Engineering Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree

The engineering Ph.D. requires each student to address fundamental technical problems of national and global importance for the 21st century. Four key industries—health care, communications, energy, and transportation—are addressed specifically. These application domains impact every individual on the planet and are the focus areas doctoral candidates and faculty will contribute to through study and research. The college has identified several technology research strengths including: manufacturing and materials, signal and image processing, robotics and mechatronics, heat transfer and thermo-fluids, performance and power-aware computing, access and assistive technologies, simulation, modeling and optimization, safety and security, and nano-science and engineering. Students collaborate with faculty members from a variety of engineering disciplines to bring these technology strengths to bear on solving problems of global significance in the application domains.

Plan of Study

The curriculum provides disciplinary and interdisciplinary courses, research mentorship, and engineering focus area seminars. Students are expected to have a disciplinary-rooted technical strength to conduct and complete independent, original, and novel collaborative interdisciplinary research contributing to one of the four industrial and/or societal focus areas.

Discipline Foundation Courses

Foundation courses build depth within a disciplinary field of engineering, such as mechanical engineering, electrical and microelectronics engineering, computer engineering, industrial and systems engineering, chemical engineering, or biomedical engineering.

Application Domain Courses

This rigorous set of engineering courses provides students with comprehensive coverage of engineering challenges and solution approaches in one of the four key industry areas associated with the program: health care, energy, communications, and transportation. Students choose a focus area and work with the program director to identify a set of focus area courses appropriate to their research and professional interests. Students can also take additional courses from their selected industry as electives.

Qualifying Exam

Students complete a qualifying exam at the end of their first year of study. The exam evaluates the student's aptitude, potential, and competency in conducting Ph.D. level research.

Dissertation proposal and candidacy exam

Students must present a dissertation proposal to their dissertation committee no sooner than six months after the qualifying exam and at least twelve months prior to the dissertation defense exam. The proposal provides the opportunity for the student to elaborate on their research plans and to obtain feedback on the direction and approach to their research from his/her dissertation committee.

Research Review Meetings

Research review meetings provide comprehensive feedback to the student regarding their dissertation research progress and expected outcomes prior to defense of their full dissertation. Research review meetings must be held at least every six months following the conclusion of the dissertation proposal and candidacy exam until the dissertation defense.

Dissertation Presentation and Defense

Each doctoral candidate prepares an original, technically sound, and well-written dissertation. They present and defend their dissertation and its accompanying research to their dissertation committee.

Research Assistantships

Research assistantships are available to doctoral students. Learn more about the college's research assistantship opportunities and how you can apply.