Number of Respondents: 149
General Student Information
1. Ph D Program
14 - Astrophysical Science and Technology
6 - Color Science
31 - Computing and Information Science
52 - Imaging Science
32 - Microsystems Engineering
14 - Golisano Institute for Sustainability
2. Gender (The RESPONSE to this question is optional.)
108 - Male
38 - Female
3 users did not answer
3. Ethnicity/Race: What is your racial or ethnic identification? (The RESPONSE to this question is optional.)
1 - American Indian or Alaska Native
58 - Asian
2 - Black or African American
5 - Hispanic or Latino
0 - Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
61 - White
9 - Other
9 - I prefer not to respond
8 users did not answer
4. What was your college/professional experience prior to coming to RIT?

76 - Undergraduate degree
78 - Graduate degree (MS level)
35 - Professional experience in industry
3 - Professional experience in government (State or Federal)
13 - Internship
2 - Other (specify):
2 users did not answer
5. What is your professional goal after you earn a PhD at RIT?
79 - Academic career
101 - Career in industry
20 - Career in government
9 - Career in a not-for-profit
3 - Other (specify)
2 users did not answer
6. How many years have you been in the doctoral program?
53 - 1 year
31 - 2 years
29 - 3 years
18 - 4 years
8 - 5 years
9 - More than 5 years
1 user did not answer
Advising
7. Which of the following best describes your primary adviser (select 1)?
115 - Thesis/dissertation
23 - Chair faculty member in program
9 - Other
2 users did not answer
8. Academic Excellence

1. The program’s curriculum is academically rigorous.
2. The program’s curriculum is adequately preparing me with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in my career.
3. The quality of instruction in my program is effective.
4. The program provides sufficient information and preparation for qualifying exams and dissertation preparation and defense.
9. Adviser Evaluation
Strongly
Agree
(5)
39
Agree
(4)
Neutral
(3)
83 20
Disagree
(2)
4
Strongly
Disagree
(1)
2 did not answer
1
37
39
72
83
30
19
9
7
1
0
0
1
42 68 26 8 3 2
The expectations set by my adviser for progress are clear.
The expectations set by my adviser for progress are reasonable.
My adviser gives me constructive feedback.
My adviser provides feedback in a timely manner.
My adviser supports my professional growth and development.
My adviser is accessible.
10. Support/Resources
Strongly
Agree
(5)
52
Agree
(4)
Neutral
(3)
62 22
Disagree
(2)
6
Strongly
Disagree
(1)
5 did not answer
2
54
70
66
55
19
12
6
8
2
2
2
2
72
83
89
46
48
42
17
10
10
9
2
3
3
4
3
2
2
2
The program provides sufficient information about funding (tuition remission, student stipends, assistantships and fellowships, etc.).
The program provides information about academic resources for students
(classroom technology, libraries, computer labs, etc.)
Adequate research resources are available (laboratory and instrumentation, software, computers, databases, etc.)
Strongly
Agree
(5)
Agree
(4)
Neutral
(3)
Disagree
(2)
Strongly
Disagree(1) did not answer
51 61 20 12 5 0
48
54
73
60
19
25
7
7
0
2
2
1

The program provides adequate office space and a reasonable working environment
11. Climate
Strongly
Agree
(5)
Agree
(4)
Neutral
(3)
Disagree
(2)
Strongly
Disagree(1) did not answer
66 56 12 11 4 0
The program offers collegial opportunities to interact with graduate students.
The program offers collegial opportunities to interact with all faculty members.
The program fosters a collegial environment for doctoral students.
12. Career Preparation
Strongly
Agree
(5)
36
Agree
(4)
Neutral
(3)
76 22
Disagree
(2)
13
Strongly
Disagree
(1)
2 did not answer
0
37
40
68
70
23
26
16
9
3
2
2
2
The program provides professional development support (for example, effective presentation skills, grant and scholarly writing skills, job interviewing skills, etc.)
The program is supportive of my career goals.
The program provides guidance about career paths in my area of study.
The program provides adequate information about upcoming conferences, seminars, grant opportunities, jobs, etc.
13. Overall
Strongly
Agree
(5)
Agree
(4)
Neutral
(3)
Disagree
(2)
Strongly
Disagree(1) did not answer
30
40
27
43
75
62
59
70
26
39
36
16
12
6
22
15
4
1
3
4
2
Strongly
Agree
(5)
Agree
(4)
Neutral
(3)
Disagree
(2)
Strongly
Disagree(1) did not answer
Rate your overall satisfaction with your experience in your doctoral program thus far.
Open-Ended Questions:
43 83 13 5 3
14. What is the most positive aspect(s) of your graduate program experience?
2
1
2
1


