Requirements

Completion of the PhD degree usually takes about four to six years (depending on if the student enters with a BS or MS degree). At least one calendar year of full-time graduate study in residence is required. The total time allowed to complete the PhD degree requirements is six years following the successful completion of the PhD Qualifying Examination. A minimum of 144 units is required beyond the bachelor's degree, which can include units completed toward a master's degree at another institution.

To obtain a PhD degree, the student must demonstrate technical breadth, make steady progress in research, contribute to the body of knowledge in electrical and computer engineering, and disseminate this knowledge through the oral and written forms. Each of these abilities is tested using a variety of requirements, as detailed below.

Students demonstrate breadth by taking graduate courses. All incoming PhD students are required to fulfill the PhD Course and Breadth Requirements. Each student may choose their own course and research schedule with the approval of their advisor.

Effective Fall 2018, all incoming ECE graduate students, including PhD students, will be required to complete a 1-unit Introduction to Graduate Studies course (18-989) in their first semester in order to receive their degree. This course is in addition to the 144 units already required beyond the bachelor’s degree.

Due to the multi-year length of the PhD program, students are required to demonstrate steady progress in meeting the program's requirements. This is done through the Graduate Student Progress Review process. All students are required to submit a Graduate Progress Review Statement in both the fall and spring semesters. In this statement, the student describes their graduate activities as both a researcher and member of the ECE community.

The ability to think, speak, and write is tested in the PhD Qualifying Examination.

• Students must take this examination for the first time no later than the fifth semester after being admitted to the PhD program.
• Students must pass the exam no later than the sixth semester after being admitted to the PhD program.

Concentration on research is expected after completion of the Qualifying Examination. Once a student has passed the Qualifying Exam, they are considered a PhD candidate.

Students demonstrate their ability to disseminate knowledge through completing the Teaching Internship Requirement. All PhD candidates are required to complete a two-semester internship in university teaching. The Teaching Internship Requirement may be completed at any time during the student's enrollment in the PhD program.

Each PhD candidate must prepare a Thesis Prospectus within four semesters (counting the summer term as a semester) following the successful completion of the PhD Qualifying Examination. The prospectus presentation must occur at least one semester prior to the final defense. The Thesis Prospectus is an informal description of the problem to be investigated and the expected accomplishments of the investigation. It is presented to the Prospectus Committee for review and recommendations. This committee consists of at least four members, including the student's advisor. At least two members must be ECE faculty, and at least one member must be from outside the department. Courtesy faculty are considered ECE faculty.

Following the completion of the proposed research, a Doctoral Thesis documenting the research is required. The Doctoral Thesis should be a report of the work done, its relation to previous work in the area, and the conclusions drawn from the results, and it should include a section describing how the student's research has contributed to the body of knowledge in electrical and computer engineering.

After the Doctoral Thesis is written, a final public oral defense is held to determine whether it is acceptable. Approval of the Doctoral Thesis is by unanimous decision of the Thesis Committee (normally the same as the Prospectus Committee), followed by acceptance of the ECE department head and dean of the College of Engineering. The candidate is then expected to prepare the technical contributions arising from the thesis for publication.