OVERVIEW
OBJECTIVES
STRUCTURE & REQUIREMENTS
OVERVIEW
The Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering (Ph.D. in Engineering) degree is awarded to candidates who successfully complete the taught courses and research components of the program. The students are required to complete a program of advanced courses in engineering. They are also required to carry out an independent investigation of a specialized area in engineering. Candidates for this degree are supervised by experienced researchers and are expected to demonstrate initiative in their approach and innovation in their work. The Ph.D. Candidates prepare and present a thesis on their chosen area. Research may be undertaken in a variety of topics corresponding to the areas of focus identified by the University.
A candidate applying to the program may opt to apply for a Ph.D. in Engineering with concentration in one of the engineering areas listed below or for an interdisciplinary/ multidisciplinary Ph.D. in Engineering (i.e., with no one concentration):
OBJECTIVES
Program Educational Objectives (PEOs) are broad statements that describe the career and professional accomplishments that graduates are expected to attain within few years of graduation. The PhD in engineering program aims to produce graduates with the disciplinary preparation and ability to:
- Synthesize scientific and technical engineering knowledge to identify, formulate and solve research challenges, and effectively disseminate the results to a variety of audiences.
- Work across multiple disciplines and develop their individual academic, professional and career focus.
- Keep abreast of the latest advances in science and engineering that contribute to the advancement of knowledge for the benefit of society.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) are comprehensive, broad statements pertinent to the knowledge, skills and aspects of competence that a learner is expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. Students graduating with a PhD in Engineering will have the ability to:
-
- Demonstrate appropriate breadth and depth of knowledge that is at the frontier of their disciplines and areas of specialization.
- Conduct and defend original independent research that results in significant contributions to knowledge in the field and leads to publishable quality scholarly articles.
- Understand and value diverse methodologies and techniques for solving critical problems in research.
- Verify, justify and evaluate the various aspects of the solution to a complex engineering problem.
- Communicate effectively and professionally, in written and oral forms, the major tenets of their field and their work to a variety of audiences.
- Demonstrate a commitment to ethical behavior in research and professional activities.
- Contribute effectively in multidisciplinary collaborative environments.
STRUCTURE & REQUIREMENTS
The structure and requirements for the PhD in Engineering program for candidates with a Master’s degree and those with only a Bachelor’s degree are detailed below.
Candidates with a Master’s Degree
Overall Program Structure
The PhD ENGR consists of a minimum 60 credit hours, distributed as follows: 3 credit hours of Program Core courses, 21 credit hours of Program Technical Elective courses, 36 credit hours of Dissertation research and two zero credit PhD Research Seminar courses. The technical background of the student will be assessed by a Written Qualifying Examination (WQE), followed by a Research Proposal Examination (RPE) which the student must successfully complete in order to progress further in the program. The components of the PhD program are summarized in the table below.
| Program Component |
Credit Hours |
| Research Methods in Engineering |
3 |
| PhD Research Seminar I |
0 |
| PhD Research Seminar II |
0 |
| Written Qualifying Examination (WQE) |
0 |
| Research Proposal Examination (RPE) |
0 |
| Program Electives |
21 |
| PhD Research Dissertation |
36 |
| Total |
60 |
Program Requirements
Students seeking the degree of PhD in Engineering must successfully complete a minimum 60 credit hours as specified in the program requirements detailed below, with a minimum CGPA of 3.0. Course selection should be made in consultation with the student’s Main Advisor and must be aligned to the chosen area(s) of research. All courses have a credit rating of three credits each, except the PhD Research Seminar, Written Qualifying Exam, Research Proposal Exam, and the PhD Dissertation.
Program Core (3 credit hours)
Students must complete the core courses listed below.
Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Engineering |
3 |
|
PhD Research Seminar I |
0 |
|
PhD Research Seminar II |
0 |
|
PhD Written Qualifing Examination |
0 |
|
PhD Research Proposal Examination |
0 |
Program Electives and Concentrations (21 credit hours)
Students must complete a minimum of seven technical elective courses from the list below. At least two of these electives (6 credit hours) must be PhD level courses with a substantial mathematical component, as outlined in the ‘Mathematics Requirements’ section above.
Subject to the approval of the dissertation Main Advisor, up to two elective courses (6 credit hours) can be taken from relevant MSc programs in the College of Engineering at KU to help the student bridge a knowledge gap that will support his/her research. The student must not have taken the same or similar MSc level courses to satisfy the requirements of his/her Master’s degree. A copy of the student’s MSc transcript must be provided when a request is made to take MSc level courses.
