A
student who wishes to obtain a Ph.D. degree in computer engineering must go
through three procedures: the qualifying exam (step 1: course evaluation), the
qualifying exam (step 2: proposal and advancement to candidacy) and the final
defense. If a student is denied in any of the steps of the qualifying exam,
then that is considered a denial for the whole qualifying exam. A student is
allowed two attempts to pass the qualifying exam.
This
step of the qualifier is also called “Prequalifier”
in some documents. The goal of this step is to ensure that the student has
demonstrated the necessary breadth and proficiency in their academic
preparation to pursue a Ph.D. degree. The qualifying exam (step 1) approval
form can be downloaded in any of the following formats:
For
html click http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~ljohn/phd/preQual.htm
here
For
Word click http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~ljohn/phd/preQual.doc
here
Fill out the form and submit it to
Prof. Lizy John (ACE 3.114) along with a letter from your supervisor. The form
should be submitted within the first 3 weeks of any long semester. The student
should also submit a current transcript and a recommendation letter from the
supervisor. One may also submit the forms during the last 2 weeks of a
semester, but the evaluation will happen during the weeks following the end of
the semester. A student has to pass the qualifier-step 1 before taking the
qualifying exam - step 2. The student must apply for the qualifier-step 1 as
soon as he or she has taken five graduate CE courses. Students entering the CE
graduate program with a Masters may apply for Qualifying
exam step 1, when they have finished 3 graduate CE classes. We also recommend
that the student apply for this procedure in the first three weeks of the
semester he or she is eligible. The list of CE courses is maintained here. http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~ljohn/phd/course-list.htm
The application for qualifier-step 1
is either approved or denied by the CE Ph.D. coordinator (currently, Prof. Lizy
K. John). There are 2 chances. In the case of denial after the second chance,
the student may appeal the decision to the ECE Graduate Studies Committee by
filing a written petition to the ECE GSC Chair.
You
can take the Qualifying exam (step 2) only if you have passed the qualifier-step
1.
For
the Qualifying Exam, you need to form a committee of five members and get the
committee approved. The proposal for the committee must be submitted to Lizy
John (ACE 3.114) using this form here. http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~ljohn/phd/qualifier-form.htm
at least 3 weeks in advance of the proposed qualifying exam
date. The guidelines for the composition of the committee are here. http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~ljohn/phd/committee.htm
The exam consists of a student submitting
his proposal to the committee members and making a 45-55 minute presentation
followed by questions from the committee members. The exam has two parts - (1)
the open room part in which non-committee members may be present and may ask
questions and (2) the closed room part in which all non-members are required to
leave the room.
The chairman of the qualifying exam
committee needs to fill the "report of the qualifying exam" and
submit it to Melanie Gulick (ENS 101, 232-4297) in
the graduate student office. This form is available online: click here http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~ljohn/phd/Report_of_Qual_Exam.doc
It is the decision of the supervisor
of the student whether the qualifying exam should be advertised for other
people to attend.
The application for qualifier-step 2
is either approved or denied by the qualifier committee. There are 2 chances.
In the case of denial after the second chance, the student may appeal the
decision to the ECE Graduate Studies Committee by filing a written petition to
the ECE GSC Chair.
When
your dissertation is ready you can defend it with your supervisor's approval.
You have to arrange for the room and the time when the committee members can
meet for your defense.
The format of the defense is similar
to the qualifying exam. A defense must be advertised so that other people can
attend the open exam part.
The graduate school has the following
guidelines about submitting a dissertation to committee members.
"Not less than four weeks before
the date on which the student intends to defend the dissertation, a copy of the
final draft of the dissertation, reviewed for technical and grammatical
correctness by the supervisor, should be submitted to
each member of the dissertation committee. Two weeks before the defense, a
written request to hold the final oral examination must be submitted to the
Course
Requirements
In addition to above steps, a student
must also fulfill the course requirements. ECE guidelines for course
requirements for Ph. D students are here.
http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~ljohn/phd/phd-courses.htm