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Ph.D. Degree Program

Entrance to the Ph.D. Program Ph.D. Entrance Requirements Presidential Fellows Requirements for Obtaining a Ph.D. Degree Proposed Program of Study Non-Thesis M.S. Degree Option Qualifying Examination Qualifying Exam Frequently Asked Questions Doctoral Research and Dissertation Petition for Degree Award of Ph.D. Degree Time-table of Action for Ph.D. Students

The degree Doctor of Philosophy recognizes proficiency and high achievement in research. After adequate preparation, the candidate must complete a search and authoritative investigation of a special area in the chosen field, culminating in a written thesis covering that investigation. The dissertation must be either an addition to the fundamental knowledge of the field or a new and better interpretation of facts already known. It must demonstrate that the candidate possesses powers of original thought, talent for research, and ability to organize and present findings. A Ph.D. degree cannot be gained merely by diligent application of a prescribed course of study over a period of years, nor can it be awarded for miscellaneous study.

Entrance into the Ph.D. Program

Although a master's degree is not a prerequisite for the Ph.D. program in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, most students will possess the M.S. degree. Any Ph.D. candidate not possessing an M.S. degree will receive vigorous screening by the Graduate Committee and School Chair prior to acceptance. Students who plan to work for a doctorate after completing their Master's program must be formally admitted to doctoral study. Admission to candidacy is accomplished by completing the form “Request for Continuing into the Ph.D. Program,” available in the MSE Academic office. The completed form requires approval by the MSE faculty and Director of Graduate Studies. Upon approval, the Director of Graduate Studies  will send a memo requesting that the Registrar reclassify the student.

Ph.D. Entrance Requirements

Without M.S.
Any student admitted to the direct Ph.D. program without an M.S., the minimum qualifications are a
B.S. degree in Materials, Metallurgy, Ceramics or Polymers with a GPA of 3.5 or better and a high GRE score or a B.S. degree in another field of Engineering, Physics or Chemistry with a GPA of 3.7 or higher and a high GRE score.

With M.S.
Any student accepted in the Ph.D. program with an M.S. degree, or any student in the direct Ph.D. program having completed a minimum of 30 hours of graduate coursework and passed the course and oral portion of the Ph.D. qualification examination and making satisfactory progress toward research.

Presidential Fellows

Georgia Tech Presidential Fellowship is awarded to outstanding U.S. or P.R. Ph.D. students selected in a campus-wide competition. These fellowships add $5,500 per calendar year to the stipend provided by the School. These awards are for four years, subject to satisfactory progress toward the degree goals.

Requirements for Obtaining a Ph.D. Degree

Course	Hours	Description
MSE 8803D (Fall)	3-0-3	Thermodynamics
MSE 8803E (Fall)	3-0-3	Crystallography, Structure and Defects
MSE 8803G (Spring)	3-0-3	Kinetics of Diffusional and Non-Diffusional Phase Transformations
*Course of Choice	3-0-3	Characterization
**Course of Choice	3-0-3	Computations

*Courses in Characterization (could include not limited to):

1. MSE 6105 Diffraction Studies
2. MSE 6110 Transmission Electron Microscopy
3. MSE 6120 Quantitative Characterization of Microstructures
4. MSE 6130 Surface Characterization
5. MSE 8803 Scattering Theory
6. CHEM 6172 Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry
7. CHEM 6181 Chemical Crystallography
8. CHEM 6283 Electroanalytical Chemistry
9. CHEM 6572 Macromolecular Structure
10. CHEM 6752 Polymer Characterization

**Courses in Computations (could include not limited to):

1. MSE 6795 Mathematical, Statistical, and Computational Techniques in Materials Science
2. CHEM 6382  Computational Methods in Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry
3. ISyE 6739  Basic Statistical Methods
4. ME 6104  Computer-aided Design
5. ME 6124  Finite-Element Method: Theory & Practice
6. MATH 4255  Monte Carlo Methods
7. MATH 4247  Partial Differential Equations I
8. MATH 4348 Partial Differential Equations II

