Ph. D. Programs
To view the degree requirements for the doctorate degree programs you are enrolled in select the associated discipline below from the list below.
Ph.D. Programs
Degree Requirements
Requirements for EECS doctoral degree program in Computer Science
- First semester select a major advisor and a doctoral committee
- Submit plan of study to be approved by committee
- Qualifying examination
- Annual Ph.D. Activity Report (PHAR)
- Comprehensive examination
- Dissertation
- Final oral examination
(Doctoral Committee: Students must select a major advisor and a doctoral committee within their first semester in the program. Doctoral committees must consist of a minimum of five Graduate Faculty members and is chaired by the major advisor. The advisor and at least two other members of the committee must be tenured or tenure-track EECS Graduate Faculty. One committee member must be the Graduate Studies Representative, a regular KU faculty member from outside of EECS. The committee guides the plan of study, participates in the comprehensive and final examinations, and helps select a topic for research.)
Course Requirements
- EECS Colloquium (EECS 802), recommend taking it your first semester.
- Minimum of 42 credit hours (14 classes) of approved graduate-level course work. For students with a previous Masters degree or other relevant graduate coursework, up to 24 hours (8 classes) of relevant graduate coursework may be transferred to the PhD program.
- Minimum of 30 credit hours of course work must be EECS classes numbered 700 or higher (or equivalent transferred classes), excluding Directed Graduate Reading (EECS 801), Graduate Problems (EECS 891), Master's Thesis (EECS 899), and Post-Master's Research (EECS 998).
- Minimum of 18 semester credit hours of doctoral dissertation (EECS 999). EECS 999 hours can only be counted towards the degree after passing the Comprehensive Examination.
Explore: Fast Track
Advising
During their first semester, students will form a graduate committee. The student’s committee consists of a minimum of 5 Graduate Faculty members and is chaired by the major adviser. The adviser and at least 2 other members of the committee must be tenured or tenure-track members of the Graduate Faculty, and 1 committee member must be a regular KU Graduate Faculty member outside of the EECS department. They should select faculty members who are most closely aligned with their research interests.
- Meet with professors in area of interest
- Choose an adviser
- Meet regularly with adviser to refine plan of study to meet academic and research goals
Advising holds will be released after the plan of study is approved and a signed enrollment planning form (pdf) is submitted to the EECS Graduate Office.
Students should plan their schedules with the understanding that some EECS graduate courses are offered on a two-year rotation. Some classes are offered every semester, others once per year, and some advanced courses are offered once every four semesters. Check with the University Registrar for a complete listing of courses.
Plan of Study
Every PhD student is required to have a goal for their PhD program that matches the sought after degree. The plan of study must be consistent with the identified degree and goals.
The plan of study outlines all course work, establishes dates for PhD milestones* and identifies the committee members.
- Work with adviser to form a committee, decide the classes that best meet your academic goals and determine a timeline to meet the PhD dates*.
- Submit plan of study before second semester of graduate study.
- Update plan of study when modifications are made and resubmit plan for approval.
PhD plans of study includes:
- EECS Colloquium and Seminar on Professional Issues (EECS 802), recommend taking it your first semester.
- Minimum of 18 credit hours of approved course work
- Minimum of 18 semester credit hours of EECS 999 Doctoral Dissertation (EECS 999 hours can only be counted toward degree after passing the Comprehensive Examination)
- Minimum of 5 committee members (4 EECS Graduate Faculty and 1 KU Graduate Faculty outside the department)
*PhD Dates:
- Residency is met after full time enrollment two consecutive semesters
- Research Skills are met with the passing of the qualifying exam
- Responsible Scholarship is met with the passing of EECS 802
Qualifying Examination
Students demonstrate knowledge of Computer Science fundamentals and a potential for research through the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination (Qual). The Qual demonstrates the ability of the student to understand and apply fundamental concepts and evaluates their potential to pursue doctoral research. The EECS Qual completes the Ph.D. Research Skills Requirement for Doctoral students at KU.