Students wishing to complete a PhD in Engineering with a concentration in a given area, must select at least four (12 credit hours) of the seven technical elective courses from one of the groups listed below. All selected concentration courses must be at PhD level. The concentration will be noted on the student’s diploma and official transcript provided that the student fulfills the following requirements:
- Complete a minimum of four PhD level courses (12 credit hours) from the same concentration; and
- Complete a PhD research dissertation within the domain of the concentration.
The PhD elective courses are listed below under the various engineering concentration fields supported by the program. Students must take into account the above points when choosing their electives.
Computer and Information Engineering
|
Theme
|
Code
|
Course Title
|
|
Computing Systems
|
CCEN 733
|
High Speed Computer Arithmetic
|
|
|
CCEN 734
|
Advanced Computer Architecture
|
|
|
CCEN 715
|
Memory Centric Computing for AI
|
|
|
COSC-CCEN 738
|
High Performance Computing
|
|
|
CCEN 711
|
Energy Harvesting for Electronic Systems.
|
|
Optimization and Security
|
CCEN 745
|
Convex Optimization and Reinforcement Learning for Engineering Applications
|
|
|
CCEN 746
|
Blockchain Applications, Design, and Systems
|
|
|
COSC-CCEN 737
|
Network and Cyber Physical Systems Security
|
|
Communications and Networks
|
CCEN 741
|
Advanced Digital Communications
|
|
|
CCEN 742
|
Advanced Concepts in Stochastic Processes, Detection, and Estimation Theory
|
|
|
CCEN 743
|
Broadband Communication Systems
|
|
|
CCEN 744
|
Optical Wireless Communication System
|
|
|
CCEN 747
|
Native AI for Networks
|
PhD Research Dissertation (minimum 36 credit hours)
Students must complete a PhD Research Dissertation that involves novel, creative, research-oriented work under the direct supervision of at least one full-time faculty advisor from the College of Engineering, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor. The Main Advisor of a student who opts for a PhD with a concentration must be a faculty member in the Department offering that particular concentration. The outcome of research should demonstrate the synthesis of information into knowledge in a form that may be used by others. The research findings must be documented in a formal Dissertation and defended successfully in a viva voce examination. Furthermore, the research must lead to publishable quality scholarly journal articles.
Dissertation
|
PhD Research Dissertation |
48 |
Candidates with a Bachelor’s Degree
Overall Program Structure
The PhD ENGR consists of a minimum 72 credit hours, distributed as follows: 12 credit hours of Program Core courses, 24 credit hours of Program Technical Elective courses, 36 credit hours of Dissertation research and two zero credit PhD Research Seminar courses. The technical background of the student will be assessed by a Written Qualifying Examination (WQE), followed by a Research Proposal Examination (RPE) which the student must successfully complete in order to progress further in the program. The components of the PhD program are summarized in the table below.
| Category |
Credit Hours |
| Core Courses |
12 |
| Technical Electives |
24 |
| PhD Research Seminar I |
0 |
| PhD Research Seminar II |
0 |
| PhD Written Qualifying Exam |
0 |
| PhD Research Proposal Exam |
0 |
| PhD Research Dissertation |
36 |
| Total |
72 |
All the courses that the students will take are at PhD level. The students will only be able to attempt PhD Written Qualifying Exam (WQE) after successfully completing a minimum of 27 credits of formal coursework.
Program Requirements
Students seeking the degree of PhD in Engineering must successfully complete a minimum 72 credit hours as specified in the program requirements detailed below, with a minimum CGPA of 3.0. Course selection should be made in consultation with the student’s Main Advisor and must be aligned to the chosen area(s) of research. All courses have a credit rating of three credits each, except the PhD Research Seminar, Written Qualifying Exam, Research Proposal Exam, and the PhD Dissertation.
Program Core (12 credit hours)
Students must complete the core courses listed below.
