Degree Requirements - Ph.D. in Engineering Science and Mechanics
- Credit Hours
- Core Courses
- Mathematics
- Time to Completion
- Undergraduate Background
- Admission to Candidacy
- Ph.D. Qualifying Exams
- Application for Graduation
The information contained on this page is subject to the requirements of the University of Alabama Graduate School, College of Engineering, and the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. Students should check all of these sources for information regarding the degree program. Every effort has been made to check the information contained on these pages, but the AEM Department can not be responsible for inadvertent omissions.
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Credit Hour Requirement
The student must earn a minimum of 48 semester hours of course credit and 24 hours of dissertation credit.
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Core Course Requirement
Ph.D. ESM students must take the following core courses:
- AEM 500 Intermediate Fluid Mechanics
- AEM 562 Intermediate Dynamics
- AEM 637 Theory of Elasticity
(and meet the minimum mathematics requirement--see below)
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Mathematics Requirement
Six hours of mathematics (beyond the COE minimum) must be completed. GES 554 Partial Differential Equations must be included.
Candadate courses with recommendation from the advisor include:
- GES 551 Matrix and Vector Analysis
- AEM/GES 585 Genetic Algorithms
- AEM/GES 587 Neural Networks
- GES 658 Numerical Methods
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Time to Completion Requirement
All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within the seven-year period (21 fall, spring, and summer semesters) following admission to the doctoral program. Previous graduate credit may be applied to the doctoral degree if the credit was earned during the six-year period prior to admission to the doctoral program.
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Undergraduate Background Requirement
Students whose background is not Engineering Science and Mechanics or a closely related field, may be required to take preliminary coursework at the undergraduate level before beginning to take graduate level courses. Typically, these courses are in the engineering science and mechanics area, and are by subject: statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, and fluid mechanics. Differential equations is also required if the student has not taken a course with similar content. These courses can be taken at a local campus, or from The University of Alabama. Please note that these courses are at the 200-300 level, and so can not be used as credit toward the requirements of the master's or doctoral degree.
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Admission to Candidacy
Admission to the Graduate School does not imply admission of a student to candidacy for a degree. Admission to candidacy is contingent upon the recommendation of the student's department and the approval of the graduate dean, after the student has met the formal requirements for candidacy listed below and demonstrated sufficient preparation to pursue the graduate study and research required for the degree sought.
The application for admission to candidacy for the master's degree can be filed after 12 semester hours of graduate credit have been earned at The University of Alabama. It should be approved by the time of registration for the semester in which requirements for the degree are completed. Approval will depend on (a) the quality of the applicant's graduate work prior to the time the application is made (see "Scholastic Requirements," in the graduate student Catalog); (b) the removal of any special conditions; and (c) the certification of the major department or school that the student is well qualified to continue work toward a degree. Application forms will be supplied by the Graduate School office.
The departmental requirements for admission to candidacy are as follows:
Ph.D. ESM students must earn a 3.0 average for the three required
courses plus the required mathematics course:
- AEM 500 Fluid Mechanics
- AEM 562 Intermediate Dynamics
- AEM 637 Theory of Elasticity
- GES 554 Partial Differential Equations
Students that do not meet these conditions will not be admitted to candidacy in the respective programs in the AEM department.
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Ph.D. Preliminary (Qualifying) Exams
A preliminary or qualifying examination is required of all doctoral candidates. This examination is given after (a) any foreign language/research skill requirements are met (for Ph.D. students only); (b) two full years of graduate study are completed; and (c) the supervisory committee deems the student to have adequate preparation in the major and minor fields of study.
The examination is conducted by the student's supervisory committee or other committee established in the program area. The AEM department typically has a rotating committee of faculty that form the examination committee. Since one of the purposes of the preliminary examination is to determine the student's research competence, the examination should be completed at least nine months before the degree is to be awarded. The preliminary (comprehensive or qualifying) examination may only be taken twice. The format of the exam is determined by the AEM department.
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Application for Graduation
Each candidate for a doctoral degree must apply for graduation through the Office of the Graduate School no later than the registration period for the semester or the first term of the summer session in which requirements for the degree are to be completed. The form "Application for Degree" is required for this purpose and must be completed in duplicate.