Mechanical Engineering

Ph.D Degree Requirements and Procedures

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  1. Advisory Committee. During the first year of post-Master's study, the student should select a 2 to 3-person Advisory Committee from the Mechanical Engineering Department. If the committee is not selected by the first month an Advisory Committee will be assigned by the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC). The function of the Advisory Committee is to guide the student's first year of Ph.D. study. The student should meet with his or her supervisor often -- at least once a month -- and with the full Advisory Committee at least once per quarter. Requests to change the membership of the Advisory Committee should be submitted to the GPC no later than the end of the first quarter of study.
  2. Coursework. All new post-Master's students must successfully complete two to three graduate courses per quarter in their first year of study, as approved by the Advisory Committee. Normally this includes a sequence in advanced applied mathematics.
  3. Seminar Requirement. Post-Master's students will register for the Mechanical Engineering seminar (ME 520), in the Autumn Quarter of their matriculation year. Otherwise, students are encouraged to register for engineering seminar courses offered by other U of W engineering programs, i.e. ME 518 (PEMM), ME 523 (Energy/Environment-see Prof. Malte for approval), ME 591 (Controls), AMATH 501, INDE 591 /592 /593, MSE 520. Seminar must be taken on a quarterly basis throughout the entire Ph.D. program. If you chose to register for ME 520 after your Autumn Quarter matriculation year, you must submit summaries for five research-based seminars you have attended to the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) in the Graduate Advising Office by the last day of instruction for each quarter.
  4. Research. Post-Master's students must conduct initial research in their first year of study under the direction of the Advisory Committee. This requirement applies even if the student holds a teaching assistantship.
  5. Qualifying Exam.
    1. When to take it. Every full-time student in the Department's PhD program is required to take he examination within one calendar after his or her entry into the program. Thus, a student entering in the autumn would be expected to take the examination during the following spring quarter. A student who has not passed the examination within one and one-half years after his or her entry into the program will be asked to withdraw from the program. The examination is given twice yearly, during the latter parts of the autumn and spring quarters, normally during months of November and May. An applicant who intends to take the examination is required to notify the Graduate Program Coordinator, by email, of his or her intent to do so, by the last day of the first week of the quarter in which he or she is taking the examination. The student must also at this time declare one interest area from among the following:
      - Energy and Fluids
      - Systems and Dynamics
      - Mechanics, Materials & Manufacturing
    2. Examination Format. Written Component. The written component consists of a mathematics section and an engineering section. The mathematics section of the examination will last two hours. The engineering section will last four hours and will consist of a set of questions representing the four areas mentioned above. The set of questions will be equally distributed among the four areas, and the student selects one-half of this set for their written response. The open or closed book status of the written component will be decided by the examining faculty who will notify the students as to their decision two weeks prior to the written component of the examination.

      Oral Component. The oral component consists of questions related to the student's chosen interest area. The oral component is given to each student individually, by appointment, and is taken in the week following the written examination. It will be given by two faculty members and will last nominally one hour.
    3. After the Examination. Following the completion of the Qualifying Exam, the ME Department Faculty will review the results of the Exam, and the student's progress in course work and research. Those students whom the Committee believes have the potential to succeed as Ph.D. students and perform scholarly study and research will be asked to continue in the program. Others will be asked to retake the exam, or to withdraw from the program. Those students asked to retake the exam must pass the exam within one and one-half calendar years of entering the program and receive approval to continue.
    Please note: Good performance on the Qualifying Exam, while important, is not sufficient for continuation in the Ph.D. program. The student must also have demonstrated potential for scholarly study and research.