Ph.D. Program Requirements

Coursework

The program of study for the Ph.D. in ECE requires at least 66 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree or 44 credits beyond a master’s degree, and adhere to all policies and procedures of the Graduate College. Courses applied to meet the 66-credit minimum requirement must be taken for a letter grade (A-F), except for ECE 691 Doctoral Comprehensive Examination (graded pass/fail), ECE 689 Dissertation Proposal (graded pass/fail), and ECE 693 Dissertation (initially graded IP - In Progress and later automatically graded P or F by the Registrar's Office, depending upon the outcome of the dissertation defense). Credit for coursework must be distributed as shown in the degree requirements table. For those entering the program with a master’s degree, no more than 22 credits of previous graduate coursework can be applied as course credit. For a student entering with a bachelor’s degree, a maximum of 9 credits of post baccalaureate coursework can be applied towards the Ph.D. program.

Areas of Concentration

Six areas of concentration are available in electrical and computer engineering. These areas of concentration are denoted by the middle digit of the course number of ECE courses: Computer engineering (middle digit 3), circuits and devices (middle digit 1 or 2), power and control (middle digit 6 or 7), electromagnetics and optics (middle digit 0 or 8), semiconductor processes and devices (middle digit 2 or 4), and signals and systems (middle digit 5 or 6).

Major and Emphasis (Minor) Areas

At least 12 credits of coursework are required in a major area of concentration. These credits are to be earned in graduate courses selected from one of the six areas defined above. In addition, at least 6 additional credits of graduate coursework is required in an emphasis (minor) area selected from a second area of concentration as defined in the list above.

Doctoral-Level Courses

At least 12 course credits must be at the 600-level. The 600-level course credits may be counted towards core course requirements, major-area courses, minor-area courses, or approved electives.

Transfer Credit

Students can satisfy one-third (1/3) of the 66 credits required for the Ph.D. (i.e. 22 credits) using graduate coursework completed prior to admission to the doctoral program. Transfer courses must be consistent with the program of study planned by the student and approved by the supervisory committee. In addition, the student must have taken the courses at an accredited institution and must have earned a B or better in each course to be transferred. Transfer credits are subject to limitations and approval of the Dean of the Graduate College (see Graduate Academic Regulations).

Supervisory Committee

The Supervisory Committee consists of your Major Advisor, who serves as Committee Chair, plus at least three (but no more than four) additional members. The Major Advisor is your primary mentor and must be a member of the graduate faculty within the ECE Ph.D. program. The ECE Ph.D. program includes participating graduate faculty from the Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering and from Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering. At least three members of the Supervisory Committee must be from the ECE Ph.D. Faculty Body. The Supervisory Committee must include at least one External Examiner who is outside Boise State University. This examiner participates in the dissertation review and dissertation defense. It is expected that this External Reviewer has expertise in the dissertation topic and performs research in a closely related area. All PhD students are also required to identify and contact a Graduate Faculty Representative (GFR) for their supervisory (defense) committee, and to nominate the GFR on their Appointment of Supervisory Committee form.

You will likely interact with members of your Supervisory Committee individually and informally on a daily or weekly basis in classes or working on your research. However, the entire Supervisory Committee should formally meet with you at least once each year to receive a progress report, provide feedback, and discuss future plans. You should form your Supervisory Committee through consultation with your Major Advisor and submit an Appointment of Supervisory Committee form, available on the Graduate College website, to the Graduate College (with a copy to ECE department) once research toward your dissertation has commenced. A change in the membership of the Supervisory Committee can be made after initial appointment by submitting an updated Appointment of Supervisory Committee form.

Comprehensive Exam

The comprehensive exam consists of a 1 credit course, ECE 691. A student is eligible for the comprehensive examination once they complete three core courses with a grade point average of no less than 3.55. Students are encouraged to complete the comprehensive exam after the third semester of study. The comprehensive examination is graded pass/fail. If a student fails the comprehensive examination, they are eligible to repeat it once. Failing the comprehensive examination a second time will result in dismissal from the doctoral program. The comprehensive examination process for ECE Ph.D. students requires a written report defended in an oral examination. The written report will provide an in-depth analysis of three articles chosen by the student, and further will focus mainly on those three articles. Both the written report and the oral examination must clearly demonstrate the student’s understanding of the scientific and technical aspects of presented research, including techniques and research methods, measurements, analysis, and theoretical foundations of the work. You must send the written report to your committee 2-3 weeks before the comprehensive exam presentation. Once passed, a grade of P is recorded for ECE 691. If the supervisory committee does not determine that the exam was passed, a grade of I (Incomplete) is issued.

Dissertation Proposal

The dissertation proposal presents the background, objectives, scope, methods, and timelines of anticipated dissertation research, and must be successfully defended before substantive research or other work towards the dissertation commences. As such, the dissertation proposal defense cannot occur in the same semester as the final oral examination. Students are encouraged to prepare and defend the dissertation proposal as soon as possible after successful completion of the Ph.D. comprehensive examination.

The dissertation proposal is graded pass/fail. Upon satisfactory completion of the dissertation proposal, a student becomes a doctoral candidate. If a student fails the dissertation proposal, they are eligible to repeat it once. Failing the dissertation proposal a second time will result in dismissal from the doctoral program.

Dissertation proposal templates and related forms are available on the ECE website.

Admission to Candidacy

Upon passing the comprehensive exam, a student is eligible to complete an Application for Admission to Candidacy. Once this application is accepted by the Graduate College, the student becomes a Ph.D. Candidate. Candidacy is required at least one semester prior to submitting the Ph.D. dissertation and undertaking the final oral exam. Admission to candidacy can also result in eligibility for certain externally funded fellowships and professional development programs.

Dissertation

A Ph.D. dissertation documents the original research carried out by you while enrolled in the graduate program. A successful dissertation entails original research conducted by the student at the doctoral level in a manner that meets rigorous peer-reviewed standards and makes significant contributions to the discipline. Format and style of the dissertation document shall adhere to standards established by the Graduate College. The Graduate College offers a dissertation template that contains all required content and formatting.

Final Oral Examination and Dissertation Defense

Doctoral students in ECE must pass a final oral examination that probes their ability to describe and defend all aspects of the dissertation in both a public setting and a private conference with experts. A public defense of the dissertation is scheduled after the supervisory committee has reviewed a draft that is considered to be nearly a final version. The date of the defense is determined jointly by the supervisory committee and the student and must be consistent with any guidelines provided by the Graduate College.

A defense committee is formed that consists of the following voting members: an appointed chair, the supervisory committee, and an external examiner. The chair of the defense committee is selected from the approved graduate faculty list available from the graduate college, but this person must not be the chair or a member of the supervisory committee. This representative must be from a different college than the College of Engineering.

The external examiner is a faculty member from another university who is a recognized expert in the field of the dissertation research and is appointed to the defense committee by the Graduate Committee based on a list of candidates provided by the Chair of the supervisory committee. The external examiner may participate in the final oral examination in person or by teleconference.

The chair of the defense committee conducts the defense according to the procedure established by the ECE doctoral program committee.

A student who fails the defense will be dismissed from the program.

Final Approval of Dissertation

If the defense is completed with a result of pass, the supervisory committee prepares a statement describing final requirements such as additions or modifications to the dissertation and any additional requirements such as archival of data. When these requirements have been met to the satisfaction of the supervisory committee, the approval page of the dissertation is signed by the chair of the supervisory committee.