Ph.D. Requirements

• Students must complete all core courses with a grade of ”B” in each course.  A maximum of one course can be repeated.  Withdrawal will be considered an attempt. (15 hours)
• Six hours from general MSE curriculum (6 hours)
• Nine hours in an approved minor (9 hours)
• Prepare and submit a research proposal for the qualifying exam to the Graduate Committee within 30 days of completing Thermodynamics, Crystallography & Kinetics. Proposals must be submitted by Summer of 2nd year or 4 semesters (not including Summer). Courses in Computations and Characterization may be completed after qualifying exam.
• Pass the oral qualifying exam
• Complete all course work with a minimum GPA of 3.0  
• Write, present and defend a Ph.D. dissertation
• MSE 8001, Seminar (1-0-1), is required for all graduate students (1 hour)

Additional Ph.D. Requirements for students entering directly from B.S. program

• Six additional hours of course work in the major (6 hours)
• Note:  A total of 37 credit hours are required for Ph.D. direct from B.S

Students must submit a Program of Study to the MSE Academic Office for approval no later than the end of the second month of study.

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Minor Field

In addition to an adequate knowledge of the field of materials, each student is required to demonstrate a mastery of another smaller body of knowledge outside his/her major field. This area of study is referred to as a minor field. The purpose of the minor is to encourage a wider interest on the part of the student and to provide a broader basis for the evaluation of his/her capabilities.

The minor will normally consist of at least 9 semester hours of work in related courses, chosen in consultation with the Dissertation Advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies before the courses are taken. These courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or better.

The courses in the minor field are generally taken after the student has been formally admitted to the doctoral program. However, courses taken before admission (including courses taken at other institutions) may be included, subject to the approval of the Dissertation Advisor and Director of Graduate Studies. Courses must be at the 4000 level or above. Of the minimum 9 semester hours, at least 6 credit hours must be in 6000- or higher-level courses. In addition, the 4000-level courses must be from curricula outside the School of Materials Science and Engineering. Cross-listed courses in MSE may be used to satisfy the minor requirement if they are at the 6000 level or higher.

Proposed Program of Study

With the aid of his/her advisor, each student should outline a proposed program of study no later than the end of the second month of Ph.D. study.  The appropriate form must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies (Ph.D. Program of Study). The proposed program must consider the course requirements outlined in Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree. Only courses for which degree credit is sought should be listed. Any subsequent changes in the proposed program must be reviewed by the Dissertation Advisor and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Non-Thesis M.S. Degree Option

Students who entered the program originally as a Ph.D. and during their studies wish to apply for a non-thesis M.S. degree based on coursework completed while satisfying the requirements for their Ph.D, may apply to do so after having passed their qualifying examination and ALL coursework.

Qualifying Examination

Satisfactory progress towards the Ph.D. degree will require the student to complete his/her core courses by the end of the 4th semester (excluding the summer term) of residence at Georgia Tech.

A. Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

Upon successfully completing the three core courses–MSE 6401: Thermodynamics, MSE 6402: Crystallography, Structure and Defects, and MSE 6403: Kinetics, with a minimum grade of B in each course and overall GPA of 3.0 or higher–the student must then pass the qualifying examination consisting of a) the written and oral presentation; and b) the question and answer session, to maintain satisfactory progress.

The primary objective of the qualifying examination is to evaluate the candidate’s ability to pursue advanced independent scientific/engineering research.  The candidate will demonstrate this capability through his/her ability to (a) identify a significant scientific/engineering problem; (b) perform a critical review of the literature about that problem; and c) propose a sound scientific approach to addressing (if not solving) that problem.

The qualifying examination will include a) a written document in the intended area of the student's Ph.D. research, to be submitted to the MSE Academic Office within 30 days after the end of the semester in which the student completes the last core course; b) an oral presentation associated with the written document; and c) a question and answer session led by a faculty committee. The oral presentation and Q/A session will be scheduled in the two-month period following submittal of the written document.

A workshop that addresses the requirements of both the written document and the oral presentation will be offered in the spring semester. Attendance at this workshop is mandatory.  Failure to attend even one of the four sessions will become part of the student’s academic file and will be taken into account when pass/fail decisions are made.

The first step in preparing for the qualifying examination is for the student to meet with the advisor and select a topic area. The topic does not have to be directly related to the student’s current or future Ph.D. research project. The advisor must approve the chosen topic. Next the student will prepare the written document as outlined below under “Guidelines for Written Document” (Section B).

Prior to the Qualifying Examination

The advisor may review the written document prior to the student submitting it to the MSE Academic Office. The advisor may work on points of clarification, eliminating typographical errors and improving the grammatical structure of the document. It is important, however, that the written document represents the work of the student and not the advisor.  Re-writes by the advisor are not acceptable.

Once the student submits the written document to the MSE Academic Office, the Graduate Committee will assign a three-member (plus an alternate) qualifying examination committee. The research advisor will then be given the names of the examination committee.  The advisor will:

• Distribute electronic copies of the written document
• Set a convenient time for the examination
• Notify the academic office of the time, date and room number of the examination
• Contact the committee twenty-four hours prior to the examination to make sure that all members will be present. An examination cannot proceed without all committee members present.

During the Examination

During the oral examination all committee members must be present and meet 15-30 minutes before the start of the oral presentation to evaluate the written document. The Committee Chair (also a member of graduate committee) will be a voting committee member, and will moderate the proceedings and monitor the time for the student presentation and questions. The student presentation should be approximately thirty (30) minutes and the question and answer period about one and one-half (1-1/2) hours. The oral examination will involve rounds of questions, with each committee member having about 15 minutes per round. The Committee Chair will make sure that all committee members abide by the time limitation. The Committee Chair may also keep a tab of the questions answered. Following the question/answer session, the committee will deliberate based on the student’s performance. Students must receive a 2/3 vote from the qualifying committee in order to pass the qualifying examination.

After the Examination

The Committee Chair will convey the final pass/fail decision to the student via e-mail, with a copy to the advisor and the Graduate Coordinator/Academic Office.

If the student fails the written portion of exam, it is the Committee Chair’s responsibility to deliver the committee’s required changes to the written document in their email to the student and the advisor. The advisor will ensure that the student resubmits a revised version of the written document within four weeks.

If the student fails the oral portion of the examination, it is the advisor’s responsibility to meet with the student and reschedule a second oral exam before the end of the next term with a new committee. The new committee will again be assigned by the graduate committee. It is also the advisor’s responsibility to discuss additional coursework (possibly auditing courses in which the student was deemed to be deficient) with the student, as may be recommended by the qualifying examination committee.

Failure to pass either the written or oral examination on a second attempt will result in automatic termination of the student’s Ph.D. candidacy.

Once the MSE Oral Qualifying Examination has been successfully completed, the Candidacy    process begins.  The graduate student is expected to complete the Institute Admission to Candidacy process before the end of the next semester in residence.  The dissertation reading committee will be approved at this time using the guidelines set forth by the Institute.

B. Guidelines for Written Document

The written document will be prepared on a topic approved by the student’s advisor, and abide by the following guidelines

Format

• 15 page limit (Note: Title Page and List of References do not count towards the 15-page limit)
• Font Style: Arial or Times New Roman
• Font Size: 10-12
• Spacing: single

Title Page

• Title of Research Topic
• Student’s Name
• Advisor’s name

Content of 15 page-long written document

1. Motivation and Impact Statement: Explain the existing problem or need that motivates research in this area and then explain the potential impact of a solution to the stated problem (1 pg max)
2. Literature Review: Provide a comprehensive critical review of the “current state of the art” in the chosen research area.
3. Discussion of fundamental materials-related issues: Address key (a) thermodynamic, (b) kinetics, and (c) structure/defects/crystallography based issues as they apply to your research area.  Although you are required to address all three of these core areas, you do not need to provide equal emphasis to each of them.
4. Technical Approach:  The objective of this section is not to provide details of an experimental/theoretical procedure (e.g., minute details of characterization parameters or sample preparation, etc.) to solving a specific problem, but rather to provide an overview of the general approach you propose to take. Your technical approach should be informed by fundamental materials-related issues presented in the three core classes.
5. Conclusions (1 pg max)

List of References

• No page limit - Follow an accepted format from a professional materials-related society
  (e.g. American Chemical Society, American Physical Society)

Notes to students and advisors:

The student is allowed to consult with his/her advisor and group members for input and discussion of the relevant literature, materials-related issues to address, and the research approach, as well as for editorial input regarding grammar and organization of the written document. The student may also consult with other faculty, students, or postdocs outside of his/her group for discussion of above
issues. While the student is allowed and encouraged to openly consult with others for verbal discussion/input, the written document itself must be the work of the student.

C. Qualifying Exam Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Suppose I miss the proposal deadline?

A. An unsatisfactory grade would be assigned, leaving only 1 attempt to pass.

Q. How long should I allow for my oral qualifying presentation? 

A. 30 minutes

Q. How long should I allow for the Q&A portion of my qualifying examination?

A. Keep the day free

Q. What will be the content of the committee questions?

A. Be prepared to answer topics related to your review of the literature and approach for addressing key issues, with fundamentals based on your undergraduate background and on core courses.  The committee is composed of faculty who can prepare questions covering the three core courses and how the fundamentals of these courses relate to the literature and approach discussed. 

Q. What amount of data is allowed, required, and/or considered optimum?

A. If you have data from work already performed, you may use it as long as the written document satisfies the 15-page limit. Prior results or data are not the determining factors for passing the qualifying examination.

Q. How soon after I submit my written document should I expect to participate in the oral examination?

A. Be prepared to present 2 weeks after submission.  However, due to the number of individuals involved, the qualifying examinations will take place over a 2-month period.

Q. What if I have travel plans, courses scheduled, etc. after submitting my written document?

A. Please include your travel itinerary and other plans for 90 days after the document is submitted. We will do our best to schedule around them.

Q. What format should I use for my oral presentation?

A. PowerPoint

Q. Do I need to include a table of contents and is there a special format for that?

A. Yes, include a table of contents in your document. No special format of the table of contents is required.

Q. What is the role of my advisor in the writing and editing of my document?

A. No writing should be done by the advisor.  All work must be original.  Any portions of your document that have been lifted from other sources such as the open literature or proposals submitted by faculty members and others without appropriate attribution will constitute a breach of the Institute Honor Code.  Georgia Tech Honor Code violations would be forwarded to the Vice President for Student Affairs and be dealt with according to the GT Honor Code.  Click here for questions regarding what constitutes a violation and the mechanics of dealing with a violation.

Q. Are appendices allowed?

A. No.  The page limit for the document is 15 pages.  Supplementary information may be included in the oral presentation/PowerPoint

Q. Is the bibliography (List of References) included in the 15 page limit and in what format does the listing have to be compiled?

A. The bibliography is not part of the 15 page limit. Format of abstract citation is to be according to an accepted formation of professional societies such as ASM, ACS, APS, IEEE, etc. An example from IEEE guidelines will be described in Dr. Rosenstein’s handouts. Be sure to include titles of all papers.

Doctoral Research and Dissertation

One of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree is that the candidate complete an original research project and write an acceptable dissertation (in English) describing the results of this work. The research must either be a genuine addition to the fundamental knowledge of the field or a new and better interpretation of facts already known. The bulletin entitled “Graduate Research–Some Minimal Guidelines” is available from the Graduate Office at www.grad.gatech.edu.

All graduate students are expected to familiarize themselves with the research program in progress in Materials Science and Engineering and with the research interests of the faculty/staff during their first semester of residence. During their second and subsequent semesters, students are expected to undertake research.

Selection of a dissertation topic and Dissertation Advisor is accomplished by discussing possible dissertation problems with faculty/staff members. A student is encouraged to propose additional research problems. However, the approval of a faculty member who is willing to serve as the Dissertation Advisor, and of the Director of Graduate Studies, must be obtained. Ordinarily, the Dissertation Advisor is a member of the Materials Science and Engineering faculty. However, in certain cases, a student may carry out dissertation research in another School or Division (e.g., GTRI), provided that this arrangement is first approved by the Director of Graduate Studies (if applicable) of both units involved. Doctoral students must register for MSE 9000 during semesters in which they are doing doctoral research.

