Ph. D. Research Components

ENCS 8501: Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination, ENCS 8501, will be both written and oral. Normally the comprehensive examination is taken when course work has been completed and within 12 (24 if part-time) months after the first registration in a Ph.D. program. Students will be assessed on the basis of written and oral examinations of fundamentals related to their field of research. The comprehensive examination will normally be administered by a committee (the Comprehensive Examination Committee) consisting of the supervisory committee, at least one member external to the candidate’s program and other members appointed at the discretion of the supervisory committee. Students who fail this examination are permitted to take it a second time in the following term. Students failing a second time are withdrawn from the program.

ENCS 8511: Doctoral Research Proposal

Upon successful completion of the comprehensive examination, students must pass the doctoral research proposal ENCS 8511 (6 credits), within 18 (36 if part-time) months in a Ph.D. program, before they are admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. Students will be assessed on the basis of written and oral presentations that must include:

(i) a critical review of previous work relevant to the subject of the thesis, and

(ii) a detailed research plan of action and expected milestones.

Students are required to defend their doctoral research proposal before a committee that will normally be comprised of the same members as the Comprehensive Examination Committee. Students must demonstrate the viability of their project and their capacity to undertake doctoral thesis research. The proposal may be accepted, returned for modifications, or rejected. The rejection of a proposal will result in the student’s withdrawal from the program. A student whose proposal is accepted will be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D.

ENCS 8011: Ph. D. Seminar

To register for the Ph.D. seminar ENCS 8011 (2 credits), students should have completed ENCS 8511: Doctoral Research Proposal.

The Ph.D. Seminar is designed to train students to communicate the results of their research projects to the community and participate in research discussions. This is done when the students have sufficiently progressed into their research, normally after 6 (12 for part-time students) months of being admitted to candidacy, which is normally after 24 (48 for part-time students) months of residency, and must be completed before the submission of the thesis. The student's evaluation, reflected by either a pass or fail grade, is based upon attendance in all seminars, a report on the student's thesis research under the direction of the thesis supervisor(s), and a presentation. Prerequisite: ENCS 8511 Doctoral Research Proposal.

Note: Students who have completed ENCS 8011 prior to September 2005 may not take this Seminar for credit.

ENGR 8911: Doctoral Research and Thesis

Students are required to plan and carry out a suitable research, development, or design project, which leads to an advance in knowledge. The student must submit a thesis based upon this work and defend it in an oral examination. For purposes of registration, this work will be designated ENGR 8911: Doctoral Research and Thesis (70 credits).

Theses will be examined by a committee consisting of the student’s supervisory committee, an external examiner, and other examiners as approved by the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies.