See below important comments by the translator, Alexander Gelbukh, marked in yellow. These are my personal comments and are not part of the original document.
Please do read the call, understand the instructions, and follow them precisely! Fortunately for you, most candidates don’t, which makes the work of our selection committee easy ;)
This text is not an official document (no guarantee of any kind); for formal purposes refer to the original document linked from CIC's website (in Spanish); however, do read my comments here---you will find them useful.
Center for Computing Research, National Polytechnic Institute
Call 2021 B
DCC: PhD in Computer Science
The National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), through the Computer Research Center (CIC-IPN),
CALLS
on those interested in pursuing studies in the program PhD in Computer Science, face-to-face modality, to start in the school year August-December 2021 [or January-June 2022] under the following bases:
The CIC-IPN offers the PhD in Computer Science (DCC) program, a full-time program designed to train professionals who hold the degree of Masters in Science and / or Engineering and who aspire to obtain the PhD degree, to develop research in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
To obtain the degree of Doctor of Computer Science, the student must demonstrate their ability to carry out original and quality research. For this, the DCC program offers its students a solid and international-quality training, which is recognized and endorsed by the National Quality Postgraduate Program (PNPC) of the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT) [Ministry of Science].
Complete information about the DCC Curriculum can be found at the link http://www.cic.ipn.mx/dcc.
The applicant to the PhD in Computer Science (DCC) program must have solid knowledge that allows him or her to approach the analysis and design of computational systems, models and algorithms, as well as a good level in the domain of mathematics, which together allow him or her to develop an original and quality research project in the field of computer science.
The applicant must have a Master of Science or Master of Engineering degree, as well as have such an academic and professional history that demonstrates their academic and intellectual capacity and consistency in their trajectory, which allows ensuring the completion of their doctoral studies successfully and within the statutory times.
The Doctor in Computer Science will have solid knowledge, experience and creativity to carry out scientific research, generating relevant and innovative contributions to provide solutions to scientific and technological problems, in any of the program's specialties.
The PhD in Computer Science will have developed during his or her training process the critical capacity, aptitudes and abilities to solve problems that support and promote the general advancement of knowledge, and that respond to the needs of the industry and the public and social sectors, both nationally and internationally. Through the application of the acquired knowledge and skills developed in their doctoral work, PhDs in computer science will be able to promote scientific and technological research, carrying out basic and applied research projects.
To enter the DCC postgraduate program, the applicant must meet the requirements established in the IPN Postgraduate Studies Regulations (REP-IPN), chapter I, articles 8, 10, 11 and 12. For more information, the REP-IPN can be consulted through the following URL: http://www.cic.ipn.mx/REP/
The requirements are as follows:
1. Possess an official BSc degree or certificate of completion of studies, or equivalent document for applicants who have studied abroad.
2. Possess, where appropriate, the master's degree certificate or the master's degree examination certificate.
3. Approve the admission process established in this call, demonstrating the ability to continue their studies at the doctoral level, through reaching the minimum score established by the Admission Committee for this process, the result of an interview with said Committee, as well as the defense to the presentation of the research proposal for doctoral studies.
4. Accredit with a minimum qualification of eight or equivalent, the level of knowledge of the English language in four skills, taking as a base criterion level B1 of the common European framework of reference for languages, in accordance with the provisions of article 8, fraction VI and its last paragraph, and the agreement of the Board of professors of the Computer Research Center corresponding to this.
5. Not having caused a permanent withdrawal from any postgraduate program of the Institute, by a well-founded and motivated resolution of the Academic Board, unless it has been revoked by said collegiate body.
6. Express, through the letter of reasons and during an interview with the Admission Committee, the interest that he or she has in entering doctoral studies and in developing research work in any of the lines promoted by the Research Computing Center.
Revalidation of Credits
Those applicants interested in obtaining a revalidation of credits from previously completed postgraduate learning units must submit the application to the teachers' Board in accordance with the provisions of articles 15 and 17 of the IPN Postgraduate Studies Regulations.
