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2024-2025 Graduate Catalog
Electrical Engineering, PhD
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The Doctor of Philosophy degree represents attainment of a high level of scholarship as evidenced through publications in scholarly journals and prestigious conferences, and completion of a dissertation of original scientific and engineering merits. The educational objectives of our electrical engineering PhD program are twofold:
- To prepare PhD graduates to conduct research into new unexplored fields for the discovery of new knowledge principles that can revolutionize the technology sector; and
- To educate PhD students on innovation and technology transfer to help them become tomorrow’s high-tech-job-creating entrepreneurs.
In addition to educating students who create an original knowledge base and conduct advanced research within the discipline of electrical engineering, the faculty of electrical engineering will purposefully train the PhD students to become founders and leaders of tomorrow’s high-tech ventures, whose goal is not limited to finding a job after graduation, but to create more job opportunities in the DFW region, Texas and the nation, through technology innovation and entrepreneurial adventures. Specifically, all electrical engineering PhD students will be required to take 9 credit hours from the College of Business to obtain a minor in business management with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, innovation and technology leadership. To further instill the technology innovation and entrepreneurship spirit in the PhD program, at least one member of every dissertation advisory committee is required to be an industrial expert in the relevant fields.
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Admission requirements
Students seeking admission to the doctoral program must meet all general requirements of the Toulouse Graduate School. Additional requirements are listed below:
- At least 3.0 GPA on a completed undergraduate degree and at least 3.4 GPA on a completed master’s degree;
- Competitive score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE);
- Acceptable scores on the TOEFL for applicants whose native language is not English;
- Statement of purpose, including professional goals and objectives, research interests, and faculty member(s) contacted as prospective major advisor;
- Three letters of recommendation.
An overall evaluation of credentials is used as a basis for admission to the program. Admission is competitive and satisfaction of the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Levelling courses will be required for applicants with degrees other than electrical engineering.
Electrical engineering core courses
RF and Circuit Designs Area
Communication and Signal Processing Area
Required credit hours for students entering with a master’s degree, 42 hours
The PhD with a major in electrical engineering requires a minimum of 42 credit hours beyond the master’s degree.
Electrical engineering core courses, 6 hours
Students entering with a master’s degree are required to complete 6 hours from the list of electrical engineering core courses.
Electrical engineering electives, 6 hours
Students entering with a master’s degree are required to complete 6 hours of electrical engineering electives. Electrical engineering electives are defined as 5000-level or above organized EENG courses, including EENG 5940 but excluding EENG 5890 , EENG 5900 , EENG 5932 , EENG 5950 , EENG 6940 and EENG 6950 .
Entrepreneurship courses, 9 hours
Students are required to take requires 9 hours of 5000-level or above MGMT courses from the College of Business. The selected courses need to be in the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation and technology leadership.
Other electives, 6 hours
Students entering with a master’s degree are required to complete a minimum of 6 hours of elective credit. Allowable electives to meet this requirement include EENG 5890 , but do not include EENG 5950 , EENG 6940 and EENG 6950 . A maximum of 3 hours of EENG 5932 can be counted toward this requirement with prior approval of the student’s major advisor.
Individual research, 3 hours
Students entering with a master’s degree are required to complete a minimum of 3 hours of EENG 6940 individual research credit.
Dissertation, 12 hours
Students are required to complete a minimum of 12 hours of EENG 6950 doctoral dissertation credit. Subsequent to admission to doctoral candidacy, students are required to enroll in EENG 6950 continuously during each long term/semester through the semester of graduation.
Required credit hours for students entering with a bachelor’s degree, 72 hours
The PhD with a major in electrical engineering requires a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree.
Electrical engineering core courses, 12 hours
Students entering with a bachelor’s degree are required to complete 12 hours from the list of electrical engineering core courses.
Electrical engineering electives, 12 hours
Students entering with a bachelor’s degree are required to complete 12 hours of electrical engineering electives. Electrical engineering electives are defined as 5000-level or above organized EENG courses, including EENG 5940 but excluding EENG 5890 , EENG 5900 , EENG 5932 , EENG 5950 , EENG 6940 and EENG 6950 .
Entrepreneurship courses, 9 hours
Students are required to earn a minor in business management. The minor requires 9 hours of 5000-level or above MGMT courses from the College of Business. The selected courses need to be in the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology leadership and need to be approved by a graduate advisor.
Other electives, 18 hours
Students entering with a bachelor’s degree are required to complete a minimum of 18 hours of elective credit. Allowable electives to meet this requirement include EENG 5890 , but do not include EENG 5950 , EENG 6940 and EENG 6950 . A maximum of 3 hours of EENG 5932 can be counted toward this requirement with prior approval of the student’s major advisor.
Individual research, 9 hours
Students entering with a bachelor’s degree are required to complete a minimum of 9 hours of EENG 6940 individual research credit.
Dissertation, 12 hours
Students are required to complete a minimum of 12 hours of EENG 6950 doctoral dissertation credit. Subsequent to admission to doctoral candidacy, students are required to enroll in EENG 6950 continuously during each long term/semester through the semester of graduation.
Additional requirements
In addition to credit hours requirements, PhD students must complete the following.
Residence requirement
Students are required to enroll in at least 9 credit hours for two consecutive terms/semesters or in at least 6 credit hours for three consecutive terms/semesters.
Dissertation advisory committee formation
The committee should have at least three members from within the Department of Electrical Engineering and at least one member from the industry.
PhD qualifying requirements
Electrical engineering core courses need to be completed with a grade of B or better. An oral PhD qualifying examination is conducted by the student’s dissertation advisory committee to ensure the research readiness of the student. If the student fails the qualifying examination twice, the student will be dismissed from the doctoral program. Upon passing the qualifying exam, the student is admitted to doctoral candidacy.
Dissertation proposal defense
An oral dissertation proposal defense is conducted by the doctoral candidate’s dissertation advisory committee. The dissertation proposal defense must be conducted at least six months before the dissertation defense.
Dissertation defense
An oral dissertation defense is conducted by the doctoral candidate’s dissertation advisory committee. Students must apply for graduation prior to the defense of the dissertation. Graduation information and deadlines are available from the Toulouse Graduate School .
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