 be able to work very closely with my adviser
The coursework itself has been extremely applicable to my research efforts/dissertation work.
 Faculty are easily accessible on a one-to-one basis. Curriculum is relevant and broad in scope.

 the courses are very related to my work.
Faculty members are friendly, program staff are exceptionally nice and helpful. Although the program is comparatively young and the school does not have the Ivy League or Big
Ten type of exposure, some professors are really competitive and resourceful in their fields.
 The fellow students - I've met great people
 The interaction with the faculty member and administrator who are mentoring and advising me has been positive.
 Meeting lots of new technical people
 that we have seminar every week in many different aspects
 My adviser and the SMFL facilities/staff
 The faculty is great with students (very personable).
I can see the wide range of opportunities from obtaining this degree.
I have developed a wide range of research related skills already.
 I find my adviser very supporting and helpful with my research work. He has guided me in the right dimension so far.
 Very knowledgeable faculty and staff with outstanding industry and academic experience.
 There are a lot of opportunities to listen to other people's research, especially from other institutions.


I can't think of any
 All the faculty is perfectly good and professional.
I'm still in my first year, but the course so far have been interesting.
 The availability of faculty to assist students with problems.
 my advisor is attentive to my concerns and she believes in my ability


Having a good work environment with supportive mentors and peers
 Every course could be connected to each other to some extent which makes the learning process coherent and interesting.
I have barely been here for a full academic year but thus far I very satisfied with the program I am in.
 The program shows enthusiasm to care about students' career and academic development, and be willing to hear from students about their suggestions.
 How knowledgeable and supportive my advisor is. This program seems like good preparation for industry. Also, the ability to take classes from so many subjects is important, but the level of PhD level courses in disciplines other than microE/MEMS is lacking.
 My advisor has been very helpful and understanding as I complete my own research.

 The accessibility of the faculty members. They are always willing to help with homework or research advice, whether in person or by email.


Fruitful working with an expert in my field of study.
I think the biggest strength of the GCCIS PhD program is the diversity of the faculty and students - both culturally and in research domains. To an extent, we get the benefits of interdisciplinary research even within the college.


Support from an assistant to PhD Director
Having the opportunity to interact with the other graduate students, especially those from other countries, has been great. The program encourages us to work together in courses, so we have the chance to get to know one another.
 The subject material and the professors.
 Be able to carry out independent research projects.
Obtain opportunities to attend academic conference and workshop with financial support
 I have learned a lot in my courses that I was previously unaware of and I believe will help in my future career goals.
 I am a part time distance learning student and have managed to step away from my office for 3 weeks to be on campus. I really enjoy being on campus. My advisor have been very courteous and provided me with an area to study in during my visits.
 The core classes for the program are good introductions to different research techniques and the required seminars expose us to interesting research.
 I have a great adviser who believes in me. Although she is very demanding and her standards are high, she always tries to be fair. She has been very supportive of my research.
 Resources available. Autonomy/Freedom to set the direction for my dissertation work.
 Very well rounded set of core courses helps to widen ones profile
 Flexibility and support.
 Accessibility to experts in different fields in order to gain knowledge not just about a single field but to widen the applicability of a single field with a multidisciplinary approach.
 adviser is very supportive
 Small group. One-on-one attention is easily attained. Faculty seem to like what they do.
 Diversity of exposure to rigorous technical material.

 Knowledgeable and nice professors
 - Explore different aspects of Imaging Science.
 Unique in the world. The only one that gives a Imaging Science degree.

The center for imaging science does a great job of vectoring incoming students. First year students are given great guidance for course and research choices
The resources for learning are impressive in my department. The research group is big and as a result lot of help is found when needed. Financial assistance is also another thing
I am finding useful. Overall very pleasing experience so far.
 Dr. Shi and Dr. Chris Homan both have been the most positive aspects of my graduate program experience. Dr. Shi's vision in creating the GCCIS PhD program is the reason I

decided to enroll at RIT. Dr. Homan's background and work are inspiring to me. In short,
I'm glad I chose RIT because of these people, more so than the facilities and so forth.
 Learning new computing areas which are offered by the program.


The department is well organized and very friendly.
 1) Gives me broad prospect of what all career path I can take
2) Gives me enough opportunity to grow intellectually and managing people as well.
The high quality of the professors.
 The knowledgeable teachers and staff in my program who are some of the best available anywhere.
 Independent studies that allow me to go really in-depth with questions that neither I nor my professor know the answer to.
 Amazing program director and advisor
 Relationships with other doctoral students and faculty
 My advisor.
 Working with a good adviser
 Help jumping over the hoops.
 Challenging classes that teach students how to apply image processing techniques to real images/data sets.
 Industrial relationships of faculty.
 My adviser.
 The most positive aspect of the graduate program experience, is the accessibility to all professors within the department, as well as learning tools and techniques to approach sustainability problems in a novel way.
 hands-on cleanroom usage
 This program has many faculty with a large range of research interests and experiences which is ideal for interdisciplinary collaboration for novel projects.
 -The multi-disciplinary nature of the program
 good lab environment
 The research group that I am a part of is highly constructive, and has helped me pursue much higher levels in my program. My adviser has successfully built a good lab that enables high quality research. I have been able to present my work at multiple international conferences, and get published in high impact factor journals. We need more high quality research professors in the program like Seth Hubbard and Stefan
Preble to get the graduate programs to be what they could be.
 Being inter-disciplanary
 Flexibility of the program to change in response to student feedback
 My advisor has been a great mentor for me.
 The prestige of the program
 The respect and freedom and responsibility allowed and provided to the graduate students by the faculty is rewarding and respectful. And it allows for a broader depth of research and interests, and they are willing to support the time, and energy, and technologies

(hardware and software and information) required for all aspects of research. I don't know if this is more specific to my experience, but I have attended RIT as an undergrad and as an M.S. student, and I definitely have found that the sense of freedom and of responsibility has grown per degree and not specifically by advisor, allowing for a more enriching research environment. There is the trust along with support, so that there isn't an overwhelming feeling of being tasked with research that isn't your own, but also not feeling left out in the wind with no guidance.
 I have had a wonderful time working with Prof. Rommel and fellow student David
Pawlik. I feel that with them I have been able to make some contacts outside of RIT in academia and industry that may improve my chances of success following graduation.
 The faculty are very considerate for the students and always put the students' benefits as a priority.
 multidisciplinary knowledge
 Interdisciplinary collaboration with faculties, students, and engineers.
 In my graduate program I have the freedom, encouragement, and support to pursue my dreams both for academic and professional/personal development, even if they are unconventional or push the boundaries of what is possible and what has been done before. My advisor is more than a supervisor, but a friend; he stands beside me along the journey and helps me excel.
 Friendly environment among the Ph.D. students. Ph.D. director's willingness to help the students.
 The freedom to do what I want to do. My advisers (Eli Saber (MS), and Stefi Baum
(PhD)) have been the most pivotal characters in my research career at RIT. With their encouragement, I've been audacious enough to try multiple projects, though quite diverse, during these past 4 years. The support from CIS admin staff has continuously helped me to remain focused on the cause and not get tied down by paperwork and formalities. :)
As I get closer to graduation and joining industry early next year, I feel enrolling into the
CIS PhD program was the best hap-hazarded decision I ever made. Everyone associated with it helped me find direction in life.
Thanks,
Siddharth Khullar
 Conference experiences and good seminars and technical series
 Good teacher
 The professors are interested in talking with all students not just their favourites and are not condescending.
There is not a feeling that they are trying to weed-out the first year students with class work and comp exam.
65 users did not answer
15. Identify one thing you think could be improved in your graduate program.

