Doctor of Philosophy

Ph. D. Exam Information

The Doctor of Philosophy degree offered through the Department of Mechanical Engineering can be undertaken after completion of the Master of Science degree, the Master of Engineering Degree, or the Bachelor of Science degree. Completion of the Master of Science degree is recommended by the faculty, as it provides evaluation of the potential of the student for independent original research.

Although not recommended by the Graduate Committee, a Doctor of Philosophy degree may be pursued after completion of the Master of Engineering degree provided approvals from the Master of Engineering supervisory committee (or alternatively, the newly formed Doctor of Philosophy supervisory committee) and the Departmental Graduate Committee are obtained.

Applicants for the Ph.D. program with a Bachelor of Science degree may be accepted directly into the Doctoral program without completion of a Master of Science degree or a Master of Engineering degree. These students are encouraged to pursue the Master of Science (non-thesis) degree as part of their Ph.D. program.

Course Requirements (post M.S. degree)

  • A minimum of 32 total credit hours.
  • A minimum of 18 credit hours of approved graduate course work.
  • A minimum of 12 credit hours in regular Mechanical Engineering graduate courses.
  • A minimum of 6 credit hours in regular Mechanical Engineering classes at the 7000 level.
  • A maximum of 3 credit hours of ME EN 6050 - Independent Study taken after the completion of the Master of Science degree may be applied to the Ph.D. degree.
  • Upper division course work in allied fields is allowed.
  • A minimum of 14 credit hours for ME EN 7970 - Ph.D. Dissertation.

Course Requirements (post B.S. degree)

  • A minimum of 53 total credit hours.
  • A minimum of 39 credit hours (the equivalent of 30 credit hours at the MS degree level and 24 credit hours at the Ph.D. level) of approved graduate course work.
  • A minimum of 24 credit hours in regular Mechanical Engineering graduate courses.
  • A minimum of 9 credit hours in regular Mechanical Engineering courses at the 7000 level.
  • A maximum of 6 credit hours of ME EN 6050 - Independent Study taken after the completion of the Bachelor of Science degree may be applied to the Ph.D. degree.
  • Upper division course work in allied fields is allowed.
  • A minimum of 14 credit hours for ME EN 7970 - Ph.D. Dissertation.

Additional Requirements

  • Successful completion of the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination
  • Successful completion of the Research Comprehensive Examination
  • Successful completion of an approved Doctoral dissertation representing at least 14 credit hours of ME EN 7970.
  • Successful oral defense of the Doctoral dissertation before the supervisory committee.

Supervisory Committee

The candidate must select a permanent supervisory committee chairperson (advisor) by the end of the first semester of Ph.D. degree work. The supervisory committee supervi

ses the Ph.D. candidate’s program, and particularly, the dissertation research. As soon as practical, a five-faculty member supervisory committee should be selected, with one member serving as supervisory committee chairperson. The chair of the committee is the primary dissertation advisor. The other members of the committee are selected by the committee chair in consultation with the candidate. The Graduate Committee may make recommendations regarding committee membership. A majority of the supervisory committee members must be faculty members from the Department of Mechanical Engineering. At least one member must be from a department other than Mechanical Engineering.

Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

To be officially considered as admitted to candidacy in the Ph.D. program, applicants must pass a qualifying exam directed at testing understanding and application of basic concepts, including open-ended questions, and mastery of technical knowledge in different areas. This exam is administered near the end of the Autumn and Spring semesters. Not taking the exam by the third time (entering with a B.S.) or second time (entering with a masters degree) it is offered in the student's schedule will be equivalent to failing the examination. The student will then have only one more opportunity to take the exam. Students should notify the graduate committee of their intent to take this exam by the third week of the semester in which the exam is to be taken.

Each qualifying exam consists of individual exams in three different subject areas. The overall examination pass or fail decision is made on the basis of a majority vote by the faculty as a body. This vote is taken in a faculty meeting held shortly after the examination. The overall exam score is determined by adding the scores from all six faculty involved in testing a particular candidate.

Prior to taking the exams, the student will select three subject areas from the three major subject groups in which to be evaluated. The student is required to select subject areas from at least two major subject groups as shown below.

Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Major Groups and Subject Areas

Major Subject Groups Thermal, Fluids, and Energy Systems Solid Mechanics Design, Manufacturing, and Controls
Subject Areas Heat Transfer Thermodynamics

Fluid Mechanics 		Elasticity

Strength of Materials Dynamics & Vibrations Materials Engineering 		Design

Manufacturing
Controls
Ergonomics and Safety

Exam questions are designed to establish students' understanding of the essential fundamentals in the area, capability of independent thought, and academic potential for admission to the Ph.D. program, and test students' fundamental understanding of, and abilit

y to apply relevant knowledge at the advanced Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science degree levels. The exam also tests students' abilities to synthesize and respond to open-ended problems.

