Electrical & Computer Engineering Department

Overview
MS Electrical Eng.
MS Computer Eng.
PhD Electric Eng.

Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Electrical Engineering is awarded to those who demonstrate expertise and passion in advanced engineering principles, are able to investigate engineering problems independently, and contribute to global knowledge in the field. 

Your work for this degree will include engineering research, completion of a thesis based on that research and analysis, and advanced studies in engineering, mathematics, and related computer sciences.

 

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in the field of Electrical Engineering (PhD-EE) is conferred by the Department of Electrical Engineering, International Technological University, in recognition of competence in the subject field and the ability to investigate engineering problems independently, resulting in an original contribution to engineering knowledge. The work for the degree consists of advanced studies in engineering, mathematics and related physical sciences; engineering research, preparation of a dissertation based on that research; a dissertation defense; and publication.

Program Structure

Required Courses

  • 60 credit hours beyond the Masterʼs degree level, including: 30 hours of coursework and Independent Study and 30 hours of Doctoral Dissertation.

  • Passing a written qualification exam is required for admission to candidacy.

  • Passing a comprehensive oral examination is required with presenting dissertation topic proposal and sufficient preparation for advanced research for the proposed dissertation topic.

  • Passing a comprehensive, final oral defense examination is required to defend the PhD dissertation.

  • Publication in an internationally recognized academic journal is required to complete the PhD dissertation.

Doctoral Courses

Courses numbered 700 or above in the Electrical Engineering and Math courses are designed as PhD courses. Other courses may be accepted as PhD courses with the approval of the PhD advisor and chair of the ECE Department.

Dissertation Advisor

It is the student’s responsibility to obtain consent from a faculty member in the student’s major department to serve as his/ her prospective dissertation advisor as soon as the student is accepted as a Doctoral student. The department chair must approve the advisor and inform the chair of Doctoral Program Council (DPC) of the approval. A Doctoral student and his/her dissertation advisor jointly develop a study plan for courses and research in a particular area, and submit it to the Department Chair for approval.

Qualification Examination

The qualifying exam must be administered within two years of the date of admission for full-time students, and within three years for part-time students. The qualification exam can be retaken only once.

The qualification examination will be in written form. There will be three fields within the examination. Mathematics is a required field. The student may choose the two other fields from among the four fields listed below:

  • Integrated Circuit Design
  • Bioelectronics Design
  • Wireless Communications
  • System Design

Some courses in the above areas are:

Doctoral Relevant Courses:

  • Integrated Circuit Design (EEN 715, EEN 717)
  • Bioelectronics Design (EEN 717, EEN 736, EEN 739)
  • Wireless Communication (EEN 749, EEN 758, EEN 774)
  • IoT System Design (EEN 758)

Where as:

  • EEN 717 Advanced Integrated Circuit Design
  • EEN 736 Advanced MEMS Design
  • EEN 739 Bioelectronics and Bioengineering
  • EEN 749 Advanced Digital Signal Processing
  • EEN 758 Advanced IoT System Design
  • EEN 774 Advanced Wireless Communications

Dissertation Defense

The dissertation must be made available to all examiners one month prior to the examination. The oral examination shall consist of a presentation of the results of the dissertation and the defense. Dissertation defense is open to all faculty members of the university, but only members of the Doctoral Committee have a vote.

Publication

One or more refereed articles based on the dissertation research must be accepted for publication in a professional or scientific journal approved by the Doctoral Committee.

Time Limit for Completing Degrees

All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within eight years following acceptance into the Ph.D. program. Extensions will be allowed only in unusual circumstances and must be ap-proved in writing by the Doctoral Program Council.

Admission to Candidacy

A student who passes the qualification examination is considered advanced to candidacy. A PhD candidate must approach his/her PhD advisor to assist with the formation of a Doctoral Committee.

Doctoral Committee (DC)

The committee must consist of five members, including the dissertation advisor and the DepartmentChair. The committee must also include at least one member from outside the department, preferably from outside the University. Either the PhD advisor or DepartmentChair will serve as theChair of the committee.

The Doctoral Committee will review the proposed dissertation topic and recommend any necessary changes. For the candidacy to proceed, the committee must approve the topic.

Comprehensive Oral Presentation

The period following the comprehensive examinations is devoted to research for the dissertation, although such research may begin before the examinations are complete. After research topic proved by the Doctoral Committee, the students should conduct the dissertation research toward the objective defined.

Dissertation Research

The period following the comprehensive examination is devoted to research for the dissertation, although such research may begin before the examination is completed. After the Doctoral Committee approves the research topic, the PhD candidate should begin the completion of dissertation research.

Program Completion

At least one month prior to degree conferral, the candidate must submit to the Doctoral Program Council of the University two copies of the final version of the dissertation. The dissertation will not be considered as accepted until approved by the Doctoral Committee and publication acceptance. Each member of the Doctoral Committee must indicate his/her final approval by signature.

The University reserves the right to evaluate the undertakings and the accomplishments of the degree candidate in total, and award or withhold the degree as a result of its deliberations.

Time Limit for Completing Degrees

All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within eight years following acceptance into the Ph.D. program. Extensions will be allowed only in unusual circumstances and must be approved in writing by the Doctoral Program Council.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Involvement

Research involving human subjects conducted at educational institutions is required to be in compliance with federal regulations. ITUʼs IRB, in accordance with federal regulations, reviews all research involving human subjects for compliance with applicable regulation and other best practices. This includes the DBA research proposals, prior to the data collection stage. Candidates are urged to understand their obligations in relation to their interactions with human subjects and the IRB by reviewing the ITU IRB Handbook.

  • Click here for Admission Requirements.

 

 

Who
should
apply

Graduate Admission Requirements:

  • Master’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5
  • Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate education
  • GRE score within the past 5 years
  • Three academic or professional letters of recommendation
Apply Now

Learning Outcomes

 

  • Lead and organize Information Technology (IT) implementations at companies and institutions.
  • Invent and improve algorithms for storing, accessing, processing, and analyzing data.
  • Invent real-time computation methods for analysis and processing of data in robotics on optical, sound, and other real-time data from digital sensors
  • Create innovative and useful features for modern operating systems such as multiprocessor, multiprocessing, and distributed.
  • Contribute to research and development of algorithms in all areas that are now and in the future subject to computerization.
  • Clearly explain Computer Science concepts in research, development, and educational institutions.
  • Show proficiency and skills in the most important areas of state of the art computer science.