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The
Doctor of Philosophy degree is a research-oriented degree awarded
upon demonstration of scholarly competence. The degree program
at UAH is offered jointly with the CEE Department at the University
of Alabama at Birmingham and is based on successful completion of a
program of study designed by the student, his advisor, and a faculty
committee. The program includes mastery of certain research
skills and an independent research project, the results of which are
presented in form of a dissertation.
The
Ph.D. degree is granted on the basis of general scholarly
proficiency, distinctive achievement in a special field, and
demonstrated ability to do an independent, original investigation.
These attributes are tested in the comprehensive examination and in
a dissertation that must clearly and effectively present substantial
results of the research. These accomplishments, rather than
mere accumulation of residence and course credits, are essential
considerations in awarding the doctoral degree. A Ph.D.
candidate must be admitted to the School of Graduate Studies before
being admitted to the Ph.D. program. Admission is limited to
those whose background shows distinct promise of success in the
program.
Coursework
and dissertation research requirement
Total Course Credit hours required:
48
Credit hours for dissertation research:
24
Preliminary,
Comprehensive and Final Exams
Preliminary
Exam
A
preliminary exam is held to ascertain the student’s academic,
technical and intellectual preparedness to pursue doctoral level
work. For doctoral students with a master’s degree, the
preliminary exam must be administered within the first two semesters
of study, and for doctoral students with a baccalaureate degree
after completion of 24 hours of graduate coursework. The
preliminary exam has to be administered by an ad-hoc committee
comprising of the student’s tentative or permanent advisor, one
CEE faculty member from the resident program and one CEE faculty
member from the non-resident program. Members of this ad-hoc
committee need not serve on the student’s Supervisory Committee.
The
preliminary exam will be a written exam and the chairman of the
ad-hoc committee will report the results of the exam to the PhD
Program Administration Committee. The recommendation of the
ad-hoc committee can be one of the following:
Fail
- (student will be required to drop out of the doctoral degree
program)
Fail
with an option to retake the exam
- (student may be given a second and last opportunity to take the
exam)
Pass – Unconditional
Pass
– Conditional (students must
satisfy requirements/conditions stipulated by the ad-hoc committee.
Qualifying
Exam
A Qualifying Exam
is required of all doctoral candidates. This exam is given
after (a) all course work is completed; and (b) the student’s
Supervisory Committee, which consists of faculty representatives
from both campuses, deems the student to have adequate preparation
in the major and minor fields of study. The Exam is conducted
by the student’s Supervisory Committee and administered on the
resident campus. The Qualifying Exam may be taken only twice.
The Qualifying
Exam is given in conjunction with the presentation of the
dissertation proposal to the Supervisory Committee. The
Exam is administered by the Supervisory committee under the auspices
of the Graduate School. The examination process includes both
written questions related to the coursework and an oral presentation
of the proposal to the committee. The oral portion of the exam
can deal with both the dissertation proposal as well as the
coursework and each part must be administered separately.
Since one of the purposes of the Qualifying Exam is to determine the
student’s research competence, the exam should be completed at
least two semesters (one academic year) before the degree is
awarded.
The student’s
Supervisory Committee is composed of at least five members of the
graduate faculty with a majority being from the major program.
The Supervisory Committee must include the student’s major
advisor, one CEE graduate faculty member from the resident campus,
one CEE graduate faculty member from the non-resident campus, and
two graduate faculty members from either campus.
Final
Exam
When the dissertation has been
completed, the supervisory committee will give the candidate a final
oral examination. This exam will concern primarily the candidate's
research work, as embodied in the dissertation, and the field in
which the dissertation lies. But it may encompass the complete
program for the degree. The results of the examination must be
reported to the office of the graduate school at the resident campus
at least six weeks before the commencement at which the degree is to
be conferred.
