courses and curricula for the computation and energy track, and with the acquisition of industrial robotic arms and the renovation of the Embodied Computation Laboratory (also known as the Architectural Laboratory), students will actively contribute to hands-on applied research in architecture while becoming experts in their field.
Additional departmental requirements
Ph.D. – At least three samples of written work published or unpublished. In the statement of academic purpose, candidates must describe professional and academic experience and its relevance to future plans for research and teaching. Also outline potential areas of research in the context of Princeton’s program. Applicants are required to select a subplan when applying.
M.Arch. – Design portfolio, bound, not to exceed 8.5" x 11", no slides, CDs, or loose sheets. Portfolios of admitted applicants will be retained. An electronic version of this portfolio must also be uploaded with the application.
Portfolios must be postmarked by January 3 and received by January 11. Please note: If you are tracking the delivery of your package, Graduate Admission will be closed December 23 - January 2. Normal hours will resume on Monday, January 3.
Please avoid special packaging as this delays the processing of your materials and does not increase your opportunity for admission. Be sure to include your full name, date of birth, and department on all materials sent. Please mail these materials to:
Princeton University Graduate Admission ATTN: Portfolios One Clio Hall Princeton, NJ 08544
Materials submitted will become the property of Princeton University.
Program Offerings
Program description.
History and Theory Track
The interdisciplinary nature of the doctoral (Ph.D.) program stresses the relationship of architecture, urbanism, landscape, and building technologies to their cultural, social, and political milieu. Supported by strong affiliations with other departments in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, the program has developed a comprehensive approach to the study of the field. Students interact with their peers to sustain their individual projects in a context of collective research.
Computation and Energy Track
The technology Ph.D. track develops research in the field of embodied computation and new systems for energy and environmental performance. Through associated faculty it is linked to the School of Engineering and Applied Science, particularly with Computer Science and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. A proseminar for the Ph.D. track supports the initial methods and processes for this research. The applied research component of the track is supported by infrastructure including an industrial robotic arm located in the School of Architecture’s Embodied Computation Lab and research facilities in the Andlinger Center.
History and Theory Track Course requirements for each student are determined by the Ph.D. Program Committee according to students’ previous experience, specialized interests, and progress through the program. For the first two years, each student engages in course work and independent study and is required to take a minimum of four classes each term, including required language and independent reading courses, for a total of 16 courses.
In the first year of residence, a required two-term proseminar introduces students to historical research and methodological approaches and guides the development of individual research proposals. The minimum number of courses are reduced by one when a student serves as an assistant-in-instruction (AI). This does not reduce the number of required papers; the AI assignment replaces an audited course.
Computation and Energy Track Course requirements for each student are determined by the Ph.D. Program Committee according to the student’s previous experience, specialized interests, and progress through the program. During the first year of residence, a two-term proseminar introduces students to the process of developing prototype-based research, the literature review process, and methods for innovative scientific hypothesis generation and analysis. It also guides the development of individual research proposals. The course requirements for each student are set by the Ph.D. Program Committee according to the student’s previous experience, specialized interests, and progress through the program. The course load consists of a total of sixteen courses, nine of which have to be taken for credit, including two required proseminar courses during the first two years of study. Extending the reach of previous coursework, four research projects have to be developed, documented in paper format, and submitted as a package for the general examination once coursework is completed. The coursework must have an interdisciplinary focus that supports the student in developing expertise in an area of research as an extension of the architectural core that serves as the basis for developing a dissertation proposal.
Language(s)
A student must satisfy the program requirement of a reading knowledge of two foreign languages before the end of the second year in residence. These languages should be relevant to the general history of the discipline or specifically relevant to the student’s area of research. An examination of comprehension is administered by the appropriate language department.
Additional pre-generals requirements
Each year in mid-May, doctoral students are expected to present a progress report for review with the Ph.D. Program Committee. The purpose of these oral reviews is to give feedback to the student and to keep all members of the Ph.D. Committee informed about the work of all students. The progress report should list courses taken for grades or audit, papers completed or in progress, grades received, and a description of how courses relate to the student’s major and minor fields of concentration. The report should also note conferences attended, lectures given, teaching and/or research assistantships. Second-year reports incorporate a prospectus on the materials to be included in the general examination dossier. The prospectus includes a list of six papers (History and Theory track) or four research project reports (Computation and Energy track) to be included in the general examination dossier accompanied by a statement connecting this research and writing to the student’s major and minor fields of concentration.
General exam
The general examination is designed to ascertain the student’s general knowledge of the subject, acquaintance with scholarly methods of research, and ability to organize and present material. The components of the general examination are assembled sequentially during the student’s period in residence, according to a program overseen and approved by the Ph.D. Program Committee. The general examination is normally taken upon completion of two years of course work (preferably in the fall of the third year in residence).
Qualifying for the M.A.
The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is typically an incidental degree on the way to full Ph.D. candidacy and is earned after a student successfully completes the general examination. It may also be awarded to students who, for various reasons, leave the Ph.D. program after successfully completing the general exam.
Teaching experience is considered to be a significant part of graduate education. The School recommends that Ph.D. candidates serve as Assistants-in-instruction (AI) for at least one term.
Post-Generals requirements
Following the general exam, students meet with the Ph.D. Program Committee each spring. These reviews provide opportunities for all members of the Ph.D. Committee to review progress and provide feedback. Students submit a progress report describing publications, conferences attended, lectures given, teaching or research assistantships completed. The report also includes progress on dissertation writing, funding applications, etc. At least one new dissertation chapter must be submitted in each of the post-generals years.
Dissertation and FPO
The culmination of the program is the defense of the finished dissertation at the final public oral (FPO) examination, which includes the thesis adviser, a second reader from the Ph.D. Committee, and a third internal or external reader. For full FPO committee composition requirements, please consult the Graduate School website.
Advisers read and comment on initial drafts of the student’s dissertation, consult on methods and sources, and approve any changes in the dissertation outline stemming from research discoveries and shifting emphases. The School often recommends that additional readers from inside or outside the School review sections of the research. The research toward a dissertation normally includes at least one year spent on archival research.
The Ph.D. is awarded after the candidate’s doctoral dissertation has been accepted and the final public oral examination completed.
Professional Master’s Degree The Master of Architecture (M.Arch.), accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), is intended for students who plan to practice architecture professionally. The M.Arch. qualifies students to take the state professional licensing examination after completing the required internship. Refer to the NAAB statement on the School of Architecture’s website for more information.
Students are eligible for admission to the graduate program whether or not they have had undergraduate work in architecture. The typical duration of the program is three years; students with an intensive undergraduate architecture background may be eligible for advanced standing.
Post-Professional Master’s Degree A post-professional M.Arch. degree is available to those who hold the degree of Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) or its equivalent from an international institution. These are students who have successfully completed a professional program in architecture and have fulfilled the educational requirements for professional licensing in the state or country in which the degree was granted. Students typically complete this program in two years. The post-professional degree is not accredited by the NAAB.
Students in the professional M.Arch. program must take a minimum of 25 courses, typically four per term, including one design studio each term and the independent design thesis in the final term. The studio sequence, required building technology and professional practice courses, and courses in history and theory of architecture and urbanism constitute a core knowledge of the discipline. In addition to these required courses, each student must complete distribution requirements within the areas of history and theory and building technology. In order to encourage the development of an individual program of study, each student may select up to three electives, which may be fulfilled with any course offered within the University and approved by the director of graduate studies.
Students granted advanced standing are usually required to take a minimum of 16 courses within the distributional requirements of the three-year program, including one design studio each term and the independent design thesis in the final term. Because of the differences in the educational backgrounds of students entering with advanced standing, the required number of courses in the areas of distribution is determined by the director of graduate studies after reviewing each student’s transcript and experience.
While students normally take four courses each term, in their final term of the program they may enroll in and complete as few as two courses, provided that total course requirements will still be met and additional time is needed in the final term to meet the specific research requirements of the thesis. Students who wish to enroll in fewer than four courses in the final term must have this request reviewed and approved by the director of graduate studies.
Students in the post-professional master’s degree program are granted wide latitude in course selection in order to create a program of study which aligns with their individual educational and research goals. The courses are distributed across the areas of design studios and a design thesis, history and theory, building technology, and elective courses that can be taken throughout the University with the approval of the director of graduate studies. Students are required to complete a minimum of 14 courses.
The thesis at Princeton is understood to be the culmination of the Master of Architecture curriculum. As such, it is the moment when the student contributes to, and advances, the discipline. Students participate in a thesis workshop during their penultimate semester. The aim of this workshop is to hone topics by situating them within a lineage—articulating where a project resembles or differs from works that have addressed such topics—and by developing a focused argument for a particular approach to the question. The thesis design project, conducted as independent work during the final semester, then tests this approach in a project whose underpinnings are pointed toward the synthesis of intellectual and design objectives. The thesis concludes with a public final review, where the project is evaluated both on its own terms and within the broader field of contemporary architectural discourse.
Additional requirements
Computer Requirement
Students in the Architecture program are strongly encouraged to own a Windows or Mac computer during their tenure. The School of Architecture does provide 12 high-end Dell Desktops and 4 iMacs in the computer lab with a full suite of software. Recommendations for personal computer purchases include a minimum 512 SSD hard drive, 16GB RAM, decent graphics card and processor. Computers should have the most updated operating systems with virus software installed. Most software provided by the School of Architecture is via network distribution and is Windows based. In addition, students are required to pay an annual $350 lab fee for access to the computers, plotters, printer, scanners and networked software.
- Mónica Ponce de León
Associate Dean
- Michael Meredith
Director of Graduate Studies
- Marshall B. Brown
- Beatriz Colomina
Director of Undergraduate Studies
- Stanley T. Allen
- M. Christine Boyer
- Elizabeth Diller
- Mario I. Gandelsonas
- Sylvia Lavin
- Guy J.P. Nordenson
- Jesse A. Reiser
Associate Professor
- Forrest M. Meggers
- Spyros Papapetros
Assistant Professor
- Erin D. Besler
- S.E. Eisterer
- V. Mitch McEwen
- Aaron P. Shkuda
Visiting Professor
- Anthony Vidler
Visiting Associate Professor
- Michael Osman
Visiting Lecturer
- Sylvester T. Black
- J. Robert Hillier
- Tessa Kelly
- Anna A. Neimark
- Mahadev Raman
- Daniel Sherer
For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website.
Permanent Courses
Courses listed below are graduate-level courses that have been approved by the program’s faculty as well as the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Graduate School as permanent course offerings. Permanent courses may be offered by the department or program on an ongoing basis, depending on curricular needs, scheduling requirements, and student interest. Not listed below are undergraduate courses and one-time-only graduate courses, which may be found for a specific term through the Registrar’s website. Also not listed are graduate-level independent reading and research courses, which may be approved by the Graduate School for individual students.
