This
section describes procedures for the progress of doctoral students
towards their final degree. These involve time scheduling and exams
to be taken. Note that a Ph.D. candidate (i.e., a student who has
successfully passed the Ph.D.Candidacy Examination) must register
each term (including the Summer term) even if the student
is not on campus.
The
purposes of these procedures are:
- to
encourage the most qualified students to continue in the graduate
ECE program, and to assure their steady progress toward completion
of the Ph.D. degree without imposing onerous burdens,
- to
protect those students who are unlikely to succeed in the program
from pointless investment of time and effort, without denying them
participation in the program to the extent to which they are capable,
- to
help maintain and promote the high quality of the ECE graduate
program.
The
student must complete appropriate forms at each stage of her/his progress
towards the Ph.D. The forms can be downloaded by going to the Graduate
Studies web page.
The
required examinations for the Ph.D are:
- A
Candidacy Exam, consisting of a written specialty part, immediately
followed by the University Oral Exam portion.
- A
Thesis proposal presentation and approval by the Advisory Committee.
- Dissertation
Defense.
Candidacy
Examination
Forms
to be completed for all steps of the Ph.D. process are available by
going to http://www.drexel.edu/provost/graduatestudies/forms.html.
Content:
This
examination is primarily an exploration of the depth of understanding
in the student's specialty area. The student is expected to be mature
and sophisticated in her/his ability to use the tools and techniques
of the field. Consequently the topics questioned may include a wide
range of subjects which constitute the specialty area.
Administration:
The
candidacy examination consists of a written and an oral portion.
- Committee:
For each student, the student's advisor, in consultation with his/her
Curricular group and with the Graduate Committee, appoints an Examination
Committee. The Exam Committee Chairperson must be a member of
the tenure-track faculty of the ECE Department. At least one member of the candidacy examination committee must be a member of the ECE Department Graduate Committee. The advisor
is a member of the student's committee but may not be its Chairperson.
At least one, but no more than two of the committee members must
be from outside the ECE Department. At least two of the committee
members must be from the student's specialty curricular group. The
committee may not be changed without prior notice to the Curricular
group and Graduate Committee . All members of the committee must
be present at the oral portion of the examination.
- The
Committee must be approved by the Graduate Committee. The Graduate
Advisor in consultation with the student's advisor will appoint
the candidacy exam committee after discussions with the Graduate
Committee.
- Exam:
This committee will develop a written exam for the student, consisting
of five questions on three topics selected by the student and advisor
from the topics list below.
The
list of topics appears below. Other topics can also be chosen. (Topics
Under Revision)
The
student can choose two topics from his/her primary area. The third
topic must be from the one of remaining curricular areas. It may also
come from an outside area.
Computer
Engineering
| I. |
computer fundamentals |
| II. |
hardware |
| III. |
architecture |
| IV. |
data communication networks |
| V. |
fault tolerant computing |
Electrophysics
| I. |
microwaves |
| II. |
lightwaves/optics |
| III. |
quantum mechanics/solid state |
| IV. |
semiconductor processing |
| V. |
EM theory/antennas |
| VI. |
solid state devices |
| VII. |
ultrasonic/acoustics |
Telecommunications,
Controls, Image Processing, Signal Processing,
Power Systems
| I. |
system theory (deterministic) |
| II. |
system theory (stochastic) |
| III. |
signal processing |
| IV. |
control systems |
| V. |
communications |
| VI. |
power systems |
The
written exam will be designed to be accomplished within one day.
However, in those rare instances in which the Examination Committee
and the student decide on open ended questions, the student's responses
to the questions will be submitted 36 hours after the student receives
the exam.
The
questions and the student's responses will be disseminated to all
Examination Committee members at least one day before the oral portion
of the exam. Within seven days after the student is given the written
portion of the exam, the oral portion of the examination will be
held. The oral portion of the Ph.D. Candidacy Examination may include
questions about the student's written examination and any questions
the committee members feel need clarification in order to determine
the student's ability to carry through a research project. Note
that a presentation of the research topic is not part of the Candidacy
Examination.
Timeline
for Candidacy Examination
1.
If the students are supported by the department, their TA support
will be discontinued after two years if they have not taken the
candidacy examination. Support will be reinstated upon passing the
candidacy examination.
2.
If the student has not taken the candidacy examination within the
first three year period, the student will be asked to withdraw from
the doctoral program, regardless of whether the student receives support
or not.
3.
Students will be allowed to petition the graduate committee regarding
item (2).
4.
These policies will be effective starting Fall 2002.
Research
Proposal
- Each
student, after having attained the status of Ph.D. Candidate, must
present a Research Proposal to a committee of faculty and industry
members, chosen with her/his advisor, who are knowledgeable in the
specific area of research.
- This
Proposal should outline the specific intended subject of study,
i.e., it should present a problem statement, pertinent background,
methods of study to be employed, expected difficulties and uncertainties,
and the anticipated form, substance and significance of the results.
- The
purpose of this presentation is to verify suitability of the dissertation
topic and the candidate's approach, and to obtain the advice and
guidance of oversight by mature, experienced investigators. It is
not to be construed as an examination, though approval by the committee
is required before extensive work is undertaken.
- The
thesis proposal presentation must be open to all (faculty and students).
Announcements regarding the proposal presentation must be made in
advance.
- The
thesis advisory committee will have the sole responsibility of making
any recommendations regarding the thesis proposal.
- It
is strongly recommended that the proposal presentation be given
immediately after the successful completion of the candidacy examination.
- The
student must be a Ph.D. candidate at least for one year before he/she
can defend his/her doctoral thesis.
- The
advisory committee chair will send a report to the Graduate Advisor
after the presentation.
Final
Oral Examination
Dissertation
Defense procedures are described in the Graduate Bulletin.
The
student must be a Ph. D. candidate at least for one year before he/she
can defend his/her doctoral thesis.
Note
that it is required that the appointment and scheduling of the dissertation
defense (Ph.D. form D-6) must be filed in the Graduate Office at least
4 weeks prior to the scheduled date of the examination.
Curricular
Requirements
- Each
Ph.D. candidate is required to take 6 additional ECE core course
graduate credits in an area other than that in which the candidate
qualified for the M.S.E.E.
- With
the advisor's prior approval, and that of the Assistant Department
Head for Graduate Affairs, appropriate courses from another department
can qualify for application toward the Ph.D requirements in ECE.
Students who earned the M.S. degree outside Drexel should consult
with their Advisors and the Assistant Department Head for Graduate
Affairs for guidance in this matter.
Clearance
for Graduation
At
the beginning of the term in which the student expects to graduate,
she/he must notify the Student Resource Center so that a diploma can be ordered. Filling
out the graduation form initiates the clearance process during which
the graduate office checks that all requirements for the Ph.D. have
been completed.
Occasions
arise when students are permitted to "walk through" graduation
although all requirements are not completed. This can occur only if
the student has successfully defended the dissertation and needs less
than two weeks to get the final version to the library. In all cases,
a student's "walk through" graduation must be specifically
approved by the student's advisor and the graduate advisor, and the
coordinator for Graduate Studies and Research.
Exceptions
Special
cases and considerations not covered in these rules may be brought
before the Graduate Committee of the ECE department.
