Doctoral Degree in Mechanical Engineering

The Mechanical Engineering program at Oregon State University offers a Doctor of Philosophy degree to recognize the achievement of a high level of competence in one of the specialty areas in the department. PhD studies at OSU can be tailored to meet both broad and highly specialized interests, can involve applied or fundamental research, and can prepare students for employment in an industrial or academic environment.  In addition to formal course work, thesis research constitutes a significant part of a PhD candidate’s graduate program.

Throughout the period of candidacy, the student works with the major professor. A faculty committee appointed for each PhD student has responsibility for approval of the program of study, administration of the qualifying and preliminary examination, and direction of the thesis research and writing.

University-wide requirements for earning a PhD degree at Oregon State are detailed in the OSU Graduate Bulletin and in the Graduate School handbook. Procedures specific to this department are described below.

1. Entrance into the PhD Program.  An MS student who wishes to continue his or her studies toward the PhD degree must receive approval by the Department Graduate Committee.  It is not necessary for a student to complete an MSME degree prior to becoming a candidate for the PhD program.  Transition from the MSME to the Ph.D. program requires a letter of recommendation from the applicant's MSME adviser.  Students already at OSU must also obtain written agreement from at least one member of the graduate faculty indicating a willingness to serve as major professor. Forms for this step are available from the department.
2. PhD Degree Program of Study. The student's doctoral committee should be formed as soon as possible and a program of study filed with the Graduate School.  The doctoral committee should consist of at least five members including a minimum of two ME faculty members and one graduate council representative (GCR).  If a minor is declared, the committee must include at least one member from the minor department.  The program of study must contain a minimum of 108 credits, including at least 36 credits of thesis research (ME 603) and 48 credits of coursework (i.e 12 beyond those required for the MSME degree).

The six basic components of the PhD degree appear in the table below:

Component	Credits	Deadline
Program Meeting	None	No formal deadline, but it must be completed prior to the Qualifying Examination
Coursework	Minimum 48 credits; in addition, one must satisfy the MSME core requirements for one of the specializations.	Coursework should be completed prior to Preliminary Examination
Qualifying Examination	None	With MSME: Before 3rd term after starting PhD With BS: Before 6th term after starting PhD
Preliminary Examination	None	At least 6 months after completion of Qualifying Examination; and at least one academic term before Final Examination
ME 603 Thesis	Minimum 36 credits ME 603	Must complete all ME 603 credits prior to Final Oral Examination
Final Oral Examination	None	No more than 5 years after completing the Preliminary Examination

3. PhD Program Meeting. After making the formal arrangements for establishing the PhD committee, the student is required to arrange a program meeting with all committee members present (including the GCR).  The purpose of the meeting is for the student to present the program of study (including the approval of transferred graduate course credits), an approximate timeline for their PhD requirements (Qualifying Exam, Preliminary Exam, and Final Oral Exam), and to agree on a research topic for the Qualifying Examination.  The Program of Study forms can be found at the Graduate School web page:

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/grad_school/current/forms.html

This meeting must be held prior to the Qualifying Examination, and typically should be held in the first year of study.  The scheduling of the Program Meeting is not formally registered with the Graduate School.

4. Coursework. The coursework requirements for PhD degree include a total of 48 credits and as part of those 48 credits students must satisfy the core requirements for one of the specializations for the MSME degree. In addition, during the final term of the MS degree the student should register for 1 credit of ME Seminar (ME 507/607). If a student elects to have a minor, then approximately 18 credits should be designated in the minor area.  Effective Fall 2005, all programs of study must consist of at least 50% graduate stand-alone courses.  The remaining credits may include the 500 component of 400/500-level courses.

A Note About Transferring Courses for Graduate Credit:
The PhD thesis committee may allow the transfer of graduate courses to satisfy the coursework requirements for the PhD degree if they are relevant to the proposed PhD thesis.  Students should supply any information requested by the committee prior to the Program Meeting (e.g. course syllabi), and the decision to allow specific courses will be made at the Program Meeting when the Program of Study is finalized.  Students entering the PhD degree program with a MSME from OSU can apply up to 36 credits of coursework including the core courses from their specialization to the PhD degree at the discretion of the PhD thesis committee if they are relevant to their PhD specialization.  Students entering the PhD program with graduate work at another institution should consult with their major professor about the possibility of allowing the transfer of non-OSU graduate courses to satisfy the course requirements for the PhD degree.  Students entering the PhD program with a BS degree may apply credit from graduate courses at the discretion of the PhD thesis committee.

Minimum Requirements for PhD Degree (108 total)

Minimum Coursework Requirements	ME 507/607 Seminar	Minimum Thesis Research Requirement	Other Credits (Research/Classwork)
48 credits (must satisfy the MSME core requirements for one specialization)	1 credit	36 credits	23 credits

5. Qualifying Examination. The purpose of the Qualifying Examinations is to accurately assess “research skills” (loosely defined as the ability to independently analyze, interpret, and communicate fundamental scientific, mathematical, and engineering concepts) for the purpose of determining a students’ aptitude for the PhD program.  The exam also includes a diagnostic function that will highlight weaknesses in the students’ background that can be addressed through additional coursework or independent study.

