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

For the most recent qualifying exam quidelines, please contact Amanda Friz at friz@mech.utah.edu.

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.