PhD in Engineering

Location(s): Statesboro

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Degree Requirements

Regular Admission

For regular admission to the PhD in Engineering degree program, the applicant must have:

Completed requirements for a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, ManufacturingEngineering, or closely related field (as approved by the graduate program coordinator) at an ABET, or equivalent, accredited college oruniversity.
Completed requirements for master’s degree in Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, ManufacturingEngineering, or closely related field (as approved by the graduate program coordinator), with a 3.00 (4.0 scale) or equivalent cumulativegrade point average or higher on courses in the MS graduate degree program.
International students must meet the College of Graduate Studies English Proficiency requirements.

Dissertation Requirements

Each candidate for the PhD in Engineering degree must complete a dissertation on a subject approved by the graduate dissertation committee. Dissertation credits must be completed over no less than two semesters, and a student must remain continually enrolled in dissertation creditsonce initially enrolled.

The major professor supervises the research, directs the writing of the dissertation, and approves the dissertation in its final form. Prior to the finalapproval, the dissertation is read by the dissertation committee. One member, termed the second reader, has responsibility for an intensive andrigorous criticism of the dissertation and a third member of the dissertation committee has the responsibility of an “editorial reader.” Both second and third readers must report all comments to the major professor. The dissertation must be defended in an oral examination before the graduate committee prior to final approval and sign-off. The style and format for the completed dissertation shall follow that prescribed by the college. Procedural steps in the preparation of the dissertation are as follows:

The prospectus for the dissertation shall be submitted to the major professor and dissertation committee for approval.
The student must prepare the dissertation for electronic submission following the latest version of the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD): Student Guide to Preparation and Processing manual. *
The dissertation must be electronically submitted to the ETD site for format check by the ETD format check submission deadline as stated in the University Calendar.
The final corrected dissertation must be electronically submitted to the ETD site by the ETD format check submission deadline as stated in the University Calendar.
The final document must be electronically approved by the Dissertation Committee.

*See the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD): Student Guide to Preparation and Processing (latest version at the COGS Electronic Theses and Dissertation website).

Other Requirements

Completion of a Qualifying Exam by the end of the third semester or prior to completion of 27 credits. A maximum of two attempts is allowed ifnecessary.
Completion of TA-2/LA-2 training by the end of the second semester
Completion of a Research Proposal Examination prior to beginning dissertation credits
Culmination of a research activity that is accepted by the profession
Successful completion of a dissertation defense
Successful submission of an electronic dissertation
Any courses completed at Georgia Southern as part of a MS degree, cannot be repeated for credit towards the PhD program

Program of Study

Concentration Area: 21 Credit Hours

See the list of concentrations and courses below.

Research Course Requirements: 21-39 Credit Hours

The PhD candidate pursues individualized and group research activities based upon the guidance and consent of the research advisor. A minimum of 21 research credits is required to complete the degree in six semesters.

Select one of the following: 6 Credit Hours

Dissertation Requirements (Select one of the following): 6 Credit Hours

Concentration Areas

In as that the PhD is a highly specialized, research intensive degree, students will complete seven (7) courses from a pre-established list (see below) with the advice and consent of their research adviser that contributes to furtherance of the research effort and the candidate’s overall engineering education. The selected courses will constitute a concentration in Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, or Advanced Manufacturing. Appropriate courses outside of the pre-approved list for each concentration can be taken with approval of the department chair of the respectivec oncentration.

Civil Engineering: 21 Credit Hours

Select 7 concentration courses

Electrical Engineering: 21 Credit Hours

Select 7 concentration courses

Advanced Manufacturing Engineering: 21 Credit Hours

Select 7 concentration courses

Mechanical Engineering: 21 Credit Hours

Select 7 concentration courses

Total Credit Hours: 48-66

Advisement

Graduate students are advised by their program. Graduate students should reach out to their graduate program director for information regarding the structures in place to facilitate advisement. For more information visit Graduate Academic Advisement.

Graduate students can also contact the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies for more information about their program director.

Phone: 912-478-COGS (2647)
Email: gradschool@georgiasouthern.edu