 provide more private space for PhD students
 Information about funding opportunities since the program is so multidisciplinary.
 It would be nice if AST had its own building, so people weren't scattered across the campus.
 exams and project that are related to the course, but not my research can be reduced if ok.
 1. The timeline of all the exams necessary for the degree needs to be more clear.
Sometimes students had their proposal exam too late. This should be clearly realized by advisers too.
2. The course requirement for a PhD student is a little too much at least for my program.
That is 15-18 courses, though most of them helpful, still taking away some precious time in the first 2 years.
 More explicit feedback from advisor and committee. I heard that in the CIS program, the committee prepares a write-up of questions/comments for the student to prepare for and during the Candidacy Exam. Something along those lines would be useful in the
Microsystems Program.
Also, when a student doesn't pass the Comprehensive Exam, an explicit write-up to the student to explain why would be useful.
 Teach from graduate textbooks at graduate level.
 Graduation requirement of a top-tier publication is unreasonable as my advisor doesn't even have a top-tier publication.
 Collegial opportunities and career guidance (beyond the adviser)
 Students should be encouraged for researches more than courses. It should be such that course works should not interfere with research work.
 The provided stipend amount is difficult to live on and be comfortable. (Car, rent, food, insurance, minimal spending cash). Tax process with respect to stipend pay is not discussed and can be confusing Leaving the student owing a lot of money during tax season. In all better financial support outside of tuition needs to improve for all students and not just the select few working under core facility. Maybe a workshop on where to find fellowships, which are suitable, how to apply. Or hold advisers accountable to assisting their students in this process. Advisers should not take on students without clear indication of how students will be funded.
 Scheduling. I don't like how the classes are early in the morning and then late in the afternoon. I would rather finish them all early in the day, it's exhausting to have to wait hours in between classes. Also, the department we are a part of caters to the undergraduates (i.e. they make it hard to schedule things for graduate students, give undergraduates teaching positions first when the graduate students are REQUIRED to teach).
 Train faculty how to advice PhD Student
Provide travel budget for PhD student with no grants
 There should be more "social" events where faculties, postdocs and graduate students are involved. Aim: have more interactions between graduate students and the aforementioned people.
Faculties and postdocs should participate actively at events like the journal club.
Faculties and postdocs should give (more) talks about their research work.

 It would be great, if we could have a short term which is focused on research and adjusting the pace of courses.
 Since I've only been in the program for a quarter, I don't have many suggestions on improvements yet. The professors don't seem to be very comfortable with the classroom technology yet.

 clear guidelines of rights and responsibilities of a department for students with families or students who are expecting (a child)
 I haven't been a part of this program long enough to notice anything that needs improvement.
 Although there are some kinds of seminars, activities among Phd students, I think extracurricular activities are not enough, especially among natives and international students.
 Provide guidance to the opportunities that are available after completing phd. Also about funding programs for international students.
 Since I have not been here for long I do not know yet what I would improve.
 I think some of the courses could be more research-oriented, not just finishing the textbook.
 We need more offerings in PhD level physics, chemistry, materials, etc. The entire university would benefit from having more PhD programs and a stronger community to bring them all together. There should be a dedicated graduate government to spur graduate clubs and events, and eventually a dedicated graduate life office (this was the case at previous research universities I've attended).
 Nothing comes to mind immediately
 Preparation for post-doctoral life. Giving the pros and cons of post-docs and different career paths.
 Maybe, less core courses and more astrophysical elective courses?