ARC 501 - Architecture Design Studio
Arc 502 - architecture design studio, arc 503 - integrated building studios, arc 504 - integrated building studios, arc 505a - architecture design studio, arc 505b - architecture design studio, arc 505c - architecture design studio, arc 506a - architecture design studio, arc 506b - architecture design studio, arc 507 - thesis studio, arc 508 - thesis studio, arc 508a - m. arch thesis studio, arc 508b - post-prof. thesis studio, arc 509 - integrated building systems, arc 510 - structural analysis for architecture, arc 511 - structural design, arc 513 - contemporary facade design, arc 514 - the environmental engineering of buildings, part i, arc 515 - the environmental engineering of buildings, part ii, arc 518 - construction and interpretation, arc 522 - history of comparative architecture, arc 525 - mapping the city: cities and cinema (also art 524), arc 526 - research in urbanism, arc 530 - m.arch. thesis seminar, arc 531 - proseminar for post-professional m.arch., arc 532 - post-professional m.arch. thesis seminar, arc 537 - architecture, technology, and the environment, arc 546 - technology and the city: the architectural implications of networked urban landscape (also urb 546), arc 547 - introduction to formal analysis, arc 548 - histories and theories of 19th-century architecture (also art 585), arc 549 - history and theories of architecture: 20th century (also art 586), arc 550 - space and subjectivity, arc 551 - architecture's empire, arc 560 - topics in contemporary architecture & urbanism, arc 560a - topics in contemporary architecture and urbanism, arc 560b - topics in contemporary architecture & urbanism, arc 560c - topics in contemporary architecture and urbanism, arc 562 - introduction to the architecture profession, arc 563 - founding, building, and managing your own architectural practice, arc 569 - extramural research internship, arc 571 - research in architecture (also art 581/las 571/mod 573), arc 572 - research in architecture (proseminar), arc 574 - computational fabrication in architecture, arc 575 - advanced topics in modern architecture, arc 576 - advanced topics in modern architecture (also art 598/mod 502), arc 577 - topics in contemporary architectural theory (also mod 577), arc 578 - utopics: private fantasies, public projects, arc 580 - gender, cities, and dissent (also gss 580/mod 580), arc 594 - topics in architecture (also art 584/hum 593/mod 504/spa 559), arc 598 - m. arch thesis studio-resubmission, arc 599 - post-prof. thesis studio-resubmission, art 504 - studies in greek architecture (also arc 565/cla 536/hls 534), art 547 - early modern architecture (also arc 552), art 583 - textile architecture (also arc 583), cee 546 - form finding of structural surfaces (also arc 566), eng 571 - literary and cultural theory (also arc 589/com 592/hum 570/mod 570), hum 597 - humanistic perspectives on history and society (also arc 597/las 597/mod 597/spa 557), mae 518 - virtual and augmented reality for scientists, engineers, and architects (also arc 516/ene 528), spi 533 - planning theory and process (also arc 535).
Princeton Program in Plasma Physics
Graduate theses.
Recent theses since 2012 are made available electronically at DataSpace . Theses from 2011 and earlier are available at ProQuest Library .
Senior Thesis
Undergraduate Program Office 609-258-4861 [email protected]
The senior thesis is a scholarly paper focused on the policy issue in public or international affairs that is of greatest interest to the student. It is based on extended research and is the major project of the senior year.
Each student must complete a senior thesis that addresses a specific policy question and either draws out policy implications or offers policy recommendations (or both).
The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs awards several scholarships each year for travel and living expenses related to senior thesis research.
The University’s requirement for a senior comprehensive examination is satisfied in the School by an oral defense of the thesis. Students prepare a response to written evaluations from their thesis advisor and a second reader, followed by a question-and-answer period.
Senior Thesis Advising: The Senior Thesis Advisor Selection Guide - Students should use this to identify thesis advisors who match their interests and possible thesis topics. This tool is organized by faculty issue and regional expertise.
Senior Thesis Deadlines
Thesis Proposal Form Due Tuesday, September 20, 2022
You must submit your thesis proposal form, signed by your advisor, via email to [email protected]
First Semester Progress Report Due Monday, December 5, 2022
You must submit your first-semester progress report to your advisor and to [email protected]
Complete Draft Friday, March 3, 2023
First drafts of all of your chapters are due to your thesis advisor (or earlier per any agreement with your thesis advisor).
Thesis Due Thursday, April 6, 2023
An electronic copy must be submitted to the Undergraduate Program Office ( [email protected] ) by 4:00 p.m. Upload a PDF of your thesis, for archiving at MUDD Library, via the centralized University Senior Thesis Submission Site
Oral Examinations May 10th – May 11th, 2023
The University’s requirement for a senior comprehensive examination is satisfied by an oral examination based on your thesis.
Guide to Senior Independent Work
- For more detailed information
Getting Started in Data Analysis: Topic Selection and Crafting of a Research Question - Independent research projects start with the selection of a topic and the crafting of a feasible research question. This video maps the initial steps to help...
All independent work that involves research with human subjects must first be reviewed and approved by the University’s Institutional Review Board . The mission of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to protect the rights, privacy, and welfare of human participants in research conducted by faculty, staff, and students.
If you plan to conduct research involving human subjects for your Senior Thesis, you must first consult with IRB prior to beginning your interviews to determine whether an IRB application, review, and approval are required for our project. The department recommends Seniors should complete the process in October or November, if possible.
Email a synopsis of the proposed activity (3 paragraphs) to the IRB: [email protected] . Include the draft measurements (survey, questionnaire, interview guide), if applicable.
Please visit the eRIA-IRB training site for more information.
Should you have questions as you prepare the materials, please consult IRB at [email protected] or your advisor for assistance.
SPIA Thesis Funding - Students can apply for funding by accessing the online application in the Student Activities Funding Engine (SAFE)
In addition to your consultations with your thesis advisor, we strongly recommended that you meet regularly with the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs Writing Advisor, for assistance in conceptualizing and organizing your thesis, developing your arguments, and reviewing your writing. They can best help you if you meet with him early in (as well as throughout) the process. Writing advisors can be reached at [email protected] .
Library Resource Guide - A guide for seniors who are conducting thesis research
An excellent senior thesis can be 75 pages or less. No thesis should be longer than 115 pages. Any page after 115 may or may not be read by the second reader. A thesis longer than 115 pages will not be considered for a SPIA thesis prize.
The 115-page limit includes:
- the abstract
- the table of contents
- ancillary material such as tables and charts
- all footnotes
The page limit does not include:
- the title page
- the dedication
- the honor code statement
- the bibliography
Include the Honor Pledge, and your signature on the last page.
Use a 1-inch margin on the left, right, top and bottom.
Double-space all text (except long quotations, footnotes and bibliography).
Number your pages.
Make sure the thesis is single sided.
Use a 12‑point size type and a readable font. Avoid the use of multiple fonts and type sizes(other than footnotes, which may be in a smaller font).
Indent paragraphs and avoid paragraphs longer than a page.
Within chapters, use only two levels of headings, either in bold or underlined and placed at the left margin or centered. The primary heading is all caps, the secondary is caps and lower case:
Pages should be organized as follows:
Title page (see format on next page)
Second page: Dedications (optional)
Third page: Acknowledgements
Fourth page: Table of Contents
Fifth page: Abstract
Last page: The last page must contain the following: This thesis represents my own work in accordance with University Regulations. Your signature
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library Senior Thesis Catalog - is a catalog of theses written by seniors at Princeton University from 1926 to present
The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs will grant extensions only for severe personal illness, accident, or family emergency. The request for an extension must be made in writing. Extensions to a date no later than the University’s deadline for submitting senior independent work may be granted by the Associate Dean of the Program, Paul Lipton, [email protected] . After this deadline, extensions may be granted only by the Dean of your residential college.
Under no circumstances will extensions be granted for any reason connected with computer problems . Students should therefore save, backup, print their work in a manner designed to prevent last-minute crises.
One-third of the thesis final grade will be deducted for each four days (or fraction of four days) that the thesis is late. Please see the Guide to Independent Work for more information.
Submit one electronic copy in PDF format to the SPIA undergraduate office, [email protected] , by the Deadline. Must also upload a PDF of your thesis, for archiving at MUDD library, via a centralized University Senior Thesis Submission Site .
The thesis is graded by the thesis advisor, who is the first reader of the senior thesis, and by a second reader assigned by the Undergraduate Program Office. The grade is calculated as follows:
- If the readers' grades are identical, that is the final grade.
- If the readers' grades differ by one full grade (e.g., A to B) or less, the average grade is the final grade.
- If the readers’ grades differ by more than one full letter grade, the two readers consult to determine the final grade; if they are unable to agree, the Faculty Chair of the Undergraduate Program determines the grade.
The Undergraduate Program office will determine any penalty for lateness, which will be included in the grade reported to the Registrar .
A thesis that receives a grade of A or higher and a statement of support from both readers (and is within the page limit) may be considered for a Princeton School of Public and International Affairs thesis prize. Prizes are awarded by a specially appointed School faculty committee that weighs the relative merits of all theses under consideration. Prizes are presented at the Class Day ceremony.
SPIA Prize Theses - Sample Prize theses from 2017 to present
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Pursuing Digital Humanities After Graduation
We are pleased to feature Princeton graduate and former CDH Undergraduate Communications Assistant, Matthew Choi Taitano ’20 . Matthew is currently pursuing an M.A. in English and a Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities at Northeastern University.
In this interview, Matthew details how he became interested in DH, what projects he worked on while at Princeton, and how his interests in DH have shaped his graduate research.
How did you become interested in Digital Humanities?
I became interested in the Digital Humanities my very last semester as an undergraduate student at Princeton University, where I received my A.B. in English and Certificates in African American Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies in 2020. During my last semester, I got a job as the Undergraduate Communications Assistant at the Center for Digital Humanities. I found out about the position through the English Department’s email listserv, and I thought I’d take a chance at applying given my communication skills garnered from my studies in the English Department and my experience as a reporter back home in Guam.
I learned so much from this position: from interviewing Princeton faculty about their DH projects (e.g., the Shakespeare and Company Project , the Digital Intertextual Resonances in Early Chinese Texts Project , and the Tang History Database ), to writing blog posts that reflected on and shared with the public these innovative digital projects, I was able to expand my knowledge of what DH means and can look like. Furthermore, I was enticed to learn more about and further engage with the field of DH in my graduate studies at Northeastern University, where I’m currently pursuing my M.A. in English and Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities with the expected graduation date of May 2023.
Were there any DH projects you worked on as an undergraduate which were particularly meaningful to you?
Although I didn’t work on any of my own DH projects in my position at the CDH, I do remember a meaningful opportunity at Princeton in which I was able to learn about DH tools, even though the term “digital humanities” or “DH” wasn’t used in this context. This opportunity was through the Visualizing Data course taught by Professor Kosuke Imai , who’s now at Harvard University. I took this course during my time in the Freshman Scholars Institute (FSI).
At first, I remember being intimidated by having to use R, which was a programming language I’d never used before. However, I adapted rather quickly, which is likely due to my experience using HTML to code my own and other people’s Myspace layouts in middle school. In the course, we were divided into groups for our final projects; we were assigned datasets from large corporations and told to tell a story about the data through visualizations. Our group was assigned a dataset from CBS, and we were able to use R to create visualizations that illustrated—through nodes and links—audience engagement; in turn, we were able to tell a story about which demographics of people enjoyed what kinds of shows and provided interpretations as to the reasons behind these relationships. Being able to work with such a large dataset, although intimidating at first, helped me gain skills in information management that would serve me well in later projects, such as my Princeton JP and senior thesis, as well as my current graduate work.
What made you want to pursue graduate work in DH?
As I mentioned previously, my work at the CDH really catapulted me into DH. Even though I worked with DH tools previously through my work in the Visualizing Data course, as I mentioned, the words “digital humanities” and “DH” weren’t used in that context, so I didn’t even know how I could continue to do similar work. Thus, when I learned about the field through my work at the CDH, and learned how much I loved the field, I decided to further pursue work in the field in graduate school.
Matthew is currently working on a website (studentmalsseumproject.wordpress.com) for his NULab (Northeastern Lab) Project Seminar final project. The website is still a work-in-progress and will be completed in April.
What kinds of research questions interest you?
In graduate school, my research interests have shifted to be at the intersection of Victorian studies and DH. I’m particularly interested in questions of class difference, race, imperialism, industrialization, and the globalization of the English language in relation to the Victorian era. I’m also interested in genre studies/theory and trauma studies, and often incorporate these fields as critical lenses into my studies in Victorian studies and DH. Finally, I’m interested in digital pedagogy studies, especially in regard to issues of accessibility, inclusion, and diversity.