Requirements for Obtaining the Degree
Enrolled students must abide by the provisions of article 49 of the IPN Postgraduate Studies Regulations regarding the requirements for obtaining the degree, in accordance with the provisions of the Association of Professors, namely:
I. Be enrolled in the Doctoral program in Sciences of the Computing.
II. Accredit the predoctoral exam.
III. Comply with the definitive individual program of activities.
IV. Have any of the following products, which must be related to their research work:
1. Scientific or technological article published in a specialized journal that is at level A, B or C of the Institute's Journal Catalog or acceptance letter for such publication.
2. Patent registration with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property.
The tutorial committee will evaluate the concordance of the products with the student's research work, and will pass the result of the evaluation for approval by the Board of Teachers of the postgraduate program.
V. Write a doctoral thesis with the characteristics indicated in the Regulations for Postgraduate Studies of the IPN.
VI. Pass the graduation exam.
Research proposal for doctoral studies
The applicant to enter the PhD in Computer Science must begin with the preparation of a research proposal for their doctoral studies, which must be carried out under the supervision of a nominating professor, which will make up the applicant's file research. The moninating professor is a professor of the CIC-IPN with a doctorate degree who proposes the admission of the applicant to the DCC as his or her possible thesis supervisor.
In this proposal, the applicant will preliminarily raise a possible research topic.
The research proposal for doctoral studies must include the following elements:
a. Title of the proposal.
b. Preliminary description of the problem to be solved.
c. Review of related works reported in the state of the art, inside and outside the CIC. [I.e., you should cite the work of your advisor (proposing professor), to show that he or she does have experience in this topic.]
d. Overall objective.
e. Goals (specific objectives).
f. Possible expected results and the relevance of the expected scientific contribution.
g. Tentative program of activities.
h. Resources necessary for the development of the proposal. [Do not ask for things here. The purpose is the opposite: to show that you do not need any resources absent in the Lab. Our Lab does have GPU servers and access to a GPU cluster.]
i. References (include, in full length in PDF format, the main articles you consulted). [I.e., attach to your proposal the most important papers you cite in your proposal, in full text as separate PDF files.]
The admission process begins with the applicant's online registration. Subsequently, the academic, research and accreditation files must be sent, and finally attendance at interviews with the Admission Committee is required for the defense of the research proposal for doctoral studies and for a psychometric evaluation. The complete process is described in the following steps:
Step 1: Registration of application for admission and submitting the Identity File
A. The applicant must register his or her application to start the admission process, through the web application available at the following link: http://www.cic.ipn.mx/registroB21//. [See my guide to filling this form (the current version of the form might be different, I did not check).]
Once the application is registered, the applicant will obtain an identifier number (FOLIO), which will be used subsequently to send files and to monitor the progress of the admission process.
B. Upon registering, the applicant should submit the Identity File in the form of a PDF file, which should contain the set of scanned versions of the following documents:
1. CURP* [not applicable for foreigners], or for foreigners the passport
2. Birth certificate [provide also an informal (not necessarily certified) translation into English or Spanish; for example, you can write over the image] [You may need to apply for it to authorities of your country. If obtaining it is a slow process, you can present it later, but it will be eventually required for enrollment, so start obtaining it now.]
[Before submitting, send this file to your advisor (me if this is the case). However, this is only informative and does not substitute the official process. Your advisor will check the file and might suggest necessary corrections.]
The Identity File will be sent through the following link:
|
File platform |
http://www.cic.ipn.mx/expedientesB21/ [See my translation of the form] |
|
File to send: |
PDF file with the name DCC01-<FOLIO>.pdf [like DCC01-123.pdf if your FOLIO is 123], which must contain the Identity File. |
Where FOLIO corresponds to the identifier obtained from the online registration process [the number indicated in the top right corner of the PDF file generated by the web system]. In response to the mail, acknowledgment of receipt and feedback will be provided about the information received in said file.
Step 2: Sending the Academic Record
The applicant must compile and send the Academic Record in the form of a PDF file, which must contain the compilation of the digitized versions of the following documents:
1. Certificate of undergraduate studies [BSc transcript], where the general average of grades [CGPA] is specified, as well as the conclusion of the same.
