Doctor of Philosophy (Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Program Requirements

Students are required to complete a minimum of 18.0 units in coursework and a thesis.

Coursework

Six 3-unit graduate-level courses
- Course requirements depend upon individual circumstances and must be approved by the Associate Chair – Graduate Program.
- Emphasis is on research leading to a thesis of high calibre.
- The student’s supervisory committee will recommend courses to be taken by the student to make up for course deficiencies and to support thesis research.
Additional coursework may be required

Thesis

Registration in 900-level THES

Ethics Requirement

Engineering students must complete GPS ethics requirements based on their programs.

Professional Development Requirement

Engineering students must complete GPS’s professional development requirement.

Candidacy Exam

PhD students must undergo a Candidacy exam. The Candidacy exam must be held within two years from the initial registration in the program. All course requirements must be completed before the exam takes place.

Academic Standing Requirement

Students in the doctoral program are expected to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or higher before proceeding to their candidacy examinations.

Failure to maintain the required cumulative GPA will normally result in a recommendation by the Associate Chair – Graduate Program to GPS that the student be placed on academic probation or required to withdraw.

Students whose average is above 3.0 but below 3.3 may be recommended for change of program category into the MSc program.

Residence Requirement

The minimum period of residence is two academic years of full-time attendance at the University of Alberta.

Length of Program

The time required to complete the program will vary with the individual candidate; however, four to five years is typical.

The maximum time to complete the PhD program as set by the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies is six years.