What questions drive your master’s thesis, specifically?
Even though I’m interested in Victorian studies and DH, my master’s thesis, oddly enough, doesn’t deal with either of these fields. However, the questions raised in my master’s thesis are questions I often raise in my engagement with Victorian studies and DH, specifically in regard to colonialism and imperialism’s relationship to cultural formations and understandings of the English language.
Specifically, my master’s thesis looks at how the genres of testimony and memoir can act as tools for coping and healing for Korean-American students dealing with the social and parental pressures of them to succeed academically, and how these pressures and other external factors, such as the harmful and reductive “model minority” myth, force these students to assimilate into American culture by abandoning their home languages and culture for refined academic English and a subsequent “whitening” of their identities. I became interested in this topic for several reasons. The main reasons include the fact that I, for one, am Korean and grew up in Korean communities, so I relate to the issue personally. Furthermore, Korean and Korean-American students (at the middle and high school level) currently have one of the highest suicide rates among any other ethnic group at this age level. Thus, the issue not only is urgent, but also relates to me on a deeply personal level, which is why I decided to tackle it in my M.A. thesis.
What are your future plans after you graduate with your master’s degree?
After graduating with my M.A. in English and Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities from Northeastern University in May 2023, I’ll be enrolling in the Literature, Theory, and Cultural Studies (LTC) Ph.D. program at Purdue University in the English Department in fall 2023. There, I plan to work with Professors Aparajita Sagar, Dino Felluga, and Emily Allen to further my intersectional and interdisciplinary research in DH, Victorian studies, postcolonial studies, genre studies, and trauma studies. Afterward, I plan like to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship and/or research position in a DH center/group, English department, library, or museum before hopefully entering the professoriate.
Thank you, Matthew, for updating us on your academic journey after Princeton! For current Princeton undergraduate students, there are many ways to engage with the Center for Digital Humanities , from coursework to employment opportunities.
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Graduate Degrees Offered
We offer the following two degree programs only:
Master's Degree
The Master's degree at Princeton is a two year, full-time program. All admitted students will initially be enrolled in the Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.), thesis-required track. In the spring of year 1, as part of readmission, all students will be given the option to switch to the Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), non-thesis track. Students opting to remain on the M.S.E. track must have a confirmed research adviser and should also have a preliminary thesis proposal. Switching from the M.S.E. track to the M.Eng track will be permitted through January of Year 2.
All coursework must be taken for a grade. A minimum of 4 courses must be taken in year 1. If, due to scheduling conflicts,this is not possible, approval by the Director of Graduate Studies is required. In no event will time to degree be extended beyond two years.
Funding is normally in the form of teaching assistantships covering the four semesters of the program. Summer funding for M.S.E. candidates in the form of a research assistantship may be offered at the adviser's discretion.
Students wishing to continue on for a Ph.D. should apply through the normal application process during the fall of their second year of study.
The M.S.E. program is a two year, full-time program of coursework plus submission of an original thesis. Candidates choose a subarea of computer science on which to focus by taking appropriate courses, and writing a thesis under the direction of an adviser. Course requirements are fulfilled by taking six courses for a grade, at least three of which must be 500-level courses. The other eligible courses are 318, 320, 324, 326, 343, 352, 375, or any 400-level course, or 500-level COS course, including COS 597 and 598. You may view a list of approved courses outside of the department here. Relevant courses from outside the department may be taken with Director of Graduate Studies consent. Candidates must maintain a B average, with no more than one C allowed. In order to be readmitted for a second year, candidates must have a confirmed thesis adviser and preliminary thesis proposal by the end of the first year. Students remaining in the MSE program should identify a thesis advisor and submit a 350-500 word thesis proposal abstract (approved by the thesis advisor) by the re-enrollment deadline.
In addition to satisfactory completion of coursework, candidates must prepare and submit an original thesis as well as present a public seminar on the research. The thesis will be reviewed and graded by your adviser plus one additional reader from the Princeton faculty. If the reader is from outside the Computer Science Department, approval by the Director of Graduate Studies is required. The public seminar is an ungraded 20 minute talk, followed by a 10 minute question session, given in the spring of year 2. This will allow your adviser and reader to give preliminary feedback prior to submission of the final thesis.
The written thesis should be a research paper of "scholarly quality" -- making a novel contribution to scholarship in the field. The thesis should motivate the chosen research problem, evaluate the proposed solution (e.g., via analysis, measurement, simulation, or prototype implementation), and compare the approach to the related work in the field. While there is no specific length requirement, a reasonable target is a typical conference paper (e.g., 10-15 pages in two-column format or 20-40 pages in single-column, double spaced format). Thesis is due to the adviser, reader, and department by April 25, 2022. Students may resubmit their thesis with revisions for final archiving by Dean's Date. After being graded, one bound copy of the final version must be submitted to Mudd Library and a.pdf file is due to the Graduate Coordinator. Click here to review Mudd Library Thesis formatting guidelines .
Candidates electing to switch to the M.Eng degree track must complete a total of eight courses over two years, and are not required to submit a thesis. Three of the eight must be 500-level, and the additional courses may be chosen from 318, 320, 324, 326, 343, 352, 375, any 400-level course, or 500-level COS course, including COS 597 and 598 . Relevant courses from outside the department may be taken with Director of Graduate Studies consent. All courses must be taken for a grade. You may view a list of approved courses outside of the department here. Candidates must maintain a B average, with no more than one C allowed.
Acceleration of the M.Eng. (non-thesis track). Students in excellent academic standing who intend to transition to the M.Eng. track may request the department accelerate their two-year program by either one semester or one year, provided all the applicable following conditions are met:
1. Satisfactory performance in all past, current, and future Teaching Assistantship assignments at the University, as evaluated by the Instructor of Record of the course the student is assigned to; 2. The request must be made in writing to the department before the Faculty Deadline for Submission of Graduate Course Grades at the end of the first semester of study; 3. For one-semester acceleration requests : Three courses completed in the first semester, with all A grades (one A- permitted). 4. For one-year acceleration requests: Four courses completed in the first semester, with all A grades (one A- permitted).
The department will cancel the request if the student later chooses to remain on the M.S.E. track during their Year 1 reenrollment. Students who accelerate may choose to revert their program of study to its original length by communicating this request in writing to the department.
For Princeton undergraduates interested in continuing at Princeton for a Master's Degree : There is now a special policy that allows current Princeton students to count up to two courses taken as an undergraduate towards a Master's degree in Computer Science at Princeton. Those two courses must be upper-level COS courses that fulfill requirements of the Master's degree and have been taken in excess of the COS requirements for the undergraduate degree. For example, if you take ten COS departmentals as an undergraduate at Princeton, and two of them are advanced classes that satisfy requirements of the Master's program, then you can count both towards a Master's degree if you are accepted into the program. This is a way to reduce your expected time to completion by approximately one semester.
Princeton students still have to apply to the Master's program through the regular admission process, and by the December 1st deadline. Admission is competitive. If you are interested in being pre-screened for admission, please contact the computer science graduate coordinator ([email protected]). You will need to submit (1) a one page personal statement describing your preparation to date and why you are interested in the master's program; and (2) an unofficial copy of your transcript. In addition, have two letters of recommendation from COS professors emailed directly to the graduate coordinator. Once these materials have been received, the Director of Graduate studies will perform an informal review and provide feedback about whether admission into the Master's program is "likely," "unlikely," or "possible." This feedback is not binding -- it is meant only to help planning for senior year.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
The departmental Ph.D. program complies with the regulations of the Graduate School. This is a full-time program only . In addition to the information contained on this website, the Graduate School Catalog should be reviewed by all prospective applicants. This program is aimed at Ph.D. research and training students for careers in research and teaching.
All non-native English speakers who have not received a university-level degree from a U.S. college or university must pass the University's mandatory English Language Program by the end of their first year of study. Incoming students will be tested upon arrival, and may be required to participate in further English study. Students who do not pass by the end of their first year will not be readmitted.
Incoming students are assigned a first year academic adviser, who may or may not become their research adviser. During their first year students are expected to talk with faculty and secure a research adviser by the end of the academic year.
Teaching experience is considered to be a significant part of graduate education. All Ph.D. candidates are required to assist with course instruction for the equivalent of two terms.
All students must fulfill the competency requirements .
The general examination , taken during year 2, consists of a research seminar prepared under the supervision of a faculty member, followed by an in-depth oral examination on the contents of the seminar and the associated general area of research. Original research results do not have to be presented, but problems whose solution may lead to a thesis should be discussed. In many cases, the student's thesis is in the same area as the research seminar, but this is not required.
A final public oral examination (FPO) is required of all Ph.D. candidates. The FPO is taken after the candidate's dissertation has been accepted, and is primarily a defense of the dissertation. In preparation for the FPO, a preliminary FPO (preFPO) is held six months before the expected completion date. It covers results to date and planned research, and serves as a preliminary critique of the proposed dissertation.
Office of the Dean of the Faculty
Suzanne crelly nash.
Suzanne Nash has spent 40 years at Princeton, arriving as a graduate student and moving through the ranks to full professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures and the current Department of French and Italian. Her research and teaching range across French poetry and poetic theory from 1800 to the present; Baudelaire, Hugo, Apollinaire, and Valéry; the interrelations of literature and the visual arts, poetry, and sculpture; 19th- and 20th-century literary studies; as well as feminist history, theory, and practice. Her first two books, “Les Contemplations” of Victor Hugo: An Allegory of the Creative Process and Paul Valéry’s “Album de vers anciens”: A Past Transfigured were published by Princeton University Press in 1976 and 1983, and were praised as outstanding contributions to our knowledge of French poetry, and poetics in general. In 1993, she edited an important collection of essays, Home and Its Dislocations in Nineteenth Century France, for which she wrote a brilliant introduction.
Suzanne also has made substantial contributions to The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French, as well as numerous articles on modern French poets. She is a demanding scholar; she never takes short-cuts or settles into comfortable routines, but insists on constantly exploring new avenues in criticism and literature. She sets high standards for herself and for others.
Suzanne was director of the Program in Women’s Studies at Princeton in the early 1990s. Within the department, she often served as director of graduate studies and guided the move to a five-year graduate program in French studies. She participated energetically in search and reappointment committees, and was an active member of a Committee for Curricular Review whose proposals led to a wide-ranging revision of our undergraduate curriculum. She also has served on two major University committees: the Committee on Graduate Study and the Council of the Princeton University Community. Suzanne was also a faculty adviser to Critical Matrix, the scholarly journal of the women graduate students at Princeton. Unusually generous with her time and energy, and meticulous in her preparation, she has led successfully several Alumni Colleges in France, and has been a favorite guest lecturer for Princeton alumni.
Suzanne is an energetic teacher, passionately involved with her subject matter, and always developing new courses in all areas of 19th- and 20th-century literature, as well as modern literary theories and methods. Serious, motivated students recognized how much she put into her teaching and how much they could benefit from it. Graduate students knew that she made the same demands on herself, where they were concerned, as she made on them. For this reason she was one of the most sought-after Ph.D. thesis directors in the French section, and many of her students now have distinguished careers. In recognition of her exceptionally generous mentorship, a dozen former graduate students celebrated her career as a teacher-scholar in a symposium at Princeton in May 2006.
Suzanne will remain productive and creative in retirement. Among her many scholarly works in progress are two highly promising books, tentatively titled Baudelaire and the Painters of Modern Life and Poétique de la Sculpture 1789–1848. She plans to share her time between Princeton and Paris. We look forward to her ongoing presence, and wish her many creative years.
