Curriculum in Doctor of Philosophy – Materials Science and Engineering
A candidate for the Ph.D. degree with a major in materials science and engineering must comply with the rules and regulations as outlined in the WVU Graduate Catalog and the specific requirements of the Statler College and the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department.
Program Requirements
The doctor of philosophy degree with a major in materials science and engineering is administered through the college's interdisciplinary Ph.D. program. The research work for the doctoral dissertation must show a high degree of originality on the part of the student and must constitute an original contribution to the art and science of materials science and engineering.
All Ph.D. degree candidates are required to perform research and follow a planned program of study. The student's research advisor, in conjunction with the student's Advising and Examining Committee (AEC) will be responsible for determining the plan of study appropriate to the student's needs. The underlying principle of the planned program is to provide the students with the necessary support to complete their degree and prepare them for their career.
Publication Requirement for PhD Students
Prior to scheduling the dissertation defense, Ph.D. students are required to provide written documentation that they have received formal proof of submission of either:
a.) At least one manuscript, generally co-authored with their research supervisor and about some portion of their PhD dissertation research, to an archival journal for publication, or
b.) At least one patent disclosure, also generally about some portion of their PhD dissertation research.
This publication requirement will have to be satisfied prior to scheduling the defense of the Ph.D. Dissertation.
Curriculum Requirements
| A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required in all courses. | ||
| Course Requirements | ||
| Select six courses from the following *,** | 18 | |
BIOL 593 | Special Topics (Select six courses from the following:) *,** | |
BMEG 482 | Introduction to Tissue Engineering | |
BMEG 593 | Special Topics Requires AEC approval | |
CHE 531 | Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering | |
CHE 565 | Corrosion Engineering | |
CHE 625 | Chemical Reaction Engineering | |
CHE 615 | Transport Phenomena | |
CHE 720 | Applied Statistical and Molecular Thermodynamics | |
CHE 726 | Catalysis | |
CHEM 514 | Mass Spectrometry Principles and Practices | |
CHEM 521 | Organometallic Chemistry | |
CHEM 547 | Chemical Crystallography | |
CHEM 713 | Electrochemistry and Instrumentation | |
CHEM 723 | Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry | |
PHYS 774 | Optical Properties of Solids | |
EE 528 | Biomedial Microdevices | |
EE 550 | Advanced Semiconductor Electronics | |
EE 551 | Linear Integrated Circuits | |
EE 591 | Advanced Topics Requires AEC approval | |
EE 593 | Special Topics Requires AEC approval | |
EE 650 | Optoeletronics | |
PHYS 771 | Advanced Solid State Physics | |
PHYS 772 | Semiconductor Physics | |
PHYS 773 | Collective Phenomena in Solids | |
MAE 528 | Introduction to Fuel Cell Technology | |
MAE 543 | Advanced Mechanics of Materials | |
MAE 593 | Special Topics Requires AEC approval | |
MAE 640 | Continuum Mechanics | |
MAE 643 | Inelastic Behavior of Engineering Materials | |
MAE 644 | Fracture Mechanics | |
MAE 645 | Energy Methods in Applied Mechanics | |
MAE 646 | Advanced Mechanics of Composite Materials | |
MAE 648 & 648L | Experimental Stress Analysis and Experimental Stress Analysis Laboratory | |
MAE 687 | Materials Engineering | |
MAE 693 | Special Topics Requires AEC approval | |
Any BIOM, BMEG, CE, CHE, CHEM, CPE, CS, EE, IENG, IH&S, MAE, MATH, MINE, PNGE, PHYS, SAFM, SENG, EXPH 583, or STAT courses 500-795, as approved by the student's AEC. | ||
| Materials Science and Engineering Seminar | 2 | |
MAE 686 | Materials Science and Engineering Seminar | |
| Research | 24 | |
MAE 797 | Research | |
| Milestones | ||
Plan of Study | ||
Qualifying Exam | ||
Candidacy Exam | ||
Publication Requirement | ||
Final Exam | ||
Dissertation | ||
| Total Hours | 44 |
- *
Students who do not hold a baccalaureate degree in materials science and engineering are required to take a set of undergraduate engineering course above and beyond the minimum coursework requirements
- **
Students admitted to the Ph.D. program must have previously completed the following set of core courses: MAE 580, MAE 583, and MAE 649 or equivalent. Otherwise, they will need to complete the missing courses as part of their 18-hours of course requirement.
Examinations
Qualifying Exam
All Ph.D. students must take and pass a written qualifying examination. The qualifying examination is given no later than the end of the third semester of enrollment in their Ph.D. program. This examination is designed to assess the basic competency of students to determine whether or not they have sufficient knowledge of the discipline to undertake independent research. The qualifying examination is administered by the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering following the format specifically set forth for the MS&E Ph.D. degree program.
Candidacy Examination
In order to be admitted to candidacy, the student must pass a candidacy exam, which is designed to evaluate the student's overall ability to engage in high-level research. After passing the qualifying examination, the student must submit to the AEC a written research proposal of his/her planned dissertation work and successfully defend it in an oral examination. The research proposal must be approved by the student's AEC. A student who has successfully completed all coursework, passed the qualifying examination, successfully defended the research proposal, and receives the college's approval becomes a candidate for a Ph.D. degree. Thereafter, the student will officially be engaged in dissertation research.
Final Examination
At the completion of the dissertation research, candidates must prepare a dissertation and pass the final oral examination (defense) administered by their AEC. This examination is open to the public and, in order to evaluate critically the student's competency, may include testing on material in related fields, as deemed necessary by the AEC.