College of Engineering

1. The student should demonstrate breadth of knowledge in the discipline and depth in the specific area of his/her research topic.
2. The student should gain experience in doing independent academic work and research.
3. The student should demonstrate his/her ability to identify and define the research topic.
4. The research work performed by the student should contribute to the existing knowledge in the engineering field.
5. The student should demonstrate the ability to clearly communicate complex engineering and research topics in both verbal and written format.

Doctoral program admission follows multiparameter criteria and is used to evaluate admission to the program:

A graduate program leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Engineering is offered by the College of Engineering. When applying for admission, a student must state on the application the major area of study for which admission is requested. Multiparameter criteria described below is used to evaluate admission to the program:

• Masters of Science GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale,
• GRE® General Test (GRE) scores with Quantitative greater than or equal to 50%; Verbal greater than or equal to 33%; Analytical Writing greater than or equal to 33%. Students with BS degrees in related fields from Tennessee Tech are not required to take the GRE.
• Three (3) letters of recommendation that demonstrate strong evidence for success in the graduate program.
• Availability of appropriate faculty to serve as research advisor(s).
• Participation in undergraduate research.
• Post-BS degree professional experience relevant to planned degree of study.
• Publications in peer reviewed journals and/or award-winning presentations in technical conferences.
• International students must score at least 550 (213 computer-based or 79 internet-based) on the TOEFL or a minimum base score of 6.0 on the IELTS.

Though the general requirement for admission to the Ph.D. program is a master's degree in an appropriate discipline, students with a bachelor's degree may be admitted to the Ph.D. program directly (Direct Ph.D.) on exceptional basis, undergraduate GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale or better, provided the applicant has a record of excellent academic performance in an appropriate engineering undergraduate program. The applicant's test scores, personal recommendations, and relevant work experience must indicate a high potential for success in doctoral studies and research. In addition, factors such as appropriateness of the applicant's research objectives to the research interests of the program faculty, availability of faculty to supervise the applicant's research, and prior research accomplishments of the applicant will also influence the admission decision.

Fulfilling the minimum requirement does not guarantee admission; an applicant who does not meet the above minimum, but appears to have reasonable potential for success as a Ph.D. student, may be admitted to provisional standing. His/her status may be changed to full standing after satisfying requirements specified by the Associate Dean of Engineering for Research and Innovation, in consultation with the appropriate departmental chairperson, at the time of admission.

If admitted in provisional standing, the student must remove all deficiencies and apply for reclassification to full standing prior to the completion of fifteen (15) graduate credit ours.

The Ph.D. is a research degree. The general requirements for a Ph.D. in Engineering are the same for all departments.  Each department may include additional degree requirements for students pursuing a concentration in that department.

Each Ph.D. student's advisory committee will have a minimum of five (5) voting members with at least three members from the student's major department and at least one (1) member from outside the department. The College of Engineering's Associate Dean for Research and Innovation or his/her designee may serve as an ex officio, nonvoting member as deemed necessary by the Department. The student is responsible for identifying, in consultation with the departmental chairperson or Associate Dean, a faculty member who is willing to chair his/her advisory committee. The chairperson of the committee, and the student are responsible for identifying the other faculty members required/desired and determining if they are willing to serve. Advisory committee is permitted to have more than the minimum number required.  If necessary, the advisory committee maybe co-chaired.   Changes in a Ph.D. advisory committee must adhere to all policies and procedures governing graduate study at the University. Failure to be able to form a committee is a cause for transfer to non-degree status. Further regulations concerning the membership, appointment, and responsibilities of the advisory committee are given in other sections of the catalog, including the sections on "Organization of the College of Graduate Studies" and "Degree Requirements."

Important Document: Change of Advisor Policy

Student’s Advisory Committee shall formally meet with the student to make an objective assessment of the student's knowledge relative to the field of study.   The program of study should reflect such assessment.  The Program of Study based on this assessment must be completed before the end of the second semester of enrollment for the degree or completion of 15 credit hours of graduate courses, whichever comes first.  A form indicating the date of this meeting and members of the Advisory Committee in attendance shall be transmitted along with the PoS to the Dean’s Office.

All courses shown on the Program of Study, including background courses, are indicators of the student’s depth and breadth of knowledge in the discipline and shall be considered by the committee when designing the written part of the student’s comprehensive examination. In determining the time limits for taking the comprehensive examination, for earning the degree, and for determining eligibility for financial aid, the time that the background courses were completed shall not be considered.

Each proposed Program of Study must be approved by the student’s advisory committee, the departmental chairperson, the Associate Dean of Engineering for Research and Innovation, and the Dean of College of Graduate Studies. There will be a hold placed on a student’s registration if his/her Program of Study has not been filed in the Graduate studies office by the time 15 credit hours have been earned.

The comprehensive examination will consist of a written part and an oral defense of the written research proposal. The written examination will consist of several parts as appropriate to the major discipline and the research area. This examination will test the student's breadth of knowledge in the discipline, depth of knowledge in selected areas, and the ability to integrate the knowledge acquired from several courses. This examination must be given after the student has completed at least eighty (80) percent of the coursework beyond the master's degree, as prescribed in the program of study. However, the written comprehensive examination should be completed before the end of the semester following completion of the coursework prescribed in the program of study. The extension of this deadline is possible with the appropriate justification. A student desiring an extension shall make a request in writing to the Associate Dean of Engineering for Research and Innovation. The request must include justification and a schedule for completion. If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the Associate Dean, the decision may be appealed to the Engineering Graduate Committee, with the Dean of Engineering substituting for the Associate Dean as chair of the committee.

All parts of the written examination should be completed within a period of two weeks. Other details of this examination, including format, content, method of evaluation and timing, will be left to the discretion of the committee. All voting members of the committee should participate in evaluating the student's performance in the written parts of the examination.

The written research proposal should, as a minimum, consist of the development of the research problem from the extant knowledge in the area, the approach and methodology to be followed, the expected original contribution to the extant knowledge and the expected time-line for the completion of the research. The student should submit copies of written proposal to the committee within thirty (30) days from the date of taking the final part of the written examination, and the proposal defense will be scheduled shortly thereafter. The student will be informed of the results of the entire comprehensive examination (written part and proposal presentation) at the end of the defense of the research proposal.

On passing the entire comprehensive examination, the student will become an official candidate for the doctoral degree. Normally, a student not passing any part of the comprehensive examination will not be permitted to continue in the doctoral program. However, at the request of the student, the committee may agree to give a second chance to the student to pass that part of the written examination that he/she did not pass. The committee may prescribe additional academic work to be undertaken by the student prior to making the second attempt. No student will be permitted to continue in the program if he/she does not successfully complete all parts of the comprehensive examination after the second attempt.