Doctoral Program
When a student becomes a prospective candidate for either the Doctor of Engineering Science (Eng.Sc.D.) or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree, a faculty adviser is assigned whose task is to help choose a program of courses, provide general advice on academic matters, and monitor academic performance.The doctoral candidate is expected to attain a level of mastery in some area of mechanical engineering, and must therefore choose a field and take the most advanced courses offered in that field. This choice of specialty is normally made by the time the student has completed 30 points of credit beyond the bachelor's degree, at which time a complete course program is prepared and submitted to the departmental doctoral committee for approval. The student must maintain a grade point average of 3.2 or better in graduate courses.
The department requires the prospective candidate to pass a qualifying examination. Given once a year in January, it is usually taken after the student has completed 30 points beyond the bachelor’s degree. However, it may not be delayed past the next examination given after completion of 45 points. The examination comprises a written test, given in two parts over two days. Questions may be selected from a broad set in all areas of mechanical engineering and applied mathematics, and is devised to test the candidate’s ability to think creatively. There is also an oral examination based on a research project the student has undertaken. A candidate who fails the examination may be permitted to repeat it once in the following year.
After passing the qualifying examination, the student chooses a faculty member in the pertinent area of specialization who then serves as the research adviser. This adviser helps select a research problem and supervises the research, writing, and defense of the dissertation. Once a specific problem has been identified and a tentative plan for the research prepared, the student submits a research proposal and presents it to a faculty committee. The committee considers whether the proposed problem is suitable for doctoral research, whether the plan of attack is well formulated and appropriate to the problem, and whether the student is adequately prepared. It may approve the plan without reservation, or it may recommend modifications or additions. This is the last formal requirement until the dissertation is submitted for approval.
All doctoral students are required to successfully complete four semesters of the mechanical engineering seminar MECE E9500.