Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - PHD

Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science – PH7267

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
1 Ohio University
Stocker Center 329
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740.593.1568
eecs@ohio.edu

Delivery Mode: Athens Campus

Terms of Entry: Fall, Spring

Terms of Entry Requiring Program Permission: Summer

Program Overview

Our mission is to educate electrical engineering and computer science professionals to become leaders in industry, government, and university positions, who are committed to the highest standards of professional ethics, lifelong learning, and improving the human condition.

This program leads to a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Research in the EE areas of avionics and navigation, communications and signal processing, controls, computer engineering, computer architecture, networking, electromagnetics, opto- and nano-electronics, industrial controls, and analog and digital circuits, and in CS areas of algorithm design, theory of computation, software verification and certification, security, programming languages, computer networking, artificial intelligence, robotics, bioinformatics, visualization, and image processing. The program consists of required coursework, and a three-part comprehensive examination consisting of a written exam, oral exam, and Ph.D. dissertation proposal defense, followed by approximately 2 years of research, and successful defense of the Ph.D. dissertation.

This is a full time program. Normative time to completion is 3 years beyond the M.S. degree, or 5 years beyond the B.S. degree.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will, by the time of graduation, contribute significantly to the discipline (either EE or CS) as evidenced by publications in refereed conference and journals in the discipline.
Students will, by the time of graduation, have an advanced knowledge of both mathematics and of the discipline so that they continue to contribute significantly to their discipline after graduation.

Opportunities for Graduates: Students with a Ph.D. degree in EECS are generally given more responsibility than those with master’s degrees in industrial and government settings. Doctoral degree holders typically supervise teams and manage projects, and may also work in research and development, supervising other degreed engineers. The doctoral degree is also required for most academic careers.

Further Information

Link to Program: https://www.ohio.edu/engineering/eecs/academics/graduate/phd

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Ph.D. program is considered for applicants who either currently hold an M.S. degree or those who seek direct entry to the Ph.D. program with a B.S. degree.

Normally, an M.S. and/or B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science is expected. Those with an M.S. and/or B.S. degree in a related field will be considered. In all cases, excellent academic performance at the M.S. and/or B.S. level is expected. The applicant’s background should reflect an ability to carry out independent supervised research.

Students with degrees from programs that are not accredited by the ABET engineering or computing commissions must submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test. For applicants whose native language is not English, scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are also required. Three letters of recommendations from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic abilities are required. Admission and support (tuition scholarships, research and teaching assistantships) are competitive. Letters of recommendation, undergraduate transcripts, grade point average (GPA), GRE and TOEFL scores are all considered when determining admission and financial support.

International Students

This program permits full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 may be issued based on admission to this program.

Graduation Requirements

The EECS doctorate requires a minimum of 90 credit hours, including any hours credited from prior graduate work. The Program of Study must be approved by the student’s dissertation advisor, and will minimally include the following requirements:

Coursework Requirements - Ph.D. with M.S.

Students entering the Ph.D. program with an earned M.S. in a corresponding field must complete coursework as described below.

Required Courses

ET 6020 - Technical Writing Seminar
EE 6981 - Graduate Research Seminar
Students must complete a minimum of 2 hours of EE 6981 (over two semesters) and must present dissertation research to the seminar at least once.

Other Coursework Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 15 hours or formal coursework at the 6000-level or higher. Independent Study or other informal coursework will not count toward this requirement.
At least 9 hours of coursework must be in EE and/or CS at the 6000-level or higher.
At least 3 hours of formal coursework must be in mathematics or the natural sciences at the 6000-level or higher; exceptions must be pre-approved by the examining committee.
The coursework must be arranged so that the major emphasis is in a single area of EECS (namely, the student’s chosen area of specialization).
All coursework to be applied to the Ph.D. degree requirements must be approved by the EECS faculty members on the student’s examining committee and the Chair of the EECS GRADUATE COMMITTEE.
Additional coursework may be required in cases where the student’s background is found to be insufficient. The need for additional coursework will be assessed by the examining committee. Independent Study or other informal coursework will not count toward the required 15 credit hours.

Coursework Requirements - Ph.D. with B.S.

Students entering the Ph.D. program with an earned B.S. but no M.S. must complete coursework as described below.

Required Courses

ET 6020 - Technical Writing Seminar
EE 6981 - Graduate Research Seminar
Students must complete a minimum of 3 hours of EE 6981 (over three semesters) and must present dissertation research to the seminar at least once.

Other Coursework Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 30 hours of formal coursework.
No more than 3 hours of Independent Study or other informal coursework may count toward this requirement.
At least 18 hours of coursework at the 6000-level or higher is required, of which at least 12 hours must be in EE and/or CS and at least 3 hours must be in mathematics or the natural sciences. Exceptions must be pre-approved by the examining committee.
At least 18 hours of formal coursework must be in EE and/or CS.
Students must complete two EE and/or CS courses outside their approved area of specialization. The remaining coursework must be arranged so that the major emphasis is in the area of specialization.
All coursework to be applied to the Ph.D. degree requirements must be approved by the EECS faculty members on the student’s examining committee and the Chair of the EECS GRADUATE COMMITTEE.
Additional coursework may be required in cases where the student’s background is found to be insufficient. The need for additional coursework will be assessed by the examining committee. Independent Study or other informal coursework will not count toward the required 15 credit hours.

Standard of Work

No credit hours below a grade of B may be counted toward the Ph.D. program requirements. More than 6 semester hours below a grade of B will automatically drop the student from the program. The student must maintain a 3.0/4.0 grade point average to remain in the program. Students failing to maintain a 3.0/4.0 grade point average may petition the EECS GRADUATE COMMITTEE to remain in the program for one additional semester, during which the student’s grade point average must be corrected to at least 3.0/4.0. Only one such petition is allowed during the degree program.

Other Requirements

Comprehensive Examination

A three-part (Part A, written, Part B, oral, Part C, research proposal) comprehensive examination must be passed. This is taken with the dissertation advisor’s approval and Part A must be attempted within one (1) semester after completing the formal coursework listed on the student’s approved Program of Study. Exceptions must be approved in advance by the EECS Graduate Committee. Part B must be taken within 6 months of passing Part A; Part C must be completed within one year of passing Part B.

Candidacy

After passing parts A and B of the comprehensive examination, and having had a research proposal accepted by his or her dissertation advisor and the examining committee (Part C), the student is admitted to candidacy.

Dissertation

An acceptable dissertation must be submitted, and this should be equivalent to a minimum of two calendar years of full-time independent research. A minimum of 54 semester hours of EE 8950 (Dissertation) is required. The dissertation must be based on research performed by the student and for which the student has had at least two (2) refereed articles published or accepted for publication. Articles which have been accepted, subject to major revisions, are not to be considered until the revisions have been submitted and approved. The student’s examining committee will decide which publications are acceptable. The articles may be co-authored, but the student must be a primary author. Exceptions to this must be approved (prior to the scheduling of the dissertation defense) by the examining committee and the EECS GRADUATE COMMITTEE.

Dissertation Defense

The candidate must pass an oral examination on his or her dissertation. The dissertation must be submitted to the examining committee at least four weeks prior to the scheduled defense date. Any member of the examining committee, after scrutinizing the dissertation, may request a postponement of the defense. Students scheduling their dissertation defense earlier than one calendar year after the approval of the research proposal must obtain the prior approval of the EECS GRADUATE COMMITTEE. The minimum amount of time to be reserved for the dissertation defense is three hours.

Culminating Experience

Students must complete a Ph.D. dissertation and successfully defend it.