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Frequently asked questions

Below are some of our  “frequently asked questions” according to each Educational Program.

We are also available to answer to any other questions at apply[at]cmuportugal.org.

The CMU Portugal Program offers top dual degree Ph.D. programs in selected cutting-edge areas of ICT. Doctoral students conduct their studies both in Portugal and in the United States, and are co-advised by faculty from Carnegie Mellon University and from Portuguese partner higher education institutions. Graduates of the program receive dual degrees conferred by Carnegie Mellon and by the affiliated Portuguese University.

Curriculum and Advising

Yes, the requirements are the same and the degrees awarded are the same. Some of the requirements take place while in residence at Carnegie Mellon, some while in residence in Portugal. The course structure in Portugal have been formally approved by Carnegie Mellon.

Your advisors at Carnegie Mellon and in Portugal are your joint advisors throughout the whole program, whether you are at Carnegie Mellon or in Portugal. Your advisors already know each other and have been collaborating on other research projects, and they will welcome you into their projects. You remain jointly advised by both throughout your program. This dual-advising approach actually gives you a fantastic opportunity to establish close working relationships with two advisors, which can really both broaden and deepen your academic experience.

Yes. It is mandatory for at least one advisor to be affiliated with CMU and another with the Portuguese University where the student is registered. A maximum number of 3 advisors are allowed according to Portuguese law.

No, although it is important to have already a potential advisor already identified both in Portugal and at CMU.

You can access in our website the list of faculty affiliated with the Program at: https://cmuportugal.org/faculty_researchers/ 

Testing (GRE, TOEFL, etc.)

The requirements of the Program are aligned with the requirements of each Ph.D. It is advised to confirm the specific requirements of the Ph.D. you are intended to apply.

For candidates whose native language is not English, the TOEFL is required. Alternatively, candidates may submit the IELTS or the Duolingo test.

Details on each Ph.D. Program’s TOEFL,  Duolingo, or IELTS requirements are available here:

Applicants to ECE, if they have graduated from a U.S. institution, either undergraduate or master’s, do not need to provide proof of English Language proficiency. 

International SCS applicants whose native language is not English, if currently working on or have received a bachelor’s and/or a master’s degree in the U.S., may submit an expired TOEFL test score up to five years old (from August 20, 2016 onwards). If the undergraduate or/or master’s degree is from a foreign institution, you will need to submit a TOEFL that is not expired (less than two years old at the time of application).

An english proficiency test is required for EPP candidates whose native language is not English. If you have received a 4 year degree in the U.S. and your native language is not English  you do not need to take an English proficiency test.

Usually yes. In ECE for example, only non-expired tests will be accepted (usually only tests made in the last 2 years). For SCS applicants, scores within the last 5 years will generally be accepted.

 

Exceptions to the TOEFL exam are only for graduates of U.S. institutions. 

Scholarship

The scholarship stipends and allowances in Portugal can be assessed at: https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores.phtml.en.

At CMU the student will be paid according to the regular stipends for doctoral students determined by theCMU department. CMU’s Graduate Student Assembly publishes the GSA Stipend Report annually. This public report can provide a general idea of the stipends across CMU: https://www.cmu.edu/stugov/gsa/academic-affairs-advocacy/stipend-report-2021-2022.html

According to FCT, candidates that were already awarded and signed a contract for a Ph.D. scholarship are not eligible to apply for a scholarship of the same type.

Timeline and Logistics

The dual-degree program does not affect the length of the Ph.D. studies. Both locations – Carnegie Mellon and the partner universities in Portugal – share the same curriculum therefore students make progress on all of their requirements at the same pace-regardless of location.

It is expect that you will spend up to two years at Carnegie Mellon and the remaining three years in Portugal.

It depends on the coordination of the dual-degree doctoral program. At any given time, different cohorts from Portugal are studying at Carnegie Mellon during the fall, spring, and summer semesters, and vice-versa. However, students remain in regular and close connection with their program advisors and the Program Coordination Offices in both countries who will guide them through the entire process.

VISA

If you are a non-U.S. citizen you will need to apply to a SEVIS and an entry Visa.

In order to apply for a visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate, you must first have a SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) generated document (either an I-20 or DS-2019) issued by a U.S. college or university or Department of State-designated sponsor organization. Either documents are issued by Carnegie Mellon University and are specific to the institution and program of study that you will attend in the U.S. It must be presented to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad to obtain an entry Visa and to immigration officials to enter the U.S. in student status.

Together with SEVIS you must also apply to an entry Visa namely an F-1 Visa type or an J-1 Visa type. The I-20 is used together with a F-1 Visa type (Student Visa), and the DS-2019 is used for a J-1 Visa type (Exchange Visitor).

