College of Engineering

Ph.D. CSE Matriculation Rules Before Fall 2016

Students who joined prior to Fall 2016 have the choice of matriculating under the rules below, or under any catalog approved for Fall 2016 or after.

The credit hours required for the Ph.D. Program is 72 credit hours beyond the student’s Bachelor of Science or the equivalent thereof. In general, an M.S. is counted as 18 credits toward the Ph.D. or as allowed by the School of Graduate Studies. Please consult the Graduate Catalog.

A minimum number of credit hours must be satisfied in each of the following several categories. The minimum requirements are as follows:

(a) 24 credit hours for graded course work;

(b) 2 credit hours for Ph.D. seminars;

(c) 3 credit hours are for professional practice/development;

(d) 3 credit hours for qualifying exam;

(e) 3 credit hours for Ph.D. proposal defense;

(f) 12 credit hours for dissertation research.

Graded Courses Requirements

The requirements consist of the following elements:

  1. The successful candidate shall pass at least 9 credits from the CSE Core courses.
  2. The successful candidate shall pass a total of 2 credit seminar hours. Each seminar is for 1 credit hour.
  3. The successful candidate shall pass 15 credit hours of approved Domain Courses. The approved domain courses include any graduate level course from the College of Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agribusiness, Animal Sciences, Natural Resources and Environment Design, and Business and Economics. Other courses must be approved by the CSE.

Qualifying Written Examination Requirements

The successful Ph.D. candidate must pass a 3-credit hour course consisting of a comprehensive written examination in the following 3 Areas:

  1. The CSE Core Area consisting of 6 credit hours from the list of CSE Core courses.
  2. The CSE Area consisting of 6 additional credits from graded courses in the CSE curriculum.
  3. The Application Area consisting of 6 credit hours from approved courses in the student submitted Plan of Study. The Dissertation Advisor must propose these courses and help administer the examination in this Area.

Qualifying Written Examination Requirements

The successful Ph.D. candidate must pass a 3-credit hour course consisting of a comprehensive written examination in the following 3 Areas:

  1. The CSE Core Area consisting of 6 credit hours from the list of CSE Core courses.
  2. The CSE Area consisting of 6 additional credits from graded courses in the CSE curriculum.
  3. The Application Area consisting of 6 credit hours from approved courses in the student submitted Plan of Study. The Dissertation Advisor must propose these courses and help administer the examination in this Area.

Research and Dissertation Requirements

A minimum of 12 Dissertation Research credit hours are required for all students in the Program.

Major Advisor: Initially the Director of the Ph.D. Program will serve as an Academic Advisor for all new students entering the Program. Each student in the Ph.D. Program is expected to select a Major Advisor by the beginning of the second year with the approval of the Department Chair. The Major Advisor must hold a tenure or tenure-track full-time faculty position at the university, and shall subsequently act as the Academic Advisor as well.

Composition of Ph.D. Committee: A Ph.D. Advisory Committee will consist of a minimum of five (5) graduate faculty with the Major Advisor as its chairperson. The Ph.D. Advisory Committee will be recommended by the Major Advisor, with input from the student, to the Director of the Computational Science and Engineering Ph.D. Program, for approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies. The Committee shall supervise the student’s Program, administer dissertation review and approval, and finally recommend the awarding of the degree.

Plan of Study: Upon the student’s selection of a research area, the Ph.D. Advisory Committee shall review the student’s prior transcripts, evaluate and recommend any transfer credits, and provide advice to the student. The student shall subsequently prepare a Plan of Study for approval by the Ph.D. Advisory Committee, the Director of the CSE Ph.D. Program, and the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

Oral Defense of Dissertation Proposal (Preliminary Examination): Three (3) credit hours are required for all students in the Program. The dissertation proposal is submitted to the student’s Major Advisor and the Ph.D. Advisory Committee for review. The committee will make recommendations as needed. The proposal must be orally defended by the candidate before the Advisory Committee, and it must be approved by the Committee, and the student can proceed further with his/her research.

Candidacy for Ph.D. in Computational Science and Engineering: Admission to candidacy for Ph.D. in Computational Science and Engineering shall require compliance with all existing Graduate School policies, and shall occur after the student has successfully passed the Qualifying Examination and the Preliminary Examination.

Final Oral Examination: The final oral examination is scheduled after the dissertation is complete except for such revisions as may be necessary as a result of the examination, but not earlier than one semester or its equivalent after admission to candidacy and not before all required course work has been completed or is currently in progress.

Dissertation: The doctoral dissertation presents the results of the student’s original investigation in the field of major interest. It must be a contribution to knowledge, be adequately supported by data and be written in a manner consistent with the highest standards of scholarship. Publication is expected.

Other Requirements

Grade Point Average: The student must successfully complete the approved Plan of Study with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.

Residency Requirements: For the Doctor of Philosophy, the student is expected to be registered for graduate work for at least four semesters beyond the Master of Science. At least two residence credits must be secured in continuous residence (registration in consecutive semesters) as a graduate student at the university.