The process of assigning TA positions in that graduate students due not appear to have priority over undergraduates.
In looking back at my responses above, I see a lot of "Undecided" ratings. I think this is actually the primary weakness in the GCCIS PhD program. Communication about program requirements, expectations, events, etc. is inconsistent and often left to the advisers - who seem to have either different information or different opinions. In more than one instance, I've gotten information about the program via other students instead of a formal department communication (or had information others didn't). This includes the
"top-tier" publication requirement, that co-listed classes can't count as electives, and how the semester conversion affects us.
All in all, I'm left with the impression that I don't know what I don't know -- and that that may result in some surprises. As a simple solution, I think the department website should be updated and maintained as a resource for both potential students AND current students. Right now, http://phd.gccis.rit.edu/ has no information about the semester conversion (although any new student will be in a semester-based program), and minimal discussion of the research potential assessment and other non-coursework requirements.
There is also no graduate student handbook for the program and required colloquium

lectures are often announced with only a few days notice. The website would be an ideal location for all of this information.
 Need of more research professors not only in specific area but in each area
 The quality of instruction is spotty. Some professors seem to be more concerned with making a class challenging than with ensuring that students learn the material presented.
Other professors simply seem unprepared for class. Neither of these seem appropriate for graduate level instruction. This is not the majority of professors in the program (only one per term so far) but since we take only 3 classes per term, it is noticeable.
 Communication about degree requirements and expectations.
 More interact with industry
 Provide more aid/information on fellowships, grants, and other funding alternatives, especially to those who have no experience in those processes.
 More interaction between students in the program.
 Formal classes that equip students for skills required in doing a PhD. these skills are starkly different than those needed in undergraduate such as studying and test taking.
Classes/Workshops on how to conduct research, how to write papers, how to do an effective Literature Review, how to plan your thesis writing. All these skills are required but the students are expected to learn through trial and error. I believe the process can be made much more efficient, and less painful for the students, by formally addressing/equipping PhD students with these skills as a part of the early PhD
Curriculum.
 Also include color science courses as required or strongly advised for imaging science students, since color is very important in the industry(from my internship experience) for those seeking to join industry after Phd
 The career office has no idea how to "sell" PhD's and graduate students.
They do not "sell" RIT as a place for companies to look for PhD's.
 Although the school organizes various events and social activities to encourage interaction between students from different departments, I have experienced that many students still hesitate in introducing themselves to others or knowing others. I do not have an answer on how to solve this but it would help many students.
 more information could be provided about professional conferences and journals
 Graduate program advisor is not accessible.
With funding being a major issue in my department, I would like to see more PR on collaborative ventures with industry. Depending on NSF/NIH/Darpa/etc. funding with the state of the agencies currently, is not a sustainable path. Industry sponsored research (that was more than one year with a broader scope) would be preferable. When I mention to companies about my department they are surprised and have never heard of the program.


Stronger optics/physics focus - ie. courses and more advisors well versed in these topics.
 Some professors seem to care more about research than teaching...this issue is a struggle in most higher learning institutions that I have attended.
1. A common website with all Professors current or future proposals & a brief description could be helpful. Or Professors website could be updated on a quarterly/yearly.

 Need a new building and facilities.
 The communication and education of the students regarding all of the above topics needs to be improved SIGNIFICANTLY. Its practically like groping around in the dark. I have become rather disenchanted with this program over the last couple of years. It needs more rigorous coursework that teaches modern approaches based on the latest research. It needs to inform students about and strongly encourage summer research internships, collaboration with other universities, attendance of the top and upcoming conferences, how to tackle writing a thesis, how to do a proper literature review, etc. There also needs to be communication between the individual research groups. At this point there is no shared code repository, practically no shared research knowledge of any kind, so I'm sure work is being done over and over and over again for no reason. This program seems plain dysfunctional compared to many other programs I have learned of in the course of studying the top researchers in the field and from talking with graduate students at other universities. If I had to apply for graduate school again, RIT would not be on my list.
 Give all areas of imaging Science equal attention instead of focusing the majority of the work onto one aspect!
 Activities to share with others member and know more about them. For examples, dinners or BBQs.
 More job and career related activities should have been useful.
 Frankly, I would love to receive more funding for my course work and academic related travel.
 This program tends to be more computer science oriented program, although it was built as computing intra-disciplinary program. Informatic studies that involve intensive statistical work, and less mathematical work seems to be hard to pursue in this program.

