Culminating
Events:
Culminating event for the degree program
Dissertation
Dissertation Advising Committee Information
Each Ph.D. student will be guided by a Doctoral Advising Committee consisting of members of the graduate faculty of the College. This
advisory committee will review the student's progress until graduation. The committee shall have at least four members including: 1) the major advisor or co-advisor, a graduate faculty member within the Department, 2) at least one faculty member within the Department of the student's major area of research, 3) a faculty member from another department in the College of Engineering or the College of Science and Technology, and 4) a member selected by the graduate director or the student's advisor. Formation of the committee must be reported to the Director of Graduate Studies and the Dean of the Graduate School no later than second semester after matriculation.
Dissertation Examining Committee Information
The Dissertation Examining Committee evaluates the student's dissertation and oral defense. This committee is comprised of the Dissertation Advising Committee, and at least one external examiner. The external examiner may be a faculty member at another university or a recognized specialist involved in research in an engineering corporation or government laboratory. Formation of the Dissertation Examining Committee must be reported to the Dean of the Graduate School no later than the beginning of the semester in which the student will defend the dissertation.
Advisor/Committee Information
If a student needs to change a member of the Committee, the new member must be approved by the department's graduate committee and registered with the Graduate Director and the Graduate School.
Preliminary Exam Description
The purpose of the preliminary exam is to ensure that the student has both a broad background in the relevant field of engineering as well as in-depth knowledge in the student's specialty area. It is expected that the student is already a master in the specialty area so that he or she is ready to start the doctoral research.
Subject Areas/Major Components of the Preliminary Examination
The preliminary exam will be administered as a three-part exam to be given on three days within a week. The preliminary exam will consists of three parts: 1) mathematical fundamentals, b) engineering core within the student's major field of engineering, and c) the student's specialization area. The actual coverage of the examination will be determined, in advance, by the Dissertation Advisory Committee after consultation with the student and the advisor.
At what point in the program is the student expected to take the preliminary examination
The preliminary examination should be completed no later than 24 months after the date of matriculation.
Writing the Questions for the Preliminary Examination
The members of the student's Dissertation Advisory Committee and all graduate faculty within the student's home department will be invited to submit questions for the preliminary examination. There must be at least three graduate faculty who will contribute questions for the preliminary exam.
Evaluating the Preliminary Examination
The Graduate Director within the student's home department will be in charge of conducting the preliminary exam and will compile the grades submitted by the contributing faculty. In order to earn a Pass, a student must score at least 70% in each of the three parts of the exam. If the student's score is close to 70% in any one of the three exams, he/she will be asked to appear for an oral exam. The Doctoral Advising Committee will determine Pass or Fail for the exam after the oral exam.
Criterion for Passing the Preliminary Examination.
If a student passes all three parts of the preliminary exam by scoring 70% or above, an 'unconditional pass' will be declared. If a student passes only one of the three parts, he/she will be required to retake all three parts of the exam after one year. Failure to pass the preliminary exam at the second attempt will result in dismissal of the student from the Ph.D. program. If a student passes any two parts, and fails the third part of preliminary exam, he/she will be allowed to take the failed part after one year. An unconditional pass must be earned by the student in order to continue in the program.
Administering, Scheduling, and Proctoring the Preliminary Examination
The preliminary exam is scheduled once a year during the second week of January. Students who are preparing to write their preliminary exams should inform the Graduate Director of the Department no later than September of the prior year. The Graduate Director will solicit questions for the exam from the members of the doctoral advisory committee and the members of the graduate faculty of the College. The Graduate Director, in consultation with the student, will set the time and date for the exam.
Dissertation/Monograph Philosophy
The doctoral dissertation is a document describing an original research that makes a significant contribution to the existing body of knowledge in the field of engineering and its applications. It also demonstrates the student's mastery of the primary area of interest and ability to present the research findings in writing. A dissertation is a creative contribution by the student which is considered novel and advanced in the field of engineering.
Philosophy of the Proposal
Within one year after passing the preliminary exam, the Ph.D. candidate must select a research topic and submit a written dissertation proposal. The dissertation proposal demonstrates the student's knowledge of the subject matter and ability to conduct the proposed research. The proposal should consists of the following: a) the context and background of the proposed research, b) an exhaustive survey and review of literature related to the problem, c) any preliminary results on the proposed research, and d) a detailed plan for investigating the problem. The dissertation must also be presented at an open seminar. The dissertation advisory committee will evaluate the proposal for its originality, technical methodology, and timeline for completion. The student proceeds to continue the research only after it is approved by the Committee.
Criterion for Passing the Dissertation and the Defense.
The Dissertation Examining Committee is responsible for evaluating the dissertation and its defense. The Committee will evaluate the primary findings of the research and their implications, technical accuracy, and originality. The committee will to vote Pass or Fail the dissertation and its defense. If the student must make revisions, those changes must be approved as arranged by the Committee. All revisions must be completed within one month from the date of defense; failure to do so will require a new defense.
Dissertation Defense Scheduling
The draft of the dissertation must be submitted to the Dissertation Advisory Committee and the Director of Graduate Studies at least three weeks before the anticipated date of defense. Each member of the committee will submit a written review report to the Director of Graduate Studies at least one week before the proposed defense date. These reports will also be communicated to the student and the student's advisor. If the majority of the reports are positive, then the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the student and the Committee members, will schedule the formal defense date and time. The Director of Graduate Studies (or another faculty appointed by the Director of Graduate Studies) will be the moderator of the dissertation defense meeting.
Announcing the Dissertation Defense
At least 10 days before the defense, a completed "Announcement of Dissertation Defense" form must be submitted to the Graduate School. The Department will post fliers announcing the defense.