Princeton's Pre-read is by Class of 2019 graduate Jordan Salama, whose senior thesis became a celebrated nonfiction book
Princeton Class of 2019 graduate Jordan Salama wrote his senior thesis about the people and places along Colombia’s main river, the Magdalena. After graduation, he expanded his thesis into the celebrated nonfiction book "Every Day the River Changes: Four Weeks Down the Magdalena,” which has been selected as this year's Pre-read. The book will inspire first-years to imagine the many ways to pursue their passions while at Princeton.
This year’s Pre-read will show first-year students how their Princeton journeys can take them far beyond what they ever imagined. “Every Day the River Changes: Four Weeks Down the Magdalena,” traces Class of 2019 graduate Jordan Salama’s voyage along Colombia’s most important river and exemplifies the opportunities students have to pursue their passions at Princeton.
“Every Day the River Changes” was originally written as Salama’s senior thesis and later expanded into a book named a Kirkus Best Nonfiction Title of 2021. The travelogue was inspired by Salama’s international experiences while at Princeton, and connected his studies in Spanish, creative writing, environmental studies, journalism and Latin American studies.
President Christopher L. Eisgruber (left) has selected the travelogue "Every Day the River Changes: Four Weeks Down the Magdalena,” as the Pre-read for the Class of 2026. In this video, Eisgruber and author Jordan Salama share what they hope incoming students will learn from the book. Eisgruber and Salama will discuss the Pre-read with first-years during Orientation later this summer.
The Class of 2026 will read the book this summer and discuss it with Salama and President Christopher L. Eisgruber during Orientation. A Pre-read edition of the book will be sent to first-year students in June, and other members of the University community may request copies this summer through the Pre-Read website .
“I hope that Jordan’s story will inspire you to think imaginatively and creatively about what you might do with your time at Princeton. The possibilities are almost limitless,” Eisgruber wrote to students in his foreword to the special Pre-read edition. “Jordan’s book will introduce you not only to the individuals, communities, and cultures that he encountered on his travels, but also to the kinds of opportunities that await you at Princeton.”
“Every Day the River Changes” has been praised by the New York Times, Publishers Weekly and other media. Outside magazine said the book “impresses with its sweeping history, evocative descriptions and fascinating stories of people living along the river,” and added the book is “a reminder that the best travel isn’t necessarily an epic adventure but a chance to hang out, getting to know new people — and yourself in the process.”
During one of his trips to Colombia, Salama learned from Ederardo Pérez, a fisherman who lived on an isolated patch of riverside land near where the Magdalena River's hippopotamuses reside.
Salama said he is honored to have his first book selected as the Pre-read.
“At its heart, this is a story about a young person's journey down a river, how the people he met changed him and changed his view of the world,” Salama said in a video message to first-years. “So I hope that when you read it, you think about all of the ways that you can chase your own passions at Princeton. That you can pursue projects that may seem ambitious, challenging but are exciting to you at their core.”
Eisgruber said he hoped students will be inspired by Salama’s physical journey down the Magdalena River as well as by his intellectual journey from undergraduate researcher to published author in just a few years.
“I really liked this book because it emerged out of many experiences that Jordan had on the Princeton campus while he was here,” Eisgruber said in the video to incoming students. “A summer experience that he arranged through the University and that eventually became the foundation for his senior thesis. And then he took that senior thesis and turned it into this book. I think what Jordan did and how he reflects on his experiences will give you a sense of the broad range of extraordinary opportunities that I hope you'll explore and take advantage of while you're here at Princeton.”
Students can also learn from how Salama approaches the people and places he visited in Colombia.
“Jordan’s book is a fresh approach to the old genre of travel writing,” Eisgruber said in his book foreword. “It invites us, as Jordan says, to join him not only in ‘a journey down a river’ but also in ‘an immersion into the lives of the ordinary people who find themselves alongside it.’”
“I like ‘Every Day the River Changes’ for many reasons,” Eisgruber continued. “Prominent among them is the deep empathy that informs Jordan’s treatment of the people he meets and the country through which he travels. His humane and respectful perspective is rare in today’s world, where public discourse too often bristles with anger, cynicism or rage.”
Eisgruber began the Pre-read tradition in 2013, choosing a different book each year as a way of introducing first-year students to the intellectual life of the University. His selections range in topics — from supporting first-generation college students to living a meaningful life — and often examine important and timely issues, such as freedom of speech and systemic racism. (The full list of previous books is available on the Pre-read website ).
Salama’s serendipitous journey
An American writer of Argentine, Syrian and Iraqi Jewish descent, Salama works as a journalist on assignments that have taken him all over the world. He is a resident writer for National Geographic and regularly produces essays and stories for The New York Times, Scientific American and other publications.
When he arrived at Princeton as an undergraduate, Salama wasn’t sure where his varied interests would lead.
He took creative writing classes with John McPhee, Joyce Carol Oates and Pico Iyer, among others, and co-created a student talk show and entertainment group, Princeton Tonight. He concentrated in Spanish and was among the first group of students to earn a certificate in journalism.
“Jordan’s story exemplifies the many opportunities for students to pursue their passions at Princeton,” said Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese Christina Lee, who was Salama’s senior thesis adviser and remains a mentor.
Salama speaks about his book with Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese Christina Lee, who was Salama's senior thesis adviser and remains a mentor. The fall 2021 event was part of the FOCUS conversation series organized by the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS).
Lee continued: "Students can benefit a lot from allowing their own path to develop organically, while following what their hearts tell them. Jordan didn’t know when he arrived as a first-year that he would become a nonfiction writer and a journalist, but he always had a clear sense that he wanted to travel, to learn from both the wisdom that is created in academic spaces and the wisdom that sprouts from unexpected places and unrecognized individuals, and to contribute to the building of global bridges.”
“It is my hope," she said, "that this book inspires our incoming students to seize on the multitude of opportunities that we offer our students to continue learning languages and travel both near and far.”
Salama credits the supportive community of faculty and staff at Princeton — as well as two serendipitous moments on campus — to getting him to where he is today.
In May 2019, Salama presented an excerpt from his thesis at the first Journalism Senior Colloquium. Among those in attendance was Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jim Dwyer, a New York Times columnist, author and visiting Ferris Professor of Journalism.
“Jim was truly blown away by Jordan and his work, and he enthusiastically offered to connect Jordan to a book agent,” recalled Margo Bresnen, manager of the Program in Journalism . “Less than one month later, Jordan had signed with the agent to represent his manuscript. And now look where we are!”
Sadly, Dwyer died in October 2020 before Salama’s book was published. “I think we all knew at that point that Jordan’s book was on its way, but we’re also all heartbroken that Jim did not get to see it published. Jordan and Jim only met once, at our colloquium, but it was enough to change Jordan’s life,” Bresnen said.
Last fall, Salama visited Princeton for a FOCUS event organized by the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS). Salama joined Lee in conversation at Campus Club and answered students’ questions about empathetic and inclusive identity-based storytelling.
It was at the Program in Journalism's first Senior Colloquium in May 2019 that Salama (back row, third from left) met New York Times columnist and visiting Ferris Professor of Journalism Jim Dwyer (front row, second from right). Dwyer was so impressed with Salama's thesis that he connected Salama with a book agent, and the rest was history. Dwyer died in October 2020, but his and Salama's one-time encounter on campus helped change the course of Salama's life.
When ODUS staff suggested Salama pitch his book as the next Princeton Pre-read, he thought they were joking. That was until Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Students Tom Dunne and administrative assistant Shelley Jannos hand-delivered a copy to the Office of the President in Nassau Hall.
A few months later Salama received an email update with good news: Among the many books that Eisgruber had considered, “Every Day the River Changes” would be his selection for the Class of 2026 Pre-read.
Returning to campus for the Pre-read Assembly this summer will be a full circle moment, Salama said, as it was less than a decade ago that he sat in McCarter Theatre listening to Claude Steele discuss his book “Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do” at the Class of 2019’s Pre-read event.
“I am truly humbled and honored to be part of the Class of 2026’s introduction to Princeton,” Salama said. “I cannot wait to discuss my book with them and hear what they have to say.”
The mighty Magdalena as metaphor
Salama took his first trip to Colombia for an independent project during the summer after his first year at Princeton, with funding from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. The summer after his junior year he returned to Colombia, with senior thesis funding, to travel the 950 miles of the Magdalena River.
Salama (front left) joins a group of wildlife biologists and community leaders on a riverboat expedition in Estación Cocorná, Colombia, during one of his undergraduate research trips to the country.
“I was trying to learn about how people relate to their natural environments in different regions of Colombia,” Salama said in a 2019 University story about his undergraduate research .
Salama traveled by bus, riverboat and motobalinera — a wooden contraption fixed with rail wheels, propelled by a motorcycle along train tracks — allowing him to spend time with the people in the towns along the banks of the Magdalena.
“It is Colombia’s most important river, culturally and socially, in the diversity of peoples and landscapes it passes through, and economically, in that it provided an early link from the coast to the inland capital,” Salama said.
The Colombia he got to know is not the Colombia most Americans think about, Salama has said.
“The people shared with me stories of life in the Magdalena River basin, considered by many to be the heart of Colombia, as the country undergoes a fragile transition from a violent civil war to, hopefully, a time of peace,” Salama said in 2019. “I benefited so much in this project from the kindness of people who gave me places to sleep, food and connections.”
Salama also traveled to Argentina, Cuba, Spain and Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of his studies at Princeton. Through a Dale Summer Award, he traced the history of his great-grandfather, a traveling salesman in the Andes mountains. “It was a vastly formative experience that helped me decide to become a nonfiction writer,” he said.
After graduation, Salama returned to Colombia with support from the postgraduate Princeton ReachOut 56-81-06 International Fellowship. He did further reporting along the Magdalena, enabling him to expand his thesis into the book published in 2021.
“Jordan tells us about the daily life of Colombians who live with purpose, saving turtles from extinction, delivering books on a donkey to children who live in remote areas, making filigree jewelry with time-honored techniques,” Lee said. “He shows us what it means to fall in love with the Spanish language and the cultures that speak it, about how to travel meaningfully, and most importantly, about how we can find purpose when we get out of our comfort zone.”
Related Stories
Pre-read book 'every day the river changes' inspires class of 2026 to pursue their passions while at princeton, salama navigates colombia’s magdalena river, one story at a time, pico iyer teaches ‘the literature of fact — writing and reporting on place’, eisgruber speaks to the value of ‘being fully present’ in address to princeton’s class of 2026 during opening exercises, princeton seniors olson, salama awarded reachout fellowships for public service, ‘moving up without losing your way’ by princeton graduate jennifer m. morton selected as pre-read for incoming class, languages come alive: intersession in spain and portugal.
The Department of Geosciences
Academic Policies
6. Thesis Formalities
Two Dissertation Readers are chosen by the student in consultation with the advisory committee. Two readers of the Ph.D. thesis must be Princeton University faculty members. One must not be a coauthor of any of the candidate's papers, published, submitted, or planned. Inclusion of a third, outside, reader is strongly encouraged. The choice of readers must be approved by the DGS. Approval is based only on the policy of the Graduate School and the absence of of coauthorship for one Princeton faculty member.
The dissertation in its final form must be presented to the Readers at least two weeks before the date of the Final Public Oral. At the same time, the dissertation must be made available to the entire faculty by depositing a copy in the Graduate Administrator’s office. The Readers’ reports are presented at a faculty meeting no less than one week later. The faculty votes on the Readers’ reports and may impose requirements for changes that must be made before the dissertation is approved. If such changes are required, new Readers’ reports, or amendments, will also be required. If the Readers’ reports and the dissertation are accepted by a vote of the faculty, the final oral examination will then be scheduled at least one week later. A minimum of three weeks before the final oral examination is usually required for these arrangements. Normally the final oral examination will be given only during the academic year. At least five full business days before the examination, the candidate takes the reader's report to the Graduate School office. In computing business days, the only day that does not count is Sunday. All other days, Saturdays and holidays included, count.
