Electrical Engineering, Ph.D.

School/College: College of Engineering
Degree(s) Offered: Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy
Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Jung H. Kim   Email:  kim@ncat.edu  Phone: (336) 285-3713
Department Chair: Dr. John Kelly   Email:  jck@ncat.edu   Phone: (336) 285-3712

The Doctoral Program is the terminal degree within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering. The graduate programs in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering emphasize areas of specialization, which are the current strengths of the department. Therefore, the department offers the following four areas of concentration for the graduate programs: Computer Engineering, Communications and Signal Processing, Electronic and Optical Materials and Devices, and Power Systems and Control.

Additional Admission Requirements

• All applications for admission to the Ph.D. program are subject to review by the Graduate Curriculum Development (GCD) Committee in the Department. The GCD Committee’s recommendation is not subject to further review. Satisfying the requirements described below does not guarantee admission. Denial of admission does not necessarily imply a negative evaluation of an applicant’s qualification. Limited space, facilities, funding and mismatch in areas of interest may place limitations on the number of students who may be admitted.
• The student seeking a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Electrical Engineering must possess a Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline
• GRE scores
• At least one of the letters of recommendations must come from an individual knowledgeable of the student’s graduate performance and potential
• An applicant may be granted provisional admission if they do not qualify for unconditional admission due to one or more of the following reasons: a) Applicant does not have a 3.0 overall GPA in his/her master’s degree. (Note: Applicant must have at least a 3.0 overall graduate GPA). b) Applicant has a non-Electrical Engineering baccalaureate engineering degree with a GPA of 3.0 or better, but he/she is deficient in required background courses.
• A highly qualified applicant with a bachelors (or equivalent) degree, without an M.S. degree, can apply for the Direct-Ph.D. program from B.S degree. Such students generally shall have a bachelor’s degree in electrical/computer engineering from an ABET accredited university, or from an acceptable institution of higher learning that is recognized by the department and the university.  a) Direct entry into the Ph.D. program shall be contingent upon an earned GPA of 3.5 or higher over the last 60 course credit hours of his/her undergraduate degree. b) A minimum GRE score of Verbal + Quantitative = 1100 is required for the direct-Ph.D. application. c) The applicant is advised to establish a relationship with at least one faculty member of the department who agrees to be the student’s dissertation advisor.  d) The decision to recommend direct entry into the direct-Ph.D. program shall be made by the Graduate Coordinator with recommendation by two faculty members in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.  e)A prior research experience is required during his/her undergraduate program.

Credit-Hour Requirements after MS Degree:

The Ph.D. program in Electrical Engineering is based on the Dissertation Option. A total of 54 credit hours after the master’s degree are required for the doctoral degree. This includes 24 credit hours of coursework past the M.S. degree. At least 12 credit hours must be at the 800 level. 600 level courses are not counted in the coursework requirement except for courses related to student’s Qualifying Examination.  A minimum of 18 credit hours of doctoral dissertation ELEN997, 3 hours of ELEN992, 3 hours of 991 and 3 hours of 995 are required. The remaining 3 credit hours must be decided by the student’s advisor. No more than six (6) credit hours at the graduate level in an area outside of electrical engineering may be accepted to satisfy a graduate area concentration. The student is encouraged to take all courses related to the subjects selected for his/her Qualifying Examination.

Credit-Hour Requirements For Direct-Ph.D. Degree:

A total of 72 credit hours are required for the Direct-Ph.D. degree.  A minimum of 42 hours of graded coursework past the B.S. degree is required.  However, six (6) credit hours must be taken outside of the department.  At least 12 credit hours must be at the 800 level.  A minimum of 18 credit hours of doctoral dissertation ELEN997, 3 hours of ELEN992, 3 hours of ELEN991 and 3 hours of ELEN995 are required. The remaining 3 credit hours must be decided by the student’s advisor. The student is encouraged to take all courses related to the subjects selected for his/her Qualifying Examination.

