PhD Program Requirements

The following summarizes the departmental requirements for completing the MS and PhD degrees. These requirements apply to all research students entering after 1997. Returning students are governed by the rules that existed when they first entered the graduate program.

First Year Project - ELEC 599
Each student must successfully complete a project in their chosen area of research. In addition to allowing the faculty to evaluate the student's research potential, the project will encourage timely completion of the MS degree (in most cases, the project will lay the groundwork for the MS research). This project is in lieu of an oral or written "qualifying exam."

The project will typically take place in the Spring semester and will be directed by a Project Committee of three faculty members, led by a Project Advisor. The Project Advisor does not have to be the eventual PhD Thesis Advisor. The Project Advisor does not have to be from the ECE department. However, two of the three members of the Committee must be from the department and the minimum three members must be faculty or faculty fellows. The student may have additional members on their committee.

The topic of the project should be chosen in conjunction with the Project Advisor. The project does not necessarily have to be an original research contribution. A comprehensive survey of a particular topic, or an implementation or experimental verification of a known idea may be acceptable projects. However, the project must have an investigative aspect -- a descriptive summary of the literature in an area is not appropriate.

Presentation of the project consists of:
- a 10-20 page written report, due the last day of classes in the Spring semester.
- a 20 minute oral presentation for the Project Committee. This will be followed by 30 minutes of questions regarding the project results and the student's mastery of the necessary background material. (The oral presentation must take place by the Thursday before Commencement.)
The Project Committee will submit a report to the Graduate Committee evaluating the quality of the project and the potential of the candidate for research. This report will be a major factor in the Graduate Committee's decision on MS Candidacy.
PhD Course Plan
Before registering for second year, Fall semester courses, new students must develop an PhD Course Plan with their PhD Thesis Advisor. The plan must be co-signed by a member of the Graduate Committee.

Courses in the plan must be 400 level (300) level for mathematics) or above and must satisfy the following requirements:
- MS course requirements: at least 30 semester hours of credit beyond the BSc degree (typically 24 hours of course credit which includes ELEC 599, and 6 hours of ELEC 800 research credit), including 6 courses outside of ELEC 590, 599, 69X, and seminars. At most 3 credit hours from 1-hour seminars.
- PhD course requirements: at least 90 semester hours of credit beyond the BSc degree (typically 42 hours of course credit and 48 hours of ELEC 800 research credit), including 10 courses outsdie of ELEC 590, 599, 69X, and seminars. At most 3 credit hours from 1-hour seminars.
  - Core: at least 5 course (of at least 3 hours each) from the list of PhD Core Courses for the chosen PhD research area.
  - Breadth: at least 1 course (of at least 3 hours) from an area outside of the PhD research area but within ECE. Students with substantial prior out of area course work may petition the Graduate Committee for permission to replace this course with an additional depth course.
  - Depth: additional courses to round out the plan.
Students entering with the MS degree will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Graduate committee. Minimal requirements for the PhD: at least 18 semeter hours of course credit, including 6 courses outside of ELEC 590, 599, 69X, and seminars and at most 3 credit hours from 1-hour seminars.
MS Thesis
The MS degree requires completion of a publishable thesis that represents an original contribution to the field of study. the thesis typically consists

The thesis and its Oral Defense will be evaluated by an MS Thesis Committee consisting of the Thesis Advisor and at least two other faculty members. The Thesis Committee will decide whether the performance of the student shown during the Master's work is suitable to award the MS degree. To keep suprises at the Defense to a minim, keep your Thesis Committee regularly updated on your research progress. The Thesis Commitee will also submit a recommendation to the Graduate Commitee as to whether the student should be advanced to PhD Qualified status (link).
PhD Thesis Proposal
Within 1 year of completing the MS degree, the student must form a PhD Thesis Committee and present a (written and oral) Thesis Proposal.

The purpose of the Proposal is to determine if the student is adequately prepared to carry out a program of original research on the problem(s) that the student and Thesis Advisor have selected. This is not an exam, rather it is an opportunity for the Thesis Committee to identify any deficiencies so that they can be corrected.
PhD Thesis
The PhD degree is awarded after successful completion of a program of advanced study and an original investigation reported in an approved thesis.

The thesis and its Oral Defense will be evaluated by a PhD Thesis Committee (link) consisting of the Thesis Advisor and at least two other faculty members. The Committee will decide whether the performance of the student shown during the doctoral work is suitable to award the PhD degree.
Departmental Service
All ECE graduate students are assigned a limited amount of teaching and other departmental service as part of their graduate education. The assignment usually entails less than ten hours per week, averaged over the semester. Students completing the PhD degree in four years will be assigned no more than six semesters of service; students who take more than four years to complete the PhD may be required to serve additional semesters.