Department of Electrical Engineering
Degree Programs:
Full-Time: M.Phil., Ph.D.
Chair:
Shih-Fu
Chang, Ph.D.
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:
- Courses
used to satisfy the 30-point minimum beyond the M.S. degree will usually
be at the 6000 level or higher.
- Not
more than 6 points of seminar.
- 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.
- 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:
- Completion
of a minimum of 30 points of advanced graduate courses beyond the M.S.
degree.
- Completion
of six Residence Units, including two awarded for the M.S. degree.
- Passing
of the D.Q.E. and the research proposal examination (see above).
- Participation
in the instructional and/or research activities of the department for a
minimum of one year.
- 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.
Financial Aid
A comprehensive program of financial aid, including
fellowships and appointments in teaching and research, is available.
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