Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science and Engineering

Students must complete:

• Complete 90 credit hours of coursework
• Take four core MSE courses
• Professional Development and Supervised Teaching courses
• Individual Development Plan (IDP)
• Formation of a Supervisory Committee
• A Qualifying Examination
• A Doctoral Dissertation and Final Defense

Students must earn a grade of B or better in each core course and in EMA 6001.

All work for the doctorate must be completed within five years after passing the Qualifying Examination.

Placement Test
Incoming students must either pass the Fundamentals Placement Exam prior to matriculation or enroll in EMA 6001 during their first Fall term.

Time Limit
All degree requirements must be completed within five years of passing the Qualifying Examination.

Transfer Credits
With approval, students may transfer up to 9 graduate credit hours from another institution. Transfer courses must have a grade of B or higher. Official transcripts must be submitted to the advising team.

All PhD students take four courses as core, which are divided into two groups:

Each Ph.D. student is guided by a supervisory committee responsible for overseeing the student’s research program and approving the doctoral dissertation.

The Committee

• Evaluate your research progress.
• Conduct and report required oral examinations.
• Review and approve your doctoral dissertation.

Students should meet at least annually with their supervisory committee to review their progress.

Committee Composition

Your supervisory committee must include four members:

• Chair (research Advisor)
  • A graduate Materials Science faculty member or an out-of-department graduate faculty with Materials Science affiliate status
• Two additional Materials Science faculty members.
• One external member outside the MSE graduate faculty (no affiliated status)

Important Deadlines

Students must:

• Select a research advisor by November 1st of the first semester
• Form their supervisory committee by the end of the second semester or after 12 credits
• Students without a research advisor by November 1st will be assigned departmental teaching assistant duties in their second semester and have until March 15th to find a research advisor to stay in the PhD program.

The IDP is required for all Ph.D. students by the Graduate School. The IDP is intended to support professional growth, goal setting, and timely degree completion.

Students are required to complete set assignments every Fall and Spring semester until graduation.

All Ph.D. students must complete 1 credit of EMA 6920 – Professional Development
EMA Professional Development training as a graduate student in Materials Science and Engineering, including serving as a teaching assistant in the instruction of materials science and engineering courses, and developing and defending research proposals. Professional Development is offered every Fall term.

All Ph.D. students must complete four credits of EMA 6941 – Supervised Teaching
Practicum course to provide students with supervised teaching experience on developing effective instructional methods and materials in engineering education as well as effective mentoring skills in a professional setting.

Students receiving unsatisfactory evaluations must repeat the teaching assignment.

Admission to candidacy requires students to complete both the written qualifying requirement and the oral qualifying examination.

The written qualifying requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science is comprised of successful completion of core coursework.

The Oral Qualifying Examination determines whether a student has the knowledge and research skills necessary to complete a Ph.D. dissertation.

The exam includes

• A written research proposal
  • Students must prepare a Ph.D. research proposal modeled after proposals submitted to federal funding agencies such as National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, or the U.S. Department of Energy.
• An oral defense of the proposal
  • The oral portion of the Qualifying Examination allows students to present and defend their proposed research before their supervisory committee.
• Evaluation of knowledge in the four core subject areas

The oral exam includes

• Public presentation of the research proposal (~30 minutes)
• Questions from the audience and committee
• A closed examination session with the supervisory committee

During the closed session, the committee evaluates

• The proposed research
• The written proposal
• The student’s knowledge of core materials science topics

The written and oral components are graded separately as pass/fail. Students must pass both components to pass the exam. Following the exam, the committee will deliberate and issue a pass or fail decision.

Students who fail a component may retake that component in the following academic term.

Timeline

Students must:

• Take the exam within two years of entering the program
• Have a maximum of two attempts
• Complete the exam no later than the sixth academic term (including summer)
• Students converted from the M.S. program must attempt the qualifying exam at the end of their second year as an MSE graduate student or one year after entering the PhD program, whichever is later.

The final examination for the Ph.D. degree is a public dissertation defense.

The defense consists of

• A public presentation and open questioning
• A closed session with the supervisory committee

Students must submit the Electronic Thesis or Dissertation (ETD) to the Graduate School according to university deadlines.

For more information, visit the Graduate Success Center website.

The defense should be no more than three semesters, including the term in which the defense is completed, before the degree is awarded.

If the student fails the Final Examination, the exam must be retaken in the next semester. The Final Examination may be retaken only once. If a student fails a second final exam, they will be released from the program.

MSE Graduate Coordinator

Kevin Jones, Ph.D.
Email: MSE Graduate Coordinator

Advising Office

Allyson Beatty
Academic Advisor II

Tahara Franklin
Academic Advisor III

Nabby Rivera
Academic Assistant II

Phone: 352-846-3312
Email: Email Advising Office