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Doctoral Degree Requirements
The Institute specifies that a doctoral degree comprises completion of an approved program of advanced study and a General Examination, in addition to a research dissertation of high quality based on original research. The Department of Materials Science and Engineering intends the doctorate to provide an advanced educational experience that is versatile, intellectually challenging, and of enduring value for high-level careers relating to the generation and application of knowledge concerning materials. The purpose of the doctorate is to develop ability, confidence, and originality to grasp and solve challenging problems involving materials.
Departmental Doctoral Academic Programs
Students may pursue doctoral studies in one of the four different subject fields, designated Academic Programs, or in an approved interdepartmental doctoral program. Each student is assigned to an Academic Program (or interdepartmental program) upon entry but is free to change Academic Programs up until registration for the oral portion of the General Examination, which must be taken in one of the four areas:
A doctoral degree is conferred in one of these Academic Program areas when the student has passed the required General Examinations, has satisfied the Academic Program elective subjects, has satisfied the thesis related subjects, has satisfied the Minor Requirement, and has completed a doctoral thesis. Students many not change Academic Programs after passing the General Oral Examination in one of them. The choice of a Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree designation is left up to the student; the requirements are identical for both degrees.
In each of the doctoral programs the thesis research receives strong emphasis as an integral part of the educational process for achieving depth, for fostering originality, and for advancing knowledge. Nevertheless, the doctorate is not regarded as being only a “research degree” specifically aimed at teaching and research careers. Therefore, the doctoral requirements also promote breadth, flexibility, and integration.
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