A student becomes eligible to take the qualifying exam after both: (a) completing 24 hours of graduate coursework, and (b) being formally accepted into the PhD program. The student must also complete 6 hours of KU graduate coursework before taking the exam.
The EECS Qual uses four types of evidence to evaluate the PhD student.
- Advisor recommendation – the student’s advisor will provide a frank but confidential assessment of the student’s ability to conduct PhD-level scholarship.
- Academic performance – the KU classroom performance of the student will be assessed.
- Research ability – each student will submit written evidence of their research ability.
- Oral exam – A committee of 3 faculty members will interview the student, discussing and probing topics associated with items 2 and 3 above.
A PhD student application for the Qual includes an “Abstract of Research Interests”, which provides a description and overview of the student’s interests and anticipated research direction. The main purpose of the abstract is to introduce the oral exam committee to the scholarly interests of the student, such that conversations and questions during the exam are fairly and effectively aligned with these interests. A secondary purpose of the abstract is to provide evidence as to the student’s ability to write effectively, and to communicate clearly and unambiguously technical content and ideas. As such, this abstract must be written and edited entirely by the student. The prose must therefore be original—it cannot be copied from a published document.
A committee of 3 faculty members appointed by the department will conduct an oral exam of the PhD student. The committee will receive the student’s research statement and course transcripts prior to this oral interview. Two hours will be scheduled for this interview. Using the student’s KU transcript, research statement, and the oral exam, the student’s exam committee will make a pass/fail recommendation. The department’s qualifying exam committee will then review both the advisor’s and the exam committee’s recommendations and render a grade for the exam.
Students who fail the exam are allowed to retake it one more time between 6 to 12 months after receiving a failing grade. If they fail it a second time, they will not be allowed to continue in the doctoral program.
Explore: Qualifying Exam Topics Application Form (pdf)
Ph.D. Activity Report
Students are required to submit an annual Ph.D. Activity Report (PHAR), which is used to assess academic progress.
A student who receives a second unsatisfactory evaluation will be placed on academic probation. Academic probation will be removed upon substantial progress as documented in the student's next PHAR; without substantial progress toward the degree, the student's Ph.D. status will be terminated.
Comprehensive Examination
After completing at least three-fourths of the course work requirements, students must pass the comprehensive examination. Before the exam, they will submit a detailed proposal for a possible dissertation. The doctoral committee will conduct an oral examination that evaluates a candidate’s proposal and overall knowledge of Computer Science.
If the student passes the comprehensive examination and later chooses a substantially different dissertation topic, a new proposal must be presented for the approval of the doctoral committee.
At least three weeks before the intended Ph.D. comprehensive exam, a student must do the following:
- Verify your plan of study is complete, correct, and on file in the EECS Graduate Office
- Schedule a time and location for defense with committee members and coordinate with staff to reserve the room
- Email date, time, location, full committee, title and short abstract (< 350 words) to the EECS Graduate Office
- Distribute a written Ph.D. dissertation proposal to your committee
- Prepare and practice comprehensive presentation
Doctoral Dissertation and Final Oral Examination
A minimum of 1 month after completing your comprehensive exam and at least three weeks prior to your doctoral defense:
- Check with faculty advisor, the EECS Graduate Office, and the Engineering Dean's office to ensure all degree requirements have been completed and your dissertation meets University specifications
- Verify your plan of study is complete, correct, and on file in the EECS Graduate Office
- Schedule a time and location for defense with committee members and coordinate with staff to reserve the room
- Email date, time, location, full committee, title and short abstract (less than 350 words) to the EECS Graduate Office
- Distribute a written Ph.D. dissertation proposal to your committee
- Prepare and practice dissertation presentation
>After your doctoral defense, you must do the following:
- >Make final corrections to your dissertation as directed by your committee
- Get the title page and acceptance pages signed by all committee members
- Deliver the signed pages to the Engineering Dean's office
- Submit signed Doctoral Checklist (pdf) and Graduation Report to Engineering Dean’s office
- Submit Dissertation Online
- Deliver bound copies to committee members (if requested).
