Doctorate Degree (PhD)

Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering

About the Doctoral Program	The Doctoral degree (PhD) requires at least 72 credit hours and a dissertation. Additional courses should be taken as appropriate for the student’s research program. There is an MSE PhD qualifying exam, a preliminary oral exam and a final oral exam. A plan of work (POW) is to be submitted by all candidates, no later than the end of their second semester. The MMSE degree requires a chairman for the POW, but no committee members. The thesis MS and PhD degrees require a committee of faculty members and a chairman. Consult the director of graduate programs (DGP) for more details and approval of the POW.
Course Requirements	At least 27 credit hours must come from graduate course work and the remaining credit hours from thesis research (MSE 895). The courses must include 18 credit hours of MSE 700-level graduate courses and 9 additional graduate credit hours (500 and 700 level) in MSE or other technical disciplines.
Exams	The MSE PhD qualifying exam (QE) is required for all PhD candidates. The MSE QE is based on a general oral exam that tests basic knowledge of MSE principles. It also includes a written research review. The rules and scheduling for the QE can be downloaded here. A Preliminary Oral Exam is also required for PhD candidates, and should be taken within three semesters after having completed the qualifying exam. The process for scheduling the preliminary exam can be found in the NCSU graduate student handbook. See the MSE guidelines for preparing the preliminary oral exam. A Final Doctoral Oral Exam is required for Ph.D. student candidates. The guidelines for the Doctoral Oral Exam are available on the Graduate School website.
Residency Requirement	1 year. See also Visa and Immigration information and English proficiency requirements.
How to Apply	Apply to our Ph.D. program Departmental application requirements