A candidate for the Ph.D. degree in the Department of Geosciences is required to submit one copy of their thesis - the original which goes to MUDD Library. Any additional copies to be given out to the Advisor or Second Reader are up to the student.
Academic Program Overview
1. GEO Requirements for First Year Studies
2. Graduate Work Committee
3. Advisory Committee
4. The General Examination
5. Dissertation
7. Final Oral Examination
8. Graduation
9. Readmission
10. Length of the Program
11. Formal Foreign Language Requirement
12. Undergraduate Courses
14. Financial Support of Graduate Research
15. Fellowships
16. Assistants-in-Instruction
17. Procedure for Terminating Enrollment
18. Housing
19. Rules, Regulations, and Procedures
20. Administrative and Technical Personnel and Services
21. Miscellaneous Department Information
A. Publication of the Doctoral Dissertation
The Scholars in the Nation's Service Initiative (SINSI)
Meet the Graduate Scholars
Scholars 2023.
Ella Gantman‘23, of Washington, D.C., is concentrating in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and pursuing a certificate in Spanish. Gantman was elected Phi Beta Kappa in Fall 2022, was the recipient of the 2020-2021 Alberto Santos-Dumont Prize for Innovation and is the 2022 James D. Zirin '61 and Marlene Hess Scholar in…
Morgan Lonergan ‘23 MPA/JD ’29 of Prince George’s County, Maryland, studies in Princeton’s Department of Economics. Lonergan has worked for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Congressional intern, for the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance’s democracy assessment unit in Stockholm, and for the Southern New York…
Rooya Rahin’23 MPA ’27, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, is a senior in the Department of Politics, receiving certificates in Latin American Studies and the History and Practice of Diplomacy. She was a 2019 John C. Bogle Fellow and interned as a Summer Policy Intern at Hunger Free Colorado as part of her fellowship. She also interned at the World…
Kathleen Song ’23 MPA ’27 hails from Orange County, California and will graduate from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University. Song, the 2023 Terrence A. Elkes Graduate Scholar in the Nation’s Service, was elected to the Tau Beta Pi Honor Society and selected as a Tau Beta Pi National Scholar as well as a…
Scholars 2022
Ethan Kahn ’22 MPA ’26, of Wyoming, Ohio, graduated summa cum laude from the Department of Near Eastern Studies with certificates in computer science, Arabic, and values and public life. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was a recipient of the 2022 Near Eastern Studies Language Prize as well as the 2018-2019 Shapiro…
Sarah Lee ’22 MPA ’26, of Adams, Tennessee. She is a summa cum laude graduate from the Department of Sociology with a certificate in Asian American studies. Lee was a recipient of the 2020-2021 Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence and is the 2022 Terrence A. Elkes Graduate Scholar with the Scholars in the Nation’s Service…
Joe Shipley ’22 MPA ’26 is from Brooklyn, New York. He is a cum laude graduate in History with a certificate in Russian language and culture and received the Carter Kim Combe prize in History for best second-term junior independent work. On campus, he helped lead Vote100, Princeton’s student-run civic engagement organization. He also…
Christian Slavin MPA ’26, of Salmon, Idaho, graduated from the University of Montana in 2018 with dual degrees in International Business and Business Management with dual minors in Chinese and Japanese. In June 2022, he graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Hopkins-Nanjing Center, where he…
Ryan Sung ’22 MPA ’26, a native of El Paso, Texas, graduated from the School of Public and International Affairs with a certificate in East Asian studies. Growing up on the border, Sung volunteered at numerous NGOs that provided shelter to migrant communities from Central America. After high school, he participated in the Princeton Novogratz…
Scholars 2021
Jack Aiello ’21 MPA ’25 of Northport, New York, graduated from Princeton cum laude with a major in economics and certificates in political economy, South Asian studies and the history and practice of diplomacy. Aiello spent nine months prior to his first year at Princeton living in Varanasi, India as a Princeton University Novogratz…
Jordan Arnold, MPA ’25, of Lexington, Virginia, graduated from the University of Virginia in 2019 with a major in Economics and Political & Social Thought. After graduating, Jordan spent two years as a college adviser in Covington, Virginia with the College Advising Corps, helping low-income and first…
Krystal Cohen ’21 MPA ’25, from Jersey City, New Jersey, graduated magna cum laude from Princeton’s Sociology department with certificates in statistics and machine learning and African American studies. With a focus on education equity, Cohen was heavily involved with Community House, a student-led program that works with families to support…
Christopher “Chris” Gliwa ’21 MPA ’25, of East Rutherford, New Jersey, a 2021 Princeton graduate with a degree in civil and environmental engineering and a certificate in environmental studies focused his departmental research on the application of engineering and policy principles to address legacy pollution in the working-class neighborhoods…
Scholars 2020
Laura Hausman ’20 MPA ’24, of New York, New York, graduated summa cum laud e in 2020 from Princeton’s Politics department with a certificate in American Studies. She received the John G. Buchanan Prize in Politics, which is awarded to the senior who has attained during junior and senior years the highest standing in the…
Mikaylah Ladue ’20 MPA '24, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, a 2020 summa cum laude Princeton graduate in anthropology with certificates in Latin American Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies specialized in legal and political anthropology during her time at Princeton. She was a two-time fellow with the Gender in the Global…
Casimira "Cassie" Rodriguez ’19 MPA ’24, of San Bernardino, California, graduated cum laude in 2019 from Princeton’s Department of Politics with Certificates in East Asian Studies and the History and Practice of Diplomacy. She spent spring 2018 studying abroad at Doshisha University in Kyoto with the Kyoto Consortium for…
Alexandra Zalewski ’20 MPA ’24, of Orange County, California, graduated cum laude from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, in June 2020. She hopes to pursue a career in conflict stabilization and is interested in understanding conditions on the ground through direct…
Scholars 2019
Maya Aronoff ’19 MPA '23 of Mason, Michigan, graduated magna cum laude from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, with a certificate in the History and Practice of Diplomacy. She was chosen to deliver one of the Class Day speeches at graduation and received two awards for…
Julia Herrle ’19 MPA '23, of Wexford, Pennsylvania, graduated magna cum laude in 2019 from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, with certificates in Environmental Studies and in Values and Public Life. She is passionate about improving global food security and is…
Jared Lockwood ’19 MPA ’23, of Hallsville, Missouri, graduated cum laude from Princeton’s Politics department with a focus on international relations. As an undergraduate, Jared was involved in various leadership positions on campus including as a residential college adviser in Rockefeller College, a head fellow with the…
Parker Wild ’19 *23, of Brunswick, Maine, graduated from Princeton University’s Department of Computer Science in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. He is currently pursuing his Master in Public Affairs as the Terrence A. Elkes Graduate Scholar with the Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative. His first rotation was with the…
Scholars 2018
Dina Chotrani ’18, MPA '22 of Secaucus, New Jersey, graduated cum laude from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs with certificates in Global Health and Health Policy, History and the Practice of Diplomacy, and Entrepreneurship. Chotrani, the 2018 Terrence A. Elkes Graduate Scholar in the Nation’s Service, has…
Caroline Jones ’18, MPA '22 of Princeton, New Jersey, is a 2018 magna cum laude Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs , l graduate who received certificates in Latin American Studies and the History and Practice of Diplomacy, and the Richard H. Ullman Prize…
John L "Newby" Parton ’18 MPA '22, of McMinnville, Tennessee, is a 2018 magna cum laude graduate of the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, with certificates in Values and Public Life and Urban Studies. As a Princeton undergraduate, he worked as a dormitory assistant, tour…
Caitlin Quinn '18 *22, of San Antonio, Texas, graduated cum laude from the School of Public and International Affairs in June 2018 with certificates in Latin American Studies and Portuguese. A recipient of an International Internship Program grant, the Streicker International Fellows Fund, and the Council of American…
Scholars 2017
Kishan Bhatt ’17 MPA '21, of Edison, New Jersey, graduated summa cum laude from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, with certificates in Global Health and Health Studies as well as American Studies. Bhatt was awarded The Myron T. Herrick Prize –the highest thesis honor for an…
Emily Chen ’17 MPA '21, of Denville, New Jersey, graduated cum laude with a degree in civil and environmental engineering and a certificate in German Language and Culture. She was also inducted into the Sigma Xi honors society.
With an aim to address climate change, Chen sought to understand various perspectives during her…
Olivia Hompe ’17 MPA '21, of New Canaan, Connecticut, graduated summa cum laude from the Woodrow Wilson School, with a certificate in Near Eastern Studies. She was one of two graduates to receive the Class of 1924 Award, which is awarded to senior(s) whose contribution to a policy seminar has been judged most outstanding.
Abyssinia "Abby" Lissanu '16 MPA '21 of Somerset, Kentucky, a Politics major, graduated magna cum laude in 2016 with a concentration in international relations and a certificate in Spanish Language and Culture. As an undergraduate, Abyssinia focused on education and human rights in coursework and community service. She volunteered domestically…
Nabil Shaikh ’17 MPA '21, of Reading, Pennsylvania, graduated cum laude from Princeton's politics department with certificates in Global Health and Human Values and Public Life. He also was a co-winner of the Global Health and Health Policy Senior Thesis Prize, awarded in recognition of the most outstanding thesis written by a student…
Scholars 2015
Nathan Eckstein '16 MPA '20, of Chicago, Illinois, a former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, major, graduated from Princeton cum laude with certificates in Latin American Studies and Humanistic Studies. Proficient in Spanish, many of his interests relate to the utility of diplomacy in…
Jamal Johnson '16 MPA '20, of Tomball, Texas, a Politics major focusing on American Politics and Political Economy, graduated in 2016 with certificates in Urban Studies and Statistics and Machine Learning. Passionate about combatting urban poverty, Johnson has focused his academic work on urban political economy. He is particularly fascinated…
Michelle Nedashkovskaya '16 MPA '20, of Staten Island, New York, graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton's Politics department, where she concentrated in international relations. She grew up speaking Russian and English and has attained advanced proficiency in German and elementary proficiency in Spanish, supplemented by her…
Alexandra "Alex" Wheatley '16 MPA '20, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, an Ecology and Evolutionary Biology major, graduated from Princeton magna cum laude in 2016 with a certificate in Global Health and Health Policy. Proficient in Spanish, she is passionate about global health and is particularly interested in how public policies shape disease…
Scholars 2014
Joanna Anyanwu '15, MPA/JD '21, of Dallas, Texas, is a Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, graduate with certificates in Gender and Sexuality Studies as well as African Studies. Born in Nigeria, she has lived extensively in West and North Africa as well as in the U.S.
Logan Coleman ‘15 MPA '19, of Charlottesville, VA., is the 2015 Frank C. Carlucci ’52 Scholar. A Politics major, she graduated from Princeton with a certificate in Latin American Studies. She is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese’ has a basic understanding of Swahili and studied French in summer 2018 in Dijon.
