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Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering

Program Requirements

The Ph.D. in electrical engineering requires students to complete coursework, qualifying and comprehensive exams, and a research-based dissertation.

Qualifying exams

These exams, which are offered each year, are meant to be taken at the beginning of your Ph.D. program. The exams are designed to identify weaknesses in your electrical engineering background, and they include topics typically covered during the junior and senior year of a bachelor's degree program. Students choose to take three exams out of six areas offered:

1. Electronics and circuits
2. Communication
3. Computer engineering
4. Power systems and machines
5. Systems and controls
6. Electromagnetics

For exam outlines and sample problems, please visit the department's website.

Comprehensive exams

These exams, which are typically taken after you have completed most of your coursework, are designed to assess your ability to to conduct doctoral research in a specific topic. The exams cover advanced topics relevant to your area of specialization as well as topics included on your preliminary research proposal. You will work with your dissertation committee to structure your research proposal and identify topics to include.

You must pass these exams before you can advance to Ph.D. candidacy.