The Ph.D. is a research degree. The minimum requirements for a Ph.D. degree in the College of Engineering stated below are the same for all departments. Each department may include additional degree requirements for students pursuing a concentration from that department.
ADmission Type | Credit hour requirement | Degree requirement |
|---|---|---|
Admitted with a Master’s Degree | 48 Credit Hours | • 18 credit hours of approved coursework (minimum), no 5000 level courses • 6 additional credit hours of coursework or research hours • 24 credit hours of doctoral research and dissertation (9 credit hours per semester limit) |
Admitted with a Bachelor’s Degree (direct-admit PhD) | 72 Credit Hours | • 42 credit hours of coursework with a maximum of 9 credit hours at the 5000- level • 6 additional credit hours of coursework or research • 24 credit hours (minimum) of doctoral research and dissertation (9 credit hours per semester limit) |
Admitted with a bachelor’s degree (direct-admit PhD) and earning a non-thesis MS en route | 72 Credit Hours | • All conditions as defined above for direct-admit PhD • 9 hours of MS credit may be applied to the PhD (excludes transfers/FastTrack credits) If the non-thesis MS requires a 3-credit hour project course, these 3 hours (if included in the nine hours to be shared) may be used towards PhD research and dissertation hours or as approved by the committee/major department. |
Additional Requirements (all admission types)
All requirements, including the dissertation, must be completed within a period of eight (8) consecutive years.
Maintenance of a minimum quality point average of 3.0 and adherence to the general regulations of the College of Graduate Studies are expected. All students in the program must follow a plan of study and research developed in conjunction with an advisory committee, satisfactorily complete a comprehensive examination, achieve candidacy, and satisfactorily defend their dissertation.
Students who have already earned a graduate-level degree before entering the Engineering PhD program may be eligible to transfer in up to 9 credits that are relevant to the program pending approval of the student’s graduate committee, the major department, and the college. Transfer requests for appropriate graduate-level credits not associated with an awarded graduate degree may be eligible at the discretion of the student’s graduate committee and the department. Transfer credits must adhere to the other stated requirements of the program and must be a “B” grade or better. Transfer credit GPA will not apply towards the program’s GPA calculations. Requests must be submitted via the appropriate fully-signed transfer form after the student’s graduate committee has been officially established.
Students Admitted Directly from the Bachelor's Degree into the Ph.D. Degree Program- Additional Requirements
A student admitted with a bachelor's degree on an exceptional basis must successfully complete a qualifying examination based primarily on undergraduate materials before the end of the second semester of enrollment. Students with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from ABET-accredited programs are exempted from this examination. Other students without such a degree, or M.S. students without an ABET-accredited B.S. degree, switching to a direct Ph.D. will have to take a qualifying exam through a formal process established by the department. The process should include, at a minimum, an examination of the student's fundamental knowledge managed by the Graduate Committee of the department.
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 an M.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 that satisfies program requirements.
Students Admitted Directly from the Bachelor's Degree into the Ph.D. Program Earning a Non-thesis M.S. en route - Additional Requirements
In addition to the requirements stated above, the student is required to submit an application to graduate for the applicable term in order to have the en route MS degree conferred.
Limitation on Graduate Assistantships
It is expected that a full-time, post master's Ph.D. Engineering student should be able to achieve candidacy within the first three (3) calendar years after enrollment, and a direct admit Ph.D. Engineering student after four (4) calendar years. If candidacy is not achieved within the aforementioned periods, a student must request and receive approval for an extension of assistantship following the College of Engineering's established procedure. An extension may be granted by the Associate Dean of Engineering for Research and Innovation. This limitation is regardless of student funding or the source of support for the student.