Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering, Ph.D.

Advanced study and research for a Ph.D. degree is conducted under the guidance of a thesis adviser representing the department. The student formulates an individual Plan of Study in consultation with the adviser. Major milestones for the Ph.D. program in ECSE include passing a doctoral qualifying exam (DQE), a doctoral candidacy exam (DCE), and successfully defending the dissertation in an open presentation to his or her committee. The doctoral qualifying examination should be taken during the first year of the doctoral program. The doctoral degree requirements include 72 credits for students entering the graduate program with a bachelor’s degree or 48 credits for students entering with a master’s degree. The ratio of 6000-level to 4000-level credits on 72-credit Plan of Study must be 2 or greater with maximum of 15 credits at 4000-level. The doctoral dissertation credits accounted for time spent on research are 12 credits minimum and 36 credits maximum. The Ph.D. dissertation must be scholarly, creative, and original. The department expects the Institute requirements for candidacy and residency to be satisfied.

Outcomes of the Graduate Curriculum

Students who successfully complete this program will be able to:

• develop and demonstrate substantial breadth and depth of knowledge beyond the bachelor’s degree with a focus on one area of ECSE.  [Coursework and DQE.]
• demonstrate an expertise in the student’s thesis area that covers both the background and current research in that area. [DCE and defense.]
• create substantial original knowledge in an advanced area of ECSE. [DCE, defense, and thesis.]
• clearly and thoroughly document both the state of the art and the student’s own research in the form of a dissertation. [Candidacy proposal and thesis.]