| 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. |