Ph.D. Programs in Systems Engineering

Ph.D. Programs in Systems Engineering

Prepared by Dr. Jerrell Stracener

ProposedPhD in Applied Science

with a Major in Systems Engineering

Proposed PhD SE Program Admission Requirements Degree Requirements First Step to the PhD

Other PhD SE Programs Admission Requirements Degree Requirements Research Areas

Comparison of Proposed PhD SE Programs to other University PhD Programs

Summary July 13, 2003

Proposed PhD SE Program

Admission Requirements

For admission to the Ph.D. in Operations Research, acandidate must have:

an undergraduate degree in engineering, mathematics, computer science, economics, or a related technical field;

previous coursework that includes satisfactory completion of at least nine credit hours of calculus, three hours of linear algebra, and three hours of computer programming in a high-level language (normally, a Bachelor of Business Administration does not provide sufficient background);

a graduate degree; a grade-point average of at least 3.40 on a 4.00 scale on all previous

undergraduate and graduate studies; and official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test results with a minimum

80th-percentile quantitative score.

ProposedPhD in applied Science


Degree Requirements1. A minimum of fifty-four (54) term credit hours (TCH) beyond the baccalaureate degree, plus 24 TCH of dissertation credit. Required courses are as follows:

MATH 5316 Numerical Linear Algebra EMIS 7361 Computer Simulation Techniques EMIS 7362 Production and Operations Management EMIS 7370 Probability and Statistics for Scientists and Engineers EMIS 7377 Design and Analysis of Experiments EMIS 8360 Operations Research Models EMIS 8361 Economic Decision Analysis EMIS 8370 Stochastic Models EMIS 8371 Linear Programming EMIS 8373 Integer Programming EMIS 8374 Network Flows EMIS 8378 Optimization Models for Decision Support



Degree Requirements (Continued)2. The 54 TCH must also include a 12 TCH minor. Acceptable minors include systems engineering, engineering management, information engineering, computer science, mathematics, statistics, business, economics, telecommunications, or other engineering area. The courses for the minor must be different from the required courses, except for MATH 5316, which can be part of a minor in mathematics.

Sample Minors

Systems Engineering: EMIS 7301 Systems Engineering Process EMIS 7303 Integrated Risk Management EMIS 7305 System Optimization and Analysis EMIS 7307 Systems Integration and Test



Degree Requirements (Continued)

Sample Minors

Engineering Management: EMIS 7360 Management of Information Technologies EMIS 8362 Engineering Accounting EMIS 8363 Engineering Finance EMIS 8364 Management for Engineers

Information Engineering: EMIS 7351 Enterprise Fundamentals EMIS 7352 Information System Architecture EMIS 7353 Information System Design Strategies EMIS 7360 Management of Information Technologies



Degree Requirements (Continued)

3. Satisfactory completion of the Preliminary Counseling Examination, an oral exam covering courses EMIS 7362, 7370, 8360, and 8361. This exam should be taken after the student has completed 18 TCH.

4. Satisfactory completion of the Doctoral Qualifying Examination. This exam should be taken after the majority of the coursework has been completed.

5. Satisfactory completion and defense of the doctoral dissertation.



Five Steps to the PhD In addition to the five steps below, process details and other requirements for

the Doctor of Philosophy Degree may be found in the SMU School of Engineering Graduate Catalog.

1. Basic Coursework: Upon entry into the Ph.D. program, a student is assigned an academic advisor. The advisor will examine the student's prior background and current state of knowledge, and recommend courses to be taken in preparation for Step 2.2. Preliminary Counseling Exam and Program of Study: To be eligible for advanced study, a student must demonstrate competence in operations research fundamentals by passing the Preliminary

Counseling Examination (PCE). This exam is oral and is administered

by three faculty members. Particular emphasis will be given to the material covered in the following courses: EMIS 7362, 7370,

8360, and 8361.



Five Steps to the PhD (Continued)

3. Appointment of Supervisory Committee and Advanced Coursework: Upon completion of the PCE a proposed Program of Study is developed that meets the degree requirements in Section II and includes the planned advanced coursework. Based upon the

proposed Program of Study a Supervisory Committee is formed. The Supervisory Committee will make any needed adjustments to

the Program of Study. Changes in the Program of Study are

subject to approval by the Supervisory Committee. Step 3 requires

completion of the forms Recommendation and Certification of Appointment

of Supervisory Committee and Doctoral Degree Plan.




4. Qualifying Examination: At or near the completion of the coursework, the Supervisory Committee will conduct the Qualifying

Examination. This exam ordinarily involves a series of take-home exams,

but is left to the discretion of the Supervisory Committee. The exam is concluded by an oral exam at which time the student is

expected to present a proposal for the dissertation. A written proposal

must be given to the Supervisory Committee prior to the oral exam.