Visa issues are processed by the respective departments. Students will get help from the departmental staff. For more information please view our student guide on the top of this page, and also the Carnegie Mellon University “Visa Application” page.

The visa waiver program is a U.S. government program that enables citizens and nationals from 38 countries to enter the United States for business or visitor purposes for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. Visa Waiver Travelers are required to have an approved travel authorization (ESTA) to enter the United States by air or sea. If your country does not fall under the Visa Waiver program with the United States, please check the website of the embassy or consulate in your home country for information.

While at CMU only, if you elect to enroll in Carnegie Mellon University’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), the University will cover 50 percent of the premium cost for your individual coverage under SHIP. Please note that if you wish to elect the required health insurance coverage under an alternate plan, you will not be eligible for the University support referenced here.

 For the balance of the premium not covered by the University, there is a payment plan available. More information can be found here: https://www.cmu.edu/sfs/billing/payments/monthly-plan/index.html

 

Health Insurance

Portugal has a public healthcare system (Serviço Nacional de Saúde – SNS), which grants its population access to the necessary healthcare at reduced fees. Generally, health insurance is not mandatory for foreign residents, although different prices may be charged by the SNS for foregin residents depending on the agreements in place between the country of origin and Portugal and their residency status. If you plan to attend the private healthcare system we strongly recommend you to get an heatlh insurance.

If you are a non-Portuguese student attending the Dual Degree Ph.D. Program you will most probably have or will have a permanent residence permit, and in this case the access to the SNS will be as nearly the same as any other Portuguese citizen.

You can find below more details depending on your country of origin and residency status in Portugal:

If you are a non-Portuguese student coming from the EU, EEE, Switzerland, and have a permanent residence permit you will have access to all the SNS services and wil be charged a reduced fee. If for some reason you have a temporary residence permit, we recommend you to get the European Health Insurance Card (CESD). This card is available to European citizens who are traveling within the European Economic Area, (i.e. the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and Switzerland, for private or professional reasons, and you will be charged nearly the same as a Portuguese citizen and will have access to the same type of healthcare services.

Non EU–EEA students should ask for further information in their own country before travelling to Portugal. If the student does not have a permanent residence permit and there are agreements in place between Portugal and the country of origin, the student will be charged by the SNS a reduced fee, while the type of access to the healthcare services may vary depending on the agreement in place.

If there are no agreements in place the student will need to have a residence permit/ work permit to access the SNS. In these cases the student will be charged a reduced fee, and will have access to the same type of healthcare services.

Health insurance is required for all enrolled students by the University and is a necessity for everyone living in the US because the cost of routine and emergency health care as well as prescription medicine is extremely expensive.  For more detailed information, please visit CMU’s Health Services website.

Acknowledgement Support

Yes, and this applies to all the work developed in the scope of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program. Students are required to include the following sentence in the scientific paper, poster, or any other publication: “Support for this research was provided by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) through the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program under Grant (number of your Grant).” The grant number applies whether on the campus of CMU or in Portugal. In the event that you do not have a grant number yet simply state: “Support for this research was provided by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) through the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program.

Application process

Yes, and this applies to all the work developed in the scope of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program. Students are required to include the following sentence in the scientific paper, poster, or any other publication: “Support for this research was provided by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) through the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program under Grant (number of your Grant).” The grant number applies whether on the campus of CMU or in Portugal. In the event that you do not have a grant number yet simply state: “Support for this research was provided by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) through the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program.

For ECE, the fee to apply can be found here: https://www.ece.cmu.edu/admissions/index.html.

For the SCS, the fee to apply is per Program. There is an early deadline that costs less and you can still work on your application until the final (more expensive) deadline:https://scsdean.cs.cmu.edu/admissions/index.html

It is not necessary to upload a work plan. In most cases, the general process is to develop this with your advisor and thesis committee.

The CMU Portugal Affiliated Ph.D. Programs Initiative, launched for the first time in the 2021/2022 Academic year, offers Ph.D. scholarships in selected cutting-edge areas of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), related to the scope of the CMU Portugal Program. The Affiliated Ph.D. Program will be entirely hosted by a Portuguese University, with a research period at Carnegie Mellon up to 1 year. Upon the Ph.D. conclusion, candidates will be awarded a degree by the Portuguese host University.

Curriculum and Advising

In the Affiliated Ph.D. Programs students will be awarded a Portuguese Ph.D. degree by a Portuguese higher education institution. Contrary to the Dual Degree Ph.D. Programs, CMU will not award a Ph.D. degree through the Affiliated Ph.D. Programs initiative.

