Materials Science & Engineering Ph.D. Program

Degree Requirements

Complete a minimum of 54 credit hours in courses level 6000 or above

• A minimum of 24 hours of course work (that include 3 hours of MSE Graduate Seminar MSE 7800/7801, and 12 out of the 24 hours must be MSE/MET E courses). Exceptions to this rule are at the discretion of the student’s Supervisory Committee
• A minimum of 24 hours of Thesis Research (MSE 7970)
• The remaining 6 credit hours can be either coursework or research hours.

All coursework must be completed at a cumulative 3.0 GPA (B grade average). All courses must be passed with a B- or better.

Students will also be required to complete the following requirements during the course of the program:

• Qualifying Examination
• Supervisory Committee
• Program of Study
• Dissertation Proposal
• Dissertation

Required Courses

All entering PhD students are required to take the following MSE core courses within their first two semesters, regardless of where they received their Mater's degree.* These courses will count towards the 25 hours of MSE coursework hours.

• MSE 6032 - Advanced Thermodynamics (3 credits)
• MSE 6001 - Engineering Materials (3 credits)
• MSE 6034 - Kinetics (3 credits)
• MSE 6011 - Advanced Materials Techniques: Experiment, Theory, and Characterization (3 credits)

*EXCEPTION: Students who received a B.S. or M.S. degree from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Utah, and received a B or better in MSE 5034 and MSE 3001 will not be required to take MSE 6034, 6011 and 6001. These students are allowed to substitute these three required courses with any other 6000/7000 level MSE or MET E course.

Graduate Seminar

Students are required to take 6 semesters (0.5 credit hours each semester) of MSE Graduate Seminar.

• MSE 7800 - Graduate Seminar I (0.5 credits) Fall Semesters
• MSE 7801 - Graduate Seminar II (0.5 credits) Spring Semesters

Two oral presentations are required. Graduate Seminar credit hours cannot be used to satisfy the 25 credit hours of MSE coursework.

MSE Graduate Seminar Independent Study

If students are unable to attend the Graduate Seminar in a given semester due to an academic or work related conflict, they will be required to make up the credit through an independent study. Students will still be required to register for MSE 7800/7801, as the credit hours are required for the graduate program. However, it will be the student’s responsibility to attend at least 10 seminars or lecture during the duration of the semester.

The seminars or lectures must be related to the field of Materials Science & Engineering. The seminars or lectures can be on or off campus. They could also be pre-recorded and viewed from various media platforms (example YouTube).

Students must write a one page (typed, single spaced, 12 pt. font) paper addressing the following topics:
• How the topics relates to your research
• One full paragraph should discuss the research style and communication skills of the speaker.
• Students should give advice on how the presentation could have been better

The 10 one-page papers are due the last day of classes in the given semester.

Thesis Hours

Students must complete at least 14 hours of Thesis Research (MSE 7970, Thesis Research: Ph.D.). The candidate must also be regularly enrolled at the University and registered for at least one course during the semester in which the final oral examination (dissertation defense) is taken.

After the residency requirement has been met (two consecutive semesters of nine hours or more), graduate students who are registered for three credit hours in any one of the following classes are considered full-time status:

• Classes within the range of 6970-6989, 7970-7989

This does not fulfill state residency requirements.

Registration Restrictions

Credit hour requirements for full time and part time status at the University of Utah:

• Graduate credit may be transferred from other regionally-accredited institutions with department and advisor approval. Credits transferred from another institution may be used for only one degree. Up to six semester hours of transfer credit may be applied toward fulfillment of graduate degree requirements if they are of high letter grade (B or higher; ‘credit only’ grades are unacceptable), are recommended by the student’s supervisory committee, and were taken within four years of semester of admission to the University of Utah for master’s students and within seven years of semester of admission to the University of Utah for doctoral students.
• Only nine semester hours of nonmatriculated credit, taken no more than three year prior to approval, can be applied toward a graduate degree.
• No candidate for a graduate degree is permitted to register for more than 16 credit hours in any single semester. A schedule of nine credit hours is considered a full load for doctoral degree candidates.
• Only 3 hours of MSE 6980/7980 - Faculty Consultations can be counted towards the PhD degree provided there is proper documentation. This can take the place of 3 MSE coursework hours on the Program of Study.
• Only 1 hour of MSE 6950 - Independent Study can be used towards the PhD degree.

English Proficiency

The University of Utah Admissions Department sets the requirements for English Proficiency, not the department. This requirement cannot be waived. Applications will not be processed without official test results dated within two years. For more information, please see the admissions page on English Proficiency found here.

Qualifying Exam Objectives

1)   To assess student’s

• ability to conduct review and critical analysis of the literature,
• ability to apply fundamental knowledge relevant and essential to the specific research topic,
• ability to formulate hypothesis/idea and to configure a plan for possible research,
• ability to logically organize ideas and present them in the proposal and oral presentation.

2)   Provide student with valuable experience of basic tasks and activities essential for successful progress towards Ph.D.

