Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Graduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Electrical Engineering, Ph.D.


Students must select a dissertation advisor and a dissertation preliminary examination committee. A student must present and defend the dissertation proposal to the committee. The committee examines the student orally on the proposal and the research area(s) to assess the student’s ability to complete the proposed research. Each full-time student must pass the preliminary exam within one-and-a-half (1.5) years after passing the comps to remain in the Ph.D. program, and part-time students will be given two-and-a-half (2.5) years to pass the preliminary examination. Check the ENEE Graduate Program website for updates to this requirement.

Course Requirements


Students should take at least five courses from the courses listed under Groups A and B, and at least two of these courses should be from Group A.

Grade Requirements


Students must receive a grade of B or better in two of the Group A courses and achieve an average grade of ‘B’ or better (equivalently, a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better) across all courses. Grades with “+” and “-” are possible for graduate courses.

PhD Comprehensive Portfolio


The ENEE PhD Comprehensive Portfolio consists of three (3) components: (a) GPA performance on the required courses, (b) the Research Activity Report (RAR), and (c) two (2) faculty support letters. See the ENEE Graduate Program website at https://www.csee.umbc.edu/graduate/electrical-engineering-m-s-ph-d/ for details on the ENEE PhD Comprehensive Portfolio policy.

Preliminary Examination (Prelim)


Students must select a dissertation advisor and a dissertation preliminary examination committee, and they must pass a two-part preliminary examination. Students will present and defend their dissertation proposal to the preliminary committee. The committee examines the students orally on their proposal and research area(s) to assess their ability to complete the proposed research. Each full-time student must pass the preliminary exam within one-and-a-half (1.5) years after passing the comps to remain in the Ph.D. program, and part-time students will be given two-and-a-half (2.5) years to pass the preliminary examination. Check the ENEE Graduate Program website for updates to this requirement.

Ph.D. Candidacy


After passing the preliminary exam and completing the course requirements, the Graduate Program Committee recommends to the Graduate School that the student be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy.

Dissertation Research


The student conducts and reports (dissertation) on a significant original research topic under the guidance of their dissertation advisor. The doctoral dissertation must be an original and substantive contribution to knowledge in the student’s major field. It must demonstrate the student’s ability to: (a) conduct a program of research and (b) report the results in accordance with standards observed in the recognized scientific journals related to that field. This research must be completed and defended within four (4) years of admission to candidacy. Students must be admitted to candidacy at least two full sequential semesters before the date on which the doctoral degree is to be conferred. Doctoral candidates take at least eighteen (18) dissertation credits (ENEE 899 ). The Ph.D. dissertation committee must include four (4) graduate faculty members from the CSEE department and one external member.