The Ph.D. Program
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) normally requires four to five years of full-time study beyond the baccalaureate degree. There is no formal course requirement for a doctoral degree. The student develops a technical program involving both research and course work with the help of their faculty advisor.
Ph.D. candidates must pass the Departmental Qualifying Exam (usually taken at the end of the second semester of graduate study), successfully submit a doctoral dissertation proposal (usually during the third-year of full-time study), complete a doctoral dissertation, and pass the final Graduate Board Oral exam and the dissertation defense.
Admissions
To be admitted to graduate study in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, applicants must submit credentials sufficient to convince the faculty that they will thrive in a program of advanced course work and research. Graduate Record Examination scores are not required and will not be considered in reviewing applications.
Advising
DEFINITION
An advisor is best defined as a departmentally approved faculty member or staff member under whose guidance a student is taking courses to complete a degree. Faculty members also will advise students who are conducting research and in whose lab the student is associated and expected to participate. All students must have an advisor.
ONE or MULTIPLE ADVISORS
Occasionally, a student may partake in specialized research where he or she will work with a professor in another department. If this is the case, the student will have two advisors:
- A research advisor, whose primary appointment is in an outside department and may or may not have a secondary appointment in Mechanical Engineering.
- An academic advisor whose primary appointment is in Mechanical Engineering.
All Ph.D. students are required in their first three years to register for EN.530.803 Mechanical Engineering Graduate Seminar and attend its weekly Mechanical Engineering Graduate Seminars.
Our Alumni
Where Do our Ph.D. Graduates Go? Visit our Ph.D. Alumni page to see where our Ph.D. graduates have made their mark around the world. You, too, can join this elite group with an admission to our Ph.D. program!
Program Requirements
Although there are no formal course requirements, students are presumed to be prepared by studies equal to six 600-level courses in their field of specialization and six courses in related fields. All candidates for the doctorate must complete two semesters as a teaching assistant as part of their training. All students are required to follow a course of study approved by their individual advisor.
In addition to general university requirements, the student must complete the following requirements:
- Achieve an unconditional pass in the oral Departmental Qualifying Exam based on core courses. This exam is usually taken after the second semester.
- Submit a Doctoral Dissertation Proposal that will serve as a base for research and dissertation by the end of the third year.
- Complete research and write the Doctoral Dissertation.
- Achieve an unconditional pass in the Graduate Board Oral examination satisfying the Graduate Board requirements. This is a comprehensive examination in which students must demonstrate proficiency at the graduate level in their field of specialization.
- The final and principal requirement for the doctorate is to successfully defend the Doctoral Dissertation in a final oral presentation and examination, also known as the "dissertation defense."
Additional details on Ph.D. requirements and departmental academic policy for the Ph.D. degree can be found on the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Advising page.