Graduate Programs

 ADVISORY COMMITTEE

 MASTER DEGREE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

 DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Each graduate student will have a committee whose role is to:

• Assist the student in defining his/her program of study;



• Advise the student on proper procedures;



• Monitor and guide the progress of the student towards timely completion of his/her program;



• Assess and certify the student’s program completion.

Overall responsibility on thesis or project research advisement remains with the Committee Chair and should be administered and/or performed accordingly.

The Graduate Curriculum Development Committee is primarily responsible for:

• Reviewing the graduate curriculum and recommending course additions, deletions, and changes.



• Reviewing and selecting graduate applicants for admission, assistantships or fellowships.



• Preparing graduate program brochures and other informational material.



• Recommending and approving graduate policies, procedures and guidelines.



• Staying abreast of graduate activities, needs and the potential for service on a broad basis in order to better serve the Department, College, University and the State of North Carolina.

MASTER DEGREE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

1. PROGRAM OPTIONS AND CREDIT-HOUR REQUIREMENTS
   
   The Master of Science in Electrical Engineering program consists of three options: (a) Thesis Option, (b) Project Option, and (c) Course Only Option. The Thesis Option requires a minimum of 24 hours of coursework, at least 1 hour of 792, and 6 credit hours of masters thesis 797. The Project Option requires a minimum of 30 hours of coursework, at least 1 hour of 792, and 3 hours of 796. The Course Only Option requires 33 hours of coursework and at least 1 hour of 792. At least 12 credit hours for the thesis option and 15 credit hours for the project and course only options must be at or above the 700 level. A maximum of 6 hours of coursework can be taken outside the department, subject to approval by the student Advisory Committee.



2. SELECTION OF ADVISOR
   
   At the beginning of the program, the student meets with the Graduate Coordinator to obtain information about the Graduate Program. The Graduate Coordinator assists the student for registration and course selection until the student selects a permanent advisor by mutual consent. Students must select a permanent advisor no later than 9 credit hours into the program or by the end of the first semester.



3. THE GRADUATE PLAN OF STUDY FOR THE MASTER DEGREE PROGRAM
   
   Before the completion of 12 credit hours of course work, the student and his/her advisor must establish the Graduate Plan of Study for the student’s master’s program and submit the original with signatures of all members of the Advisory Committee to the Department Office with copies to the Graduate Coordinator, the Graduate School and all committee members. The student must submit the Graduate Plan of Study no later than the completion of 12 credit hours. The Graduate Plan of Study must show the committee chairperson, other committee members, and a chronological list of courses approved by the student’s advisor. A committee member’s signature on the Graduate Plan of Study denotes their approval of the plan for the student’s mater’s program. After approval by the Graduate Coordinator, the Graduate Plan of Study becomes the student’s official guide to completion of his/her master’s degree program.



4. CHANGE OF ADVISOR AND STUDY PLAN
   
   A student may change his/her advisor at any time through a mutual consent. When a student changes his/her advisor, the student must submit a revised Graduate Plan of Study including signatures by the new advisor and all committee members and the consent of the previous advisor. After the submission of a Graduate Plan of Study, a student must resubmit a changed Graduate Study Plan to the Graduate Coordinator indicating that the plan has been “REVISED” and including the signatures of his/her advisor and all committee members.



5. THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
   
   The advisor and the student form the Advisory Committee for the student’s thesis/project before the submission of the Graduate Plan of Study. In general, the student’s committee will have a minimum of three members for the thesis option and two members for the project option. The chair of the Advisory Committee must be a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. It is expected that members of this committee will be selected from faculty who have both the time and the interest to assist the particular student. Only one member of the committee may be selected from outside of the department. A co-advisor may be selected from outside of the department for the student Advisory Committee. A co-advisor is responsible for the student’s research work and financial support in a spirit of cooperation with the main advisor in the department. The main advisor is responsible for advising the overall plan of the student’s degree program. However, a co-advisor from outside of department must apply in writing and be approved by the Graduate Curriculum Development (GCD) Committee in the department.



6. THESIS/PROJECT ORAL EXAMINATION
   
   The student must present his/her thesis/project work to the Advisory Committee for the thesis or project Oral Examination. In order to schedule the thesis/project Oral Examination, the student must submit an Application for Oral Examination including signatures of all members of the Advisory Committee to the departmental office at least two weeks prior to the date of the Oral Examination. This notification must include the date, time and place of the Oral Examination. The student requesting his/her Oral Examination must distribute a copy of the thesis/project to all members of his/her committee two weeks prior to the date of the Oral Examination. The copy of the application form for the Oral Examination, as approved by the Graduate Coordinator, must be sent to the members of the committee to confirm the approval, date and place. If any committee member cannot attend the scheduled Oral Examination, it must be rescheduled. The location of a thesis/project Oral Examination must be on-campus so that the presentation is accessible to faculty, staff and students.



