Total Required Credits for the Program: 72 s.h.
72 credit hours of graduate level coursework and research hours. A minimum of 30 hours must come from core/elective coursework with a minimum of 12 of these coursework hours coming from Biomedical Engineering Core Courses. Credits beyond 30 may come from additional core/elective coursework or Ph.D. Dissertation Research hours (up to 42).
Timeline for Doctoral Program
Dissertation Committee
The student must form the dissertation committee after the first semester (6-9 credits) in consultation with their primary research adviser. In the rest of the document, the word ‘committee’ or ‘dissertation committee’ includes the adviser. The committee will be of five members of which at least four are tenure track faculty at Rowan University (including Cooper & SOM) and at least three are in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Your primary research adviser will be one of the five committee members.
Qualifying Exam
- The student must attempt the exam after completing nine credits and within the first academic year of admission into the doctoral program.
- The exam must be administered by the dissertation committee.
- The committee can decide the length and scope of the exam (written and/or oral), and time required to complete the exam.
- Upon completion of the exam, the committee will provide ‘Satisfactory’ OR ‘Unsatisfactory’ recommendation.
Satisfactory: The student can continue with the doctoral program. Unsatisfactory: The following action may be recommended:
- The student is terminated from the program
- The committee provides corrective actions and recommendations. The student must re-appear for the exam within two semesters.
If the student gets an Unsatisfactory after two attempts, they will be terminated from the program or recommended for the Master’s Program.
Candidacy Exam
The student can attempt the candidacy exam after successfully completing the qualifying exam and at least one semester before defending their thesis.
- Submit a formal proposal that details the dissertation research plan, at least 14 days prior, that conforms to the guidelines (pg. limits, font, etc.) provided by the thesis adviser and includes preliminary data to demonstrate feasibility
- Submit a current CV that details the student’s accomplishments since beginning the program
- Submit a current transcript
- Present the proposal to the Dissertation Committee The committee will review the student based on
- Coursework/Grades
- Other accomplishments
- Publications/presentations/internships/IP/etc.
- The proposal, its presentation, and the student’s response to questions
The student will receive detailed feedback about the proposal from the committee and it will serve as a guideline to completing their dissertation. Upon completion of the exam the committee will provide ‘Satisfactory’ OR ‘Unsatisfactory’ recommendation.
Satisfactory: The student is granted a ‘Candidate’ status and they can continue with dissertation.
If unsatisfactory the following action may be recommended:
- The student is terminated from the program
- The committee provides corrective actions and recommendations
- If there is a significant change in the scope of the thesis, the candidate must meet with the committee to discuss and seek the approval.
An ‘Unsatisfactory’ recommendation does not automatically trigger a repeat proposal presentation; however, the corrective actions required by the committee may require one. The student must complete the required corrective actions within an academic year. If the student gets an unsatisfactory after two attempts, they will be terminated from the program.
Dissertation Defense
The candidate must have at least registered or completed the minimum number of credits required for graduation in the semester they decide to defend. The candidate must defend their dissertation and address all comments/corrections provided by the committee. The dissertation should be submitted according to the following requirements:
- Successfully defend by the end of 5th year
- Submit a written Dissertation to the committee at least 21 days in advance of the defense
- Submit a current CV that details the student’s accomplishments since beginning the program (including copies of all publications)
- Present the dissertation to the Committee
Graduation/Exit/Thesis Requirements
- Complete a minimum of 72 credits of graduate level work beyond bachelor’s degree OR minimum of 42 credits of graduate level work beyond master’s degree
- Completion of all the University’s standard Ethical & Responsible Conduct of Research training (including human/animal subject training when applicable)
- Regular attendance and participation in (0-credit) graduate seminars
- Successful completion of a Ph.D. Qualifier examination*
- Successful completion of a Ph.D. Candidacy (proposal) examination*
- Successful completion of the Career Preparation & Readiness Experience that consists of teaching, grant writing, publishing and service*
- Successful completion of a Ph.D. dissertation defense*
- Successful completion of a Ph.D. dissertation*
*The specific details, nature and scope of these examinations (e.g., format of the exam) and requirements (e.g. number of journal publications, conference publications, patents, number of teaching assignments) will be determined by the student’s Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering committee and/or department policies for student’s home department as aligned with the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering policies.
Minimum Required Grades and Cumulative GPA
The Doctor of Philosophy in Civil & Environmental Engineering is a Category 2 program.
For details regarding satisfactory academic progress and graduation requirements, please visit Academic Program Policy Categories .
Program Coordinator/Advisor Contact Information
Yusuf Mehta, Ph.D., P.E. Engineering Hall
856.256.5327
mehta@rowan.edu
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