PhD Program Graduate Prospective Students

Doctoral Program Profile

A minimum of 72 credit hours, or the equivalent, beyond the baccalaureate degree must be spent in graduate study at the University of Kansas (or transferred from an approved university) in order to complete requirements for the Ph.D. degree. This normally requires three years beyond the MS.

A minimum grade point average of 3.5/4.0 in Master’s degree work is normally required for admission to a doctoral program. It is also possible to choose the "Fast Track" Ph.D program directly from an approved B.S. degree, with a minimum GPA of 3.75/4.0. In this program, no M.S. degree is obtained, shortening the time required to obtain the Ph.D.

Doctoral Qualifying Examination

A qualifying examination will normally be taken either in the first semester of participation in the doctoral program on regular status or before the beginning of the second semester.

The Doctoral Qualifying Examination shall be an oral examination consisting of basic material from major areas in mechanical engineering and advanced material from the area of specialty declared by the student. The Qualifying Examination Committee, consisting of three or more members of the graduate faculty who are typically members of the Research and Graduate Studies & Committee of the Department of Mechanical Engineering shall prepare written questions in advance to be given to the student at the beginning of the examination. The qualifying examination will be taken in the first semester of participation in the doctoral program on regular status. A graduate student who does not seek a Master’s degree will take the qualifying examination after completion of 30 hours of graduate course work. A grade of pass or fail will be assigned and be kept in the departmental records.

If a student fails to pass the qualifying examination on the first attempt, a second attempt may be granted by the Qualifying Examination Committee upon the request of the student. The second attempt can be either written, oral, or both at the option of the Committee and will be given during the second semester of the doctoral program. The student will be terminated from the doctoral program if the Qualifying Examination is not passed after two attempts.

Plan of Study

On successful completion of the qualifying examination, the student selects a major professor from the Department to serve as the chairperson of the Advisory Committee and to direct the research. An Advisory Committee of at least five Graduate Faculty members from the School of Engineering, with at least three being from the Mechanical Engineering faculty, is then asked to serve by the student and his advisor to assist the student in preparing the plan of study, in conducting the comprehensive examination and in planning research.

Courses completed without an approved plan of study electronically filed will not necessarily count toward the degree. The plan of study must be submitted before the beginning of the second semester (after the Qualifying exam is passed) and must include the specific courses and all other requirements (research skills, research topic, etc.) that the student is expected to complete. After approval, the plan of study is electronically filed with the Department and with the Engineering Graduate Division. Create an online Graduate plan of study.

The minimum course work requirement is 54 credit hours beyond the coursework for the master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or 84 credit hours of coursework beyond the bachelor's degree, if the master's degree is not sought. A minimum of 9 credit hours of the 24 (or 21 of the 48) must be Mechanical Engineering courses numbered 700-990 (excluding 702, 899 and 901). A minimum of 9 credit hours of advanced mathematics beyond the bachelor's degree is required. Engineering, math, and other courses that count toward satisfaction of this mathematics requirement are listed in the M.E. Graduate Handbook. Additionally, a minimum of 30 semester hours of dissertation credit is to be taken.

Proficiency in Research Skill Area

The Ph.D. student must demonstrate a proficiency in at least one research skill area. Since the needs of each student differ, the research skills are determined with the advice and approval of the Advisory Committee. Possible areas may include:

  1. Foreign Language. The aspirant may demonstrate a reading knowledge in a foreign language in either of two ways:
    • Receive a score in the language on the Educational Testing Service Graduate School Foreign Language Test at, or above, the minimal level prescribed by the Graduate School
    • Complete a language course approved by the advisory committee with a grade of B or better.
  2. Computer Science. To establish competence in computer science, it is necessary to satisfy the Advisory Committee by demonstrating proficiency in a commonly used programming language and by creating at least one original program.

All research skill requirements must be satisfied prior to the comprehensive examination and reported to the Engineering Graduate Division on the Do-All form. If research skills are tested separately rather than integrally with the program, the completion of each requirement should be reported immediately to the Engineering Graduate Division so that it may be added to the student's permanent record.

Doctoral Comprehensive Examination

Following the completion of at least 18 credit hours of coursework beyond the Masters degree, a comprehensive or candidacy examination must be passed. The comprehensive examination shall consist of a presentation of the student's proposal for research on a topic previously approved by the advisor, followed by a public oral examination based on the aspirant's academic background. Through the Do-All form, the Department must request the School of Engineering Graduate Division to schedule the comprehensive oral examination in advance of the examination date by a minimum of two weeks. The committee (typically the advising committee) for the comprehensive oral examination must consist of at least five members, all of whom must be members of the Graduate Faculty and at least three of whom must be Mechanical Engineering Faculty. The Graduate Division of KU, on the basis of nominations submitted by the Department, will designate its members. At least one of the members must be from a department other than Mechanical Engineering. This member represents the Graduate School and must be a regular member of the Graduate Faculty. The examination may be scheduled provided that no less than five months have elapsed from the time of the aspirant's first enrollment at this university considering that the Qualifying Exam has been successfully completed.. The schedule for the examination should be announced (by email, web, and posted notices) throughout the Department at least 7 days in advance.

