College of Engineering > Academic Programs > Aerospace Engineering > Academic Programs > Graduate > Graduate Handbook > Ph.D Degree Program Policy

Ph.D Degree Program Policy

5.1 Prerequisites

Students holding a master's degree in aerospace engineering, or its equivalent, from an institution of recognized standing may be accepted into the program without further prerequisite course work. Students with backgrounds in other engineering disciplines, mathematics, or physics may be required to take such undergraduate courses in aerospace engineering as required by the Graduate Student Screening Committee and/or the student's Advisory Committee. This prerequisite work will not carry graduate credit and can be taken under the S/U grading option. If more than one semester's worth of additional undergraduate work is necessary, the applicant may be asked to register and take the appropriate courses as an unclassified student. Any student entering the Aerospace Engineering Graduate Program is expected to be well versed in mathematics, physics, and computer programming.

5.2 Entry with a B.S. Degree

Exceptional students with a bachelor's degree may bypass the master's degree and be admitted directly to the Ph.D. program under special circumstances. Applicants must satisfy the general requirements for admission outlined in the section entitled "Admission Requirements" in the School Bulletin.

5.3 Transfer From Other Institutions

The same rules apply for transferring credit earned at other institutions for the Ph.D. degree as into the master's program except that there is no limit on the amount of credit that can be transferred. In addition, there is no time limit on this transferred credit for the Ph.D. degree.

5.4 Course Work Requirements

The Graduate School requires a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree for the Ph.D. degree. Of these required hours, a minimum of 30 credit hours must be graded (A, B, C) graduate course work (6000 level and above) beyond the bachelor's degree, at least 18 hours of which must be completed as a graduate student at Auburn University. The additional 30 credit hours of course work may include non-graded courses, 6000-level courses, a maximum of four credit hours of Research and Thesis from a completed master's degree program, and the minimum of 10 credit hours of AERO 8990, Research and Dissertation. The Graduate School allows all of these 30 credit hours to be in AERO 8990, if approved by the students Advisory Committee. The committee may also require additional course work according to a student's background and interests.

As part of the required course work, the Aerospace Engineering Department requires that each doctoral student complete a minimum of two graduate level courses in science and mathematics (6000 level or above), as approved by the student's Advisory Committee. All doctoral students must complete a minimum of 10 credit hours of AERO 8990. During any one semester, the number of hours of AERO 8990 in which the student enrolls should reflect the amount of time being spent on the dissertation and the amount of university resources are being utilized. Enrollment in AERO 8990 may take place for as many hours as the student and the Major Professor deem appropriate. The number of hours of AERO 8990 in which the student enrolls should reflect the amount of time being spent on the dissertation and the amount of university resources are being utilized. The requisite 10 credit hours of AERO 8990 should be included in the Plan of Study hours. The Dean of the Graduate School is authorized to approve alternatives to these course work requirements in exceptional cases and on an individual basis.

5.5 Language Requirement

There is no language requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

5.6 Residency Requirement

Resident, on-campus study is the foundation for research-based graduate programs. Any graduate student enrolled in a degree program culminating in a thesis or dissertation must directly engage in research with the Major Professor, must have access to the research tools needed for the research activity, must be immersed in the culture of graduate education, must engage in the professional activities of the discipline, and must complete the research activity in a reasonable period of time. Graduation requires the Major Professor to certify compliance with these requirements.

5.7 Research Requirement

A dissertation based upon an original and comprehensive solution to a significant aerospace engineering problem is required for the Ph. D. degree. The dissertation Director must be a member of the Graduate Faculty and must be mutually agreed upon by the student, the professor, and the Department Head. It is possible that the desired Dissertation Director may differ from the student's previous choice for a Major Professor. In this case, the Advisory Committee must be reconstituted with the Dissertation Director becoming the Major Professor. Such a change will require the consent of the Graduate School. Information on the requirements for the dissertation is available in The Guide to the Preparation and Submission of Thesis and Dissertations, which is available in the University Bookstore or online at the Graduate School website. Members of the student's Advisory Committee will review the dissertation, and after approval is obtained from each member, the final draft of the dissertation is prepared.

5.8 Examinations

There are three separate examinations which must be passed by the student in the process of meeting the requirements for the Ph.D. degree. These are the Qualifying Examination, the General Doctoral Examination, and the Final Examination (Defense of the Dissertation). The Qualifying Examination is a written examination that will usually be taken at the end of the first 12-month period of enrollment in the Ph.D. program. This examination is structured as follows: separate, written examinations (approximately three hours in length) are given in the subjects of Mathematics, Aerodynamics/Propulsion, Dynamics/Controls, and Structures/Structural Dynamics. With the exception of Aerodynamics/Propulsion, these exams are closed-book. All Ph.D. students must pass the Mathematics examination and their choice of two of the other three examinations. The level of the material covered in these examinations will be based upon the assumption that the student will have a background equivalent to our undergraduate program plus one year of graduate study. General guidelines as to which graduate courses might best prepare students to pass the Qualifying Examination are provided in Appendix B, and copies of previous examinations are available from the Graduate Program Officer.