 1) Stipend for the studies should be consistent and should be given till the student graduate
2) Stipend should be taken care by the department for the whole of the doctoral program as the advisers run out of money as the grant is over and the student is in deep trouble due to that.

Fellowships and grants should be discussed more during the first year in order to better prepare students for what is needed to gain funding.
There should be better systems (e.g., documentation, communication, auditing) in place to support routine things, like completing the full time equivalency form. Our department seems to waste a lot of time and energy redoing things as opposed to investing in documentation and training to reduce problems and errors.
 Better lighting in offices/labs/inner rooms, possibly through use of sunlight.
 Cubicles with windows.
 More networking opportunities with alumnus/peers
 It needs to be more inclusive. The current program is heavily biased towards microelectronics. There are other aspects of microsystems that they do no encourage as much.
 More support and encouragements for the students.
 More seminars, social events, interactions with faculty and Ph.D. students.

 climate ... I think graduate students (specially doctoral) are isolated from other people ... there is not enough gathering to interact and meet other students and faculties in out of school atmosphere
 Less content unrelated to my area of interest, and more content related to my area of interest.
 A MATLAB or ENVI class designed specifically for the program would be very helpful early in the program.
 I would like help with taxes. It is very confusing with the way that we are paid.
 More availability of online classes.
 One thing to improve in this program is, that there should be more interaction with other departments and faculty at RIT, owing to the inter-disciplinary nature of the sustainability
Ph.D. program. Secondly, internships should be encouraged in the program, to facilitate employment post-Ph.D. Also, there are no job fairs for this department. As the department is now growing, there is a need for the students to interact with prospective employers.
 Industrial connection
 The first year of core classes is too concentrated to become proficient in the material.
Some of these important core classes would deserve at least a few more weeks to cover critical fundamental concepts, especially since the program accepts students from a wide range of different academic and professional experiences.
 -Better advertisement of industry-supported external funding opportunities for
Microsystems Engineering-related programs of study
 career training
 So much of the way the school is oriented is not friendly to graduate students, or research. For one, the cost structure for use of equipment is usually 5-10x what it is at competing universities, which severely restricts research, much less the poor quality of such equipment. This is referring specifically to the fab, and Vinnie Gupta's lab, however it seems this is true across the board. I end up having to go to Cornell or NASA to do the work that I should be able to do here, however I can't because adequate resources aren't placed where required.
Too little resources seem to be given to acquire more top tier journals that we can have easy access to. For most institutions it isn't acceptable to get everything through an inter library loan.
I've also known a number of students that have graduated whose thesis work would never qualify for graduation in most other universities. I've seen this in the PhD and masters levels where so much of the work is sub par, and does not have the breadth to qualify for the degree given. This does nothing but discredit the schools name in industry where the rest of us would like to find jobs.
 The graduate program should enforce or promote their faculty members to have more funded projects especially in the field of studies of that program.
 A larger postdoc community would be a vast improvement on the current state. From previous experience, I find that having postdocs who are approachable and research-