2. Bachelor's degree certificate or a proof of ongoing process of its issuing.
3. [Not applicable to foreigners] Professional license or proof of ongoing process of its issuing.*
4. Certificate of qualifications of Master's studies [MSc transcript], where the general average of grades [CGPA] is indicated.
5. Diploma and certificate of the Master's degree. In case of being in process, present the documents that prove it.
6. Curriculum Vitae of the applicant. [Very important: clearly indicate your publications. Having been published in indexed journals or conferences is a big plus. Clearly indicate for each publication whether it is in a journal with Clarivate impact factor (preferably give the impact factor and quartile), in a journal indexed in Scopus, or in a conference indexed by Clarivate or Scopus.]
7. Letter of reasons for entering the program, addressed to the Admission Committee and signed by the applicant. [insert your scanned signature in the file, or print the file, sign, scan]. [Say in this letter why you decided to enter this program: e.g., a good reason is that you read my/our papers and were impressed and motivated by them (which is probably true) -- this will convince the committee that you know what you do.]
8. Letter stating that you have not withdrawn from any IPN postgraduate program, addressed to the Admission Committee and signed by the applicant. [Use this template: paste a scanned signature where at the bottom it says "Firma del aspirante" ("Signature of the applicant") or print, sign, scan.]
9. Admission application form with small-sized photograph [insert your scanned signature, or print, sign, scan]. This form must be generated through the online registration indicated in Step 1.
The academic record will be sent through the following link: [If possible, check the file with your advisor (me if this is the case) even before submitting it. Always send a copy of all submitted files to your advisor.]
|
File platform |
http://www.cic.ipn.mx/expedientesB21/ [See my translation of the form] |
|
File to send: |
PDF file with the name DCC02-<FOLIO>.pdf [like DCC02-123.pdf], which must contain the Academic File. |
Where FOLIO corresponds to the identifier obtained from the online registration process [the number indicated in the top right corner of the PDF file generated by the web system]. In response to the mail, acknowledgment of receipt and feedback will be provided about the information received in said file.
Notes for the case of foreign applicants:
a) Translation: Proof of studies abroad such as the bachelor's degree, study certificate, as well as the birth certificate, must be presented with their translation into Spanish [certified in a special way, contact your advisor for details] at the time of enrollment [not for the admission process]. If it is in a language other than English or Spanish, its translation [even if homemade – just translate it yourself] into one of those two languages [English] must be submitted at the time of sending the documents [for the admission process].
b) * Professional license and CURP: The sending of the professional license does not apply to foreign applicants. Sending the CURP is not mandatory for foreign applicants, who, if admitted, will receive said code at the time of obtaining their immigration status upon arrival to Mexico.
For more information on procedures for foreign applicants, you can see the following link: http://www.cic.ipn.mx/aspirantesExtranjeros/ [ironically, in Spanish, but probably not very relevant for the admission procedure].
Step 3: Submission of Research File
The applicant must compile and send the Research File in the form of a link that allows the downloading of the electronic version of the following documents, organized in folders according to the following:
1. PDF document containing their research proposal for PhD studies. [Recall that this folder will contain also the PDF versions of relevant references.] [The obligatory structure of this proposal is described in one of the sections above in this document.]
2. PowerPoint file containing the presentation of the research proposal for PhD studies, considering a maximum length of 15 slides.
3. Nomination letter signed by the nominating professor. [Request this from your future advisor, such as myself if this is the case.]
The Investigation File will be sent through the following link:
|
File platform |
http://www.cic.ipn.mx/expedientesB21/ |
|
File to send: |
PDF file with the name DCC03-<FOLIO>.pdf, which must contain the Research File. |
where <FOLIO> corresponds to the identifier obtained from the online registration process. In response to the mail, acknowledgment of receipt and feedback will be provided about the information received in said file.
[My understanding is that you submit a one-page PDF where you write a link to your own storage, such as Drive or Dropbox.]