Twice the recipient of a…
Hanna Kim ’15 MPA '19, from Wayne, N.J., graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, with certificates in East Asian Studies and Translation and Intercultural Communication. For her outstanding academic performance and…
Becky Kreutter '15 MPA '19, graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, with a certificate in Environmental Studies. Her work on "Econometric Drivers of Forest Change in India," which analyzed satellite data on land-use in…
Michael Lachanski ’15 MPA '20 of Linden, N.J., the 2015 Frederick P Hitz ’61 Scholar, graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Economics and certificates in Statistics and Machine Learning, Engineering and Management Systems, Applied and Computational Mathematics and Finance. As the first Princeton University undergraduate from the economics…
Scholars 2013
Sean Andrew Chen '14 MPA '18 of Martinsville, N.J., an Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar, began his Princeton University career at the School of Architecture. After a leave of absence to attend the Bartlett School of Planning at University College London, he returned to Princeton as a former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the…
Alexandra "Alex" Kasdin '14 MPA '18, of Princeton, New Jersey, graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude with a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology, focused on conservation biology and environmental policy. She was also inducted into the Sigma Xi honors society. Originally inspired by her first-grade teacher and an…
Kristen Kruger '14 *18, of Calabasas, California, graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude with a degree in Politics with a concentration in American politics. Her main focus is on domestic education policy, particularly elementary and secondary education. The Class of 2014 Tom A. and Andrea E. Bernstein ’80 Scholar, Kruger has…
Elizabeth Martin '14 *18 originally from Lewisville, N.C., graduated magna cum laude from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, with certificates in South Asia Studies and Creative Writing. Her Wilson School senior thesis "Publicly Righting Private Wrongs: Federal Responses to…
Alisa Tiwari '14, MPA/JD '20 of Chevy Chase, Md., graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, with certificates in African American Studies and Urban Studies. Her senior thesis "Watch Where You Walk" on New York's…
Scholars 2012
Annie Khoa '13 *17, a Gates Millennium Scholar from Duluth, Georgia, graduated from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, with a certificate in East Asian Studies. As the 2013 Gilbert S. Omenn ’61 and Martha A. Darling MPA '70 Scholar, Khoa is interested in…
Sajda Ouachtouki '13 MPA '17, of New York City, graduated from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, with certificates in Near Eastern Studies, Arabic Language and Culture and Gender and Sexuality Studies. Ouachtouki was awarded the Suzanne Hoffman Prize in Gender and Sexuality…
Hannah Safford '13 MPA '17 (dual degree with Masters in Environmental Engineering), of San Francisco, CA, graduated from Princeton with a BSE in Chemical and Biological Engineering and a certificate in the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs,. She was awarded the Department of…
Mark Stevens '13 MPA '17 of Forestville, Md., is a Woodrow Wilson School graduate with a certificate in Near Eastern Studies. He focuses on conflict resolution and state stabilization, specifically in the Middle East and North Africa, and speaks Arabic. As the 2013 Frank C. Carlucci ’52 Scholar, Stevens has been involved in immigration and…
Thomas Tasche '13 MPA '17, originally from Elk Grove Village, IL, graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, with a certificate in East Asian Studies. His senior thesis examined Chinese aid and investment in the Caribbean and…
Scholars 2011
Muhsin Usman Hassan '12 MPA '16, a Gates Millennium Scholar from St. Paul, Minn., is a native speaker of Arabic and Kiswahili and has lived in Africa and the Middle East. A Wilson School graduate with a certificate in Near Eastern studies, he seeks to apply his experience to issues of international development, politics, and law. He studied in…
Marlise Pierre-Wright '12 MPA '16, a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow and a native of Stamford, Conneticut, graduated in English with certificates in Spanish and African-American studies and a focus specifically on the representation of trauma and mental illness in literature. As an Adel Mahmoud Global Health Scholar, she researched the mental…
Lauren Rhode '12 MPA '16, of Brookline, Mass., is a Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, graduate who pursued certificates in Chinese Language and Culture and Near Eastern studies. As the 2011 Tom A. and Andrea E. Bernstein '80 Scholar, she focuses on security dynamics in the Asia-Pacific…
Kelly Roache '12 MPA '15, a native of Little Silver, N.J., graduated cum laude from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, with certificates in Near Eastern studies, Arabic Language and Culture and Persian Language and Culture. Roache focuses on crisis diplomacy in the Middle…
Scholars 2010
Tavon Cooke MPA '11, a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, has considerable academic and professional background in Russian studies with an emphasis on education, social welfare and domestic and international health policy issues. Cooke spent his internship with USAID Tbilisi's Health and Social Development section, where…
Jared Aldwin Crooks '11 MPA/M Eng '15, an astrophysics graduate from Fort Worth, Texas, seeks to use his scientific and technical background to deal with issues of foreign and domestic science policy, national security and development of alternative energy. He has done field research in South Africa, China and Tunisia and served as an intern at…
Elías Hanno (formerly Elías Sánchez-Eppler) '11 *15, of Amherst, Mass., is a Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, magna cum laude graduate with an economics focus and certificates in Latin American studies and Spanish who has lived in Costa Rica, Spain, Chile, Peru and Cuba. With SINSI's…
Daniel Joyce MPA '13 served from July 2006 through July 2009 as the program associate on democratic governance and human rights issues in the Andean region at the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington, D.C., think-tank for U.S.-Latin American relations. A magna cum laude graduate from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service with a B…
Brieana Marticorena MPA '14, a native of Laguna Hills, Calif., graduated from Harvard University with a degree in government and a citation in Italian. Prior to joining the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Marticorena worked in orphanages in Ghana and Brazil, taught English in…
Kevin McGinnis '11 MPA '15, a former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, graduate with certificates in Spanish, Latin American Studies and Environmental Studies, is from Salisbury, Md. McGinnis was a member of Engineers Without Borders in Ethiopia, studied abroad in Spain and interned…
Megan McPhee '11 MPA '15, a native of Sudbury, Mass., is a summa cum laude Phi Beta Kappa Wilson School graduate with certificates in Latin American studies and musical performance. She held a summer internship with La Asociación Pro Arte y Cultura, a nonprofit organization in eastern Bolivia, and spent a semester abroad in…
Marian Messing ’11 MPA ’17 (MPA/JD), of St Paul, Minnesota, graduated cum laude from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, with certificates in Arabic and Near Eastern Studies. Interested in human rights, political and economic development, and international law, Marian studied…
Caitlin Pierce MPA '13 was a double major in environmental studies and economics at Dartmouth College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude . Her interest in these fields has taken her to study and conduct research in southern Africa, India and British Columbia, as well as an internship in the Environmental and Natural…
Sarah Ray MPA '13 received a Master in Public Affairs with a focus on urban policy and planning. During her SINSI fellowship, she worked in the Secretary's Office at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Office of Innovation and Improvement at the Department of Education. Her primary projects included serving on the leadership…
Scholars 2009
Rashad Badr '10 MPA '14, a Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, graduate from Manassas, VA., seeks to apply his international background to the fields of diplomacy and international relations and, ultimately, a career in the U.S. Navy. He studied abroad at the University of Cape Town,…
Alexander Correa MPA '12 graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Miami in May 2008 with bachelor’s degrees in economics and international studies. Correa completed a two-year fellowship as an international economist at the Department of the Treasury and worked on the Turkey and Lebanon portfolios prior to assuming…
Carolyn Edelstein '10 MPA '14, a Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, graduate magna cum laude with a certificate in Environmental Science, is from Toronto, Ontario. She speaks French and Mandarin Chinese and spent the summer of 2009 working on sustainable development and climate…
Caroline Gilliam Walsh MPA '12, from Charlottesville, VA., graduated from Columbia University where she majored in East Asian Languages and Cultures. She won the National Security Education program's David L. Boren Scholarship in 2006 and pursued intensive Mandarin Chinese language study. Walsh interned at the Weatherhead Institute of East…
Brian Kelly MPA ’12 graduated from the University of Pennsylvania summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in international relations (with honors) and modern Middle East studies. In college, he interned at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of State and the Foreign Policy Research Institute. His first SINSI fellowship rotation…
Andrew Kim '10 MPA '14, from Roslyn, N.Y., graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the former Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs,with a certificate in East Asian Studies. He was awarded the Woodrow Wilson School Thesis Prize for his thesis on "South Korean…
Simonne Li '10 MPA '14 from Alpharetta, Ga., and a graduate in chemistry with certificates in Environmental studies and materials, focused her first year in the MPA program on development studies and pursues a certificate in the Program on Science, Technology and Environmental Policy (STEP). After an undergraduate focus on solar cells and…
Rachel VanJohnson MPA ’12 started her MPA program in the fall of 2011, before that, VanJohnson (nee Van Tuyl) was a SINSI fellow at the Department of the Army, working as a political-military foreign affairs specialist in the International Affairs Division responsible for Europe, Eurasia and NATO. She graduated summa cum laude from…
William Wagner '10 MPA '14, from Montclair, N.J., is a summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, graduate with a certificate in Near Eastern Studies. Upon graduation, Wagner was awarded the Donald E. Stokes Dean's Prize for most significant…
Scholars 2008
Cynthia Barmore ’09, MPA/JD ’15, a Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, graduate from Illinois, speaks Italian, and some French and Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian. She founded a service organization doing volunteer work in Trenton and was president of Princeton Against Protectionism. She spent…
Shannon Brink ’09, MPA ’13, a native of Denver, Colo., graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the Woodrow Wilson School with certificates in Latin American and environmental studies. As an undergraduate, Brink was deeply involved with Princeton’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders, serving as co-president,…
Scholars 2007
Kimberly Bonner ’08, MPA ’12, is a molecular biology graduate who seeks to apply her scientific background to global health, specifically malaria control. She spent her summer internship at the Department of State, working in the Office of International Health and Biodefense, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific…
Jordan Reimer ’08, MPA ’12, received his MPA with a concentration in international relations As an undergraduate, Reimer majored in politics with a certificate in Near Eastern studies and studied in Egypt and Yemen. Following his junior year, he interned with the Department of State’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs’ Office of Iranian Affairs…
Ishani Sud ’08, MPA/MEng ’12, graduated with a degree in chemical engineering with certificates in public policy, neuroscience, materials science and engineering biology. As an undergraduate, she worked with the Global Development Network to design and study low-cost energy and water solutions for developing communities in Africa and South…
Lilian Timmermann ’08, MPA/JD ’15, from Puerto Rico and a Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, graduate with a certificate in East Asian studies, started an organization to tutor immigrants in English and financial literacy and hopes to use her Mandarin and Spanish skills in the nation’s…
Eugene Yi ’08, MPA ’13, a Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, graduate who speaks Korean and Chinese, founded a translation effort that drew the attention of the Gates Foundation and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). He spent his summer internship at the Department…
Department of Physics
Degree Requirements
Adviser Selection
It is the goal of the graduate program to have all students engaged in real research as soon as possible upon arrival and all students settled on a thesis topic and a thesis adviser by the end of the second year.
The Physics Department offers a large number of graduate courses every year. We recommend that students take the introductory courses they need to fill gaps in their basic physics background. They also should attend the advanced courses appropriate to their chosen specialty. In between, they should satisfy the core curriculum requirement for the general examination.
In the first fall semester, the students take the prelims-prep courses or advanced undergraduate courses to supplement their basic physics background and prepare for the preliminary exam. Students are then encouraged to take other, more advanced courses to expand their knowledge in their chosen specialty. Students sign up for all these courses through TigerHub .
General Exam
The preliminary examination, the experimental project and the required minimum number of core courses constitute the general examination. All sections of the general examination must be completed by the end of the second year.
Students generally take the preliminary examination, in January or May of the first year. The preliminary examination covers topics of electromagnetism, elementary quantum mechanics, mechanics, statistical physics and thermodynamics.
The experimental project consists of a written report and oral presentation on experimental work that the student has either performed or assisted others in performing at Princeton. The report is due and the presentation is scheduled in November of the second year.
Passing the Generals and Qualifying for the M.A.
The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is normally an incidental degree on the way to full Ph.D. candidacy and is earned after a student successfully completes all components of the general examination. It may also be awarded to students who, for various reasons, leave the Ph.D. program, provided that these requirements have been met. To apply for this, contact the Graduate Program Administrator.
A wide range of teaching opportunities are offered, from laboratory work to recitation sessions in core undergraduate and advanced graduate courses. All students are required to take a dedicated course, Communicating Physics, that is designed to strengthen the skills necessary to communicate effectively as a teacher and researcher in physics. While teaching is not a requirement, we offer the opportunity for students to teach at least one semester during their graduate tenure.
