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• 60 hours of study
  • 30 hours or relevant coursework (determined in consultation with faculty advisor)
  • 30 thesis/dissertation hours
• Exams
  • Preliminary (first��or second year)
  • Comprehensive (third��or fourth year)
  • Dissertation Defense (semester of graduation)
• Professional Preparation Requirement (P3)
  • Two approved activities dedicated to your professional development
• Dissertation

A bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or a closely related field is generally required so that students will have sufficient preparation to succeed in their courses and research. The Graduate School also sets admission and application requirements for all PhD programs.

• Requirements for international applicants
• Requirements for domestic applicants

Students do not need an MS to enter the PhD program. Students interested in pursuing a PhD should apply directly to the PhD program, not the MS program. Students should carefully review the Grad School’s Graduation Checklist.

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The deadline for fall admission is Dec. 15.

• Biomedical Engineering
• Communications and Digital Signal Processing
• Computer Engineering
• Dynamics and Controls
• Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves
• Nanostructures and Devices
• Optics and Photonics
• Power Electronics and Renewable Energy Systems
• Remote Sensing

Early in the PhD program, students should develop an informal degree plan with their faculty advisor.

• The degree program will be tailored to academic interest and should represent a coordinated approach to the attainment of the student's research and career goals
• Must include 30 semester hours of 5000- and 6000-level courses, but more hours may be required at the discretion of the research/faculty advisor. Suitability of transfer credit will be determined in consultation with research/faculty advisor.
• Discuss and set goals for department and Graduate School milestones, such as prelims, comps and��dissertation defense.
• Keep in mind Graduate School deadlines, requirements��and limitations.

Ideally, a PhD student will have chosen a faculty advisor during the application process. The faculty advisor directs the student’s research, helps develop the degree plan��and acts as chair of their comprehensive exam and dissertation committee.

• A faculty/research advisor must be a member of ɫ��Ƶ���� regular graduate faculty.
• Research (dissertation) topic will be determined by the student with the aid of the faculty advisor. It is the student’s responsibility to find the faculty member that best suits their interests and goals.
• A student may change their faculty advisor, but it is recommended that this only be done once

With few exceptions, PhD students are fully funded with a combination of departmental, faculty��and external grants/funding. After advancing to candidacy, students are encouraged to apply for external, College of Engineering and Applied Science and Graduate School funding. Our students often win prestigious awards and fellowships from national organizations and government agencies.

Students must complete 30 hours of coursework and 30 dissertation hours to complete the degree.

• A course grade below "B-" will not be counted toward the 30 credit hour requirement.
  • But it will be included in your overall GPA calculation.
  • Students must maintain an overall 3.0 GPA.��Exception: a foreign language course��with a grade of B-��or below will not count against you; no foreign language course will count towards the degree.

Courses that count toward��your degree:

• Must be technical. In some cases ECEN 5000+ courses may not be sufficiently technical. Work with your faculty advisor and/or the department graduate director to make the best course decisions.
• Telecommunications / Cybersecurity and Engineering Management courses may not be used for the PhD degree.

• Up to 21 hours of graduate work from a recognized graduate school may be transferred.
• Credits must be approved by the student’s advisor, the ECEE Graduate Director, and the Dean of the Graduate School. Consult Alex Schultz for forms and process.
• Credit will be transferred only after the student has passed the preliminary examination.
• No credit will be accepted that was earned as part of a bachelor’s degree.

All PhD students are required to complete the ECEE Professional Preparation Program. PhD students must complete two programs/activities; both must be approved in advance by the faculty advisor and the graduate director. The goal of the P3 program is to help PhD students improve their research and leadership skill, and to expand their post-graduation employment opportunities. To be eligible, activities must require five��hours per week of work over the course of a semester.

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Common P3 activities include:

• Teaching practicum
• Organizing and curating a lecture series
• Holding a leadership position in an ECEE-related organization (eg, VP of Optical Society of America student section)

To help you develop skills in pedagogy and communication, you may participate in a mentored teaching practicum.�� The topic and specific requirements are flexible and arranged with the help of your research advisor.

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Teaching practicums can be completed the following ways:

• Paid Teaching Assistant appointment over the entire semester
• Instructor of record or GPTI
• Team-teaching a course with advisor
• Course assistance that combines at least two of the following:
  • Laboratory Assignments - preparation, assistance, grading, and work directly with students on several laboratory assignments
  • Prepare and deliver one hour long recitations/preparation sessions for any of the exams or homework assignments on a bi-weekly basis
  • Office hour to meet with students (add bi-weekly)
• Tutor for minimum of two courses
• Teach any of the freshman seminar classes
• Coordinator for focus area seminar
• Graduate assistant for two senior design teams
• Mentorship for UROP, DLA, SURE, SMART or high school student for full summer/semester
• Transfer credit - if the objectives of the P3 are met at another institution (example, you served as a TA for two EE courses during your Master’s), you can receive equivalent credit if approved by a Graduate Director or Associate Chair for Education

Completion of an approved P3 activity qualifies the PhD student for conference travel funds. These awards are either $1,000 (domestic travel) or $1,500 (international, only awarded once). Students are eligible for one award after the successful completion of each of two P3 activities.

