Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree requires 54 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, exclusive of the dissertation credit. Details of all special requirements are subject to departmental policy.
Course Requirements
In addition to the general University doctoral degree requirements listed in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog, students pursuing a Ph.D. in Engineering with a concentration in Mechanical Engineering must meet the following criteria:
Each Ph.D. student must have one credit hour of seminar credit on his/her program. The student shall register for ME 591/592 for three semesters while attending the seminars. In the first two semesters, registration in ME 591/592 may be for zero credit hours. In the third semester the student must register for one credit hour.
Qualifying Examination
Ph.D. students must pass the Mechanical Engineering Qualifying Examination before they form a Committee-on-Studies and file the Advancement to Candidacy form. Students must take the Qualifying Examination no later than the second semester in the Mechanical Engineering Graduate program as a Ph.D. student.
Comprehensive Examination
Before a student may complete this requirement, he/she must have passed the Qualifying examination. The Comprehensive examination must be administered and passed in the same semester the Candidacy form is approved by the Graduate Director and the Dean of Graduate Studies.
Defense of Dissertation
All candidates must pass a Final examination (Defense of Dissertation). The Dissertation Committee conducts the defense of the dissertation.