Residency Requirement

All PhD students must complete 24 letter-graded (A-F) credits.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

All rules of the Graduate School apply regarding probation and academic jeopardy, except probation may not last more than two semesters.

Research Requirement

• Students pursuing the PhD in mechanical engineering must complete a research dissertation.
• The written dissertation and an oral presentation defending the dissertation must be approved by the student’s research committee before they are eligible for the degree.
• Publication of the student’s research in an archival journal is expected.

Obtaining an Advisor

Upon admission to the doctoral program, new students will be advised by the director of graduate studies, who is responsible for:

• Explaining the department requirements for the PhD degree
• Assisting the student in establishing a preliminary course of study
• Informing the student of selecting an advisor

The above actions should be completed during the first semester in residence. It is the responsibility of the student to select an advisor, select a guidance committee (in consultation with their advisor), and prepare a learning contract by the end of the fall semester in the second year.

Guidance Committee

The student, upon selecting an advisor, should identify faculty to serve on the guidance committee. The committee must have a minimum of four members (including the student’s advisor); one member can be from outside the department.

The student should submit the first page of the learning contract listing the names of the proposed committee members to the ME Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) for approval. Review of the proposed guidance committee is very thorough, because the guidance committee acts on behalf of the department in monitoring the student’s academic progress. When the guidance committee is accepted by the ME GSC, the signed learning contract will be placed in the student’s file in the department office as an active document. Any subsequent proposed changes made to the approved guidance committee must be made in writing to the director of graduate studies for approval. The student, upon approval, must submit an amended learning contract to the director of graduate studies.

Learning Contract

Preparation: Every new PhD student should work immediately with his/her advisor to develop a learning contract. The purpose of the learning contract is to define the knowledge and skills appropriate for the student’s intended area of research; this document will guide the student’s preparation for the comprehensive examination. The learning contract should identify courses and concepts that must be mastered in order to provide breadth of background, as well as specialized courses and concepts which are germane to the proposed area of research. The learning contract will remain an active document in the student’s file that charts their progress through the various milestones of the PhD process. It is the responsibility of the student to update the learning contract and obtain the appropriate signatures confirming the successful completion of each PhD milestone.

Registering the Learning Contract: A copy of the learning contract will be placed in the student’s file and maintained by the secretary to the director of graduate studies.

Course Requirements

• ME 535 - Analytical Methods I
• ME 635 - Analytical Methods II
• All courses listed in the learning contract.

PhD Qualifying Evaluation

Every PhD student must successfully complete the qualifying evaluation at the end of the spring semester of the first year. Failure to pass Part 1 and Part 2 of the qualifying evaluation is considered sufficient reason for dismissal from the PhD program.

PhD Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination is structured by the guidance committee to cover topics described in the learning contract. Before taking the comprehensive examination, the student must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours in residence on the Binghamton University campus. The comprehensive exam must be taken by the end of the summer of the second year.

Preparation and Approval of Prospectus

Upon completion of the comprehensive examination, the candidate must write a prospectus, describing the proposed dissertation research in detail. This prospectus is presented and defended in an open colloquium. After successfully defending the prospectus, the final revised prospectus will be placed in the student’s file. The prospectus must be completed by the end of the fall semester of the third year.

Admission to Candidacy

Upon passing the comprehensive examination, the student is admitted to candidacy for the PhD degree. A student may only register for full time certification (FTC) credits if they have been admitted to candidacy (i.e., obtained ABD status) by the start of the semester. This means to be eligible to register for FTC credits, the student must have successfully passed their comprehensive exam and completed all course and credit requirements before the add/drop date of the current semester.

Evidence of Proficiency in Teaching

PhD students must meet the teaching proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:

• Teaching two lectures
• Teaching one lecture and two recitations

Note: The lectures and recitations can be from different courses.

Oral Defense of PhD Dissertation

The PhD candidate will be required to orally present their dissertation research in an open colloquium. The guidance committee, as well as an outside examiner appointed by the Graduate School, will be present at this colloquium and will also conduct the defense of the dissertation immediately following the oral presentation

Summary of Minimum Requirements

1. Submission of learning contract
2. Satisfaction of qualifying evaluation requirement
3. Satisfaction of comprehensive exam requirement
4. Submission of prospectus and presentation of proposed research in an open colloquium
5. Acceptance of prospectus by the guidance committee
6. Oral presentation and defense of dissertation

PhD Timeline