The Doctor of Philosophy degree is conferred on the basis of extended study and high scholarly attainment in the field of electrical engineering, computer engineering or computer science. The general requirements for the Ph.D. degree are:

• A minimum of 60 semester credits beyond the M.S. degree or a minimum of 90 semester credits beyond the B.S. degree.
• At least 45 semester credits of graduate-level course work beyond the B.S. degree of which the credit allowance for the masters degree will not exceed 30 semester credit hours.
• No more than 3 semester credits of Independent Study for students with M.S. degree and no more than 15 semester credits of Independent Study for direct admittees with a B.S. degree may be counted toward the Ph.D. course requirement.
• The student must pursue, complete and publish a research study which is demonstrated to be an original contribution to her/his field of study.
• The dissertation must be written and successfully defended publicly before the Ph.D. degree is conferred.
• The student must submit a minimum of 2 journal papers based on the dissertation research. Copies of the official letters of acknowledgments for the submitted papers should be given to the Graduate Director. Every Ph.D. student must register and complete the seminar course EECS 7930 with no more than two excused absences in the course.

It is the responsibility of both the student and faculty advisor to formulate a program of study to meet the objectives and needs of the student and to satisfy requirements for the Ph.D. degree. The student’s program of study should contain both breadth of knowledge and depth of specialization in one of the focus areas outlined earlier. The program of study must be approved by the faculty advisor, advisory committee, the Graduate Program Director, and the Graduate School.

Note: The doctoral program is normally a full-time program throughout both course work and the dissertation. The department does not encourage part-time students in the Ph.D. program.