Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 

The department offers a Ph.D. program in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE). This program of study is intended to prepare students for careers in research, teaching, or engineering practice at an advanced level. Students are expected to acquire a strong general background in those disciplines that collectively characterize their intended major of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. At the same time, students are expected to concentrate in-depth on the particular subject area of their dissertation.

Program
A program of study is individually designed by each student in consultation with his/her advisor. A student entering the Ph.D. program with a master’s degree or an equivalent degree (approved by the Graduate Affairs Committee) is expected to complete 18 credits of 600 or above level of coursework and a Ph.D. dissertation (of 0-credit). For those students wishing to proceed directly to the Ph.D. degree from a bachelor’s degree, a 48-credit coursework (with no more than 9 credits of courses at 500-level) with a Ph.D. dissertation (of 0-credit) is required. A GPA of 3.33 (B+) or better is expected for a PhD student.

Admissions to the Program
Admission to the Ph.D. program will be considered if three conditions are met. First, a sufficient level of academic and professional achievement must be documented by transcripts of the student’s prior academic performance (GPA of 3.33/4.0 or better is expected), GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and other supporting information. Second, the focusing of the student’s efforts in one area of specialization should be clear from the student’s transcript and statement of purpose. Third, a faculty advisor must be willing to supervise research in the student’s area of specialization. Prior completion of a M.S. degree and/or of an M.S. thesis may be required by individual faculty advisors.

Qualifying Examination
The MAE department requires that each Ph.D. student pass a qualifying examination. The qualifying exam will have both written and an oral components. The objective of the qualifying exam is to test the knowledge of fundamentals and preparedness to conduct dissertation research. As a pre-requisite to the qualifying examination, a Ph.D. student must complete a minimum of 39 credits after B.S. or 9 credits after M.S., and must have a cumulative 3.33 GPA or better at the time of taking the qualifying exam. Full-time students with a B.S. degree must take the written component of the qualifying examination at or before the completion of the fifth semester of their graduate study. Full-time students who transfer into the Ph.D. program with an M.S. degree (or an equivalent degree) from another institution must take the written component of the qualifying examination at or before the completion of three semesters of first registration in the program. Part-time students should take the exam after they have taken 39 credits after B.S. or 9 credits after M.S. and within 1 year of completion of these credits. The oral component of the qualifying examination must be taken no later than one year
after passing the written examination.

The written component of the qualifying examination will test the student’s competency at the level of SU’s 600 level courses in mathematics, plus any two of the following topics: Fluid Mechanics, Solid Mechanics, Heat Transfer, Thermodynamics, Design, Manufacturing, Dynamics & Control, and Special Topics on a selected area. If a student selects Special Topics, s/he needs to inform the MAE Graduate Affairs Committee in writing in which special area s/he wants to be examined.

In consultation with the student and his/her advisor, the Graduate Affairs Committee will form a committee of oral examination consisting of 3 to 5 members with a minimum of 2 to 3 members from the MAE Department, including the advisor. The student must provide a proposal for dissertation research to the members of the oral examination committee at least two weeks before the scheduled date of examination. The examination will typically take 2 hours to complete, in which the student will first make a 20-minute presentation of the research proposal followed by questions from each individual members of the committee. Based on the quality of dissertation proposal, presentation, and answers to the questions, the committee will deliberate and inform the student of the outcome of the examination, and report the outcome to the MAE Graduate Committee in writing.

In consultation with the advisor, a Ph.D. student must formally apply to take the qualifying examination by petitioning the chair of the Graduate Affairs Committee on or before October 15 in the fall semester or March 15 in the spring semester in order to take the exam during the following academic semester. The written part of the Ph.D. qualifying exam will be given twice a year; one at the beginning of the fall semester and the other at the end of the spring semester. In the application letter, the student should specify his/her field of study/interest and include a copy of his/her transcript showing the current GPA. The Graduate Affairs Committee determines whether the student has passed the qualifying examination. In the event of failure, the Graduate Affairs Committee may permit the candidate to retake the written and oral examinations only once. No one will be permitted to go beyond the above mentioned time limits as stipulated in the first paragraph under Qualifying Examination. Failure to pass the examination in a timely fashion will result in dismissal from the Ph.D. program.

Residency Requirement
The residence requirement is set by Academic Rules and Regulations of the Graduate School, section 46.3.

Dissertation
Each student is required to prepare a dissertation of the highest quality in terms of substance, originality, and relevance on a topic chosen in consultation with the dissertation advisor. The dissertation defense shall be conducted according to the rules of the Graduate School. In preparing the dissertation the student should comply with the accepted standards of style and format. The examination committee may refuse to hold the examination until such
standards are met.

Evaluation of the Ph.D. Student’s Progress
In the spring semester, the status of each Ph.D.
student will be reviewed by the MAE faculty. The review will include a brief summary by the
advisor of the progress made by the student and any current or potential problem. If the progress is unsatisfactory, the student will be given six months to address issues of concern. If the situation has not improved, the student will not be allowed to continue in the program and will be so informed in writing.