Electrical Engineering

Ph.D. Degree Requirements and Procedures

This is a summary of the various requirements leading to the Ph.D. degree. Please read this entire page carefully, noting all requirements and deadlines. Although some of the procedures indicated below are to be carried out by the faculty advisor or the Electrical Engineering Department, it is the student's responsibility to see that all requirements are satisfied and deadlines met.

For additional information, please refer to the

Satisfactory Progress: In order to continue in the program, students must continue to make satisfactory progress as determined by meeting university and department course, exam, registration, and other requirements as stated on the MSEE and PhD advising web pages. Faculty and department advising staff are available for clarification and assistance. If students are considered by faculty to not be making satisfactory progress toward a degree, the first step will be to send to the student an informal notification from individual faculty or from the EE Graduate Advising Office. Discussion and exploration of issues will hopefully resolve the issues. If a student continues to fail to meet expectations for performance and progress, the department will proceed with formal actions recommended by the Graduate School per Graduate School Memorandum No. 16.

Annual Review of Graduate Students: The EE Graduate Advising Office reviews Master's students each Spring Quarter, and reviews Ph.D. students each Autumn Quarter. Students and faculty advisors are contacted only if a student's record indicates concerns.

ADMISSION TO PH.D. PROGRAM

Students who are first completing an MSEE in the department will enroll in the Ph.D. program as of the first quarter after completing the MSEE.

SELECTION OF FACULTY ADVISOR

Students should have a faculty advisor within the first quarter of study, and should notify the Advising Office both when an advisor has been determined and if there is a change of advisors.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Ph.D. QUALIFYING EXAMINATION

The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination document includes the EE Qualifying Examination Document, breadth and depth course lists, required forms for applying for the depth exam, and the depth exam syllabi.

Students should plan on taking the depth portion of the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination no later than one year after starting the Ph.D. program. An extension will be allowed in unusual circumstances by approval of the Graduate Program Coordinator upon petition by the student's advisor. The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination Depth Exam is offered twice a year, once in the Autumn quarter and once in the Spring Quarter.

GENERAL EXAMINATION

The Ph.D. General Examination document includes the requirements for proceeding to the General Exam, appointment of the Ph.D. Supervisory Committee, and procedures for scheduling the General Examination.

The department expects students to take the General Examination within one year of passing the Qualifying Examination. An extension will be allowed in unusual circumstances by approval of the Graduate Program Coordinator upon petition by the student's advisor.

FINAL EXAMINATION

The Ph.D. Final Examination document includes information on appointing the Dissertation Reading Committee, and procedures for scheduling the Final Examination.


Return to Graduate Student Page

Updates or corrections to this page should be sent to fjones@ee.washington.edu.

This page was last updated Wednesday, 09-Apr-2008 15:17:38 PDT