Dissertation Research:

There is no limit to the maximum number of dissertation credits for Ph.D. students. However, no more than 18 dissertation credits are counted toward the credit hours requirement described above.  A student cannot register for dissertation credits before passing Qualifying Examination.

Selection of Advisor:

At the beginning of the first semester, each student meets with the Graduate Coordinator to obtain information about the Graduate Program. The Graduate Coordinator assists the student with registration and course selection until the student selects a permanent advisor by mutual consent. The student must select his/her permanent advisor by the completion of nine (9) credit hours or by the end of the first semester.

Doctoral  Advisory Committee:

The advisor and the student must form the Advisory Committee for the student’s dissertation by the completion of nine (9) credit hours or by the end of the first semester. The Advisory Committee for the Ph.D. program consists of an advisor in the student’s major subject and four other members. The advisor serves as a chairperson of the Advisory Committee. The chair must be selected from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering based on the area of emphasis chosen by the student. More than half of the members must be selected from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Advisory Committee may consist of co-advisor. A co-advisor from outside of the department must apply in writing and be approved by the Graduate Curriculum Development (GCD) Committee in the department.

The Plan Of Graduate Study For Doctoral Program:

By the completion of nine (9) credit hours or by the end of the first semester, the student and his/her advisor establish the Plan of Graduate Study for the student’s doctoral program and submit the original document with signatures of all members of the Advisory Committee to the Graduate Coordinator. Copies of the Plan of Graduate Study must be submitted to The Graduate School and all committee members.  Also, a copy of the Plan of Graduate Study must be filed in the department. The Plan of Graduate Study shows the committee chairperson, other committee members, and a chronological list of courses approved by the student’s advisor. A committee member’s signature on the Plan of Graduate Study denotes their approval of the plan for the student’s doctoral program.  After approval by the Graduate Coordinator in the department, the Plan of Graduate Study becomes the student’s official guideline for the completion of his/her Ph.D. degree program.

Residence Requirements:

Each Ph.D. student must secure at least two residence credits through registration in continuous semesters at North Carolina A&T State University. Residence credit is determined from the number of semester hours completed during a regular semester according to the following table. Summer registration is not required. However, residence credit for a six-week summer session equals one-half that of a regular semester. For example, completing a three-credit course during a six-week summer session will earn 1/6 of a regular semester residence credit.

Change of Committee Members and Study Plan:

A student may change his/her advisor at any time through a mutual consent. When a student changes his/her advisor, the student must submit a revised Plan of Graduate Study including signatures by the new advisor and all committee members and the consent of the previous advisor. After the submission of a Plan of Graduate Study, a student must resubmit a revised Plan of Graduate Study to the Graduate Coordinator indicating that the plan has been “REVISED” and including  the signatures of his/her advisor and all committee members.

Ph.D. Qualifying Examination:

The purpose of the Qualifying Examination is to identify students who are qualified to work toward the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering by requiring these students to demonstrate basic competence in a broad range of relevant subjects. Students are not expected to engage in research until they have passed their Qualifying Examination.

Full-time and part-time students with an M.S. degree must take this examination within two and four years of the admission to the Ph.D. program respectively. The Direct-Ph.D. student must take the examination within the first five academic semesters of the admission to the Ph.D. program. A Direct-Ph.D. student who enters the Direct-Ph.D. program from M.S. program without an M.S. degree must take the Qualifying Examination in one and a half years after entering the Ph.D. program.

Only the student with unconditional status can apply for the Qualifying Examination. Any student in provisional status cannot sit for the Qualifying Examination. A student must be enrolled with a 3.0 GPA or better at the time of the examination. A student must also have the approved Plan of Graduate Study for his/her doctoral program submitted to The Graduate School prior to scheduling the exam. The Qualifying Examination is given each regular (Fall and Spring) semester on two successive days during the week before the final exam period. A registration notice will be posted outside the Department Office in the middle of each academic semester. The student must apply for the Qualifying Examination by the posted deadline.

The examination consists of a three-hour written examination for each subject and covers two subjects per day in two consecutive days. At the time of registration, the student declares the track in which he or she will be taking the examination. Each student must select only two subjects in his/her concentration area and two subjects from other areas from the department list.

