Program Overview

Introduction to the Doctor of Philosophy in Geosensing Systems Engineering and Sciences

The Doctor of Philosophy in Geosensing Systems Engineering and Sciences is a comprehensive program that admits students as either direct B.S. to Ph.D. or post M.S. students. Each student must choose a core faculty member as their mentor, who agrees to chair the student's dissertation research committee.

Program Structure and Financial Support

Generally, Ph.D. students are supported at initial salaries of $1,700-$2,100 in direct support for their research and teaching duties. Financial support includes medical insurance and qualifies the student for the lower, Texas-Resident Tuition. A tuition scholarship may also be awarded, covering up to nine hours of tuition per semester.

Direct B.S. to Ph.D. Program

• A Ph.D. degree for a student whose highest prior degree is a B.S. requires 84 credit hours of approved study beyond the B.S. degree.
• These requirements translate to a minimum of 39 credit hours of organized course work (thirteen 3-credit non-research courses) beyond the Bachelor's Degree.
• 45 hours of Ph.D. research, dissertation, and unrestricted electives are also required.
• A maximum of 100 credit hours as a Ph.D. student applies. After 100 hours, the student is no longer eligible for the lower, Texas-Resident Tuition.

M.S. to Ph.D. Program

• The Ph.D. degree requires 54 credit hours of approved study beyond the M.S. degree.
• These requirements translate to a minimum of 18 credit hours of organized course work (six 3-credit non-research courses) beyond the Master's Degree.
• 36 hours of Ph.D. research, dissertation, and unrestricted electives are also required.
• After 100 hours, the student is no longer eligible for the lower, Texas-Resident Tuition.

Qualifying Examination and Candidacy

• A B.S. or M.S. student becomes a Ph.D. student after passing the qualifying examination, which is usually taken after two or three semesters in residence.
• The qualifying exam consists of a critical review of a manuscript published in the peer-reviewed literature, related to the student's research area chosen by the chairman of the student's dissertation committee.
• The student has 15 calendar days to write a comprehensive critique of the article and then presents and defends the critique in front of the committee.
• The result is pass (excellent, good, or fair) or fail (poor). The examination may be retaken only once.

Candidacy Examination

• After the student has completed 1-2 years of course work and preliminary research, they prepare a formal research proposal as their thesis proposal.
• A dissertation committee consisting of a chair, two program faculty members, and two faculty members from outside the GSES Program Department is selected.
• A candidacy examination consists of a formal proposal presentation and defense in front of the dissertation committee.
• The result is pass or fail. If the result is pass, the Ph.D. student becomes a Ph.D. Candidate.

Dissertation and Graduation

• After completing the research and writing the dissertation, the candidate defends the dissertation in a public meeting of the committee, interested faculty, staff, and students.
• The result is pass or fail, with a pass usually being accompanied by recommended changes to the final draft.
• Full-time students receiving financial support must register for 12 credit hours each Fall and Spring semester until they pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam.
• All graduate students must maintain a "B" average (GPA 3.0). Any graduate student who earns three "C" grades in graduate courses will be dropped from the Program.
• Doctoral students who fail to complete their dissertation within five years after completion of the comprehensive examination must retake the exam.