Step 4: Presentation and defense of the research proposal for PhD studies
The Coordination of the DCC program will provide feedback to the applicant regarding compliance with steps 1 to 3. Once these are met, the presentation and defense of the research proposal will be scheduled, for which the coordination of the program will inform the applicant on the date, time, assigned jury and videoconference session identifier.
It is important to note that the presentation will be made online through videoconference and must have a maximum duration of 20 minutes and will be developed with the participation of the nominating professor as part of the designated jury.
Step 5: Psychometric exam
As psychometric exam will be applied according to the scheduling of date and time that will be communicated to you via the contact email. [Sleep well before this interview. Keep calm. Be serious, respond exactly to the questions with standard, plain answers, do NOT joke or try to be original or funny.]
Step 6: Send the Accreditation File
The applicant must compile and send the Accreditation File in the form of a PDF file, which should contain a set of the digitized versions of the following documents:
1. Proof of compliance with one of the following criteria:
[The applications for scholarship will be ordered by the “GRE score”, so you need to have it as high as possible. However, there are two ways of getting this score: (1) to sit for real GRE, (2) to get an equivalent score from your publications, without ever sitting (and paying!) for the real GRE exam. We will use a formula to convert your publications into an equivalent of the GRE score. If you bring both -- the real GRE exam and publications -- then we will choose whichever is higher (but not sum them up!). If you have publications, consult with your advisor before paying for the real GRE score – perhaps you have enough “equivalent GRE score” already.]
a) The result of the knowledge exam Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE-General Test) or Exam for Admission to Graduate Studies (EXADEP). GRE and EXADEP exam certificates are valid with a maximum age of up to 5 years at the closing date of the enrollment period. [Only the quantitative score is relevant: see below the Selection Criteria section.] [If there are no available dates soon enough, send a proof of a booked date, we might be able to handle your case with this.]
* The EXADEP has been discontinued, but we still accept the participation of those applicants who previously had taken this exam.
[For GRE, use the following code: 7509, country: Mexico, institution: Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CIC IPN).]
See the section “Guide to GRE / EXADEP Accreditation”. [I did not understand where to find it.]
b) Have equivalent research products judged as such by the Admission Committee: patents or WoS or Scopus publications in extenso (except publications in CIC journals). [Contact your advisor for details. Basically, journal papers should be in the journals with Clarivate impact factor or indexed in Scopus; conference papers should be indexed in the Clarivate Web of Science or in Scopus.]
In the case of choosing to present the research products, the applicant must add to their work plan the publication of at least one article in a JCR-indexed journal or present evidence to their tutorial committee that they have everything ready for publication in the period no longer than 5 semesters.
2. Document certifying mastery of four English language skills with reference to level B1. See the section “Guide to the Accreditation of the English language”.
[I did not understand where to find this guide. Basically, accepted certificates are TOEFL, IELTS, and a few others. B1 refers to the European framework; for TOEFL it is 42 (https://www.ets.org/toefl/score-users/scores-admissions/compare). The certificates should be not older than 2 years old, seemingly at the moment of enrollment; see http://www.cic.ipn.mx/refDFLE/ for more detail on the types and accepted age of the certificates, or ask me.]
[IMPORTANT: For TOEFL, use the following code: B770, country: Mexico, institution: CIC IPN Instituto Politécnico Nacional.]
[We also have our own exam that is half the price of TOEFL but seemingly much more complicated to arrange for, so I would not recommend it if you can go for TOEFL or IELTS.]
3. Apostille of the proof of degree and certificate of studies (only for studies accredited abroad [not in Mexico]) is presented at the time of enrollment. [NOT necessary for admission, but you will need it for enrollment. For countries that do not participate in the Apostille convention the procedure is different; see here for some details.]
4. Apostille of the master's diploma certificate and study certificate (only for accredited studies abroad) is presented at the time of enrollment. [Same comment: NOT necessary for admission, but you will need it for enrollment.]
5. Apostille of the birth certificate (only for foreigners) is presented at the time of enrollment. [Same comment: NOT necessary for admission, but you will need it for enrollment.]