Aerospace Engineering – Core Courses
Concentration Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Engineering |
3
|
|
Advanced Aerodynamics |
3
|
|
Adv Aerospace Materials & Stru |
3
|
|
Advanced Flight Mechanics |
3
|
|
Adv Space Systems Engineering |
3
|
Biomedical Engineering – Core Courses
Concentration Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Engineering |
3
|
|
Adv Multivariate Data Analysis |
3
|
|
Advanced Physiological Systems |
3
|
|
Biophysical Engineering of Cellular Systems |
3
|
|
Computational Systems Biology of Cancer |
3
|
Chemical Engineering – Core Courses
Concentration Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Engineering |
3
|
|
Adv Math Methods in Chem Eng |
3
|
|
Adv Chem Eng Thermodynamics |
3
|
|
Adv Chemical Reaction Engineer |
3
|
Civil Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering – Core Courses
Concentration Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Engineering |
3
|
|
Adv Soil-Structure Interaction |
3
|
|
Advanced Building Construction |
3
|
|
Adv Transportation Systems |
3
|
Electrical and Computer Engineering – Core Courses
Concentration Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Engineering |
3
|
|
Algorithm Design Techniques |
3
|
|
Linear Systems |
3
|
|
Power System Analysis |
3
|
|
Digital Signal Processing |
3
|
|
Digital ASIC Design |
3
|
|
Integrated Microelectronic Dev |
3
|
|
Deep Learning Systems Design |
3
|
|
Advanced Computer Networks |
3
|
Engineering Systems and Management – Core Courses
Concentration Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Engineering |
3
|
|
Advanced Cost Engineering |
3
|
|
Optimization for Eng Systems |
3
|
|
Business Analytics for Eng Sys |
3
|
Material Science and Engineering – Core Courses
Concentration Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Engineering |
3
|
|
Adv Thermodyn & Thermostat Mat |
3
|
|
Elec,Opt & Magnetic Prop Mater |
3
|
|
Adv Phys of Solid-State Apps |
3
|
|
Phenomenological & Atomistic K |
3
|
Mechanical Engineering – Core Courses
Concentration Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Engineering |
3
|
|
Adv Dynamics and Applications |
3
|
|
Advanced Control System |
3
|
|
Adv Mechanics of Solid Materia |
3
|
|
Adv Fluid Mech of Incompressib |
3
|
Nuclear Engineering – Core Courses
Concentration Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Engineering |
3
|
|
Adv Therm Hydraulics in NUCE |
3
|
|
Adv Nuc Mats,Struc Integ& Chem |
3
|
|
Nuclear Reactor Theory |
3
|
Petroleum Engineering – Core Courses
Concentration Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Engineering |
3
|
|
Well Pressure Transient Analys |
3
|
|
Adv Character & Reservoir Eng |
3
|
|
Adv Well Performance Evaluatio |
3
|
Robotics – Core Courses
Concentration Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Engineering |
3
|
|
Digital Signal Processing |
3
|
|
Deep Learning Systems Design |
3
|
|
Advanced Control System |
3
|
Program Electives and Concentrations (24 credit hours)
Students must complete a minimum of eight technical elective courses from the list below. At least two of these electives (6 credit hours) must be PhD level courses with a substantial mathematical component, as outlined in the ‘Mathematics Requirements’ section above.
Students wishing to complete a PhD in Engineering with a concentration in a given area, must select at least four (12 credit hours) of the eight technical elective courses from one of the groups listed below. All selected concentration courses must be at PhD level. The concentration will be noted on the student’s diploma and official transcript provided that the student fulfills the following requirements:
- Complete a minimum of four PhD level courses (12 credit hours) from the same concentration; and
- Complete a PhD research dissertation within the domain of the concentration.
The PhD elective courses are listed below under the various engineering concentration fields supported by the program. Students must take into account the above points when choosing their electives.
Aerospace Engineering
Concentration Field Courses
|
Nonlinear Structural Dynamics |
4
|
|
Advanced Composite Materials and Structures |
3
|
|
Numerical Methods in Aerofluids |
4
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Fracture Mechanics and Fatigue |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
| / |
Fracture Mechanics and Fatigue |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Damage Mechanics of Solids and Structures |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Damage Mechanics of Solids and Structures |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Advanced Combustion |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
| / |
Advanced Combustion |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Advanced Process Dynamics and Control |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Advanced Process Dynamics and Control |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Optimal Control |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Optimal Control |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Advanced Orbit Design for Planetary Missions |
3
|
|
Selected Topics in Aerospace Engineering |
