Admission to the PhD in Mechanical Engineering program requires the satisfactory completion of a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or other Engineering disciplines.
Doctoral degree is awarded upon successful completion of 72 credit hours.
Students entering with a mechanical engineering master* are expected to complete the degree program in a three year’s period and a three and half year’s period for students entering with other** engineering master's degree. Maximum length of study is 6 years.

Degree Requirements
The PhD requires 36 credit hours of coursework past the Bachelor’s degree, a comprehensive qualifying exam, and a dissertation research (60 credit hours). The dissertation requirements will include a proposal, proposal defense, dissertation report, and dissertation defense. The dissertation must sufficiently document original research that makes a significant contribution to the profession. Students with a Master’s degree will receive credit for 24 hours of course work.

• Four*/Eight** elective courses (600 level)
• Mathematics for PhD Students (non-credit)
• The Academic Advisor may request the completion of additional courses.
• Comprehensive Exam***
• Dissertation Proposal Defense****
• Teaching Internship*****
• A dissertation reviewed and approved by the committee members. The candidate will defend a dissertation in a formal manner for this committee. The dissertation requirements will include a proposal, proposal defense, dissertation report, and dissertation defense. The dissertation must sufficiently document original research that makes a significant contribution to the profession******

*Candidate with a master degree in mechanical engineering requires to complete four courses at the 600 level.
**Candidate with a master degree in other engineering discipline requires to complete eight courses at the 600 level.
***Students are required to complete their comprehensive exam after successful passing their course work no later than the end of third semester.
****Students are required to complete their oral defense of the dissertation proposal on the fourth semester.
*****Students are required to teach 2 courses on their final year
****** The dissertation defense is the final exam of the PhD in Mechanical Engineering degree. The result of the defense will be made based on the recommendation of the committee. There are four possible results:

1. Pass: the student passes the exam and the dissertation is accepted as submitted;
2. Pass with minor revisions: the student passes the exam and the student is advised of the revisions that must be made to the text of the dissertation;
3. Pass with major revisions: the student passes the exam and the student is advised of the revisions that must be made the dissertation within six months from the date of the first defense;
4. Failure with retake: normally this means the student must do more research to complete the dissertation. The student must revise the dissertation and give another oral examination within six months from the date of the first defense
5. Failure: the student does not pass the exam, the dissertation is not accepted, the degree is not awarded, and the student is dismissed from the University.

Committee
Every PhD candidate is responsible for working with his/her advisor and the committee of three or more members. The candidate’s committee will consist of the advisor plus at least two members of the department’s faculty (one faculty member from outside the department may be accepted with the department approval). The committee will work with the advisor to evaluate the candidate’s dissertation and plan the dissertation defense, as well as to help the candidate with any problems that may arise in the course of obtaining the PhD degree.

Plan of Study
Soon after admission to the PhD program, you should work with your advisor and committee to complete the Outline of Doctoral Program. Consult the graduate course schedule for help with choosing the coursework that will be listed in this 3-year plan of study. Courses listed in the plan of study may be modified during your course of study with the approval of your advisor. It is the student’s responsibility to keep the graduate school informed of revisions to the Plan of Study, as this document is used to audit the student’s courses prior to graduation.

Residence Requirements
In addition to completing the graduate coursework, all of the dissertation research hours must be earned while attending PMU.

Dissertation Research Proposal
The Ph.D. degree is a research degree whose defining elements are the dissertation research and dissertation. A formal written dissertation research proposal is an important part of the Comprehensive Qualifying Examination discussed in section F.

Comprehensive Qualifying Examination
A comprehensive qualifying examination is required of all students enrolled in the doctoral program for earning PhD candidacy. This examination is given after approximately one and half full years of graduate study are completed. The examination consists of the following:

• An examination, oral or written, based on graduate coursework is assigned by the department.
• A written dissertation proposal that describes the research objective and research already completed as well as an outline of the research to be undertaken to complete the dissertation. The specific format is at the discretion of the faculty advisor and dissertation committee.
• An oral examination defending the dissertation proposal.
• Publication of 2 ISI indexed publications

The comprehensive qualifying examination should be completed at least nine months before the degree is to be awarded. If the student’s qualifying examination results are deemed unacceptable by the committee, the student may arrange to retake the exam a maximum of one more time. Note also that the proposal/qualifying exam and dissertation defense cannot occur within the same semester.

Candidacy and Continuous Registration
A student who has successfully completed the qualifying examinations and has had a dissertation research proposal approved will be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree. Students admitted to candidacy are expected to pursue completion of the dissertation without interruption by enrolling each semester. There is a continuous registration requirement.

Dissertation and Final Examination
The dissertation research and dissertation are the defining elements of the PhD degree. The dissertation must demonstrate independent, original scholarship within the mechanical engineering field. The dissertation is a formal research document and must be prepared following the department guidelines. Your dissertation will be reviewed by your advisor and your dissertation committee. Your advisor will help in scheduling your Final Exam/Dissertation Defense. After a successful defense, you may still have final dissertation corrections and revisions required by the committee. Such conditions should be considered in scheduling the presentation/defense relative to the graduate school submission deadlines.

Time Limits
All requirements for the Ph.D. degree must be completed during the nine years immediately prior the date that the degree is awarded.

Qualification and advancement to candidacy are contingent upon completion of following milestones for PhD in Mechanical Engineering students:

• Passing all elective courses*** (passing coursework)
• Passing a qualifying exam****
• Designating an academic advisor
• Passing an oral defense of the dissertation proposal*****
• Dissertation and Dissertation defense: Preparing, submitting, and defending the dissertation******



Program Description
	Description
Program Name	PhD in Mechanical Engineering
Official English Name	PhD in Mechanical Engineering
Official Arabic Name	الدكتوراه في الهندسة الميكانيكية
Major	Mechanical Engineering
College Name	College of Engineering
Department name	Mechanical Engineering
Concentration / Track (if any)	PhD in Mechanical Engineering
Awarded Degree Title	PhD in Mechanical Engineering
Student Level	Graduate Studies
Course Level	Graduate Studies 6000 & 7000
Campus	Main Campus
Registration Restrictions/Prerequisite
Additional Admission Requirements
Total Credit Hours Requirement	72
Length of Study	3 Years
Maximum of Length of Study	6 Years
First Semester& Year for Admissions
Annual Admissions semester(s)	⃞  Fall    ⃞  Spring     ⃞  Summer
Number of new students (Direct Entry)	Male: Female:
Degree Audit/required GPA
Fees