Upon passing this exam, the student is admitted to Doctorial

Candidacy. Step 4 requires completion of the form Admission to

Candidacy.




5. Dissertation Defense: The most distinguishing characteristic of a program leading to the Ph.D. degree is the requirement that the candidate write a dissertation embodying the results of a significant and original investigation. The dissertation must make a real contribution to the operations research discipline, and it is expected to be a mature and competent piece of writing. The defense, which is conducted orally, must enable the Supervisory Committee to satisfy itself that the dissertation is an original piece of research work, that it has been carried out in keeping with the highest standards of investigation and reporting, and that it makes a contribution to knowledge that is of value to the scientific community. Satisfactory performance on this defense constitutes the last academic requirement to be met for the Ph.D. degree. Step 5 requires completion of the form Report on Thesis or Dissertation and/or Final Examination.



Other PhD SE Programs

Admission Requirements An Undergraduate Degree

BostonMITStevens Institute of TechnologyUniversity of Virginia



Yes

Yes ; not necessarily in science

Yes

Yes; not necessarily in eng.

Admission Requirements (Continued) Previous Course Work

Boston MIT Stevens Institute of Technology University of Virginia



None

None

None

One yr of undergraduate calculus

including DFQ; Working

knowledge of at least 1 high level

programming language; 2

undergraduate courses in calculus

based probability and statistics;

Mathematical programming

or linear algebra

Admission Requirements (Continued) A Graduate Degree




Yes

Not required

Generally

None

Admission Requirements (Continued) GPA




Minimum of 3.0

3.0 in Science; 3.2 all other

B average or better

Minimum of 3.0

Admission Requirements (Continued) GRE




Yes

Yes: 600 Quan; 500 Verbal

Not Required

Yes; No minimum. Average

applicant has 1300 Quantitative

and Verbal

Degree Requirements Total Credit Hours

Boston MIT

Stevens Institute of Technology

University of Virginia



64 units of graduate coursework

66 units core; 48 units in tech

elective; 3 classes in a minor

90 credits; 30 Masters; 15-30

credits beyond a masters; 30-45

credits in dissertation work

26 hours beyond the masters

degree including 6 hours of grad

mathematics; min 32 hours in a

masters degree

Degree Requirements Minor Hours




Not required

Yes; 3 added classes

None

None

Degree Requirements Preliminary Counseling Examination

Boston

MITStevens Institute of Technology

University of Virginia



Yes; two. One in math and

one in area of specialization

Yes; written and oral

Yes; written. Comprehension

in engineering and math

Yes; two part. Written and

oral. Covers subjects within

student’s major and minor

Degree Requirements Doctoral Qualifying Exam




None

Yes; general exam

Yes; oral preliminary exam

None

Degree Requirements Satisfactory Completion and Defense of Doctoral Dissertation




Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Comparison Admission Requirements



Element SMU Boston MIT Stevens U of Vir

Undergraduate Degree Eng, Math, Econ., Yes Yes; Not Yes Yes; NotComputer Science necess. necess.

or Tech field in science in eng.Previous Course Work 9 hrs Cal None None None 1yr Cal. Including DFQ; high level

3 hrs Linear Alg programming Mathematical3 hrs high level Programming; 2 undergraduateprogramming courses in Cal. based probability and

statisticsGraduate Degree Yes Yes Not Req. Generally None

Min GPA for Degree 3.4 None 3.6 None NoneMin UnGrad GPA 3.4 3.0 3.0 B 3.0

GRE 80th % quan score Yes 600 Qua. Not No minimum; avg applicant500 Ver. Required has 1300

Comparison Degree Requirements



Element SMU Boston MIT Stevens U of Vir

Min total TCH 54 48 49 45 58beyond bach.

Minor 12 Not Req 9 None None

Dissertation 24 24 24 45 24

Total 78 72 73 90 82

Minor Hrs 12 hours; included Not Eng./ None Nonedegrees: SE, EM Inf. Required Technical

Eng., CS, Math,Statistics, BusinessEcon., Telecom., or

other eng. areas

Comparison Degree Requirements



Element SMU Boston MIT Stevens U of VirPre Counseling Yes; 4 courses 1 in Math Written In Eng. Written

Exam 1 in Area & Oral & Math & OralDoctoral Qual Yes None General Oral None

Exam Exam ExamSatisfactory Completion

and Defense of Yes Yes Yes Yes YesDoctoral Dissertation

Documents

Ph.D. Programs in Systems Engineering