Format:

• The Qualifying Examination is an ME requirement and the scheduling of the exam is not formally registered with the Graduate School.
• One week prior to the Qualifying Examination, the student will submit a written research paper (literature review) on a research topic approved by the student’s PhD committee at the Program Meeting.
• During the Qualifying Examination, the student will make an oral presentation of the research paper.
• Following the presentation, the PhD committee will administer an oral examination on the content of paper in addition to any relevant coursework.

Timing of the Qualifying Examination:

• The scheduling of the Qualifying Examination and agreeing on the topic for the research paper will be handled at the PhD Program Meeting.
• The deadline for the Qualifying Examination depends upon the student’s academic background.

• Students entering PhD program with an MS: Anytime prior to the end of their 3rd academic term in the PhD program
• Students entering PhD program with a BS: Anytime prior to the end of their 6th academic term in the PhD program

• Students who fail to meet this deadline will not be allowed to enter the PhD program.
• Students who fail the exam will be allowed to re-take the exam once within 60 days.
• Students who fail the Qualifying Examination will not be allowed to enter the PhD program and may be re-directed towards an MS or MEng degree, if appropriate.

6. Preliminary Examination. This exam will examine the students’ research methodology, experimental plan, and interpretation of preliminary results (if appropriate).  The purpose of the exam is to allow the committee to aid the student in planning and implementing the highest quality thesis.

Format:

• Similar to the Qualifying Examination, however the focus is placed specifically on the proposed thesis research rather than just the literature review.  The exam consists of the following components:
• Written research proposal describing the specific research methodology and justifying the thesis research
• Oral presentation on thesis proposal (including preliminary results, if appropriate)
• Oral examination on content of presentation

Timing of the Preliminary Exam:

• The Preliminary Exam must be scheduled through the Graduate School.  The Graduate School web page has a form that must be submitted one week prior to the Preliminary Exam:

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/grad_school/current/forms.html

• Students must be enrolled (for a minimum of 3 credits) during the term that the Preliminary Exam takes place.
• University guidelines require that at least one complete academic term must elapse between the time of the preliminary oral examination and the final oral examination. If more than five years elapse between these two examinations, the candidate will be required to take another preliminary oral examination.

7. Seminar Requirement: All MS, MEng, and PhD students are required to attend the ME departmental seminar each term they are enrolled in the program.  However, students should only sign up for ME 507 Seminar during the final term of their program of study. Attendance at ME seminars will be taken by the person introducing the speaker and it is the student’s responsibility to sign the attendance sheet at the seminar.  Technical seminars outside of the M.E. department that are relevant can be counted towards the seminar requirement with the permission of the major professor.  To register attendance at that seminar, bring a copy of the seminar announcement signed by the student and by the major professor and bring it to the graduate secretary in the M.E. office. 

A grade for ME 507 will be assigned during the final term.  Half of the grade is based on your performance in presenting a seminar.  The other half will be based upon your average seminar attendance during your graduate education.  To find your average, take the total number of seminars that you have attended and divide this number by the total number of terms that you have attended OSU.

Average # of seminars attended per term              Grade
    Avg. > 4                                                                   A
    3 < Avg. < 4                                                             B
    2 < Avg. < 3                                                             C
    1 < Avg. < 2                                                             D
    0 < Avg. < 1                                                             F

8. PhD Thesis Credit Requirements. The PhD degree requires a minimum of 36 credits of ME 603 Thesis.


9. Thesis Requirements. PhD students are required to follow the thesis guidelines established by the Graduate School.  The guidelines booklet, Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation at OSU: A Graduate Student’s Guide, is available electronically on the web at:

http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/grad_school/.

10. Final Oral Examination. After completion of all required coursework, thesis credits, and the seminar requirement, the student can schedule the final oral examination through the Graduate School. Prior to scheduling their final oral examinations, doctoral students are required to submit the pretext pages of their dissertations to the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the final oral examination. Pretext pages include the abstract, copyright (optional), title page, approval page, acknowledgment page, contribution of authors, table of contents, list of figures, tables, appendices, dedication (optional), and preface (optional). It is expected that students will distribute examination copies of their thesis to all committee members, including the Graduate Council representative, sufficiently early to permit thorough review of the thesis prior to the student’s final oral examination.

During the oral examination the student will make a presentation of their PhD thesis, followed by an oral examination administered by the PhD committee.

11. After Completion of the Final Oral Examination. Within six weeks of the final oral examination, one printed and one electronic final copy of the thesis and one extra copy of the abstract and title page must be submitted to the Graduate School. Please refer to the Graduate School's website for complete details:

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/grad_school/current/thesis.html#library

Additional information may be found in the PhD Degree Checklist.