Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science
Department of Mechanical Engineering
State University of New York at Binghamton
LEARNING CONTRACT
PhD Candidate:
Name
Signature
Date
Date of Contract:
Degree and Specialization Sought: Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
Guidance Committee Members (Chair and two additional members must be from the
Department of Mechanical Engineering)
Chair:
Name
Signature
Date
Name
Signature
Date
Name
Signature
Date
Name
Signature
Date
Member #1:
Member #2:
Member #3:
Additional members may be added but are not required
(By their signatures, the members of the Guidance Committee approve the use of this learning contract.)
Qualifying Examination
The qualifying examination is to be completed at the end of the spring semester during the first year
of enrollment in the PhD program.
This requirement has been satisfied:
Director of Graduate Studies
Signature
Date
Major Area of Research:
Area of Concentration:
Proposed Ph.D. Work:
1
Guidance Procedures:
The contract will be considered fulfilled upon meeting the following conditions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Completion of the required course work while maintaining minimum B average;
Completion of the written qualifying exam and oral comprehensive exam as evaluated and agreed
upon by all of the Guidance Committee members;
Completion of the teaching proficiency requirement;
Submission and acceptance of the oral and written Prospectus by the Guidance Committee;
Submission and acceptance of the Dissertation by the Guidance Committee and completion of
the oral defense.
Relevant Previous Graduate Course Work and Previous Graduate Degrees
 Master of Science in mechanical engineering
Thesis Title:
Main courses taken to fulfill MS requirements:
Courses taken or to be taken toward the PhD in Mechanical Engineering
Course Name
Course Number
Credits
Analytical Methods I (Required)
ME 535
3
Analytical Methods II (Required)
ME 635
3
Grade
List additional courses here
2
Comprehensive Examination
The candidate will demonstrate fundamental knowledge by successfully completing both the stated
course requirements and a comprehensive examination. The candidate’s guidance committee will
administer the comprehensive examination. This examination will be administered orally by the
candidate’s guidance committee with all members present and may also include a written part, at the
discretion of the committee.
In addition to the courses listed above, the reference materials relevant to the contents of the exam are
listed below. The student is strongly advised to prepare carefully for this exam and should review all
of the material covered in any courses they have taken. The oral exam is to be completed without
referring to any reference materials and provides the student with the opportunity to respond to a broad
range of questions from the committee.
Based on performance on the comprehensive exam, the guidance committee may require that courses
be added to the list given above.
The comprehensive examination must be taken by the end of summer of the second year.
Failure to satisfactorily complete the comprehensive examination will result in termination of the
student’s enrollment.
Pending the successful completion of your Comprehensive Exam, you will be eligible for All But
Dissertation (ABD) status. Submit the Graduate School form “Recommendation for Admission to
Candidacy for Doctoral Degree” to switch your status to ABD.
Reading List:
The candidate should be familiar with the material covered in the following list in order to prepare for
the comprehensive examination.
(List materials identified by the guidance committee here)
(attach additional MS Word Document if more Space is needed)
Satisfactory Completion of Comprehensive Examination:
Chair:
Name
Signature
Date
Name
Signature
Date
Name
Signature
Date
Member #1:
Member #2:
Member #3:
Name
Signature
Date
(By their signatures, the members of the Guidance Committee approve the student’s performance on the comprehensive
examination)
3
Teaching Requirement:
Chair:
Name
Signature
Date
4
Prospectus:
The candidate will submit a written prospectus describing their proposed dissertation research for
review by the Guidance Committee. The candidate will then provide a public oral presentation of the
prospectus. The prospectus will demonstrate that the candidate has sufficient preparation to carry out
the research and has a well-developed research plan.
The prospectus must describe a) the research question to be addressed and b) the hypotheses
proposed along with a description of the tasks to be performed.
Approval of Prospectus:
Chair:
Name
Signature
Date
Name
Signature
Date
Name
Signature
Date
Member #1:
Member #2:
Member #3:
Name
Signature
Date
(By their signatures, the members of the Guidance Committee approve the written and oral presentations of the prospectus.)
5
Approval of Dissertation by the Guidance Committee
The candidate has demonstrated originality and competence in his chosen research area by:
1.
2.
3.
Completing the research outlined in the prospectus.
Preparing the dissertation with the approval of the guidance committee.
Defending the dissertation in an oral examination open to the university community. The
dissertation defense will be administered by the examination committee.
Agreement of the Guidance Committee
Upon completion of the above requirements and with the unanimous approval of the guidance
committee, the candidate will be recommended for the degree.
Chair:
Name
Signature
Date
Name
Signature
Date
Name
Signature
Date
Member #1:
Member #2:
Member #3:
Name
Signature
Date
(By their signatures, the members of the Guidance Committee approve the written and oral presentations of the
dissertation.)
6