4
|
Biomedical Engineering
Concentration Field Courses
|
Biomolecular and Cellular Engineering |
3
|
|
Rehabilitation and Augmentation of Human Movement |
3
|
|
Advanced Physiological Systems |
3
|
|
Medical Device Innovation |
3
|
|
Computational Systems Biology of Cancer |
3
|
|
Selected Topics in Biomedical Engineering |
4
|
Chemical Engineering
Concentration Field Courses
|
Sustainable Desalination Processes |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Sustainable Desalination Processes |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Applied nanotechnology |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Membrane Technology |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Membrane Technology |
3
|
|
Phase Equilibria |
3
|
|
Kinetics and Mechanisms |
3
|
|
Physical and Chemical Treatment of Waters |
3
|
|
Biological Wastewater Treatment |
3
|
|
Modelling and Engineering of Microbial Environmental Bioprocesses |
3
|
|
Experimental Techniques and Instrumentation |
3
|
|
Electrochemical Engineering |
3
|
|
Multicomponent Mass Transfer |
3
|
|
Molecular Thermodynamics |
3
|
|
Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics |
3
|
|
Computational Fluid Dynamics for Chemical Engineers |
3
|
|
Heterogeneous Catalysis |
3
|
|
Dynamic Behavior of Process Systems |
3
|
|
Selected Topics in Chemical Engineering |
3
|
Civil Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering
Concentration Field Courses
|
Groundwater Hydrology |
3
|
|
Environmental Remote Sensing and Satellite Image Processing |
3
|
|
Remediation Engineering |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Sustainable Desalination Processes |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Sustainable Desalination Processes |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Membrane Technology |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Membrane Technology |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Advanced Topics in Applied Environmental Chemistry |
3
|
|
Climate Dynamics |
3
|
|
Nanotechnology in Water Purification |
3
|
|
Aquatic Chemistry |
3
|
|
Solid and Hazardous Waste Management |
3
|
|
Public Transit Operations and Planning |
3
|
|
Non-Linear Mechanics of Construction Materials |
3
|
|
Non-Linear FE Analysis of Civil Engineering Structures |
3
|
|
Geotechnical Natural Hazards Mitigation |
3
|
|
Chemo-mechanical Modelling & Design of Flexible Pavements |
3
|
|
Construction Procurement Management |
3
|
|
Productivity Improvement in Construction |
3
|
|
Advanced Building Information Modeling |
3
|
|
Selected Topics in Civil Infrastructural and Environmental Engineering |
3
|
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Concentration Field Courses
|
Power System Modelling and Control |
3
|
|
Embedded Generation Operation and Control |
3
|
|
Power Quality and FACTS Devices |
3
|
|
Analysis of Power Systems Over-voltages and Transients |
3
|
|
Advanced Power System Grounding and Safety |
3
|
|
Application of Heuristic Optimization Techniques to Power Systems |
3
|
|
Analog Mixed Signal Design Techniques |
3
|
|
Numerical Simulation of Circuits and Systems |
3
|
|
High Speed Communication Circuits |
3
|
|
Distributed Computing |
3
|
|
Machine Learning and Applicatications |
3
|
|
High Speed Computer Arithmetic |
3
|
|
Advanced Computer Architecture |
3
|
|
Advanced Computer Vision Paradigms |
3
|
|
Advanced Topics LoT and Blockchain |
3
|
|
Network and Information Security |
3
|
|
High Performance Computing |
3
|
|
Advanced Digital Communications |
3
|
|
Advanced Concepts in Stochastic Processes, Detection, and Estimation Theory |
3
|
|
Broadband Communication Systems |
3
|
|
Optical Wireless Communication System |
3
|
|
Discontinuous Control Systems |
3
|
|
Nonlinear Control |
3
|
|
Computational Prototyping of Dynamical Systems |
3
|
|
Computational Prototyping of Partial Differential Equations |
3
|
|
Cognitive Robotics |
4
|
|
Robotic Perception |
4
|
|
Voltage Source Converters |
3
|
|
Advanced Integrated Circuits Technology |
3
|
|
Advanced Microsystem Design |
3
|
|
Photonic Materials and Metamaterials Design for Engineers |
3
|
|
Advanced Photonic Integrated Circuits |
3
|
|
Physics and Manufacturability of Advanced Micro and Nano Devices |
3
|
|
The Physics of Solar Cells |
3
|
|
Selected Topics in Electrical and Computer Engineering |
4
|
Engineering Systems and Management
Concentration Field Courses
|
Advanced Systems Optimization |
3
|
|
Times Series Analysis Modeling and Prediction |
3
|
|
Advanced Business Analytics |
3
|
|
Advanced Production and Operations Management |
3
|
|
Stochastic Processes and Applications |
3
|
|
Technology strategy |
3
|
|
Complex Network Analysis |
3
|
|
Sustainable Development: Theory & Policy |
3
|
|
Advanced Modeling for Energy Planning |
3
|
|
Energy Economics, Finance and Policy |
3
|
|
Engineering for Energy and Poverty Solutions |
3
|
|
Advanced Urbanism: Urban Design Ideals and Action |
3
|
|
Modeling Urban Systems Energy Flow |
3
|
|
Selected Topics in Engineering Systems and Management |
3
|
Material Science and Engineering
Concentration Field Courses
|
Electrochemical Processes and Devices |
3
|
|