A. Approval of Dissertation Topic and Admission to Candidacy

After satisfactorily completing the core courses and written and oral parts of the qualifying examination, the graduate student is expected to complete the Institute Admission to Candidacy process before the end of the next semester in residence. In the case of students doing their research off-campus, they must complete their candidacy examination within two semesters of completing the oral qualifying exam. The candidacy examination is based on an oral defense of the proposed Ph.D. dissertation research.

At least four (4) weeks prior to the Dissertation Proposal Defense (candidacy examination), a Dissertation Reading Committee, consisting of the Dissertation Advisor, who will serve as Chair, and at least four other individuals, will be selected using the guidelines set forth by the Institute
(see www.grad.gatech.edu) to review the proposal. The members will be suggested by the Dissertation Advisor to the Director of Graduate Studies, who will formally request that they serve on the Committee. The Dissertation Committee must consist of at least three Materials Science and Engineering faculty members and at least one member from outside the School. A brief resume of outside members must be submitted with the form. An effort should be made to include one member on the Dissertation Committee from the technical community outside of Georgia Tech. A brief resume is required for any member(s) outside of Georgia Tech. Please submit the resume with the Request for Approval of Ph.D. Dissertation Topic.

As soon as the Committee is formed and the student completes their Ph.D. proposal, the student should submit a Request for Approval of Ph.D. Dissertation Topic form to the MSE Academic Office. The form and instructions are available online (click here). The form is a statement naming the student's Dissertation Advisor and members of the Dissertation Committee and setting forth the topic that has been selected for investigation, the objectives the student hopes to gain, and the steps by which the student proposes to gain them. The dissertation topic must give promise of being either a genuine addition to the fundamental knowledge of the field or a new and better interpretation of facts already known. The signatures of all Dissertation Committee members are required on the approval form. The MSE Academic Office will forward the form to the Institute Graduate Office.

B. Dissertation Proposal Defense

At least 30 days before the examination, an outline of the dissertation proposal is to be submitted to, and discussed with, the Dissertation Advisor. At least 10 days prior to the examination, the student must provide the Materials Science and Engineering faculty with a minimum five page (1000 word) description of the dissertation topic. The oral presentation of the proposed Ph.D. topic must include not only a well-thought-out experimental or analytical plan with clearly stated objectives but must also demonstrate a good grasp of the theoretical basis for the study. (In some cases the study may be purely theoretical.) In the presentation, the student will be expected to relate the significance of the proposed research to the overall experimental and theoretical situation in the field.  At the Ph.D. level, it is not sufficient to propose a program that involves only a series of experimental observations. It is expected that successful completion of the proposed research will result in a fundamental contribution, either experimental or theoretical, to the field.

After the presentation, which is open to all members of the Tech community, questions will be invited from the general audience. After a reasonable question and answer period, there will be a brief recess and the general audience will be excused. The student will then be further examined by the Dissertation Committee on the proposed work as well as on the fundamentals associated with the research program. The Committee will evaluate the candidate's performance and will render a judgment as to whether or not the candidate can be admitted to candidacy.

C. Admission to Candidacy

A student in the doctoral program who has satisfied all major and minor area course requirements, passed both portions of the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination and submitted the Request for Approval of Dissertation Topic is eligible for admission to Ph.D. candidacy as explained in prior paragraphs.

D. Dissertation

Instructions concerning the preparation of the dissertation are contained in the Manual for Graduate Theses, found at www.grad.gatech.edu.

E. Final Doctoral Examination

A draft of the dissertation, approved by the Dissertation Advisor, will be presented to the Director of Graduate Studies at least two weeks before the intended defense. The draft must be complete in all aspects and must be accompanied by a memo from the advisor stating that he/she has reviewed the dissertation and is of the opinion that after incorporation of corrections suggested by the Dissertation Committee and successful defense it will be suitable as the final dissertation document. The draft will be reviewed by the Director of Graduate Studies for completeness; if in his/her opinion it is suitable for the purposes of the defense, he/she will authorize the candidate to distribute copies of the dissertation to the committee and schedule the presentation and defense. The Dissertation Committee usually consists of members named in the “Request for Approval of Dissertation Topic,” as submitted to the Graduate Office, unless a change has been approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.  One copy of the draft will be placed in a location designated by the Director of Graduate Studies where it will be available for review by the faculty. All copies must be typed and contain high-quality (laser-copied) photographic illustrations.  The student must be registered during the semester in which the final doctoral examination is given. The examination will be open to the academic community and the public. An electronic announcement should be sent to the MSE Academic Office at least one week in advance of the examination.  The announcement should include the date, time, place, committee members, thesis title and a brief abstract.

