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Degree Requirements

The Ph.D. and Eng.Sc.D. Degrees

Students who wish to become candidates for the doctoral degree in electrical engineering have the option of applying for admission to either the Eng.Sc.D. or the Ph.D. program. Students who elect the Eng.Sc.D. degree are housed in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and those who choose the Ph.D. are housed in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Candidates for either degree must earn a minimum of 60 points of credit beyond the bachelor's degree. A master's degree from an accredited institution may be accepted as the equivalent of 30 points. A minimum of 30 points beyond the master's degree must be earned while in residence at Columbia, and at least 15 of these points must be obtained while registered in the doctoral program.

Requirements listed below are for Ph.D. students, and may differ from those for Eng.Sc.D. students.

Students in the Ph.D. program consult with their advisor to formulate a program of study.The program must include the following:

1. Courses used to satisfy the 30-point minimum beyond the M.S. degree will usually be at the 6000 level or higher.
2. Not more than 6 points of seminar.
3. At most 12 points of doctoral research (ELEN E9001, E9002, E9011, E9012, E6001, and E6002) may be credited toward the degree. However, in exceptional cases, in recognition of a student's advanced standing and professional proficiency, this 12-point limitation may be waived at the discretion of the chair of the doctoral committee.
4. Registration for 6 Residence Units beyond the bachelor’s degree.
   
   

Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program must pass the Ph.D. qualifying examination (D.Q.E.) as part of the requirements for the doctoral degree. The exam is given each January, during the week before classes start, and consists of two parts: a written part and an oral part.The department notifies the students of the results of the exam in writing, within two weeks of the date of the written part.

Students must take this exam in their first year at Columbia. A student who does not take the examination during his or her first year following admission, without an extraordinary legitimate excuse approved by the doctoral committee, will be assumed to have failed it.

Students who fail the exam the first time may take it once more in the following year. Under no circumstances will a student be allowed to take the exam more than twice.Students who are receiving financial support but fail the qualifying exam in January will generally continue to be supported through the spring; however, support beyond that point is not automatic.

Students who must take the qualifying exam in January are expected to have taken by that time at least 6 credits of graduate (6000-level) or senior/graduate (4000-level) courses at Columbia, and are expected to obtain an average score of A- (3.67) or better in those courses. However, failure to meet this expectation is not a valid reason for postponement of the examination.For more information about the D.Q.E. see http://www.ee.columbia.edu/academics/phd .

Research Advisor

Students who are admitted to the Ph.D. program and pass the D.Q.E. must find an advisor willing to supervise their work in order to continue in the Ph.D. program. Those who pass the D.Q.E. and do not yet have an advisor should speak to potential research advisors and identify one willing to supervise them as soon as possible. Students are expected to find and declare a research advisor within three semesters (not including summer) after passing their qualifying exam.

Once the name of the advisor is known, it should be reported to the Graduate Student Coordinator in the EE office.

Students who pass the qualifying exam but cannot find an advisor in the area of their choice willing to supervise them and/or support them are allowed to change to a different area without having to retake any portion of the qualifying exam.

Thesis Proposal Exam

Doctoral students must pass the Ph.D. thesis proposal exam within two years after they have passed the D.Q.E. Students who want to take this exam will be expected to have a grade point average of at least 3.5 for courses taken at Columbia. The thesis proposal exam is oral, and its topic is chosen in coordination with the student's research advisor. The exam is administered by a committee of at least three faculty members, including the student's research advisor. The student makes an oral presentation of the state of the art and his/her proposed research, possibly with new results.The committee responds during the thesis proposal exam with any questions it feels are necessary to judge the candidate's knowledge and readiness for doctoral research in his or her chosen field.The questions are not limited to the topic of the presentation. The student is notified of the outcome shortly after the exam.

Breadth Course Requirement

Doctoral students must complete a breadth requirement through course work in a technical area clearly outside their main area of interest. This course work should normally be outside the EE department, or even outside the FFSEAS. In special cases, some of the courses can be inside the EE department if it is clear that, together with the courses outside the department, they form a cohesive whole in an area clearly distinct from the main area of interest. In such cases, the student may use up to two courses inside the EE department to fulfill the Breadth Course Requirement, subject to the approval of the student’s advisor. This course work should be planned in consultation with the student's research or academic advisor in such a way as to expose the student to concepts in a different discipline, and especially to different approaches and ways of thinking than those prevalent in the student's main area of research. This program should consist of at least three graduate courses (4000- or 6000-level) in one area. If the area chosen is truly far removed from the student's main area, the student may be allowed to replace one of the graduate courses with an undergraduate course, although such a course will not count toward the 60-point graduate course requirement. The courses should be selected so that they form a cohesive whole.

Language Proficiency

Every Ph.D. student who is not a native English speaker and did not earn a bachelor's degree at an English-speaking university must take the placement tests offered by the American Language Program and reach Level 10.

Progress and time to degree

The performance of each student in the doctoral program will be reviewed regularly, at least once a semester, to ensure satisfactory progress towards completion of study. When necessary, students failing the requirements may be placed on probation or asked to withdraw from the doctoral program.All degree requirements must be completed within seven full-time-equivalent years from the beginning of the first course credited toward the doctoral degree. Students who do not meet this time limit will no longer be considered degree candidates.

Master of Philosophy Degree

The degree of master of philosophy is conferred upon a student who has successfully fulfilled all of the following requirements of GSAS and our department:

1. Completion of a minimum of 30 points of advanced graduate courses beyond the M.S. degree.
2. Completion of six Residence Units, including two awarded for the M.S. degree.
3. Passing of the D.Q.E. and the research proposal examination (see above).
4. Participation in the instructional and/or research activities of the department for a minimum of one year.
5. For students who are non-native speakers of English and who did not earn a bachelor’s degree in an English-speaking country, a score of 10 on the English Placement Tests given by the American Language Program.
   
   

Ph.D. Degree: Thesis Research and Defense

Research for the thesis should be conducted on the Columbia University campus. In unusual cases the thesis work may be performed at the student's place of employment subject to conditions described in the department web pages at http://www.ee.columbia.edu/academics/phd .

The candidate stands for examination (defense) before the final examination committee on the date agreed upon by all members of the committee.The examination committee is approved by the Dean and must consist of at least two faculty members from departments other than electrical engineering as well as at least three regular members of the electrical engineering department. It may also include scientists or engineers from outside the University who are interested in the research problem. The candidate must distribute thesis copies to each member of the final examination committee at least three weeks before the date of the examination.At the defense, it is customary for the candidate to present initially a brief and concise summary of his or her research with emphasis on original contributions to the particular area. The examination is either passed, passed with revision required, or failed.The thesis is to be prepared, defended and deposited in accordance with the regulations of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

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