A student must complete a minimum of 50 credit hours (beyond master's) for graduation. Out of the 50 credit hours, 24 credit hours will be based on coursework (beyond master's) and 26 credit hours will be based on Ph.D. dissertation.

The student must maintain a GPA of 6 out of 9 (i.e., on a 9-point scale) for good academic standing and graduation. Only one B- and no C grade will be allowed in the program.

1. The qualifying examination must be taken within 24 months after admission in the program. This will typically occur after finishing the core course, at least two specialization courses, and two courses outside the specialization area.
2. The student must be in good academic standing at the time of the qualifying examination.
3. The student must select three areas for the qualifying examination and declare one of the areas as the specialization area typically the area of the student's research.
4. There will be two examiners in the specialization area (in the area of student's research). The other two areas will be minor areas (of the student's choice, but approved by the Doctoral Program Council) and will have one examiner each.
5. The examination in the specialization area will include both written and oral tests. Examination in the minor areas will be written only.
6. The student will select the examination areas, which must then be approved by the Doctoral Program Council. The Doctoral Program Council will assign the examiners for each of the areas selected.
7. The Doctoral Program Council will review and approve the examination results.
8. A student failing the qualifying examination the first time will be allowed to take it again; however, if the student fails it the second time, he/she will be terminated from the program.

1. The Doctoral Program Council must approve the dissertation topic, the proposal outline, and the dissertation committee prior to the preliminary examination.
2. The student will make an open oral presentation, which has been prepared in consultation with the dissertation advisor, in defense of the proposal.

A student will become a candidate for the Ph.D. degree after completing the required coursework with a minimum GPA 6 out of 9 and after passing both the qualifying and the preliminary examinations. At this point, the student will be allowed register for the dissertation work

The dissertation committee will include a minimum of four faculty members. One of these members must be from outside the College of Engineering and Computer Science. One of the faculty members will be the dissertation advisor and will serve as the chair of the dissertation committee. Depending on the dissertation topic, other members, including a qualified industry member, may be included in the dissertation committee. The industry member's curriculum vitae must be submitted to the Doctoral Program Council for approval.

The dissertation must include original research work of archival quality. The student must submit a written copy of the dissertation to the dissertation committee for approval. The work must be defended at a final oral examination open to other faculty, students, and the interested public.

While there are no formal residency requirements for the part time students, it is expected that each Ph.D. student will spend sufficient time on campus for conducting research, interacting with other graduate students, and fostering intellectual activities. All students in the Ph.D. program are required to attend graduate seminars in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. After attaining candidacy, each Ph.D. student is required to present at least one seminar per year on his/her research until the dissertation is completed. All Ph.D. students are required to attend these research seminars. After attaining candidacy, each Ph.D. student is expected to spend at least 12 hours per week on campus working on his/her research and discussing research issues with faculty and fellow students.