Questions on the Qualifying Examination are developed based on the contents of the above courses. Therefore, each student is encouraged to take all courses related to the subjects selected for his/her Qualifying Examination.

Students must obtain an overall score of at least 80% to pass the examination. A student who has failed the Qualifying Examination one time is given a second chance to retake the Qualifying Examination within a year. A student whose overall score is below 80% must retake the examination. The student who needs to retake the examination cannot change any subjects selected in the first attempt. The Graduate Coordinator will notify each examinee of his or her results by letter within three weeks from the date of examination.

A student who wants to retake the Qualifying Examination must apply to retake the Qualifying Examination by the posted deadline. No student is permitted to take the Qualifying Examination more than twice. A student not recommended for re-examination or who fails the exam on a second attempt is afforded the opportunity to withdraw from the university. A student who chooses not to withdraw will have his or her graduate program terminated upon completing the semester in which the denial or second failure occurs. Additionally, a student who fails to take the examination or re-examination at the prescribed time is considered failing the examination or re-examination.

Failure in Qualifying Examination for Direct-Ph.D.:

A student who failed the qualifying exams twice is required to withdraw from the graduate program upon completing the semester. Also, a student who fails to take the examination or re-examination at the prescribed time is considered failing the examination or re-examination. However, a Direct-Ph.D. student who failed the examination in good standing may elect to be approved to transfer to the M.S. program for a terminal M.S. degree if they have completed less than six semesters at North Carolina A&T State University.

Ph.D. Preliminary Oral Examination:

After passing the Qualifying Examination, each Ph.D. student must complete a preliminary oral examination conducted by the student's Advisory. This is an Oral Examination and defense of the student’s dissertation proposal. Passing this exam satisfies requirements for Ph.D. Candidacy.

Unanimous approval by the Advisory Committee is required to pass the examination. Approval may be conditioned on satisfactory completion of additional work. In this situation, a student passes the examination when these conditions are met. A student is admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree only upon passing the preliminary examination. Failure of the examination terminates the student's graduate study unless the student's Advisory Committee unanimously recommends re-examination. Only one re-examination is permitted and at least one full semester must elapse before the re-examination.

The examination may be held no earlier than the end (final exam week) of the second year of graduate study and no later than one semester (or four months) prior to the Ph.D. final oral examination. The Preliminary Oral Examination is scheduled at the request of the student and only upon the approval of the student’s Advisory Committee. A student cannot submit a request to schedule an oral examination unless the student's Plan of Graduate Study has been approved by the Graduate Coordinator. The student must be in good academic standing when the request is submitted and when the examination is held.

The student must submit the Application for Oral Examination with the signatures of all members of the Advisory Committee to the Graduate Coordinator at least two weeks prior to the date of the Preliminary Examination. The application form must include the date, time and place of the preliminary examination. The student requesting his/her oral examination must distribute a copy of the written report to all members of his/her committee two weeks prior to the date of the Preliminary Oral Examination. The copy of the application form for the preliminary examination (approved by the Graduate Coordinator) is sent to the student and the members of the committee to confirm the approval, date and place of the examination. If any committee member cannot attend a scheduled preliminary examination, it must be rescheduled.

Ph.D. Final Oral Examination:

Each Ph.D. student must pass a Final Oral Examination conducted by the student's Advisory. This examination is the final dissertation defense presentation that is scheduled after a dissertation is completed. It consists of the defense of the methodology used and the conclusions reached in the research in the dissertation. Unanimous approval by the Advisory Committee is required for passing the oral examination. Such approval may be conditioned on satisfactory completion of additional work. Failure of the examination terminates the student's graduate study unless the student's Advisory Committee unanimously recommends re-examination. Only one re-examination is permitted.