7. SUBMISSION OF THESIS/PROJECT
   
   Upon passing the thesis/project Oral Examination, the student must have the thesis approved by the advisor and the chairman of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. The thesis must be submitted to the Graduate School by the deadline given in the academic calendar, and must conform to the Guide for Preparation of a Thesis, a copy of which may be obtained from the Graduate School. The student’s project report for the project option must be submitted to the departmental office.

DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

1. CREDIT-HOUR REQUIREMENTS
   
   The Ph.D. program in Electrical Engineering is based on the Dissertation Option. This program requires 24 credit hours of coursework. At least 12 credit hours must be at the 800 level. 600 level courses are not counted in the coursework requirement except for courses related to student’s Qualifying Examination. A minimum of 12 credit hours of doctoral dissertation 997, 3 hours of 992, 3 hours of 991 and 3 hours of 995 are required. No more than 6 credit hours at the graduate level in an area outside of electrical engineering may be accepted to satisfy a graduate area concentration. Thus, a total of 45 credit hours are required for the doctoral degree. The student is encouraged to take all courses related to the subjects selected for his/her Qualifying Examination.



2. DISSERTATION RESEARCH
   
   There is no limit to the maximum number of dissertation credits for Ph.D. students. However, no more than 12 dissertation credits are counted toward the 45 credit hours requirement described above. Student can not register the dissertation credits before passing Qualifying Examination.



3. SELECTION OF ADVISOR
   
   At the beginning of the first semester, each student meets with the Graduate Coordinator for the assignment of an advisor in an area of interest to the student. The Graduate Coordinator assists students with registration and course selection until students select a permanent advisor. By the end of the first semester or the first 9 credit hours for each student, a permanent advisor is identified.



4. DOCTORAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
   
   The advisor and the advisee must form the Advisory Committee in the second semester or before the student completes 12 hours of course work. The Advisory Committee for a Ph.D. student consists of a chairperson in the student’s major subject and four other members. The Advisory Committee must include a Graduate School Representative selected from outside of the department in an area not related to the student’s dissertation area. The Graduate School Representative is appointed by the Graduate School for monitoring the fair evaluation of the exams for the student’s degree program. The Graduate School Representative attends the preliminary and final oral examinations, and must sign the reports of the examinations. However, he or she does not participate in directing the student’s technical work. The chair must be selected from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering based on the area of emphasis chosen by the student. More than half of the members must be selected from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Advisory Committee may consist of co-advisor. A co-advisor from outside of the department must apply in writing and be approved by the Graduate Curriculum Development (GCD) Committee in the Department.



5. THE GRADUATE PLAN OF STUDY FOR DOCTORAL PROGRAM
   
   Before the student completes 12 credit hours of course work, the student and his/her advisor establish the Graduate Plan of Study for the student’s doctoral program and submit the original with signatures of all members of the Advisory Committee to the Department Office with copies to the Graduate Coordinator, the Graduate School and all committee members. The Graduate Plan of Study shows the committee chairperson, other committee members, and a chronological list of courses approved by the student’s advisor. A committee member’s signature on the Graduate Plan of Study denotes their approval of the plan for the student’s doctoral program. After approval by the Graduate Coordinator in the department, the Graduate Plan of Study becomes the student’s official guide to completion of his/her doctoral program and the official list of individuals who form the Ph.D. Advisory Committee.



6. RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS
   
   Each Ph.D. student must secure at least two residence credits through registration in continuous semesters at North Carolina A&T State University. Residence credit is determined from the number of semester hours completed during a regular semester according to the following table. Summer registration is not required. However, residence credit for a six-week summer session equals one-half that of a regular semester. For example, completing a three-credit course during a six-week summer session will earn 1/6 of a regular semester residence credit.
   
   

   Semester Credit Hours	Residence Credits
   9 or more	1
   6 - 8	2/3
   less than 6 (including registration for "Dissertation")	1/3




7. CHANGE OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND STUDY PLAN
   
   A student may change his/her advisor at any time through a mutual consent. When a student changes his/her advisor, the student must submit a revised Graduate Plan of Study including signatures by the new advisor and all committee members and the consent of the previous advisor. After the submission of a Graduate Plan of Study, a student must resubmit a changed Graduate Study Plan to the Graduate Coordinator indicating that the plan has been “REVISED” and including the signatures of his/her advisor and all committee members.



8. Ph.D. QUALIFYING EXAMINATION
   
   The purpose of the Qualifying Examination is to identify students who are qualified to work toward the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering by requiring these students to demonstrate basic competence in a broad range of relevant subjects. Students are not expected to engage in research until they have passed their Qualifying Examination.
   
   All students in the doctoral program must take this examination within two years plus one semester of their admission to the Ph.D. program. Only students with unconditional status can apply for the Qualifying Examination. Any students in provisional status can not sit for the Qualifying Examination. A student must be enrolled with a 3.0 GPA or better at the time of the examination. A student must also have the approved Graduate Plan of Study for his/her doctoral program on file with the Graduate School prior to scheduling the exam. The Qualifying Examination is given each regular (Fall and Spring) semester on two successive days during the week before the final exam period. A registration notice will be posted outside the Department Office in the middle of each academic semester. The student must apply for the Qualifying Examination by the posted deadline.
   
