Coursework.
At least five courses must be taken from the core program (described below) and passed with a grade of B or better. An overall grade point average (in all graduate work) of 3.0 or better is required.
Informal and Independent Study.
Students are expected to engage in additional study beyond their formal requirements and are specifically required to complete the Colloquium course (ESM 697) with a grade of S in each of their first two semesters in the Program.
Teaching.
Resident students must complete the course on Teaching Techniques (ESM 501) satisfactorily, within their first year of study. All students must engage in supervised teaching activities in every semester until they have passed the Preliminary Examination. All full-time resident students must satisfactorily complete the Practicum in Teaching (ESM 698).
Qualifying Examination.
Doctoral students are required to take the Qualifying Examination in the first January after their admission to the doctoral program. This is a diagnostic examination, used to evaluate the students' knowledge of essential materials science fundamentals. The results of the examination are used to determine whether the student has any weaknesses that must be corrected through further coursework. Failing to take the examination as required results in immediate dismissal from the Doctoral Program.
Plan of Work.
Before completion of one year of full-time residence, the student must have selected a research advisor who agrees to serve in that capacity. The student will then prepare a plan of further coursework. This must receive the approval of the student's advisor and of the graduate committee.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Preliminary Examination.
This is an oral examination designed to test the student's ability to utilize his or her materials science background to carry out research in a chosen field of study, and to make written and oral presentations of their research with clarity. At least 10 days prior to the examination, the candidate should submit a research proposal to the examiners (10-15 pages) that places the research in context and outlines a scenario for its completion.
The oral exam will be evaluated based on three criteria:
Advancement to Candidacy.
After the student has successfully completed all requirements for the degree, other than the dissertation, he or she is eligible to be recommended for advancement for candidacy. This status is conferred by the vice provost for research and graduate studies upon recommendation of the chairperson of the graduate program.
Research.
The most important requirement of the Ph.D. degree is the completion of a dissertation, which must be an original scholarly investigation. The dissertation shall represent a significant contribution to the scientific literature and its quality shall be compatible with the publication standards of appropriate and reputable scholarly journals.
Defense.
The candidate shall defend the dissertation before an examining committee consisting of four members, including the research advisor, two members of the Materials Science and Engineering Department and one member from outside the department. The outside member should hold an earned Ph.D. or equivalent, and have several years experience in research related to that of the candidate's proposal.
Residency.
Two consecutive semesters of full-time study are required.
Time Limit.
All requirements for the Ph.D. degree must be completed within seven years after completing 24 credit hours of graduate courses in the department, exclusive of research credits.
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09/04/98 JQ