The sending of the Accreditation File will be made through the following link: [If possible, check the file with your advisor (me if this is the case) even before submitting it. Always send a copy of all submitted files to your advisor.]
|
File platform |
http://www.cic.ipn.mx/expedientesB21/ [see my translation of the form (same as above)] |
|
File to send: |
PDF file with the name DCC04-<FOLIO>.pdf, which must contain the Accreditation File. |
Where <FOLIO> corresponds to the identifier obtained from the online registration process [like DCC04-123.pdf]. In response to the mail, acknowledgment of receipt and feedback will be provided about the information received in said file.
The admission process will be conducted in virtual form while the COVID-19 lockdown lasts.
The Admission Committee will evaluate each of the applicants' files and determine those that will be admitted to the PhD in Computer Science program. The list of admitted applicants will be published in the section "Admission Process" of the official portal of the CIC IPN. The ruling will be final.
Accepted applicants must attend the induction sessions, which will take place via videoconference, in accordance with the schedule published in the section Admission Process of the official CIC IPN portal. [This is probably optional, and the talks will probably be in Spanish. We can discuss these details separately.]
All accepted applicants must abide by the provisions of the document "Conditions of Students of the CIC-IPN programs". Additionally, applicants accepted in the part-time modality must abide by the provisions of the document "Conditions of Part-time Students of the CIC-IPN programs". [I don’t know where these documents are, but probably this is not so relevant at this moment.]
For foreign applicants. To expedite the immigration procedures of foreign applicants, the Admission Committee will promptly notify the applicant about the result of the admission process once the results have been published.
Selection Criteria
In the candidate's selection process, the following will be considered:
· The score obtained for the ability of quantitative reasoning [i.e., the qualitative and writing scores will be completely ignored, so you can just skip them] in the EXADEP exam or in the GRE exam or its equivalent in publications [indexed papers] as established by the Admission Committee.
· Compliance with the requirement of the English language proficiency level [B1 in any four skills].
· The quality of the defense of the research proposal for doctoral studies.
· The result of the psychometric evaluation by the Admission Committee.
· The timely and proper delivery of academic, research and accreditation files.
Admitted applicants must formalize their registration to the program without any compulsory payment, but with the possibility of making a voluntary contribution as a donation [small, don't worry] for opening the file, to the account indicated at the time of registration by the academic unit.
The accounts for collecting donations must correspond to the departments of the National Polytechnic Institute empowered for this purpose.
The maximum enrollment of students projected for admission to the Doctorate in Computer Science is the following, which will be covered only with those applicants who meet the requirements established in the admission process.
|
Intake |
Maximum enrollment |
|
August 2021 |
25 students |
Although the Computer Science Doctorate program is a full-time program, for each admission process up to 20% of accepted applicants may choose to register as part-time students (without possibility of the CONACYT scholarship).
The Doctorate in Computer Science is listed in the list of National Quality Postgraduate Program of CONACyT [Ministry of Science], within which it has the highest level of quality recognition as an International Competence Program.
Students enrolled in the CIC-IPN doctoral program in Computer Science (DCC) may request a monthly maintenance grant corresponding to 6 Units of Measurement and Update (UMA) [about 800 USD, a lot more than enough to live in the country; see http://www.gelbukh.com/calls/CIC-scholarships-2019.pdf], provided that they meet the requirements established by the Regulation of CONACyT scholarships [your scholarship will be provided by the CONACYT (Ministry of Science)].
The CONACyT grants this scholarship for a maximum period of 8 semesters to those students with exclusive dedication within the postgraduate program, in accordance with the current regulations of the CONACyT itself.
The CIC-IPN will nominate all accepted students who apply for a CONACyT scholarship according to an order of priority corresponding to the score of the knowledge test [GRE] or its equivalent in publications as reported in the Accreditation File regardless of the cut-off in which they were admitted (first or second cut-off [see the two tables below]). In the event of a tie, the CIC Board of Professors will analyze the additional elements to consider to determine and resolve the order of priority in the scholarship applications. The number of scholarships assigned by CONACyT will depend on its budget availability.
