Requests to the Math&CS Board of Studies

If you have a request from the board of studies (BoS), please submit it as follows.

Other regulations appear in the FGS study requirements page for MSc and for PhD.

Any further questions should be referred to our FGS administrator Adi Shimron (adi.shimron@weizmann.ac.il).

Table of Contents

 

A Courses and Credit Points

A.1. Requests to take Courses at Another Faculty at Weizmann / Different University / Online Courses and MOOCs

If you wish to take a class in another faculty at Weizmann and receive credit for it, or a class from a recognized university, please provide the following information to obtain permission ahead of time.

If you have an advisor:
You advisor (and not you, although you may help by drafting the request for them) should contact the course coordinator Netta Ram (netta.ram@weizmann.ac.il) with the following information:

  • Student name and level (MSc / PhD + year)
  • Advisor name
  • Name of course, department and syllabus (can be a link)
  • Number of credit points
  • A short explanation for relevance
  • If the course is not at Weizmann, a recommendation and justification for the number of credit points requested

If you do not yet have an advisor: 
In such a case you should contact the course coordinator yourself, provide all of the above information, and mention that you do not yet have an advisor. In the explanation of relevance please explain why you think this will be relevant for your future studies.

Important note:
The approval is contingent on satisfactory performance in the class. If you get a grade below 80, the BoS may deny the inclusion of the course for credit, even if approved ahead of time.

A.2. Credit Points for Reading Groups / Reading Projects / Guided Research Projects

The request should be made by the project supervisor, who must be a PI at Weizmann (this applies even if the project is de-facto conducted without the presence of the supervisor).

The project supervisor (and not the students, although you may help by drafting the request for them) should contact the course coordinator Netta Ram (netta.ram@weizmann.ac.il) with the following information:

  • Supervisor name
  • Name and type of course / project
  • Short syllabus (topics covered in course / project)
  • Number of requested credit points and justification (up to 2CPs for a research/reading project)
  • List of participating students

These requests can be made retroactively, but note that the BoS may decline to approve the project or disagree with the number of credit points requested.

A.3. Credit Points for Workshops / Advanced Schools

If you wish to receive credit points for a workshop or an advanced school that you attended (generally 1CP per workshop), you advisor (and not you, although you may help by drafting the request for them) should contact the course coordinator Netta Ram (netta.ram@weizmann.ac.il) with the following information:

  • Supervisor name
  • Student name(s) and level(s) (MSc / PhD + year)
  • Title, duration, time and location of the event
  • Short syllabus (topics covered, can be one sentence + link)
  • Justification

These requests can be made retroactively, but note that the BoS may decline to assign credit points or disagree with the number of credit points requested.

If you do not yet have an advisor, you may not request credit points for such events. Please wait until you have an advisor to submit the request.

A.4. Incorporating Credit Points from Prior Studies

If you took superfluous courses in your prior studies (ones that were not used towards your prior degree), and you wish that they are recognized towards your studies at Weizmann, please do the following.

You should contact the FGS administrator Adi Shimron (adi.shimron@weizmann.ac.il) with the following information:

  • Student name and level (MSc / PhD + year)
  • Transcript of prior studies where the requested courses, credit points and final grades appear
  • Name of the requested course, year taken, and syllabus (can be a link, if the syllabus is self-evident, e.g. Calculus, then it needs not be provided)

Important note:
The approval is contingent on satisfactory performance in the class. If you get a grade below 80, the BoS may deny the inclusion of the course for credit. Likewise, if the BoS finds that the course is not sufficiently related to the current studies (e.g. is not related to science at all), then it may deny the application. If you think that the connection to your current studies may be unclear, please add an explanation.

B Reports and Theses

B.1. Extensions for Reports and Theses

If you require an extension for submitting a report or a thesis, a request should be made by your advisor (not by yourself, although you may help by drafting the request for them) to our FGS administrator Adi Shimron (adi.shimron@weizmann.ac.il) with the following information:

  • Advisor name
  • Student name
  • The report for which the extension is requested
  • The requested extension
  • A short explanation

If you do not yet have an advisor (research proposal for MSc only), then you may write to our FGS administrator yourself, and explain the steps you have been taking towards finding an advisor, why they were not successful, and what further steps you intend to take in order to find an advisor as soon as possible.

C Admissions

C.1. Admission Outside of Enrollment Period

Whereas PhD Admissions are received year-round (contingent on already finding an advisor), for Masters admissions, there is a yearly enrolment period. However, in the case of exceptional candidates (ones with very high grades), you may request to be enrolled outside the regular admission period.

In such a case, please email our FGS administrator Adi Shimron (adi.shimron@weizmann.ac.il) with the following information:

  • Candidate name
  • Candidate CV
  • Candidate complete and most up to date undergraduate (and graduate if exists) transcript
  • A short explanation on the request for special enrollment
  •  A list of recommendation letter writers and email addresses (if such exist)

If it is technically possible and if the admission committee agrees to review the candidacy, you will be notified and asked to apply via the FGS application system.
 

C.2. Deferring the Beginning of Your Masters Studies

If you were admitted for our MSc program (congratulations!), you are expected to start your studies at the beginning of the academic school year (Fall Semester following the acceptance). If there are unusual circumstances preventing you from starting on time, you may request to defer the beginning of your studies by sending an email to our FGS administrator Adi Shimron (adi.shimron@weizmann.ac.il) with the following information:

  • Your name and ID number.
  • Reason for deferral request.
  • Deferring by a semester, i.e. starting in the Spring rather than the fall, is not advisable. This is because the selection of courses is not evenly distributed across semesters, and some classes in the Spring require taking a prior class in the Fall. Furthermore, the FUN seminar, which may assist you in selecting your research group, is only given in the fall semester. Therefore, starting in the Spring could make the timely completion of your degree harder. If you still wish to do so, please mention in your email that you understand and acknowledge that starting in the Spring semester may have an adverse effect on your studies, as described in the Board of Studies page (this website).
     

D Other Matters

D.1. Funding for Travel and Participation in a Scientific Event 

If you wish to attend an advanced school, a conference or another scientific event, and you do not yet have an advisor, you must still have a faculty member at Weizmann that endorses your participation. The endorser is a faculty member who is familiar with the student and can justify the travel.

If a faculty member endorses your travel but cannot provide financial support, the board of studies may provide travel support of up to a maximum of USD 200 per travel. If the endorsing faculty member agrees to use their own funding, the board of studies may match the funding that is offered by the faculty member, up to a maximal amount of USD 800 per travel. Note that all funding decisions are subject to budget and other regulation constraints.

Many events have reduced registration fees, or even travel grants, for students. Make sure to check these options as possible sources of funding for your participation.

To request funding, a request should be made by the endorsing faculty member (not by yourself, although you may help by drafting the request for them) to our FGS administrator Adi Shimron (adi.shimron@weizmann.ac.il) with the following information:

  • Endorser name
  • Student name
  • The event for which travel is requested: time, place, duration, contents, link
  • A short explanation on the connection with the student and why participation is requested
  • The total amount of funding requested, and the amount that the endorser commits from their own funds

Note that attending a conference abroad prior to having an advisor is highly irregular and a strong justification will be required. If the board of studies approves your request, it will be transferred to the FGS administration. The board of studies or the FGS may deny such requests for reasons related to funding or policy. The board of studies will generally not consider more than one request per student for the duration of their studies.