3)   Provide advisor with additional metric for evaluation of student suitability for completing a Ph.D. project under their guidance.

Timing

Student has the option of taking the Qualifying Examination (QE) in the Spring (normally May) of either their first or second year in one of the department Ph.D. programs (MSE or MET E). If the student takes it in their first year and does not pass, the advisor, director of graduate studies, and department chair can jointly decide to allow the student a second chance in the Spring of the following year. Such an allowance will not necessarily be approved.

Format

Topic selection. Student, in consultation with their advisor and the department Director of Graduate Studies will choose a topic that does not overlap with existing proposals/projects of the advisor.  It is assumed that it is in the interest of all parties that the topic is selected such that the student will have sufficient opportunity to demonstrate independent thinking and ideas, yet it is not completely orthogonal to the research area of student specialization. Therefore, the efforts spent on the Qualifying Exam topic provide valuable background for the student future research or/and can be utilized by advisor’s research group. The student is expected to write the report on their own without any editing from advisor.

Report. Student will have one month (typically May) from the time of topic approval by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) to write the report/proposal and submit it to a three-member committee that will evaluate the proposal. The report should include:

• literature overview,
• summary of current state of the art in the selected research topic,
• challenges and possible opportunities for research,
• hypothesis for proposed research, and
• plan and justification for possible research.

The report should be well-formatted, organized, include literature citations, etc. Student may use a format from a specific funding agency (e.g., NSF, DOE, ACS, etc.). Alternatively, they can use the following structure.

1. Introduction

• Background
• Literature survey
• Hypothesis

2. Project Objectives
3. Proposed Research Scope

• Describe your approach
• Organize into tasks

4. Schedule and Milestones (Plan for 1-3 years)
5. References

Regardless of the proposal format, there is a strict 15-page limit for the report, and the font can be no smaller than 11 pt.

If the student is advised by the DGS, approval will be sought from the Department Chair or another faculty member designated by the Department Chair.

Oral presentation. Oral presentation should be concise, well-illustrated summary of the report/proposal. Student will have 20 to 30 minutes for presentation with additional time for questions from the committee up to 30 minutes. The committee will be asking questions related to the proposed research ideas as well as fundamental knowledge relevant and essential to the specific research topic.

Evaluation

The committee will be comprised of three faculty members of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering. Effort by the DGS should be made to include at least two members with expertise as close as possible to the subject area of student’s research work or the chosen QE research topic (excluding student’s advisor).

The committee will evaluate

• Fundamental knowledge (based on oral presentation, questions, and report content)
• Ability to summarize and present background for the topic (report and presentation)
• Ability to formulate hypothesis and present research plan (report and presentation)
• Report quality (flow, illustrations, formatting)
• Presentation style (flow, organization of slides, ability to answer questions, etc.)

Each evaluation category gets a score on a 1 to 5 scale from each committee member.  Scores are averaged for each category. A sum of 15.0 for the total five combined average scores is required to pass.

If student has a subpar performance in some section(s), the committee can request additional actions (e.g., write up a new section, editing existing section, redo whole or partial presentation, etc.).  If the student does not pass, they can appeal to the DGS (or the Department Chair in the case that the DGS is also the student's advisor). Outcomes can include: (1) no change in decision, and the student is reclassified as an M.S. student and given a reasonable amount of time to complete and defend a thesis; (2) decision may be changed, granting the student a pass; or (3) the student may be given a second and final chance to update their proposal and re-present to the committee (time frame to be agreed upon by the Director of Graduate Studies, the advisor, and the student).

Supervisory Committee

After successfully passing the Candidacy Evaluation, PhD students must make an appointment with the MSE Academic Advisor to start building a supervisory committee.

Each supervisory committee consists of five faculty members. In compliance with The Graduate School’s policy, the majority of the committee members (3) must be tenure line faculty in the MSE department. The supervisory committee chair must be a regular tenure line faculty at the University of Utah. The dean of The Graduate School may approve requests to appoint a committee member from another university where appropriate justification and supporting documentation is provided. The supervisory committee is responsible for approving the student’s academic program, preparing and judging the qualifying examinations, approving the dissertation subject and final dissertation, and administering and judging the final oral examination (dissertation defense).

Supervisory Committee Request Form

Program of Study

During the third year of graduate study, PhD students are required to complete a Program of Study. This form is not a selection of courses that satisfies the minimum requirements but will be a list of all course work and research hours proposed for the PhD degree that will be approved by the Supervisory Committee. It is important that students understand that the Supervisory Committee makes the final decision for the courses that will appear on the Program of Study for the PhD.

Procedure to Complete

The procedure to complete the Program of Study form is as follows:

• Students must arrange a meeting with their Supervisory Committee Chair to present the proposed course for the Program of Study form.
• At the meeting, the Supervisory Committee Chair will review and approve the student's courses for their degree.
• In some cases, the Supervisory Committee Chair may require extra course work that exceeds the minimum requirements for a PhD degree based on the dissertation topic.
• As stated in the Graduate School's requirements: coursework used to complete requirements for one graduate program may not be used to meet the requirement of another.
• All course work must be completed in the first two years of graduate study.

