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Graduate Studies Program


Ph.D. Degree Requirements:

Ph.D. Credit Allocation (all at 4000 level minimum):
  • 72 (minimum) of acceptable graduate coursework
  • 42 (minimum) from ECE formal course work
  • Of those 42 hours, no more than 12 can be 4000 level level (EE 5980: Dissertation Research not counting toward this minimum)
  • Courses required by the department bachelor of science degree may not be applied for graduate credit
  • 6 (maximum) of EE 4800 (Problems in ...) can be counted for program of study credit
  • 6 (maximum) of EE 5880 (Problems in ...) can be counted for program of study credit
  • 9 (maximum) of EE 5600 (Statistical Signal Processing in ...) can be counted for program of study credit


Research Tools may be required at the option of the student's comittee:
  • The doctoral student must demonstrate competence in two research areas relevant to their proposed are of research
  • Certification of these tools can be obtained by demonstrated proficiency on a standardized examination prepared by the Education Testing Service or by receiving a grade of B in a course or courses specified by a department on campus
  • Course work utilized to certify research tools should not be included in the total hour count for the program


Preliminary Examination:
  • This comprehensive examination contains both written and oral elements
  • The exam is administered by the students graduate committee
  • The exam may not be given before:
    • The research tool requirements requirements have been met and certification approved by the Graduate School
    • The Doctoral Program has been approved by the Graduate School

The student must also present and defend a formal proposal for the dissertation research to the student's committee.

In addition to the above requirements, the student must pass a final oral examination in defense of his or her dissertation work. The presentation portion is advertised and is open to the public.

Project Poster
  • This poster describes the student's dissertation research topic
  • The poster must be completed and approved by the student's major professor before the Graduation/Title Form will be filled out by the department head

The student is also required to present the dissertation work at a Department Graduate Student Seminar. This seminar is advertised and is open to the public.

The student is required to submit at least one paper to a peer-reviewed journal describing the student's dissertation work.

The student is highly encouraged to participate in the UW Graduate Student Symposium describing the student's dissertation work.

The following paper work is associated with the Ph.D. program:

For information about the University of Wyoming Graduate School click here
College of Engineering and Applied Science