Advanced Solid State Physics |
3
|
|
Imaging of Materials: Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-ray Microanalysis |
3
|
|
Advanced Imaging of Materials: Transmission Electron Microscopy |
3
|
|
Science and Engineering of Thin Films, Surfaces and Interfaces |
3
|
|
Advances in Investigation of Intermolecular and Surface Forces |
3
|
|
HighEfficiency Silicon Solar Cells: Designs and Technologies |
3
|
|
Thin Film Solar Cells: From Design to Applications |
3
|
|
Selected Topics in Materials Science and Engineering |
3
|
Mechanical Engineering
Concentration Field Courses
| / |
Fracture Mechanics and Fatigue |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Fracture Mechanics and Fatigue |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Damage Mechanics of Solids and Structures |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Damage Mechanics of Solids and Structures |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Linear and Nonlinear Finite Element Methods |
3
|
|
Computational Inelasticity |
3
|
| / |
Micromechanics of Materials |
3
|
|
Theory of Plasticity |
3
|
|
Computational Fluid Mechanics |
3
|
|
Non-Newtonian Fluid Dynamics |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
| / |
Advanced Combustion |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Advanced Combustion |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Advanced Modeling of Cooling Systems |
3
|
|
Multiphase Flow in Porous Media |
3
|
|
Advanced Conduction and Radiation Heat Transfer |
3
|
|
Advanced Convection Heat Transfer |
3
|
|
Micro-Nano Energy Transport |
3
|
|
Interfacial Transport and Phase Change Heat Transfer |
3
|
|
Concentrated Solar Power and Thermal Energy Storage |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Advanced Process Dynamics and Control |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Advanced Process Dynamics and Control |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Analysis and Simulation of Mechatronics Systems |
3
|
|
Theory and design of digital control systems |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Optimal Control |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Optimal Control |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Acoustics and Noise Control |
3
|
|
MEMS Theory and Applications |
3
|
|
Materials Selection in Mechanical Design |
3
|
|
Materials Characterization Techniques |
3
|
|
Inference and Estimation from Models and Data |
3
|
|
Advanced Nanomaterials and Their Mechanical Applications |
3
|
|
Selected Topics in Mechanical Engineering |
3
|
Nuclear Engineering
Concentration Field Courses
|
Advanced Computational Methods of Particle Transport |
3
|
|
Nuclear Systems and Materials/Accident analysis |
3
|
|
Aging Management of Nuclear Materials |
3
|
|
The Reactor Core Design Analysis for light water reactors |
3
|
|
Nuclear Criticality Safety Assessment |
3
|
|
Selected Topics in Nuclear Engineering |
3
|
Petroleum Engineering
Concentration Field Courses
|
Stimulation of Conventional and Unconventional Reservoirs |
3
|
|
Fluid Flow and Transport Processes in Porous Media |
3
|
|
Hybrid Enhanced Oil Recovery |
3
|
|
Miscible Gas Flooding |
3
|
|
Emerging Well Construction Technology |
3
|
|
Horizontal and Multilateral Drilling and Completion |
3
|
|
Characterization and Modelling of Unconventional Reservoirs |
3
|
|
Simulation of Naturally Fractured Reservoirs |
3
|
|
Selected Topics in Petroleum Engineering |
3
|
Robotics
Concentration Field Courses
|
Machine Learning and Applicatications |
3
|
|
Advanced Computer Vision Paradigms |
3
|
|
Cognitive Robotics |
4
|
|
Robotic Perception |
4
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Advanced Process Dynamics and Control |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Advanced Process Dynamics and Control |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Analysis and Simulation of Mechatronics Systems |
3
|
|
Theory and design of digital control systems |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Optimal Control |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Optimal Control |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Acoustics and Noise Control |
3
|
|
|
Ìý |
|
|
Control of Robotic Systems |
3
|
|
|
Or |
|
|
Control of Robotic Systems |
3
|
PhD Research Dissertation (minimum 36 credit hours)
Students must complete a PhD Research Dissertation that involves novel, creative, research-oriented work under the direct supervision of at least one full-time faculty advisor from the College of Engineering, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor. The Main Advisor of a student who opts for a PhD with a concentration must be a faculty member in the Department offering that particular concentration. The outcome of research should demonstrate the synthesis of information into knowledge in a form that may be used by others. The research findings must be documented in a formal Dissertation and defended successfully in a viva voce examination. Furthermore, the research must lead to publishable quality scholarly journal articles.
Dissertation
|
PhD Research Dissertation |
48
|
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