Program of Study Form

Dissertation Proposal

After advancing to candidacy, but before the end of the third year (6th semester) in the program, students must complete the written and oral portions of the Dissertation Proposal Exam. An exception can be granted by a student's Supervisory Committee Chair for extenuating circumstances.

The Dissertation Proposal must occur before the Dissertation Defense and the two may not be completed within the same semester. The Dissertation Proposal Exam (written, oral, or both parts) may be repeated once if a "Fail" or "Conditional Pass" is received the first time.

Written Proposal

Students must independently prepare a written proposal for the research they will complete for their dissertation. It must be given to their Supervisory Committee at least two weeks prior to the date of the oral exam. Students must propose their own original research which will form the basis of their publications and PhD dissertation. The proposal should detail the prior work in the field, detail any results already obtained by the student, and lay out the research objectives and plan for meeting those objectives before completing the dissertation. A copy of the Dissertation Proposal will be provided to the Academic Advisor to be retained in the student's file.

The proposal should follow the NSF proposal format (or other federal agency if approved by the committee).

For additional resources and information on NSF formatting, students should refer to the University of Utah Office of Sponsored Projects website by clicking here.

Oral Proposal

Students must arrange with their Supervisory Committee to present and defend their proposal. A common format is to prepare a talk lasting 40 minutes if uninterrupted based on the same ideas and research plan contained in the Written Proposal.

The committee will ask questions, evaluate the proposal, and give feedback and suggestions to the student on the proposed research. The committee will sign the Dissertation Proposal from, which has separate "Pass," "Conditional Pass" and "Fail" marks. Again, the committee may require remedial actions for "Conditional Pass" or "Fail" marks.

Dissertation and Defense

Students must submit a dissertation embodying the results of scientific or scholarly research. The dissertation must provide evidence of originality and the ability to do independent investigation and it must contribute to knowledge. The dissertation must show a mastery of the relevant literature and be presented in an acceptable style. The style and format are determined by departmental policy and registered with the thesis and dissertation editor, who approves individual dissertations in accordance with departmental and Graduate School policy. The approved style guides can be found here.

At least three weeks before the final dissertation defense, students should submit an acceptable draft of the dissertation to the chair of the Supervisory Committee; committee members should receive copies at least two weeks before the examination date.

The doctoral dissertation is expected to be available to other scholars and to the general public. It is the responsibility of all doctoral candidates to arrange for the publication of their dissertations. The University accepts two alternatives for complying with the publication requirements:

The entire dissertation is submitted to UMI Dissertation Publishing, ProQuest Information and Learning, and copies are made available for public sale. The abstract only is published if the entire dissertation has been previously published and distributed, exclusive of vanity publishing. The doctoral candidate may elect to microfilm the entire previously published work. Regardless of the option used for meeting the publication requirement, an abstract of each dissertation is published in UMI Dissertation Publishing, ProQuest Information and Learning, Dissertation Abstracts International.

Detailed policies and procedures concerning publication requirements, use of restricted data, and other matters pertaining to the preparation and acceptance of the dissertation are contained in A Handbook for Theses and Dissertations, published by The Graduate School and available on The Graduate School website.

Please be sure to check the Thesis Office manuscript tracking system to see if your dissertation has been uploaded to ProQuest.

Defense

PhD students must orally defend the significant contents, results, and conclusions associated with their doctoral research before the entire Supervisory Committee at an open and public defense. At the conclusion of the public participation, the committee will excuse the public and conduct further questioning on the thesis and related topics. The outcome of the defense is reported on the PhD Defense Form.

The draft or final dissertation document will serve as the written basis for the presentation and should be submitted to the Supervisory Committee two weeks prior to the oral defense. The Supervisory Committee will examine in detail the contents, results, conclusions and contribution made by the student's research and written dissertation.

When should you defend in order to graduate in a specific semester?

The earlier you defend in a given semester, the more likely you are to be able to graduate that same semester. Check the Thesis Calendar to see when the submission deadline is. You need to defend far enough ahead of that deadline that you can make any changes to the text required by your committee and ensure that the manuscript adheres to your chosen style guide and Thesis Office requirements by the deadline. Be aware that if you submit your manuscript on the deadline and there are any formatting errors you will not graduate that semester. The sooner you turn your manuscript in the more likely you are to graduate in that semester.  As a general rule of thumb, plan to defend in the first 2 months of the semester if you want to graduate that semester.

Registration

Student must be registered for 3 credit hours of MSE 7970 during the semester they defend. Once student defends and the dissertation has been accepted by the Supervisory Committee, the student is not required to register for another semester. International Students should check with the International Center once they have defended to make sure that they do not go out of status while completing requested rewrites.

Thesis Defense Information

Graduate School and Thesis Office Information:

• Guidelines for Thesis Submission
• Thesis Office Website