Ph.D. Program

A graduate program leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Engineering is offered by the College of Engineering. The Associate Dean of Engineering for Graduate Studies and Research is the head of the program. Currently, the departments of Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering participate in the program. The general requirements for a Ph.D. in Engineering are the same for all departments. The admission requirements, application procedures, admission to candidacy, degree requirements, and other such details may be found in the graduate catalog (www.tntech.edu/gcat/).

Because the Ph.D. is essentially a research degree, a student admitted to the program is expected to follow a plan of study and research determined in conjunction with the advisory committee. The basic requirements for the degree are listed below.

A minimum of 48 credits of course work and doctoral research and dissertation as follows:

• A minimum of 24 semester credits of course work beyond the master's degree, including a minimum of 12 semester credits of course work at the 7000 level, acceptable to the student's advisory committee, is expected. No 5000-level courses are to be used to meet the minimum requirement of 24 semester hours of coursework.

• The equivalent of 24 semester credits of doctoral research and dissertation, built upon the student's course of study and making a significant contribution to the state of knowledge or to the art of the engineering profession, is required; not more than 9 credits may be earned in a particular semester.

Residence of four semesters beyond the master’s degree, with at least two semesters in continuous residence, is required. All requirements, including the dissertation, must be completed within a period of eight consecutive years.

Maintenance of a minimum quality point average of 3.0 and adherence to the general regulations of the Graduate School are expected.