Degree Requirements
Requirements for EECS doctoral degree program in Electrical Engineering
- First semester select a major advisor and a doctoral committee
- Submit plan of study to be approved by committee
- Qualifying examination
- Annual Ph.D. Activity Report (PHAR)
- Comprehensive examination
- Dissertation
- Final oral examination
(Doctoral Committee: Students must select a major advisor and a doctoral committee within their first semester in the program. Doctoral committees must consist of a minimum of five Graduate Faculty members and is chaired by the major advisor. The advisor and at least two other members of the committee must be tenured or tenure-track EECS Graduate Faculty. One committee member must be the Graduate Studies Representative, a KU faculty member from outside of EECS. The committee guides the plan of study, participates in the comprehensive and final examinations, and helps select a topic for research.)
Course Requirements
- EECS Colloquium (EECS 802), recommend taking it your first semester.
- Minimum of 42 credit hours (14 classes) of approved graduate-level course work. For students with a previous Masters degree or other relevant graduate coursework, up to 24 hours (8 classes) of relevant graduate coursework may be transferred to the PhD program.
- Minimum of 30 credit hours of course work must be EECS classes numbered 700 or higher (or equivalent transferred classes), excluding Directed Graduate Reading (EECS 801), Graduate Problems (EECS 891), Master's Thesis (EECS 899), and Post-Master's Research (EECS 998).
- Minimum of 18 semester credit hours of doctoral dissertation (EECS 999). EECS 999 hours can only be counted towards the degree after passing the Comprehensive Examination.
Explore: Fast Track
Advising
During their first semester, students will form a graduate committee. The student’s committee consists of a minimum of 5 Graduate Faculty members and is chaired by the major adviser. The adviser and at least 2 other members of the committee must be tenured or tenure-track members of the Graduate Faculty, and 1 committee member must be a regular KU Graduate Faculty member outside of the EECS department. They should select faculty members who are most closely aligned with their research interests.
- Meet with professors in area of interest
- Choose an adviser
- Meet regularly with adviser to refine plan of study to meet academic and research goals
Advising holds will be released after the plan of study is approved and a signed enrollment planning form (pdf) is submitted to the EECS Graduate Office.
Students should plan their schedules with the understanding that some EECS graduate courses are offered on a two-year rotation. Some classes are offered every semester, others once per year, and some advanced courses are offered once every four semesters. Check with the University Registrar for a complete listing of courses.
Plan of Study
Every PhD student is required to have a goal for their PhD program that matches the sought after degree. The plan of study must be consistent with the identified degree and goals.
The plan of study outlines all course work, establishes dates for PhD milestones* and identifies the committee members.
- Work with adviser to form a committee, decide the classes that best meet your academic goals and determine a timeline to meet the PhD dates*.
- Submit plan of study before second semester of graduate study.
- Update plan of study when modifications are made and resubmit plan for approval.
PhD plans of study includes:
- EECS Colloquium and Seminar on Professional Issues (EECS 802), recommend taking it your first semester.
- Minimum of 18 credit hours of approved course work
- Minimum of 18 semester credit hours of EECS 999 Doctoral Dissertation (EECS 999 hours can only be counted toward degree after passing the Comprehensive Examination)
- Minimum of 5 committee members (4 EECS Graduate Faculty and 1 KU Graduate Faculty outside the department)
*PhD Dates:
- Residency is met after full time enrollment two consecutive semesters
- Research Skills are met with the passing of the qualifying exam
- Responsible Scholarship is met with the passing of EECS 802
Qualifying Examination
Students demonstrate knowledge of Electrical Engineering fundamentals and a potential for research through the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination (Qual). The Qual demonstrates the ability of the student to understand and apply fundamental concepts and evaluates their potential to pursue doctoral research. The EECS Qual completes the Ph.D. Research Skills Requirement for Doctoral students at KU.