For more information, consult the link: http://www.cic.ipn.mx/becasCONACYT/. [In Spanish, but use Google Translate. The main condition there is to have in your MSc the CGPA at least of (the minimum pass score + the maximum possible score) / 2. If you don't have the sufficient score, contact your advisor (me if this is the case).]
The IPN provides the coverage of medical services of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) during the period of postgraduate studies, with the corresponding permanent social security number.
|
For information related with academic aspects |
For information related to administrative aspects |
|
Dr. Grigori Sidorov Coordinator of the DCC Program Email: sidorov@cic.ipn.mx |
Lic. Margarita Cedeño Department of Educational Technologies Email: admision@cic.ipn.mx Facebook Messenger: @admisionCICB21 |
Important dates
In order to speed up the admission process, two cut-off dates are established. In the early cut-off, a maximum of 9 students will be accepted. Applicants who could not be admitted in the first cut-off, due to having reached the maximum number of places or pending documents in their files, will be evaluated in the final cut-off. The priority in applying for scholarships is independent of acceptance in one cut-off or another. It is recommended to apply in the first cut-off.
It is important to register in the system as soon as possible. Students who have not registered in this, will not be considered in this process.
[There are two sets of deadlines. If you want to be enrolled in August 2021, then do your best to apply in the first set of deadlines (even with incomplete documents – we may be able to handle your case), because the second set can be too late for the visa paperwork. If you plan to be enrolled in January 2022, then you can consider the second set of deadlines. You can also apply in the next admission cycle, in September, but then there is a risk that it might be too late for the visa paperwork.]
|
Early Cut-off |
|
|
Description |
Period / Date (GMT-6) |
|
Registration of the application for admission |
till April 25, 2021 |
|
Submitting of the Academic File [Step 2] |
till April 25, 2021 |
|
Submitting of the Accreditation File [Step 6] |
till April 25, 2021 |
|
Submitting of the Research File [Step 3] |
till April 25, 2021 |
|
Psychometric exam [Step 5] |
to be announced at the website |
|
Defense of the research proposal for doctoral studies via videoconference [Step 5] |
till April 28, 2021, |
|
Publication of results |
April 30, 2021 |
[The next set of deadlines is OK for the next semester intake, but may be too late for the nearest intake.]
|
Final Cut-off |
|
|
Description |
Period / Date (GMT-6) |
|
Registration of the application for admission |
till June 20, 2021 |
|
Submitting of the Academic File [Step 2] |
till June 20, 2021 |
|
Submitting of the Accreditation File [Step 6] |
till June 20, 2021 |
|
Submitting of the Research File [Step 3] |
till June 20, 2021 |
|
Psychometric interviews [Step 5] |
to be announced at the website |
|
Defense of the research proposal for doctoral studies via videoconference [Step 5] |
till June 28, 2021, |
|
Publication of results |
June 30, 2021 |
For admitted applicants [for the August intake, not for January intake]:
|
Description |
Period / Date (GMT-6) |
|
Induction session for admitted students |
August 2, 2021 |
|
Enrollment [see my note below] |
August 5 and 6, 2021 |
|
Start of the semester |
August 9, 2021 |
In the event of a major situation that makes it impossible for the accepted applicant to enroll in the B21 semester, they may request to transfer their enrollment to the following semester [i.e., for January 2022].
[Before enrollment, you need to obtain the stay permit as part of the immigration formalities. This can take some weeks. So you need to arrive to Mexico some weeks before the enrollment date indicated in the table. Ask your advisor.]
The academic and administrative processes related to this call and the completion of postgraduate studies at the National Polytechnic Institute are carried out without any distinction, either for reasons of gender, race, color, language, religion, political or other opinions, national, ethnic or social origin, fortune, birth or any other situation. All this in order to ensure fairness, equality and non-discrimination.
Any situation arising during the admission process not contemplated in this call will be resolved in full compliance with the Regulations for Postgraduate Studies by the competent authority as appropriate.