The qualifying Examination will be administered during the fall and/or spring semesters as the need exists. In order to pass this examination, the student must receive a score of at least 70% on each of the three separate subject examinations. Failure to pass one or more of the examinations will constitute failure of the entire Qualifying Examination. Upon failing the Qualifying Examination, the Aerospace Engineering Graduate Faculty will decide if the student should be permitted to retake the examination. If allowed to retake the examination, the student may be asked to retake only the subject examination(s) not passed on the first attempt. Only in unusual circumstances will a student be allowed more than two attempts. A student must petition the Aerospace Engineering Graduate Faculty within 30 days for a third attempt to take the Qualifying Examination. This petition must be approved by a majority of the Graduate Faculty for a third attempt to be permitted. If a third attempt is allowed, the student will be required to retake all three subject examinations. Any student being financially supported by the department who fails the Qualifying Examination on the first attempt will be limited to one-fourth time support until the examination is passed. If a second failure of the Qualifying Examination occurs, the student becomes ineligible for financial assistance until the examination is passed, provided a third attempt is permitted. Once a student sits for, and receives any examination, it is considered that the student has attempted the entire Qualifying Examination.

The General Doctoral Examination is the examination required by the Graduate School for admission to candidacy. The requirements for this examination are described in the Bulletin. It is administered by the student's Advisory Committee, usually within one year of passing the Qualifying Examination. The General Doctoral Examination should be taken after the student has completed most of the required course work but before the student's dissertation research reaches an advanced stage. The General Doctoral Examination will consist of both written and oral portions in the student's major field of study and related areas. The oral portion of the examination will follow the written portion and must be formally scheduled through the Graduate School. The General Doctoral Examination shall be a rigorous test of the student's competence and comprehensive mastery of the chosen field and shall demonstrate the student's potential for undertaking independent research. If the General Doctoral Examination reveals any deficiencies, the Advisory Committee may recommend remedial work, re-examination, or the discontinuation of doctoral study. Results of this examination are reported to the Graduate School. Successful completion of this examination requires unanimous approval of the Advisory Committee and allows the student to become a candidate for the Ph.D. degree.

The Graduate Faculty of the Aerospace Engineering Department has adopted the following format for the Ph.D. General Doctoral Examination. Written Portion: This examination is intended to cover advanced topics in the student's area of specialization and closely related areas. This examination will be open-book and can be administered in a single sitting of three-to-four hours in length, or as a take-home examination over several days. The type of questions may include the set-up and solution of specific problems and the discussion of fundamental principles. Oral Portion: This examination consists of a presentation and defense of the student's dissertation proposal before the Advisory Committee. A 30 minute presentation is required, followed by up to two hours of questions and discussion. The research proposal must be distributed to the Advisory Committee members at least one week prior to the scheduled examination and should include the description of the problem to be investigated, a literature search, the description of intended approach, and the anticipated contributions.

5.9. Outside Reader

The assistance of outside readers is required in evaluating all doctoral dissertations. The major Professor nominates from three to five potential readers from outside the student's department and provides their names to the Graduate School. The Major Professor may request appointment of the outside reader at any time during the student's doctoral work. If no such request is made, the outside reader will be appointed at the time the first draft of the dissertation is submitted to the Graduate School. The primary role of the outside reader is to advise the Graduate School on the quality of the dissertation from the standpoint of originality, significance, research, analysis, accuracy, and overall scholarship. The reader will recommend to the Graduate School that the Advisory Committee proceed with the Final Oral Examination or that the document be returned to the student for further work. The judgment of the outside reader is viewed as advice to the Graduate School and is not binding. The Graduate School evaluates each report and may recommend appropriate changes in the manuscript. However, the outside reader should be aware of the importance of the Graduate School places upon the reader's opinion in making the final decision on the acceptability of a dissertation. When the Graduate School has reviewed the reader's evaluation, both the student and the Major Professor will be informed of the reader's comments and recommendations and of the Graduate School's decision. Recommendations by the reader should be considered and addressed by the student and the Advisory Committee either through revision of the dissertation or by response in writing to the Graduate School. The Graduate School expects that appropriate changes will be made and that the student will be able to address all questions raised by the reader during the Final Oral Examination. It is anticipated that the reader will be willing to assist the student and Advisory Committee, at least by explaining comments and recommendations. Since the role of the outside reader is one of an advisor to the Graduate School, it is not expected that the reader will have the same level of involvement with the student and the dissertation as do members of the Advisory Committee. Should the Graduate School not approve the dissertation based upon the recommendation of the outside reader, the student can modify the dissertation along the lines suggested by the reader. When the modifications have been made, the student and Major Professor should submit the revised draft to the Graduate School along with a statement identifying the changes and addressing those recommendations of the outside reader not incorporated into the work. However, if the student and the Advisory Committee believe that the objections raised by the outside reader are invalid, the student and the Major Professor have the option of addressing the criticism of the reader in writing to the Graduate School and requesting that the dissertation be reviewed by a second reader. Based upon its evaluation of the first reader's report and the response from the student and the Major Professor, the Graduate School may appoint a second reader who will have the same role as the first reader. If the first outside reader does not recommend approval and the second one does, the final decision will be made by the Graduate School. If both readers judge the dissertation unacceptable and the Graduate School concurs, it is the responsibility of the student to undertake the work necessary to correct the deficiencies. The outside reader is the designated Graduate School representative at the Final Examination and is expected to be an active participant. The reader must be consulted about the date and time. Arrangements should be made to furnish the reader, as well as other members of the Advisory Committee, a copy of the approved draft of the dissertation at least three days in advance. In the case of a second outside reader, the designated Graduate School representative usually will be the second reader.

At the Final Oral Examination, the outside reader will serve both as an advisor and an observer for the Graduate School to assure the Quality and validity of the examination. The reader may also raise questions and issues regarding the dissertation. The reader will grade the examination on the proper form and provide an official report to the Graduate School. The student must pass the Final Oral Examination with unanimous approval of the Advisory Committee, except that a negative vote by the outside reader alone is insufficient to fail a candidate. In such cases, the outside reader reports concerns to the Graduate School for the Dean's Consideration.

5.10. Ph.D. Degree Checklist