focused is a fantastic resource during the entire graduate student process, as these are people in the academic community who have gone through a PhD program more recently than faculty members and can provide sometimes more relevant advice to students. At times, seeking the counsel of a postdoc (on research or personal levels) is often less intimidating than speaking to a professor or faculty advisor on the same topics.
Obviously this is not something that the office of graduate studies can directly address, nor do I know if this is applicable outside of my own specific area of study.
 Career preparation can be improved.
Provide more co-op opportunities.
 Funding/Communication. Not having funding and having to pay for myself even though I was told I would is difficult and trying.
 Unless students are clear about what they want to do with their degree upon completion, it feels like there is ambivalence amongst the faculty and advisors as to what options and paths there are, especially at the Ph.D. level. It is a niche degree, for sure, but outside of working with the company funding some research in the center or following along to academia, there isn't much talk of options and opportunities, and also what kinds of skills, not specific to the curriculum, that would be needed/helpful (programming, wider knowledge of mathematics, software/hardware experience, etc.). But again, this is sort of a catch-22 since it seems like most students upon entering the program for a terminal degree do have an idea of where they want to go. I just mention this then as a possibility for the center/program/institute to provide more clarity in broadening the depth of one's abilities, especially since a Ph.D. level program often requires knowledge of various related research topics to build and support a strong dissertation and thesis.
 The tuition remission mess needs to be fixed. I have had to deal with ensuring that I am not charged for my PhD and Master's work every single quarter that I have attended RIT.
This is a serious annoyance, with potential financial penalties.
THERE NEEDS TO BE TAX HELP. The rules are confusing, and there is no good way for domestic students to appropriately hold back taxes. Domestic students fall into a nebulous zone that wastes a horrible amount of time, and it could be better spent on research projects instead of researching tax laws.
 Just keep it.
 None
 More technical studies and practical researches required in industries, less theoretical concepts.
 One thing that could be improved in the graduate program is more opportunities (e.g., funding) for collaboration, both nationally and internationally. $500 grants from the
Graduate Department are good but could be better to really support the cost of such endeavors. Thanks for your work to improve the quality of graduate education at RIT.
 There should be a mechanism to audit the supervisor's performance at least if he does his duties well.
Ph.D. students should not required to be an INSTRUCTOR for a course. At worst, they should be a TA. If you wonder please take a look at Nirmala Shenoy's students who have

been teaching undergraduate/master level courses as an instructor for the last 3 years.
They don't have a TA.
The requirements for the graduation should be clearly stated and tangible.
There should be enough budget for the conference trips.
There is unfairness among Ph.D. departments. In Ph.D. in Computing and Information
Sciences, students are paid the same regardless of passing Qualification exam or defending Ph.D. proposal.
 Advisors should be assigned after showing enough commitment to students’ development. They should have their PhD students a first priority than their own projects and benefits. There should be a system for evaluating advisors, their capabilities and how well PhD students are doing and what advisors are doing to improve them and get them graduated.
 The interaction between students pursuing research in common areas. There is a fair amount of isolation once the students clear the comprehensive exam and move on to focused research projects. Also, there needs to be more emphasis on the importance of high impact publications in variety of fields. Imaging science has applications in engineering, computer science, and physics thus important conferences from all these fields should be targeted as venues of submission by the students (and encouraged by the advisers as well). There should be regular presentations about research work by students
(checkpoint reviews etc.), that should be open to everyone in the department (and outside). More prototyping should be encouraged where students are exposed to making their own hardware and software to define new fields of innovation within imaging itself.
Diverse journal clubs and reading groups should be organized (there is one in computer vision), there can be others such as "Imaging in Health Innovation", "Imaging in
Household applications", "Mobile-based Imaging Applications" etc. that emphasize on importance of new areas of research that are enabled by innovations perceived and realized by us and other imaging scientists.
Just like for undergraduates, the graduate students should also focus on building a full end-to-end imaging system that is more advanced and targets a specific problem that can have large impact on science. Starting long-term competitions like with missions "Build a
Tri-corder" resembling the Qualcomm X-prize (but on a smaller scale) can help find students interesting research topics to work on as well as advance the field of imaging.
I have realized that a PhD is not only about a writing dissertation or research. You need to feel motivated everyday to actually believe that with degree you can make a lasting impact.
 Nothing
 The imaging science program needs a computer lab.