The doctoral program is aimed at training engineering scientists who will devote their professional careers to the developing of fundamental knowledge and technology from which applications will emerge. These engineering scientists will fill the research positions in government and industrial laboratories, as well as teaching and research positions in universities. A minimum of 42 course credits beyond the bachelor’s degree is required for the doctorate. Exceptional students with a bachelor’s degree may choose to go directly to a doctoral program without first earning a Master’s Degree. Students entering with a Master’s Degree may apply a maximum of 24 graduate course credits from their Master’s Degree program. Doctoral students must have a minimum of 18 credit hours of ENME 899  : Doctoral Dissertation Research, culminating in an acceptable, defensible doctoral dissertation.

All doctoral students must pass a qualifying examination based on a core curriculum. The student is advanced to doctoral candidacy after the completion and successful presentation of a doctoral dissertation proposal (the candidacy exam) to the student’s advisory committee. All doctoral candidates must enroll for a minimum of nine credit hours of ENME 899: Doctoral Dissertation Research in each semester of residence. Doctoral candidates are required to present at least one seminar lecture/talk per year. Presentation of a paper at a technical conference will count as a seminar. See the Mechanical Engineering website (me.umbc.edu) for complete program requirements.