For every scheduled examination, the department will report a grade of honors, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory. If the aspirant receives a grade of unsatisfactory on the comprehensive oral examination, it may be repeated upon the recommendation of the Department and the request of the aspirant. The examination may not be repeated until at least 90 days have elapsed since the last unsuccessful attempt and no later than one year from the date of the first attempt. Normally, the aspirant will be terminated from the doctoral program if the comprehensive examination is not passed after two attempts.

After passing the comprehensive oral examination for a doctoral degree, the candidate must be continuously enrolled, including summer sessions, until all requirements for the degree are completed, and each enrollment must reflect, as accurately as possible the candidate's demands on faculty time and university facilities. During this time, until all requirements for the degree are completed or until 18 post-comprehensive hours have been completed (whichever comes first), the candidate must enroll for a minimum of 6 hours a semester and 3 hours a summer session. Post-comprehensive enrollment may include enrollment during the semester or summer session in which the comprehensive oral examination has been passed. If after 18 hours of post-comprehensive enrollment, the degree is not completed, the candidate must continue to enroll each semester and each summer session until all requirements for the degree have been met. The number of hours of each enrollment must be determined by the candidate's dissertation advisor and must reflect as accurately as possible the candidate's demands on faculty time and university facilities.

Dissertation

A dissertation is required of each doctoral candidate. The Ph.D. dissertation presents the results of the student's research investigation. It is expected to make an original contribution to technical knowledge of sufficient quality to merit publication(s) in refereed journals. A candidate for a doctoral degree must satisfy all Graduate School requirements for the degree and must submit to the major professor a paper or papers, based on the dissertation, suitable for publication in a refereed journal.

When the student passes the comprehensive oral examination, the Graduate Division identifies the candidate's Dissertation Committee based on the recommendations of the Department. The Dissertation Committee must consist of at least three members and may include members from other departments and divisions or, on occasion, members from outside the university. All members of the Committee must be chosen from the Graduate Faculty, and the chairperson must, in addition, be authorized to chair doctoral dissertations. A prospective member of the Committee from outside the university must have gained appointment as an ad hoc member of the Graduate Faculty prior to appointment to the Committee.

When the completed dissertation has been accepted by the Dissertation Committee, and all other degree requirements have been satisfied, the chairperson of the Dissertation Committee requests, three weeks in advance of the desired examination, the Graduate Division to schedule the final oral examination. The examination must be publicized at least 7 days prior to the date of the examination in the Department. At least five months must elapse between the successful completion of the comprehensive oral examination and the date of the final oral examination.

The committee for the final oral examination must consist of at least five members (the members of the Dissertation Committee plus at least two other members of the Graduate Faculty recommended by the chair of the dissertation committee and the Department and appointed by the Graduate Division). At least one of the members must be from an academic department other than the Department. This member represents the Graduate School and must be a regular member of the Graduate Faculty. The Department will report to the Graduate Division (by Do-All form) for every scheduled final oral examination a grade of honors, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory for the candidate's performance. If a grade of unsatisfactory is reported, the candidate may be allowed to repeat the examination upon the recommendation of the Department.

When the final oral examination has been passed and the dissertation has been signed by the members of the dissertation committee, a copy needs to be submitted electronically to the Graduate School, one bound copy to the major professor, and one bound copy to the Mechanical Engineering Department (with the funds needed to bind the two copies). In addition, the candidate must make arrangements for publication of the dissertation abstract in "Dissertation Abstracts International" Information on publication procedures may be secured from the Graduate Division.

Credit by Transfer

No credit taken after the award of the Masters degree can be transferred toward the Doctorate degree, but other relevant prior graduate work will be taken into consideration in planning programs of study.

Program Time Constraints

Residence Requirement: Two semesters, which may include one summer session, must be spent in resident study at the University of Kansas. During this period of residence, the student must be involved full-time in academic or professional pursuits, which may include appointments in this university for teaching or research if directed specifically toward the student's degree objectives. In this latter case, the student must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 hours per semester, and the increased research involvement must be fully supported and documented by the dissertation supervisor as being contributory to the student's dissertation or program objectives. The research work must be performed under the direct supervision of the major advisor if on campus, or with adequate liaison if off campus.

Maximum Tenure

The following time constraints apply for completion of doctoral programs:

  • A student who enters graduate studies at KU with a Master’s degree from another university must complete all the work for the doctoral degree within eight years of the time of the initial enrollment in graduate work at this university.
  • A student who leaves after having received the Master's degree from this university, and later decides to pursue the doctorate, may apply through the Department and Graduate Division for readmission to the Graduate School. If readmission is granted, the student must complete all the work for the doctoral degree within eight years of the time of the first enrollment after readmission.

Extension of the tenure periods specified above may be granted in exceptional circumstances for one year at a time by the Graduate Division upon receipt of a satisfactorily documented petition from the student concerned, supported by the Department.

A student in any of the categories listed above may petition the Graduate Division through the Department for a leave of absence during either the pre- or post-comprehensive period to pursue full-time professional activities related to the student's doctoral program and long-range professional goals. Leaves of absence may also be granted because of illness or other emergency. Ordinarily a leave of absence is granted for one year, with the possibility of extension upon request. After an absence of five years, however, a doctoral aspirant or candidate loses status as such and, in order to continue, must apply for readmission to the Department and to the Graduate Division.