Each subject exam includes both written and oral components. Faculty in the appropriate subject areas provide written questions. Two faculty are selected by the Director of Graduate Studies from each subject area to provide these questions. These faculty assignments are rotated on an annual basis whenever possible. The written exam is limited to two hours in each subject area and is open book.

An oral exam is taken shortly after the written exam, usually in the afternoon of the same day. The oral exam time is approximately one hour. A total of three days is generally required for testing in three different subject areas.

Interpreters may not be used in the oral portions of the Ph.D. Qualifying Exams. International students are expected to possess verbal and written English language skills equivalent to TOEFL scores greater than 560 and SPEAK test scores greater than 50. Departmental faculty are expected to be tolerant of international students' English language skills during administration of the Ph.D. Qualifying Exams.

Scoring of the written and oral questions for each subject area is done by the two faculty members assigned in that subject area. A single integer score of 0, 1, or 2 is designated by each faculty member giving the exam to represent the exam performance in the portion of the subject area tested by that faculty member. Each score then represents the overall score for oral and written portions of the exam for one faculty member in one subject area. A score of 2 is given if the student passes the exam. A score of 1 is given if exam performance requires discussion by the departmental faculty before a decision is made regarding passing or failing. A score of 0 is a failing grade.

Students with scores totaling 11 or 12 for the three subject areas automatically pass the qualifying exam. Students with scores of 0, 1, 2, or 3 automatically fail. Students with a score ranging from 4 to 10 are voted on by the faculty.

Students failing the exam are permitted to take the exam a second time at the next regularly scheduled examination.

Students in the middle category with a score of 4 to 10 may pass the entire exam, may fail the entire exam, or may be given a partial pass and be required to repeat exams in one or more subject areas, depending upon their performance.

Students may contact the specific faculty examiners to view the graded written exams and to obtain information on the grading procedures employed for both the written and oral exams.

A file of previous exam questions is available from the Department Director of Graduate Studies.

Research Proposal

A dissertation research proposal must be presented by the candidate to the supervisory committee near the initiation of the research program, typically within a year of passing the qualifying examination. This proposal defense is intended to assess the student's research abilities, and is administrated and scored by the student's supervisory committee. Students are required to submit a written research proposal to their supervisory committee, and are then required to defend this proposal in an oral presentation. The proposal should follow a standard format such as those suggested by NSF, DOE, NIH, or other funding agencies as appropriate, and thus should include a budget and time table, and adhere to a page limit.

Dissertation Defense and Final Oral Examination

The candidate must defend their Ph.D. dissertation research before their supervisory committee at an open, public defense. The draft or final dissertation document serves as the written basis for the presentation. Contents, results, and conclusions associated with the student's doctoral research and written dissertation are presented by the candidate for examination to the supervisory committee, who evaluate the contents, results, conclusions and contributions made by the student's research and written dissertation.

Upon completion of the oral examination (which is open to the public), the supervisory committee may then pursue additional discussion and questions with the candidate in a closed session. The supervisory committee then dismisses the candidate and votes to determine whether the candidate (a) passes the exam, (b) passes the exam with modifications to the dissertation, or (c) fails the exam with or without an opportunity to repeat the examination.

The acceptability of the research effort, the content and conclusions of the dissertation, and the student's oral defense are considered along with other factors, as appropriate. The supervisory committee chairperson then meets with the candidate to inform him/her of the committee’s decision, and the reasons for that decision

The Doctor of Philosophy Degree dissertation must:

  • Reflect an understanding of the current and past state of knowledge in chosen research area through a literature review of the subject.
  • Clearly state the goals of the research and justify its value to the engineering and scientific community.
  • Demonstrate a fundamental and original contribution, which significantly advances engineering science in chosen area of research.
  • Upon completion of research, the results should be appropriate for publication in a peer-reviewed journal or an invited review paper.

Residency Requirement

At least one year (i.e., two consecutive semesters) of the doctoral program must be spent in full-time academic work at the University of Utah.

Time Limit

Candidates for the Ph.D. degree must complete no fewer than three full years (six semesters) of approved graduate work, inclusive of work for the Masters degree. More time may be required. In truly exceptional cases, a shorter period of time in graduate work may be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.

A maximum time of six years is allowed for completion of the Ph.D. degree for candidates who started the Ph.D. program following a Masters degree. A maximum of eight years is allowed for completion of the Ph.D. degree for candidates who started the Ph.D. program following a Bachelor of Science degree. If the candidate requires additional time, the supervisory committee chairman must submit a letter to the ME Director of Graduate Studies, with a plan for completing the program, and a request for approval of the extension.