Program Overview

Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.

The PhD Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in the field, preparing them for careers in research, academia, and industry. The program requires a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree.

Admission Requirements

• Requirements for admission to the Graduate School include English proficiency.
• Applicants for the doctoral program in ECE must hold a baccalaureate degree or a master’s degree from an accredited institution in the United States or from a recognized institution in another country.
• A doctoral applicant who has earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or a closely related discipline must have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0.
• Each application must include a personal statement describing the applicant’s interests and career objectives, plus three letters of reference.
• Prospective applicants may be interviewed via video-conferencing technology.
• All applicants should submit GRE scores; however, a waiver may be given to applicants per request of the department.

General Examination

• The General Exam requires an oral component and written component which must both be completed in the same semester.
• The written component must be passed before the oral examination can be attempted.
• Formal dissertation research begins after completion of the General examination.
• In the general exam, the student will be given a research problem statement provided by the advisor and approved by the PhD committee members.
• The student will be given one semester to investigate the problem and provide a written report that includes:
  • Background and related work
  • Research method(s) implemented to solve the assigned problem
  • Achieved results
  • Discussion
• A student must complete the general examination within four years from the date of admission into ECE PhD if he/she has a master’s degree; otherwise, five years will be the limit.

Preliminary Examination (Research Proposal)

• The preliminary examination occurs after successfully completing the general examination and at least one semester before graduation.
• The exam requires written and oral components.
• The written component will normally be a dissertation proposal; the oral component is to defend the proposal.
• The student PhD committee chair must inform the ECE graduate liaison when the Preliminary Exam has been completed.
• The time limit for completing all degree requirements is six years from the date a student begins his/her doctoral program.

Curriculum Requirements

• A minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree is required for the Ph.D.
• Minimum credit hours of research and dissertation (not including master’s degree thesis): 18
• Minimum credit hours in ECE (may include transferred master’s degree): 33
• Minimum credit hours in one of the ECE concentration areas: 12
• Maximum credit hours of 6000-level courses: 18
• Maximum credit hours of independent study: 9
• Maximum credit hours of research study: 9
• All courses outside of ECE must have the approval of the student’s graduate program advisor and must be taken for a letter grade.

Candidacy

• A PhD ECE is admitted to the PhD candidacy if the following conditions are met:
  1. Be a doctoral student in good standing and not on probation.
  2. A minimum of 48 credit hours can be earned in coursework and independent study.
  3. Pass the General and Preliminary examinations.

Dissertation

• The doctoral dissertation is the final and the most important component of the series of academic goals which culminate in the awarding of the doctoral degree.
• The dissertation is to be a work of original research scholarship which represents a patentable invention and/or material publishable in an archival publication.
• It should demonstrate the student’s ability to address a significant intellectual problem and arrive at a successful conclusion.

Residency Requirements

• An ECE PhD student with full-time employment may begin his/her PhD study program as part-time student while enrolling in courses.
• However, it is required that they become full-time students for at least 18 credit hours while performing their dissertation research.
• Part-time study might be permitted if the student has already completed a Master’s degree and their research advisor submits a request that is approved by the graduate program liaison.

Final Defense

• The final oral examination is a defense of the dissertation and is open to the public.
• The candidate will prepare and distribute reading copies of the dissertation to each doctoral committee member two weeks prior to the oral examination.
• The dissertation can only be accepted by the unanimous approval of the committee.

Advisory Committee

• Students in the Ph.D. program will be advised initially by a graduate faculty member recommended by the graduate program advisor and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.
• Students should select a general research area and a research advisor or co-advisors for the dissertation by the end of two semesters after enrollment in the program.
• The advisor or co-advisors, after consultation with the student, recommend the other members of the advisory committee to the Dean of the Graduate School.
• The advisory committee assists with the student’s program of coursework, approves the dissertation topic, and administers the final dissertation oral examination.