The Responsible Conduct of Research Training
Researchers at Princeton are expected to undertake research with the highest moral and ethical standards. To ensure graduate students conducting research are educated in research ethics, the University and the Graduate School expect all graduate students in the divisions of social science, natural science, and engineering receive training in responsible conduct in research . Physics Graduate students are required to take the on line "CITI" training (instructions below) by January of their first year. Once you have completed the on line training email the Graduate Program Administrator a copy of your completion report. The Graduate Program Administrator will update your RCR Milestone as completed.
Please enter the training via the following link: type in Princeton University, select "continue to SSO login/instructions, login using your Princeton Netid and take the "RCR: Physical Sciences Researcher" course. https://www.citiprogram.org/index.cfm?pageID=154&icat=0&ac=0®ion=1
Instructions: https://www.citiprogram.org/citidocuments/Princeton_Instruction.html
The Pre-Thesis Project
The pre-thesis project is a research project in the student's area of interest, conducted under the supervision of a faculty adviser who is likely to become the Ph.D. adviser for the student. The final product is a written report and an oral defense in the presence of a pre-thesis committee, which is strongly encouraged to comprise faculty who will also serve as the student’s Ph.D. committee. The report's length and format are typically comparable to a journal article. It is advisable to include an introduction aimed at physicists who are not expert in the field.
The goals of the pre-thesis projects are:
- to give the student a serious introduction to his or her final area of specialization
- to get the student involved with the faculty in the research group of interest
- to get the student known by the faculty in the research group of interest
In order to get a rapid start on their thesis research, students are expected to start actively working on their pre-thesis project as soon as possible. The evaluation by the pre-thesis adviser will be an essential part of the reenrollment process at the end of the third year. The pre-thesis defense should take place no later than the fall of the third year.
It is the student's responsibility to schedule the oral defense and to choose (in consultation with the advisor) the pre-thesis committee which will conduct the oral defense of the pre-thesis project. The pre-thesis committee should consist of at least three faculty members: the advisor, at least one other faculty member expert in the field of the project, and at least one member drawn from the faculty at large. For students whose primary advisor is from outside the department, the other two committee members must be from inside the department. It is the committee's responsibility to ensure that the pre-thesis project and the thesis have a strong physics component.
The written report should be no more than ~20 pages long: the format of the report is flexible. You will provide your advisor and the Graduate Administrator with a final draft of your write-up three days before you present. Your presentation at the defense should be no longer than 30 minutes. You will get frequent questions. In this oral especially, we are looking for a depth of understanding that is indicative of independent research. You should know far more than you are able to present and that should come across in the presentation. Once you have a date and time, please contact the Graduate Administrator to reserve a room for you.
The pre-thesis committee will, under normal circumstances, serve as a standing committee to review progress toward the Ph.D. and to provide advice as appropriate up to and including the student's FPO. In cases where a student changes advisors or research directions, the committee may be reconstituted. Although the pre-thesis committee need not meet again until the FPO, it can be called into session at the request of the candidate, the advisor, or the Director of Graduate Studies. This can be done to review a student's progress towards the Ph.D. or to provide advice on other issues that may arise in the course of a student's research.
Finding a thesis advisor is, of course, a matter of individual negotiation. All students are expected to have advisors and to be embarked on thesis research by the end of their second year.
Procedures concerning primary dissertation advisors
The physics departments is open to interdisciplinary thesis work, as long as this work has a strong physics component. If the student decides to work on his/her pre-thesis or thesis project with a faculty member outside of the department, he/she must receive approval from the DGS. The DGS then requires that the student contact a faculty member in the physics department who will act as second advisor and will guarantee that the pre-thesis project has a strong physics component.
Dissertation and FPO
The Ph.D. is awarded once the dissertation is accepted and the final public oral (FPO) has been completed.
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Home > Master's Theses > 1076
Master's Theses
Material Characterization of Nitinol Wires for the Design of Actuation Systems
Sean P. Kennedy , California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Follow
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15368/theses.2013.160 Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1076
Date of Award
Degree name.
MS in Mechanical Engineering
Department/Program
Mechanical Engineering
Saeed B. Niku
A series of tests were performed on nickel-titanium alloy wire, also known as nitinol, to determine the plausibility of designing an actuator using this wire as the method of actuation. These tests have been designed to fully characterize how the wire behaves under steady state and transient conditions allowing for a specific wire selection to be made given known actuator specifications which will result in an efficient design. The wire transient data can be used to design a controller which reduces the actuation time. The research done for the overall project covers a wide scope including wire hysteresis, nitinol transition temperature, variable wire resistance, wire actuation as a function of current and pull force, cable fabrication, and wire actuation control to optimize performance. Using these test results, a prototype actuator has been designed using nitinol wire. It has been determined that an actuator can be efficiently designed using this material.
Since September 24, 2013
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Department of Engineering
School of Science & Technology
Graduate Projects & Theses
The following is a list of design project reports, theses and technical reports prepared by the MS-CES/ECE students who have graduated. The place of employment for these graduates is the last known to the department and may have changed.
Scott Parmley, "Autonomous Yield Estimator (AYE)", May 2022 Advisor: Dr. Sudhir Shrestha
Priya Patel, "System Design and Verification of a STM32 Microcontroller Based Breath Volatile Organic Compound Sensors", May 2022 Advisor: Dr. Sudhir Shrestha
Roel Hernandez, "Hardware Implementation of Four Degree of Freedom Deep Reinforcement Learning Arm Control Model Trained Through Human Demonstrations", May 2022 Advisor: Dr. Sudhir Shrestha
Brandon Michael Fong, " FPGA-Based Automatic Music Transcription as a Web Service ", Winter 2021 Advisor: Nansong Wu
Mohammed Ibrahim, "Data-Driven Optimization of Frequency Converter Applications", May 2021 Advisor: Dr. Farid Farahmand
Kirk Duran, " Deep Reinforcement Learning for a Four Degree of Freedom Robot Arm Control Simulation Accelerated by Human Demonstrations ", May 2021 Advisor: Dr. Sudhir Shrestha
Olivia Piazza, "Natural Language Processing for Robotic Navigation Through Unknown Environments", December 2020. Advisor: Dr. Sudhir Shrestha.
Khuram Shehzad, "Detecting Small Movements through Concrete using FMCW Radar for Search and Rescue Applications", December 2020. Advisor: Dr. Sudhir Shrestha.
Matthew Rosi, "A Novel Automated Approach to Support the Technique of X-ray Footprinting", May 2020 Advisor: Dr. Farid Farahmand
Saumya Saxena, "Pose Detection using OpenPose on Jetson Nano", May 2020 Advisor: Dr. Farid Farahmand
Lorin Nimri, "Monitoring Traffic in Retail Business", May 2020 Advisor: Dr. Ali Kujoory
Parshava Vora, "Detecting Diabetic Retinopathy using Embedded Computer Vision", December 2019 Advisor: Dr. Sudhir Shrestha
Geoff Thomas, "Sensor Lab: Sensor Library for Samsung Smartwatch", Fall 2019 Advisor: Dr. Farid Farahmand
Grace Montenegro, "Develop a Scalable Solution to Control and Monitor IoT Devices Remotely Using Low-Cost Embedded Systems", May 2019 Advisor: Dr. Ali Kujoory
Manthan K Gajjar, "Real-Time Object Detection Using General Purpose Low Cost Embedded Devices for IoT Systems", 2019 Advisor: Dr. Farid Farahmand
Jimmy Lehman, "A Binary Neural Accelerator for FPGA with Training and Inference", 2018 Advisor: Dr. Brendan Hamel-Bissell
Seyed "Mak" Ahmad, "NOAA Fisheries NWFSC FRAM Coral Image Processing Analysis", 2017 Advisor: Dr. Chris Halle
Jiajun Zhong, "Data Collection & Visualization System Base on Remotely Configurable Microcontroller", 2017 Advisor: Dr. Farid Farahmand
Hanan Sedaghat Pisheh, "Finding Efficient Algorithms to Automate Classrooms Using Kinect", 2017 Advisor: Dr. Farid Farahmand
Feng Wang, "Design and Implementation of Sensor-to-Screen Platform using IBM Bluemix", 2017 Advisor: Dr. Farid Farahmand
Jason McGuire, "A DistributedWireless Sensor Network for Environmental Monitoring", Spring 2016 Advisor: Dr. Farid Farahmand
Jorge Cabrera, "Early Classification of Application Power Traces", Spring 2016 Advisor: Dr. Suzanne Rivoire
Daniel Giudici, Convolutional Neural Network Classification of Hyperspectral Imagery in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, Spring 2016 Advisor: Matthew Clark
Cesar A. Medrano, "Interpreting Electroencephalographic Signals using the Emotive EPOC Headset System", Spring 2016 Advisor: Dr. Farid Farahmand
Syed Faiza, "Signal Processing/Visualization Software Incorporating Advanced Statistical Tools for Effective Monitoring of Parkinson's Disease (PD) using PD Analytic", Fall 2014 Advisor: Dr. Farid Farahmand
Gourilekshmi Jayasree Thankam, "Design and build an in-house cloud framework for Internet of Things", Fall 2014 Advisor: Dr. Farid Farahmand
Maruthi Goli, "Recommender Systems Using Collaborative Filtering," Spring 2010. Advisor: Dr. Bala Ravikumar Employed by: Tellabs
Steven Olson, "Machine Learning Characterization and Optimized Search in Peg Solitaire Game Play," Spring 2010. Advisor: Dr. Bala Ravikumar Employed by: Unknown
Swati Kaushik, "The Road to 4G: Exploring LTE and WiMAX," Fall 2009. Employed by: Unknown
David Bozarth, "A Record/Playback Method for Simulating a Device-Under-Test," Spring 2009. Advisor: Dr. Bala Ravikumar Employed by: Unknown
Bruce Beauchamp, "Data Mining of Extremism on the World Wide Web," Spring 2009. Advisor: Dr. Bala Ravikumar Employed by: Unknown
Arundhati Bondse, "WiMAX Report," Spring 2009. Employed by: Unknown
Mohammad Lutfi, "Implementation of MBone Router in modern multimedia network," Spring 2009. Employed by: Unknown
Steven Bottarini, "Graphrecognizer For Tablet PC," Fall 2008. Advisor: Dr. Bala Ravikumar Employed by: Unknown
Antonio Martinez Navarro, "Pen Based Whiteboard Sharing Application," Fall 2008. Advisor: Dr. Bala Ravikumar Employed by: Alcatel-Lucent
Hyun-Ji Chung, "Cooperative Mapping Diversity in Wireless Relay Networks," Spring 2008. Advisor: Dr. Jingxian Wu Employed by: Teknovus
Raksha Gundaralahalli, "Resource Optimization Using Network Flow and Greedy Algorithms," Spring 2008. Advisor: Dr. B. Ravikumar Employed by: Unknown
Rama Muthukumaraswamy, "Design and Development of Tablet-PC Based Mathematical Expression Recognition Software," Fall 2007. Advisor: Dr. B. Ravikumar Employed by: Model N Inc., Redwood City, CA
Saloni Gupta, "Cache Simulation and Modeling," Summer 2007. Advisor: Dr. B. Ravikumar Employed by: Unknown
Xiaochun Lu, "IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) Security Mechanism and Implementation," Spring 2007. Advisor: Dr. Jingxian Wu Employed by: Unknown
Annalaksh Mi Pasupathy, "Implementation and Evaluation of Routing Protocols in MANET," Spring 2007. Advisor: Dr. Jingxian Wu Employed by: Unknown
Jie Sha, "Development of Vector Signal Generator and Analyzer as Virtual Instruments," Spring 2007. Advisor: Dr. Jingxian Wu Employed by: Unknown
Srilatha Tangirala, "Finding Discrepancies on Citation of Author Names in Digital Bibliography,” Spring 2007. Advisor: Dr. B. Ravikumar Employed by: Nortel Networks, Santa Clara, CA.