A student becomes eligible to take the qualifying exam after both: (a) completing 24 hours of graduate coursework, and (b) being formally accepted into the PhD program. The student must also complete 6 hours of KU graduate coursework before taking the exam.
The EECS Qual uses four types of evidence to evaluate the PhD student.
- Advisor recommendation – the student’s advisor will provide a frank but confidential assessment of the student’s ability to conduct PhD-level scholarship.
- Academic performance – the KU classroom performance of the student will be assessed.
- Research ability – each student will submit written evidence of their research ability.
- Oral exam – A committee of 3 faculty members will interview the student, discussing and probing topics associated with items 2 and 3 above.
A PhD student application for the Qual includes an “Abstract of Research Interests”, which provides a description and overview of the student’s interests and anticipated research direction. The main purpose of the abstract is to introduce the oral exam committee to the scholarly interests of the student, such that conversations and questions during the exam are fairly and effectively aligned with these interests. A secondary purpose of the abstract is to provide evidence as to the student’s ability to write effectively, and to communicate clearly and unambiguously technical content and ideas. As such, this abstract must be written and edited entirely by the student. The prose must therefore be original—it cannot be copied from a published document.
A committee of 3 faculty members appointed by the department will conduct an oral exam of the PhD student. The committee will receive the student’s research statement and course transcripts prior to this oral interview. Two hours will be scheduled for this interview. Using the student’s KU transcript, research statement, and the oral exam, the student’s exam committee will make a pass/fail recommendation. The department’s qualifying exam committee will then review both the advisor’s and the exam committee’s recommendations and render a grade for the exam.
Students who fail the exam are allowed to retake it one more time between 6 to 12 months after receiving a failing grade. If they fail it a second time, they will not be allowed to continue in the doctoral program.
Explore: Qualifying Exam Topics
Ph.D. Activity Report
Students are required to submit an annual Ph.D. Activity Report (PHAR), which is used to assess academic progress.
A student who receives a second unsatisfactory evaluation will be placed on academic probation. Academic probation will be removed upon substantial progress as documented in the student's next PHAR; without substantial progress toward the degree, the student's Ph.D. status will be terminated.
Comprehensive Examination
After completing at least three-fourths of the course work requirements, students must pass the comprehensive examination. Before the exam, they will submit a detailed proposal for a possible dissertation. The doctoral committee will conduct an oral examination that evaluates a candidate’s proposal and overall knowledge of Electrical Engineering.
If the student passes the comprehensive examination and later chooses a substantially different dissertation topic, a new proposal must be presented for the approval of the doctoral committee.
At least three weeks before the intended Ph.D. comprehensive exam, a student must do the following:
- Verify your plan of study is complete, correct, and on file in the EECS Graduate Office
- Schedule a time and location for defense with committee members and coordinate with staff to reserve the room
- Email date, time, location, full committee, title and short abstract (less than 350 words) to the EECS Graduate Office
- Distribute a written Ph.D. dissertation proposal to your committee
- Prepare and practice comprehensive presentation
Doctoral Dissertation and Final Oral Examination
A minimum of 1 month after completing your comprehensive exam and at least three weeks prior to your doctoral defense:
- Check with faculty advisor, the EECS Graduate Office, and the Engineering Dean's office to ensure all degree requirements have been completed and your dissertation meets University specifications
- Verify your plan of study is complete, correct, and on file in the EECS Graduate Office
- Schedule a time and location for defense with committee members and coordinate with staff to reserve the room
- For all defense notices Email date, time, location, full committee, title and short abstract (< 350 words) to the EECS Graduate Office
- Distribute a written Ph.D. dissertation proposal to your committee
- Prepare and practice dissertation presentation
After your doctoral defense, you must do the following:
- Make final corrections to your dissertation as directed by your committee
- Get the title page and acceptance pages signed by all committee members
- Deliver the signed pages to the Engineering Dean's office
- Submit signed Doctoral Checklist (pdf) and Graduation Report to Engineering Dean’s office
- Submit Dissertation Online
- Deliver bound copies to committee members (if requested).