The examination may be held no earlier than one semester (or four months) after admission to candidacy. The examination must be held on or before the deadline for final oral examinations (see the academic calendar in the Graduate Catalog) if the degree is to be awarded at the end of that semester. Otherwise, the degree is awarded at the end of the following semester. The examination is scheduled only upon the request of the student and the approval of his or her Advisory Committee. The student must submit the Application for Oral Examination with the signatures of all members of the Advisory Committee to the Graduate Coordinator at least two weeks prior to the date of the Final Oral Examination. The application form must include the date, time and place of the Final Oral Examination. The dissertation must be completed and copies of it must be distributed to all members of his/her Advisory Committee two weeks prior to the date of the Final Oral Examination. The copy of the application form for the Final Oral Examination (approved by the Graduate Coordinator) is sent to the student and the members of the committee to confirm the approval, date and place of the defense. If any committee member cannot attend a scheduled Final Oral Examination, it must be rescheduled.

Submission of Dissertation:

Upon passing the Ph.D. Final Oral Examination, each Ph.D. student must have the dissertation approved by each member of the student's Advisory Committee. The dissertation must be submitted to The Graduate School by the deadline given in the academic calendar, and must conform to the Guide for Preparation of Thesis and Dissertations.   

Comprehensive Exam, if appropriate:       Required

Committees

The advisor and the student must form the Advisory Committee for the student’s dissertation by the completion of nine (9) credit hours or by the end of the first semester. The Advisory Committee for the Ph.D. program consists of an advisor in the student’s major subject and four other members. The advisor serves as a chairperson of the Advisory Committee. The chair must be selected from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering based on the area of emphasis chosen by the student. More than half of the members must be selected from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Advisory Committee may consist of a co-advisor. A co-advisor from outside of the department must apply in writing and be approved by the Graduate Curriculum Development (GCD) Committee in the department.    

Directory of Faculty

• Winser E. Alexander, Professor and Interim Provost, B.S. North Carolina A&T State University,  M.S., Ph.D. University of New Mexico
• Ali Abul-Fadl, Associate Professor, B.S., M.S., Ph.D., University of Idaho
• Marwan Bikdash    Professor, B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute
• Ward J. Collis, Associate Professor Emeritus, B.S., M.S., Northwestern University; Ph.D., The Ohio State University
• Numan Dogan, Professor, B.S., Karadeniz Technical University, M.S., Polytechnic Institute of New York, Ph.D., University of Michigan
• Christopher Doss, Associate Professor, B.S.E.E., M.S.E.E., Ph.D., North Carolina State University
• William Edmonson, Professor, B.S., GMI; M.S., Georgia Tech; Ph.D., North Carolina State University
• Corey Graves, Associate Professor, B.S.E.E., M.S.E.E., North Carolina A&T University; Ph.D., North Carolina State University
• Abdollah Homaifar, Duke Energy Eminent Professor, B.S., M.S., State University of New York-Stony Brook; Ph.D., University of Alabama
• Shanthi Iyer, Research Professor, B.S., M.S., Delhi University; Ph.D., Indian Institute of Technology
• John C. Kelly, Jr.   Associate Professor and Chairperson, B.S., Ph.D., University of Delaware
• Jung Kim   Professor, B.S., Yonsei University, M.S., Ph.D., North Carolina State University
• Gary Lebby, Research Professor, B.S., M.S., University of South Carolina, Ph.D., Clemson University
• Clinton Lee, Associate Professor, B.S., California Institute of Technology; M.S., North Carolina A&T State University; Ph.D., North Carolina State University
• Robert Li, Professor, B.S., Duke University; M.S., Purdue University; Ph.D., University of Kansas
• Harold L. Martin, Sr., Professor and Chancellor, B.S. M.S. North Carolina A&T State University, Ph.D. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• David Olson, Associate Professor, B.S., M.E., Michigan Technological University; Ph.D., University of Utah
• Alvernon Walker, Associate Professor, B.S.E.E., M.S.E.E., North Carolina A&T University; Ph.D., North Carolina State University
• Zhijian Xie, Assistant Professor, B.S., M.S. University of Science and Technology of China, Ph.D. Princeton University
• Chung Yu, Professor, Emeritus Professor, B.Eng., McGill University; M.S., Ph.D., The Ohio State University