Please also check Graduate School requirements for doctoral degrees in the Graduate Catalog. 

To fulfill all requirements for the Ph.D. degree, students must: 

1. satisfy a course requirement (36 credits)

2. satisfy a qualifying requirement

3. prepare a written research proposal and pass the oral research proposal exam

4. complete 12 credits of ENEE899: Doctoral Dissertation Research

5. write the dissertation and pass the oral defense 

Students must demonstrate the ability to do independent research by producing an original dissertation on an approved topic. After successful completion of the second and third items above, students are eligible for doctoral candidacy. Students must be admitted to candidacy within five years of enrollment in the Ph.D. program. Once admitted to candidacy, students have four years to complete the remaining degree requirements. 

It is the responsibility of the student to submit the Application for Admission to Candidacy form when all the requirements for candidacy have been fulfilled. This form must be submitted at least three business days prior to the 25th of the month in order for the candidacy to be effective on the first day of the following month. When applying for candidacy, the student must have a valid Ph.D. plan of study on file that has been approved by the student’s advisor and the graduate director. See the Ph.D. Course Requirement section for more information about the plan of study.

Ph.D. students who do not already hold an M.S. degree from this department may earn an M.S. non-thesis "along the way" upon admission to doctoral candidacy. Please see the M.S. "Along the Way" for Ph.D. Students section for more information.