Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
Admission of bachelor’s degree holders
Though the general requirement for admission to the Ph.D. Program is a master’s degree in an
appropriate discipline, students with a bachelor’s degree may be admitted to the Ph.D. program
directly on exceptional basis provided the applicant has a record of excellent academic
performance in an appropriate engineering undergraduate program. The applicant’s test scores,
personal recommendation, and relevant work experience must indicate a high potential for
success in doctoral studies and research. In addition, factors such as appropriateness of the
applicant’s research objectives to the research interests of the program faculty, availability of
faculty to supervise the applicant’s research, and prior research accomplishments of the applicant
will also influence the admission decision.
A student admitted with a bachelor’s degree on exceptional basis must successfully complete a
qualifying examination based mostly on undergraduate material before the end of the second
semester of enrollment. This examination will be aimed at determining the student’s mastery of
the basic concepts in the discipline and the potential for successfully conducting research at the
doctorate level. Based on the student’s performance on the qualifying examination, the student
may be (i) permitted to continue in the Doctoral Program or (ii) advised to transfer to a Master’s
Degree program in an appropriate discipline in the College or (iii) recommended for termination
from the graduate program of the College.
If permitted to continue in the doctoral program, the student, as described elsewhere in the
catalog, will select a research advisor, form an advisory committee and submit a program of study
satisfying the following requirements.
The program of study should have a minimum total of 72 semester credit hours of
academic work, consisting of course work and dissertation research, beyond
baccalaureate work subject to the following:
a. The program of study should include a minimum of 48 credit hours of
appropriate graduate course work consisting of a minimum of 12 credit hours at
the 7000 level and no more than 9 credit hours at the 5000 level.
b. A minimum of 24 semester credit hours of doctoral research and dissertation,
built upon the student’s courses of study and making significant contribution to
the state of knowledge and the art of engineering profession, is required; no more
than nine credit hours may be earned in a particular semester.
The other requirements such as residency, grade point average, comprehensive exam and
dissertation are the same as those for students admitted with a master’s degree, as
described in the Graduate Catalog.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Engineering Program
The minimum requirements for admission to the Ph.D. program is either a BS degree in
an academic area appropriate to the proposed area of study with an overall GPA of 3.3 on
a scale of 4.0 or an MS or equivalent degree in an academic area appropriate to the
proposed area of study with an MS GPA of 3.5 on a scale of 4.0. In addition, the
applicant’s scholastic record, personal recommendations, test scores, and relevant work
experience must indicate sufficient potential for pursuing with distinction advanced study
and research. Fulfilling the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the
Ph.D. program. Other factors such as appropriateness of the applicant’s goal to the
research interests of the program faculty, availability of faculty to supervise the
applicant’s research, prior research accomplishments of the applicant, and his/her
relevant work experience will also influence the admission decision.
An applicant who does not meet the above minimum standards, but appears to have
reasonable potential for success as a Ph.D. student, may be admitted to provisional
standing. His/her status may be changed to full standing after satisfying requirements
specified by the Associate Dean of Engineering for Graduate Studies and Research, in
consultation with the appropriate departmental chairperson. If admitted in provisional
standing, the student must remove all deficiencies and apply for reclassification to full
standing prior to the completion of fifteen (15) graduate hours.
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Degree requirements
The Ph.D. in Engineering is a research-based degree. The general requirements for a
Ph.D. degree are the same for all departments.
1. A minimum of total 72 hours of semester credits of academic work beyond
baccalaureate work will be required. Additional conditions to be satisfied are as follows:
a. For a student admitted with a BS degree, the program of study should include
a minimum within the range of 36-48 hours of course work as approved by the
student’s department and as recommended by the student’s graduate advisory
committee on the basis of student’s preparation. For a student admitted with
an MS degree, a maximum of 24 hours may be included from course work
excluding thesis credits taken as part of the master’s degree program. The
program of study should also include a minimum of 12 credit hours of course
work at the 7000 level and no more than 9 hours of 5000 level courses.
b. A minimum of 24 semester credits of doctoral research and dissertation built
upon the student’s courses of study and making significant contribution to the
state of knowledge and the art of engineering profession, is required; no more
than nine credits may be earned in a particular semester.
2. Residence of four semesters, with at least two consecutive semesters in continuous
residence, is required. All requirements, including dissertation, must be completed
within a period of eight consecutive years.
3. Maintenance of a minimum quality point average of 3.0 and adherence to the general
regulations of the Graduate School are expected.
4. A student admitted with a BS degree should complete a Qualifying Exam based mostly
on undergraduate material within the first year of residence. This assessment should be
focused on determining the student’s mastery of the basic concepts in the discipline and
finding whether the student shows the potential required to conduct research at a doctoral
level. Outcomes of this exam includes a recommendation for continuation in the
Doctoral Program, a suggestion to complete a MS Degree with further evaluation for
admission to the Doctoral Program after completion, or a MS terminal degree.
5. After successful completion of the qualifying examination and as per the procedure
listed elsewhere, a Ph.D. student selects a major professor and forms and advisory
committee to assist him or her in planning a program of course work and dissertation
research. By the time the student completes 80% of the course work in his/her program
of study, the student should satisfactorily complete a comprehensive examination,
discussed elsewhere in this document, consisting of a plan for proposed research for the
dissertation, review of literature of the literature in the dissertation topic and
demonstration of proficiency in the theory and experimental methods and tools needed
for the completion of the proposed research. On satisfactory completion of the
comprehensive exam, the student becomes a candidate for the degree. The final Ph.D.
examination is defense of the dissertation. The dissertation research should be an original
work that contributes significantly to new knowledge. The dissertation may be submitted
and defended one year or later after the completion of the comprehensive examination.