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[!danger] Big Picture The PhD Qualifying Exam or preliminary evaluation is designed to assess the breadth of the student’s knowledge of the discipline, the student’s achievement during the first year of graduate study, and the potential to apply research methods independently. The evaluation is used to identify those students who may be expected to complete a doctoral program successfully and to reveal areas of weakness in the student's preparation.

The qualifying exam in the mechanical engineering PhD program is a two-component examination that includes the submission of a written research proposal to an examining committee and a formal oral presentation on the proposed research with a period of open questioning by an examining committee. This period of open questioning may include fundamental topics relevant to achieving a PhD degree in the chosen field of study by the examining committee as it evaluates the student’s case toward PhD candidacy.

ME_PhD_Qualifying_Exam_Guideline_Fall2024, page 1

Shared Examples From Dr. Cho

Scheduling

Minimum of 12 credits of coursework:

  • 3 ME 2045
  • 3 ME 2646
  • 3 ME 2020
  • 3 ME 2027 Advanced Dynamics
  • 3 ENGR 2811 Innovating for Public Impact
  • 3 NUCE 2103

QPA greater than 3.3:

  • Done.

General Information

It will be deemed an honor violation if a student solicits or receives help on any of the specific technical points of the research proposal. ME_PhD_Qualifying_Exam_Guideline_Fall2024, page 2

Any faculty who wants to come can.

Formation of the Examining Committee

Minimum three members, dynamic systems and control track.

Format of the PhD Qualifying Exam

  1. A technical report
  2. An oral presentation (30 minute presentation, anticipated 90 minute duration)

Topic

Should be in the same general field of PhD research, but not exactly the same as the dissertation topic.

Topic descirption should be devloped by the student in consultation with their advisor. Maximum 250 words.

Written Research Proposal

  • 8 weeks after abstract due
  • 10 pages long maximum

Two tries.

Outcomes

Pass or fail baby.

Student Guideline for the Written Research Proposal

Three Major Parts:

  1. Project Summary
  2. Project Description
  3. References

Project Summary (1 Page Limit)

Maximum one page. A concise overview of the project, an explanation of the intellectual merit, and a statement of the broader impacts.

Overview

This is the goals and outcomes

Intellectual Merit

A tease of this?

Broader Impacts

Maybe this is some of the outcomes?

Project Description (10 Page Limit)

A clear statement of the work. Should be a 2-3 year project.

Background / Literature Review / State of the Art

How is it done today?

Research Approach

What's new in your approach, and why will it be successful? Gotta mention the implementation of new technologies, and how they will be interpreted. Each method must be explained why it was selected, and how the data will be analyzed. How do you measure success?

Broader Impacts

If you're successful, who cares?

Timeline

Optional.

References (No Page Limit)

Choose a referencing style that is appropriate. (Likely IEEE). No page limit.

Academic Integrity

Gotta do a course and badge for the University's online Academic Integrity Course:

Plagiarism Checking

Have to submit a plagiarism report obtained from an online plagiarism detection software. Must be submitted along side written research Proposal. Pitt recommends Turnitin.

Must have checklist

  • Cover Page
    • Title
    • My name
    • PhD advisor name
    • Dynamic Systems and Control
  • Main Report
    • 12-pt TNR font
    • 1 inch margins all around
    • letter sized paper
    • Figures and tables must have captions
  • Project Summary
    • Maximum one page
    • Goals
    • Outcomes
    • Understanding of broader impact and intellectual merit
  • Project Description
    • Maximum 10 pages
    • Background and literature review
    • Research Approach
    • Broader Impacts
  • Academic Integrity Course
  • Plagiarism Report

How am I going to organize things?

Based on feedback from Dan:

  1. Goals and Outcomes - 1 page
  2. SOTA - 1.25 pages
    1. Verification and validation
    2. Can't handle P(G) probability
  3. Approach - 5 pages
  4. Impact - 0.75 pages
  5. Metrics of Success - 0.5 pages
  6. Risks and Contingencies - 0.5 pages
  7. Schedule - 0.5 pages. (OPTIONAL)