   The examination consists of a three-hour written examination for each subject and covers two subjects per day in two consecutive days. At the time of registration, the student declares the track in which he or she will be taking the examination. Each student must select only two subjects in his/her concentration area and two subjects from other areas from the following list:

   Subjects and Its Core Courses for Ph.D. Qualifying Exam

   Questions on the Qualifying Examination are developed based on the contents of the above courses. Thus, each student is encouraged to take all courses related to the subjects selected for his/her Qualifying Examination.
   
   Students must obtain an overall score of at least 80% to pass the examination. A student who has failed the Qualifying Examination one time is given a second chance to retake the Qualifying Examination within a year. A student whose overall score is below 80% must retake the examination. The student who needs to retake the examination can not change any subjects selected in the first attempt. The Graduate Coordinator will notify each examinee of his or her results by letter within three weeks from the date of examination.
   
   A student who wants to retake the Qualifying Examination must apply the Qualifying Examination by the posted deadline. No student is permitted to take the Qualifying Examination more than twice. A student not recommended for re-examination, or who fails the exam on a second attempt is afforded the opportunity to withdraw from the university. A student who chooses not to withdraw will have his or her graduate program terminated upon completing the semester in which the denial or second failure occurs. Also, a student who fails to take the examination or re-examination at the prescribed time is considered to have taken and failed the examination or re-examination.



9. Ph.D. PRELIMINARY ORAL EXAMINATION
   
   After passing the Qualifying Examination, each Ph.D. student must complete a preliminary oral examination conducted by the student's Advisory Committee, which the representative from the Graduate School attends. This is an Oral Examination and defense of the student’s dissertation proposal. Passing this exam allows the Graduate School to enter the student into "Ph.D. Candidacy".
   
   Unanimous approval by the Advisory Committee is required to pass the examination. Approval may be conditioned on satisfactory completion of additional work. In this situation, a student passes the examination when these conditions are met. A student is admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree only upon passing the preliminary examination. Failure of the examination terminates the student's graduate study unless the student's Advisory Committee unanimously recommends re-examination. Only one re-examination is permitted and at least one full semester must elapse before the re-examination.
   
   The examination may be held no earlier than the end (final exam week) of the second year of graduate study and no later than one semester (or four months) prior to the Ph.D. final oral examination. The Preliminary Oral Examination is scheduled at the request of the student and only upon the approval of the student’s Advisory Committee. A student cannot submit a request to schedule an oral examination unless the student's Graduate Plan of Study has been approved by the Graduate Coordinator. The student must be in good academic standing when the request is submitted and when the examination is held.
   
   The student must submit the Application for Oral Examination with the signatures of all members of the Advisory Committee to the Department Office at least two weeks prior to the date of the Preliminary Examination. The application form must include the date, time and place of the preliminary examination. The student requesting his/her oral examination must distribute a copy of the written report to all members of his/her committee two weeks prior to the date of the Preliminary Oral Examination. The copy of the application form for the preliminary examination (approved by the Graduate Coordinator) is sent to the student and the members of the committee to confirm the approval, date and place of the examination. If any committee member can not attend a scheduled preliminary examination, it must be rescheduled.



10. Ph.D. FINAL ORAL EXAMINATION
    
    Each Ph.D. student must pass a Final Oral Examination conducted by the student's Advisory Committee, which a representative from the Graduate School attends. This examination is the final dissertation defense presentation that is scheduled after a dissertation is completed. It consists of the defense of the methodology used and the conclusions reached in the research in the dissertation. Unanimous approval by the Advisory Committee is required for passing an oral examination. Such approval may be conditioned on satisfactory completion of additional work. Failure of the examination terminates the student's graduate study unless the student's Advisory Committee unanimously recommends re-examination. Only one re-examination is permitted.
    
    The examination may be held no earlier than one semester (or four months) after admission to candidacy. The examination must be held on or before the deadline for final oral examinations (see the academic calendar in the Graduate Catalog) if the degree is to be awarded at the end of that semester otherwise, the degree is awarded at the end of the following semester. The examination is scheduled only upon the request of the student and the approval of his or her Advisory Committee. The student must submit the Application for Oral Examination with the signatures of all members of the Advisory Committee to the Department Office at least two weeks prior to the date of the Final Oral Examination. The application form must include the date, time and place of the Final Oral Examination. The dissertation must be completed and copies of it must be distributed to all members of his/her Advisory Committee two weeks prior to the date of the Final Oral Examination. The copy of the application form for the Final Oral Examination (approved by the Graduate Coordinator) is sent to the student and the members of the committee to confirm the approval, date and place of the defense. If any committee member can not attend a scheduled Final Oral Examination, it must be rescheduled.



11. SUBMISSION OF DISSERTATION
    
    Upon passing the Ph.D. Final Oral Examination, each Ph.D. student must have the dissertation approved by each member of the student's Advisory Committee. The dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate School by the deadline given in the academic calendar, and must conform to the Guide for Preparation of Thesis and Dissertations, a copy of which may be obtained from the Department Office.