Yes, being that our recommendation is that the candidate should be in the initial phase of the Ph.D. in order to take full advantage of the funding available. Also, the candidate should not have benefited from a Ph.D. scholarship or Ph.D. in companies scholarship directly funded by FCT, regardless of its duration. 

The candidate should, together with the Portuguese supervisor, identify and contact potential CMU supervisors. If there is difficulty in identifying suitable CMU supervisors, we recommend the candidate to access our list of faculty affiliated with the Program at: https://cmuportugal.org/faculty_researchers/ .
The candidate can contact the coordination office at apply@cmuportugal.org  if he has proven difficulty to establish a connection with CMU.

Yes. A maximum number of 3 advisors are allowed according to Portuguese law. At least one supervisor must be affiliated with CMU and another with the Portuguese University where the student is registered.

No. However, the jury will indeed evaluate among other criteria, if there was a previous collaboration from the supervisors with the Program.

Yes. It is mandatory for the candidate to attach to the application a support letter from the CMU supervisor. 

In the Affiliated Ph.D. Program the degree will only be conferred by the Portuguese higher education institution. In the Dual Degree Ph.D. Program the candidate will be awarded two Ph.D. degrees, one from CMU and another from the Portuguese higher education institution.

No. The scholarship that will be awarded for the Affiliated Ph.D. Program and cannot be altered to the Dual Degree Ph.D. Program.

Timeline and Logistics

It is possible, although it is not recommended since it is expected that the student would be at this stage writing the thesis and then defend it in Portugal. Our recommendation is for the visiting research period at CMU to take place in the second or third year of the Ph.D., which is typically the phase of the development of the thesis research. 

The CMU Portugal Coordination office may help providing contacts for the student to find accommodation while at CMU. However it is the student’s responsibility to establish the contacts and search for accommodation. The CMU Portugal office at CMU may assist students in establishing contact with CMU´s departments and services, before and during the stay at CMU. 

More information on housing at CMU is available in the OIE’s “Settling In Guide” . 

To have an ideia of the cost of living while at CMU you can use a Cost of Living Comparison calculator that allows you to compare Pittsburgh to Lisbon.

VISA

Participating students will use the J-1 Scholar visa for the visiting research period at CMU.

The J-1 Scholar visa category does not allow work authorization outside CMU, such as OPT or AT.

HEALTH INSURANCE

All J exchange visitors (J-1) are required by federal regulations to have health insurance meeting minimum requirements, which can be found here. Failure of the J-1 exchange visitor to maintain adequate health insurance will result in the loss of their legal J immigration status.

A number of companies offer health insurance. On this page, there are a sample of companies which provide health insurance plans which meet the regulations for J-1 students and exchange visitors. 

PLEASE NOTE: CMU’s Office of International Education cannot recommend plans or guarantee that they will be accepted by Pittsburgh-area providers. Also, while the companies listed on this page currently offer insurance plans that satisfy the minimum U.S Department of State (DoS) requirements, the J exchange visitor must check with the company directly to make sure that the health coverage meets the minimum DoS requirements, as services are subject to change.

Application process

There are specific guidelines for the workplan, which are addressed in the online application form when filling out the form. Overall, the candidate will need to provide a title, keywords, abstract, state of the art, objectives, tasks, chronogram and bibliographical references. Regarding the motivation letter, there is no specific template. It should generally address the candidate´s experience, the research topic that will be developed, and why the CMU Portugal Program Affiliated Ph.D. Programs are the ideal platform to develop that research.

The candidate should provide proof of all the higher education degrees submitted in the online application form. If a foreign higher education institution awarded one or both degrees, it will be required registration of recognition of the academic degrees and registration of the final classification conversion will be required to the Portuguese classification scale for those degrees. Alternatively, the candidate´s should submit a declaration of honor on how (s)he obtained the recognition of the foreign degree equivalent to a graduate or master´s degree until the end of the application period.

If a foreign higher education institution awarded one or both degrees (applies to any country aside Portugal), it will be required a registration of recognition of the academic degrees and registration of the final classification conversion will be required to the Portuguese classification scale for those degrees. Alternatively, the candidate´s should submit a declaration of honor on how (s)he obtained the recognition of the foreign degree equivalent to a graduate or master´s degree until the end of the application period.

The candidate will need to have the recognition of the degree by the time of application.

One of the objectives of the Affiliated Ph.D. Programs initiative, which is aligned with CMU Portugal Program’ main goals, is to strengthen the collaboration between industry and academia in Portugal. In this respect candidates are encouraged to submit a support letter from a Portuguese ICT company. It is expected that the letter should address the level of contribution of the student´s Ph.D. research to the company activity and vice-versa. It should detail when that collaboration will take place throughout the Ph.D., how it will be established (namely what tools, software, data, models, other will be used) and what objectives will be achieved.