Continuous
Registration
Once a student
has passed the Qualifying Exam, he or she is expected to pursue
completion of the dissertation without interruption by enrolling
each semester during the academic year for at least three (3) hours
of dissertation research. A doctoral student must have
completed a minimum of 18 hours of such work upon completion of the
dissertation. The amount of dissertation research for which a
student enrolls in any given semester should be commensurate with
the progress a student is expected to make on the dissertation, as
well as reflective of the extent to which University facilities and
faculty time are invested in the proposed activities. The
Ph.D. residency requirement can be met by enrolling as full-time
student (9 hours) for two consecutive semesters or by enrolling for
6 hours of graduate course work or research in three of four
consecutive semesters.
Courses From
Non-Resident Campuses
A minimum of six
semester credit hours of courses must be taken at the non-resident
campus. These credits may be taken in the classroom or through
any of the following distance education media: Intercampus
Interactive Telecommunications System (IITS) or Distance Learning
(DL). Internet- based instruction for many of these
courses is also expected to be available in the very near future.
Dissertation
A dissertation
showing ability to conduct independent research and skill in
organization and presentation must be prepared on a topic in the
major field. It must constitute a definite contribution to
knowledge. Dissertation results are expected to be submitted
for refereed scholarly publication. All dissertations are
expected to be accessible to the general public. The subject
of the dissertation must be approved by the Supervisory Committee.
The dissertation must comply with the regulations set forth in the
student’s resident campus dissertation preparation guide, which is
available in the resident campus Graduate School office.
Admission
Requirements
The admission
requirements for the program are identical on both campuses.
However, for efficiency purposes, only the department of the
student’s intended resident campus will review each applicant on
an individual basis. Once admitted, students will move
throughout the program on either campus in a transparent manner.
Admission decisions will be made in view of multiple factors
including, but not limited to: grades, grade point average,
prior academic experience, references, independent and supervised
research, and test scores. All admission decisions shall
reflect these multifaceted criteria and no one factor is
determinative. Minimal GPA and test scores do not guarantee
admission since applicants are judged on their overall
qualifications. Applicants for degree or non-degree admission
must submit complete transcripts from all colleges and universities
attended. Specific admission requirements are as follows:
1. All applicants must have a Graduate Record
Examination score of 1500 (verbal plus quantitative plus analytical)
or higher, and a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0
scale.
2. An applicant whose native language is not
English will also be required to submit a TOEFL test score no less
than 550 (213 if the computer-based test was taken).
Applicants with
outstanding records in fields other than engineering or from a
non-accredited engineering program will be considered for admission
on conditional standing, and must remedy deficiencies in their
preparation after the start of their academic program. They
may then be granted unconditional standing in the doctoral program.
Transfer
of Credit
Courses of full
graduate-level credit earned in an accredited institution where a
student was enrolled in the graduate school may be submitted for
review for inclusion in the doctoral program. All graduate students
who wish to transfer credits earned at other universities should
contact the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department chair at
his/her resident campus immediately upon arrival for early
appropriate action. It is also the student’s responsibility
to assure that an official transcript of the credit concerned is
received by the graduate school of the student’s resident campus.
Acceptance of
credit requires the approval of the student’s supervisory
committee and the Graduate School Dean of the student’s resident
campus. Credit will not be accepted for transfer from any
institution at which the student failed to achieve a “B” average
on all graduate work attempted. With the approval of the
student’s supervisory committee and the Graduate School Dean, up
to one-half of the required coursework for the doctoral degree may
be transferred from another institution. Doctoral students
with a master’s degree can thus transfer up to 12 hours of
graduate coursework not earned at UAB or UAH. Doctoral
students without a master’s degree – straight Ph.D. students --
can thus transfer up to 24 hours of graduate coursework not earned
at UAB or UAH.
The special
circumstance of students who are currently enrolled in allied
programs at each campus and who wish to transfer to the joint
program will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Students should inform their respective graduate schools of their
wish to transfer into the joint CEE program. Any students
wishing to receive a waiver of any requirements of the program
(involving courses, committee members, etc.) must petition
the Ph.D. program advisory committee for the specific waiver in
question. Waivers will be considered in cases where the
student is sufficiently advanced in his or her program such that
strict adherence to the guidelines given above would result in
significant hardships to the student. |
