College of Engineering - Doctor of Philosophy Admission Requirements

A graduate program leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Engineering is offered by the College of Engineering. When applying for admission, a student must state on the application the specialization area of study for which admission is requested.

The basic admission standards for the Ph.D. program are the same as for the MS programs, except that, additionally, an applicant is expected to have completed an MS degree in an academic area appropriate to the proposed area of study and to have earned an MS GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.

Though the general requirement for admission to the Ph.D. program is a master's degree in an appropriate discipline, students with a bachelor's degree may be admitted to the Ph.D. program directly on exceptional basis, provided the applicant has a record of excellent academic performance in an appropriate engineering program undergraduate program. The applicant's test scores, personal recommendations, and relevant work experience must indicate a high potential for success in doctoral studies and research. In addition, factors such as appropriateness of the applicant's research objectives to the research interests of the program faculty, availability of faculty to supervise the applicant's research, and prior research accomplishments of the applicant will also influence the admission decision.

Fulfilling the minimum requirement does not guarantee admission; an applicant who does not meet the above minimum, but appears to have reasonable potential for success as a Ph.D. student, may be admitted to provisional standing. His/her status may be changed to full standing after satisfying requirements specified by the Associate Dean of Engineering for Graduate Studies and Research, in consultation with the appropriate departmental chairperson, at the time of admission.

If admitted in provisional standing at either the MS or Ph.D. level, the student must remove all deficiencies and apply for reclassification to full standing prior to the completion of 15 graduate hours.

Sometimes a master's-level student takes more graduate-level courses than are required for the degree because the student is expecting to continue on to the Ph.D. program and hopes to use the extra courses to satisfy the Ph.D. coursework requirement. When this is the case, the student can request when registering for the course(s) that the course(s) be "banked" for the Ph.D. program. If the student lacks no more than 12 semester hours on the master's degree, he/she may accumulate a maximum of nine (9) semester hours which may be applied toward the Ph.D. When this is the case, the student's advisory committee must initiate approval via memo with consensus of the departmental chairperson, dean of the college, and the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies. Banked courses then show up on the student's transcript as courses taken for the Ph.D. rather than being shown as a part of his/her M.S. program. Banking course does not guarantee admission to the Ph.D. program, or, if admitted, that the student's Ph.D. advisory committee will approve the course as part of the student's Ph.D. program of study.

Applicants must submit the following for admissions consideration:

An application for admission.
• Official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate credit from all institutions attended.
• Letters of recommendation from persons acquainted with the applicant's scholastic and professional accomplishments. The individual department will determine the requirements for letters of recommendation.
• Graduate admissions test scores. The individual major department or division will determine the minimum test score requirement for admission and readmission, subject to approval by the respective college-level committees, college dean, and the Graduate Studies Executive Committee.
• All graduate applications must be accompanied by a one-time non-refundable graduate application fee ($35.00 for domestic applicants; $40.00 for international applicants). Applications received without the application fee will not be processed.
• Any other applicable requirement required by the major department or division to which the applicant is applying.

An applicant who was previously enrolled in a graduate degree program but had a break in enrollment, excluding the summer term, must reapply.

All application materials become the property of Tennessee Tech and will not be returned to the applicant regardless of whether admission is approved or denied.

In order to be admitted to a degree program in any academic unit, applicants are also required to meet any additional standards set by the department, school, or college. Applicants are selected on a competitive basis and, therefore, admission is not granted to all applicants who meet only the minimum requirements. In addition, academic programs may have additional requirements such as portfolios, proficiency examinations, professional licensing, etc.

Individual program requirements are described in the Tennessee Tech University Graduate Catalog and on department websites. Requirements are subject to change. The Graduate College no longer accepts hard copy (paper) applications. Please visit the Graduate College web site for detailed program admission requirements, deadlines, and to begin the on-line application process.

Additional Admissions Requirements for International Students: In addition to the requirements stated above, international students must submit sufficient proof, as determined by Tennessee Tech, of adequate training and ability in the use of English as evidenced by a 41 satisfactory score on recognized and acceptable tests. Acceptable test scores are defined under the admissions international student tab in this catalog.

Tennessee Tech will prepare Form I-20 for those admitted students seeking to apply for F-1 visa and DS2019 for those admitted students seeking to apply for a J-1 visa.

Enrollment in a program is contingent on the student receiving an appropriate visa. All credentials become the property of the University and will not be forwarded or returned. If the applicant does not enroll, credentials will be maintained in active files for 1 year, after which they will be destroyed. After that time, candidates must reapply for admission and submit a new set of credentials if they wish to be admitted to the Graduate College. Students who do not enroll for a Fall or Spring semester must apply for readmission.