Megan Arnold, "Multicore Design," Fall 2007 Employed by: Unknown
Daniel Lane, "Fractals and Chaos Theory in Assessing Risk in Financial Markets," Spring 2007. Employed by: Cisco Systems, Petaluma, CA.
Brendan Illingworth, "A Study in Non-Contact Voltage Measurement," Fall 2006. Advisor: Dr. Jingxian Wu Employed by: Unknown
Kevin Nishinaga, "Handwritten Japanese Character Recognition Using Tablet PC," Fall 2006. Advisor: Dr. B. Ravikumar Employed by: CyberTran International, Oakland, CA
Krithika Krishnarajan, "Test Runner Test Case Management and Execution Tool," Spring 2006. Advisor: Dr. B. Ravikumar Employed by: Unknown
Renato Vasquez-Campos, "Stack of Communication Protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks," Spring 2006. Advisor: Dr. B. Ravikumar Employed by: Tellabs Inc.,Petaluma, CA.
Kevin Halpin, "Characterization and System Performance Analysis of a Fiber Optic Rotary Joint,” Spring 2006. Advisor: Dr. Reza Khosravani Employed by: L-3 Communications, Sonoma, CA.
Thanh-Hieu Nong, "A Broadband Packet Switch Architecture Based on the Starlite Switch,” Fall 2005. Advisor: Dr. Saeid Rahimi Employed by: Unknown
Wei Zhang, "Active Mode-Locked Fiber Ring Lasers,” Fall 2005. Advisor: Dr. Reza Khosravani Employed by: Calix, Petaluma, CA.
Sandhya Manthena, "Design and Development of an OMCI Protocol Analyzer in a PON Network,” Spring 2005. Advisors: Dr. Jagan Agrawal and Mr. Jim Brede Employed by: Unknown
Mari Rajakumari, "Design and Development of a Pen-Interfaced Table Developer,” Spring 2005. Advisor: Dr. B. Ravikumar Employed by: Calix, Petaluma, CA.
Adolfo Duarte, "Efficient Algorithm to Dynamically Control the State of Polarization in a Fiber Communication System", Spring 2005. Advisor: Dr. Reza Khosravani Employed by: Cisco Systems, Petaluma, CA.
Wanlun Wang, "DWDM Systems,” Spring 2005. Employed by: Unknown
Zarrin Mohammadi, "Analysis Methods of Chromatic Dispersion and Effects of Environment on It,” Spring 2005. Employed by: Bio-Rad, Benicia, CA.
Jeffrey Stein-Larson, "Optical Connectivity and the Search for Silicon Lasers,” Spring 2005. Employed by: Unknown
Ravi Sivalingam, "Fiber to the Premise (FTTP),” Spring 2005. Employed by: Tellabs, Atlanta, Georgia. Deepika Valluripalli, "Asynchronous Transfer Mode Protocol,” Spring 2005. Employed by: Unknown
Aric (AJ) Shipley, "Resilient Packet Ring Protocol and Its Use in Metro Ethernet,” Summer 2005. Employed by: Cisco Systems, Research Triangle Park, N.C. School: Currently pursuing his MBA at the University of North Carolina.
Betty Zhang, "Implementation and Analysis of Optimized Periodic Balanced Sort Algorithm,” Fall 2004. Advisor: Dr. B. Ravikumar Employed by: PNI Corporation, Santa Rosa, CA.
Phuong Nguyen, "Design of a Micro-Processor Based Power Meter for a Switched Distributed Antenna Based on Radio Over Fiber Networks for Mobile Communications,” Fall 2004. Advisor: Dr. Jagan Agrawal Employed by: Sigmatel, Austin, Texas.
Narasimha Bettini, "Analysis of Optical Jitter in High Capacity Optical Transmission,” Fall 2004. Advisor: Dr. Reza Khosravani Employed by: Raza Microelectronics, San Jose, CA.
Bala Bhuvanagiri, "Monitoring Fiber Nonlinearity in High Capacity Optical Communication Systems,” Fall 2004. Advisor: Dr. Reza Khosravani Emjployed by: QUALCOMM Incorporated, San Diego, CA.
Madhavi Denduluri, "Clustering of Web Documents,” Fall 2004. Advisor: Dr. B. Ravikumar Employed by: Unknown
Ray Ubelhart, "Integrated Mode Field Transformer Optimized for Coupling InP Based Planer Devices to Single Mode Optical Fibers," Fall 2004. Advisor: Dr. Bryant Hichwa Employed by: Quickset, Chicago, Illinois
Roopinder Grewal, "Performance Evaluation of a Global Mobility Management Scheme Under Single and Multiple Foreign Region Scenarios,” Fall 2004. Advisors: Dr. Jagan Agrawal and Dr. B. Ravikumar. Employed by: Nortel Networks, Irvine, CA.
Sridevi Battula, "Output Buffering with Limited Shared Buffers in Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Switches,” Fall 2004. Advisor: Dr. Jagan Agrawal Employed by: Sprint-Nextel in Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Jie Liu, "Relations Between System Performance Parameters In Ultra Long Distance Fiber Optic Communication Systems,” Summer 2004. Advisor: Dr. Reza Khosravani Employed by: Calix, Petaluma, CA.
Robert Maciukiewicz, "Optimization of the Fiber Length in a Bi-directional Pumping Type Erbium-Doped Fiber Ampolifier (EDFA),” Spring 2004. Advisor: Dr. Bryant Hichwa Employed by: CalDive International
Misty Sabina, "Design and Construction of an Optical Amplifier Using Erbium Doped Fiber,” Spring 2004. Advisor: Dr. Bryant Hichwa Employed by: Unknown
Seetha Pillai, "Hardware Implementation of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES),” Spring 2004. Advisors: Dr. Atul Garg and Dr. Jagan Agrawal Employed by: Caymus Corporation, Petaluma, CA.
Mahta Haghi, "Bit-pattern dependency of Optical Noise and Error Rate Estimation for Low Probabilities,” Spring 2004. Advisor: Dr. Reza Khosravani School: Currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
Xiaoming Lu, "Adapting Finite Automata to Solve Combinatorial Problems,” Spring 2003. Advisor: Dr. B. Ravikumar School: Received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Davis in May 2008.
Thasen Mylvaganam, "Adapting Finite Automata to Solve Combinatorial Problems,” Spring 2003. Advisor: Dr. B. Ravikumar Employed by: Cisco Systems, Petaluma, CA.
Ethan Stone, "Optimized Parallel Balanced Sorting Algorithm in a Coarse Grained Model,” Spring 2003. Advisor: Dr. B. Ravikumar Employed by: Corman Technologies, Santa Rosa, CA.
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Dissertations & Theses @ Princeton University Citations and abstracts of only Princeton University dissertations. Princeton users may download for free the full text of dissertations published after 1996. This is a subset of Proquest Digital Dissertations. Princeton University Doctoral Dissertations, 2011+ (DataSpace)
1 / 1. ︎. PhD. Theses 2023. Emilie R. Storer. From Raw Data to Cosmology with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. View past theses (2011 to present) in the Dataspace Catalog of Ph.D Theses in the Department of Physics. View past theses (1996 to present) in the ProQuest Database.
At Princeton, every senior writes a thesis or, in the case of some engineering departments, undertakes a substantial independent project. Integral to the senior thesis process is the opportunity to work one-on-one with a faculty member who guides the development of the project.
The Princeton Graduate School welcomes applicants who are seeking to reimagine what's possible in their fields. Global in scope, yet intimate enough to foster new, cross-disciplinary connections, we believe that the power to shape what's next begins with you. Explore & Apply 18
Recent Ph.D. Theses; Former Graduate Students; For Current Students; Postdoctoral Program Submenu. Current Postdoctoral Fellowships and Research Opportunities; ... Princeton, NJ 08544. 171 Broadmead Street Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540. Facebook; Administrative Inquiries: 609-258-3801; [email protected]
Graduate Degrees & Requirements Fields of Study Architecture Academic Year 2022 - 2023 Jump To: Overview Apply Program Offerings Faculty Permanent Courses Architecture Building School of Architecture Program Offerings: Ph.D. M.Arch. Director of Graduate Studies: Beatriz Colomina (Ph.D.) Marshall Brown (M.Arch.) Graduate Program Administrator:
Graduate Theses | Princeton Program in Plasma Physics Home Education Graduate Theses Graduate Theses Recent theses since 2012 are made available electronically at DataSpace. Theses from 2011 and earlier are available at ProQuest Library . 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001
Senior Thesis. The senior thesis is a scholarly paper focused on the policy issue in public or international affairs that is of greatest interest to the student. It is based on extended research and is the major project of the senior year. Each student must complete a senior thesis that addresses a specific policy question and either draws out ...
March 11, 2023 We are pleased to feature Princeton graduate and former CDH Undergraduate Communications Assistant, Matthew Choi Taitano '20. Matthew is currently pursuing an M.A. in English and a Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities at Northeastern University.
When you graduate from Princeton, you will be prepared for whatever path and passions you choose in life. Engineering Studies Our programs challenge students to both solve problems and understand which problems are important by emphasizing fundamental principles of engineering with their connections to society.
Email [email protected] as soon as you have a target FPO date in mind. Date on title page is month/year of graduation, not FPO date. Remember to acknowledge your funding in your thesis. See adviser for official grant numbers. Read the formatting and binding guidelines carefully. See this page for formal requirements.
The Master's degree at Princeton is a two year, full-time program. All admitted students will initially be enrolled in the Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.), thesis-required track. In the spring of year 1, as part of readmission, all students will be given the option to switch to the Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), non-thesis track.
For this reason she was one of the most sought-after Ph.D. thesis directors in the French section, and many of her students now have distinguished careers. In recognition of her exceptionally generous mentorship, a dozen former graduate students celebrated her career as a teacher-scholar in a symposium at Princeton in May 2006.
Princeton's Pre-read is by Class of 2019 graduate Jordan Salama, whose senior thesis became a celebrated nonfiction book Emily Aronson, Office of Communications April 28, 2022, noon Princeton Class of 2019 graduate Jordan Salama wrote his senior thesis about the people and places along Colombia's main river, the Magdalena.
6. Thesis Formalities 6. Thesis Formalities Two Dissertation Readers are chosen by the student in consultation with the advisory committee. Two readers of the Ph.D. thesis must be Princeton University faculty members. One must not be a coauthor of any of the candidate's papers, published, submitted, or planned. Inclusion of a third, outside,...
Laura Hausman '20 MPA '24, of New York, New York, graduated summa cum laud e in 2020 from Princeton's Politics department with a certificate in American Studies. She received the John G. Buchanan Prize in Politics, which is awarded to the senior who has attained during junior and senior years the highest standing in the… Mikaylah Ladue
It is the goal of the graduate program to have all students engaged in real research as soon as possible upon arrival and all students settled on a thesis topic and a thesis adviser by the end of the second year. Courses The Physics Department offers a large number of graduate courses every year.
A series of tests were performed on nickel-titanium alloy wire, also known as nitinol, to determine the plausibility of designing an actuator using this wire as the method of actuation. These tests have been designed to fully characterize how the wire behaves under steady state and transient conditions allowing for a specific wire selection to be made given known actuator specifications which ...
Graduate Projects & Theses. The following is a list of design project reports, theses and technical reports prepared by the MS-CES/ECE students who have graduated. The place of employment for these graduates is the last known to the department and may have changed. Scott Parmley, "Autonomous Yield Estimator (AYE)", May 2022.
Ph.D. Thesis: Scheduling and Behavioral Transformations for Parallel Systems: portions are published in IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems, Journal of VLSI Signal Processing ...