The presentation of the dissertation will follow the same general format as the presentation of the
Ph.D. dissertation proposal. It is expected that the entire faculty and student body of the School will attend the presentation and participate in the general question and answer period. Following this period, the candidate will be examined on the subject matter of the dissertation and the field in which it lies. The examination will be conducted by the Dissertation Committee; however, any faculty member who desires may participate in the questioning.

Following the questioning, the members of the examining committee will vote on the outcome of the examination. If the candidate has passed the examination, the Director of Graduate Studies will inform the Graduate Office of the outcome. If all other requirements (residency, minor field, etc.) have been completed, the candidate will be certified as qualified to receive the Doctor of Philosophy degree.

In the event of failure on the final doctoral examination, one additional examination will be permitted on the recommendation of the Dissertation Committee. In case of such failure, the result of the examination will not be sent to the Registrar, but a record will be kept in the School and the Graduate Office.

Petition for Degree

Candidates for the Ph.D. degree must file a Petition for Degree form with the Registrar during the semester prior to the semester in which graduation is expected. If the student's petition is in error, the student's graduation may be delayed until the following semester.

Students who do not complete all requirements when anticipated must file another petition to reactivate their graduation date, checking the reactivation box at the top of the petition. This form is also due the semester prior to the student's expected graduation semester.  Petition and reactivation instructions may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar, Degree Certification Office.  Click here for more information.

Award of Ph.D. Degree

The Institute Graduate Committee normally recommends to the Academic Senate the awarding of the Doctor of Philosophy degree to any candidate who has:

1. An overall grade point average of at least 3.0 and has satisfied the requirements of his or her school
2. Passed both parts of the Ph.D. comprehensive examination
3. Submitted a “Request for Approval of Dissertation Topic” form
4. Been admitted to candidacy
5. Satisfied the minor requirement
6. Received final acceptance of his/her dissertation by the Graduate Office and submitted three unbound copies to that office
7. Passed the final examination, oral or written, required by his or her school
8. Registered as a student during the semester of graduation, unless entitled to an Enrollment Waiver
9. Filed a petition to graduate.

A waiver of the requirement to register during the semester of graduation may be obtained from the Graduate Office if all other requirements have been met prior to the beginning of Phase II registration. The requirements for the degree must be completed within five years from the end of the semester in which the candidate passes the preliminary qualifying examination.

Time-Table of Action for Ph.D. Students

A time-table of action needed for the Ph.D. degree is presented below. The student bears the responsibility to see that all the necessary forms are submitted and approved by the deadlines.

FORM or ACTION	DEADLINE (to School office unless noted)
Admission to Doctoral Program	On admission to the Graduate School for Ph.D. study or following Program completion of the M.S. degree. Requires approval of Director of Graduate Studies.
Proposed Program of Study	No later than second semester of study in the Ph.D. program.
Qualifying Examination	30-days after completing core courses.
Request for Approval of Thesis Topic	Prior to submission of dissertation proposal. A form is provided.
Dissertation Proposal Examination	Within 10 months of completion of preliminary qualifying exam. NOTE:  This is for students using the written qualifying examination option.
Request for Admission to Ph.D. Candidacy	Upon completion of course requirements, qualifying examinations and approval of dissertation topic.
Petition for Degree	Must be submitted to the Registrar during the semester preceding expected graduation date.
Dissertation	Final draft of dissertation must be submitted to the Dissertation Committee at least 4 weeks before the final doctoral examination is held.
Final Doctoral Examination	The student must be registered during the semester in which the final examination is given. The examination must be held prior to submission of the dissertation to Graduate Office. The “Dissertation Approval Form” must be completed following examination.

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