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To help you understand your field of choice, build reputation in that field and network with researchers at other institutions, the ECEE department will:��

• fund a conference trip during the first year of your PhD (up to $1,000) before you have enough material to present at a conference.
• fund a second conference trip when you have a presenting paper at a conference.

Up to 10 international conference trips each year ($1,000-1,500) are budgeted. Students must also apply to the grad school conference grant fund (up to $500).��

Preliminary exams are required of all PhD students. Exams are held annually in the spring semester, with dates and content determined by the student’s research group. Common areas and dates include:

• Biomedical Engineering (1st or 2nd spring, as recommended by faculty)
• Communications and Digital Signal Processing (1st or 2nd spring, as recommended by faculty)
• Computer Engineering (1st or 2nd spring, as recommended by faculty)
• Dynamics and Controls (1st April)
• Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves (1st May for initial attempt; mid- to late-January for 2nd attempt)
• Nanostructures and Devices (1st May)
• Optics and Photonics (1st May)
• Power Electronics and Renewable Energy Systems (1st or 2nd spring, as recommended by faculty)
• Remote Sensing (1st July)
• Complete information about the preliminary examination will be provided by the graduate advisor and/or by the faculty chair.
• Application must be received two months prior to the exam.
• Under most circumstances, students may attempt the prelim twice. If attempted in two separate research areas, those two fulfill the two, total attempts.

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After completing coursework and the prelim, the student is eligible to take the comprehensive exam. The written and/or oral comprehensive examination demonstrates mastery of material and ability to perform the proposed dissertation research. The examination will be held by the faculty advisor (chair) in consultation with the student’s committee. The committee must have a minimum of five members, three of which must be ɫ��Ƶ���� resident graduate faculty members.

• All committee members must hold regular or special appointments to CU’s grad faculty. Any external members (not ECEE tenure or tenure-track faculty) should be cleared with the grad advisor well in advance of the exam date.
• Two weeks prior, student should complete the top portion and left hand column of the doctoral examination report and submit to their graduate advisor
• The student must complete and have their advisor sign the candidacy application and submit to the graduate advisor.
• Students should work closely with their graduate advisor to complete all necessary forms and approvals well in advance of the exam.

Other requirements

• The student must be registered full-time the semester of the examination.
• The exam may be attempted twice.
• Before advancement to doctoral candidacy (D status), a student must have completed:
  • At least four semesters of residency
  • P3 program, prelims, coursework, 1 credit of thesis hours
  • Passed the comprehensive exam
• Students must maintain continuous enrollment at the university each semester after passing the comprehensive examination up to and including the semester of the dissertation defense.
• “D” status may reduce student fees. Check the bursar’s office website for information on the curren��semester and academic year.��

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The dissertation is a work of original research completed by the student with the guidance of the faculty advisor. A dissertation thesis proposal must be submitted by the student to the dissertation committee, preferably at the time of the comprehensive examination.

• The dissertation committee consists of five members and must include at least one member outside of the ECEE department. All must be admitted to ɫ��Ƶ���� grad faculty by regular or special appointment.
• Students should aim to complete and submit their dissertation to their committee at least 30 days in advance of the defense.
• The student must complete the top and left-hand column of the doctoral examination report and submit to the grad advisor at least two weeks in advance of the defense.
• The Graduate School sets dissertation submission and format requirements. Consult these carefully well in advance as the school will not accept submissions after the deadline. Deadlines for each semester can be found on the Graduate School website.
• The student will set a day, time, and location for the final defense in consultation with the faculty advisor and dissertation committee. Inform your graduate advisor of these details and supply them with a thesis title and abstract.
• A student who fails the final examination may attempt it again upon recommendation of the committee.

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For state residency requirements, please visit the Office of the Registrar. Domestic non-resident graduate students must apply for Colorado residency for tuition purposes after admission.

• Four semesters of residence credit is required to advance to candidacy, a minimum of six to graduate.
• Students who are admitted to the Graduate School with deficiencies may expect to receive little or no residence credit until the deficiencies have been removed (the Graduate School rules require that at least 30 semester hours of 5000- and 6000-level coursework appear in the Application for Candidacy).
• No more than 15 hours of 5000-level or above courses or 10 thesis hours in a single semester are allowed.

All work, including the final examination, should be completed within six years from the time of admission. A student is expected to complete the work with reasonable continuity. Extensions must be formally requested from��the graduate school.