Steps for Obtaining a Ph.D. in Integrated Circuits and Systems (ICS) area

There are two parts to the qualifying exam. After passing both parts, then the student offically becomes a Ph.D. candidate. After a student completes the Ph.D. research, then the last step is to do the defense.

Qualifying Exam Part I

The purpose of this exam is to determine if the student has the necessary academic preparation to pursue a Ph.D. degree. In the ICS area, this will involve getting a letter from the advisor and verifying grades in ICS major area classes.

Requirements

Be admitted in ICS area
Have an advisor
Have completed at least 5 ICS major area classes, or have a masters degree and have completed at least 3 ICS major area classes
Have a UT GPA of at least 3.5 or better in ICS major area classes
If the number of ICS major area classes or GPA requirements are not met, student may petition for consideration.

Procedure

Students must fill out this form and submit it to the ICS area coordinator (currently Nur Touba) by the forth week of any long semester.
Student must also submit a letter from their advisor (which may also be emailed directly to the ICS area coordinator).
ICS area coordinator will verify that GPA in ICS major area classes satisfies requirements.
Students petitioning for consideration must submit a resume, copies of papers published, and optionally letters of recommendation. All faculty in the ICS area will be invited to a meeting to review and discuss each petitioning student. Pass/Fail will be determined by a majority vote of faculty present at the meeting. Faculty that are not able to attend the meeting may assign a proxy vote by sending an email to the ICS graduate coordinator.
If the ICS area denies a student's petition, the student may appeal the decision to the ECE Graduate Studies Committee by filing a written petition to the ECE GSC Chair.

Qualifying Exam Part II

Only students that have passed Part I can move on to Part II. The student needs to form a committee and get the committee approved. The proposal for the committee should be submitted to the circuits area coordinator (currently Nur Touba) at least 3 weeks before the exam.

Forming Ph.D. Committee

The committee must consist of at least 5 members.
The supervisor (or co-supervisor) must be a member of the ECE GSC (Graduate Studies Committee).
At least one other faculty member (other than the supervisor or co-supervisor) must be from the circuits area.
There must be at least 3 ECE GSC members on the committee.
There must be at least one outside faculty member either from another department (not ECE) or from industry on the committee. The outside member must not be on the ECE GSC. Note that some CS faculty and faculty in other departments are on the ECE GSC, so make sure the outside member is not on the ECE GSC.
Including someone from industry on the committee is encouraged (they must have a Ph.D. and need to fill out this form to serve on the committee). It is also okay to have 6 members (but not more than that). In some circumstances, it is possible to have a non-Ph.D. serve on the committee, but they must have unquestioned qualifications to judge a UT Ph.D. (be research active with many publications).
The chair of the committee must be someone from the ECE department and cannot be the supervisor (or co-supervisor).
Once the committee is formed, please send the following to the circuits area coordinator: title of proposed dissertation, list of members, name of supervisor, name of chair, name of external member. This should be sent at least 3 weeks before the exam. Note that you don't need to know the exact date of the exam. All that is needed is the title and committee members so that an announcement can be sent out to the ECE faculty. This is to provide the faculty an opportunity to object if they have any concerns about the composition of the committee.

Format of Exam

Student must submit a written proposal to the committee at least 10 days before the exam. It should be concise, preferably not more than 20 pages. It should include a list of courses the student has taken at UT as well as graduate courses taken elsewhere with the following information: number and name of course, name of instructor, semester the course was taken, and the grade received.
The student should make sure the room is reserved and should send a reminder to the committee members the day before the exam.
The exam consists of two parts. In the open room part, the student gives a 45-55 minute presentation attended by the committee members and may also be attended by others who are not on the committee. In the closed room part, only the committee members can be present and ask questions of the student.
The student should bring a copy of the Report of the Qualifying Exam form to the exam to give to the chair to fill out, and then it should be submitted to the graduate office. Also, the student should fill out a Ph.D Program of Work form and give it to the chair as well. This form also needs to be signed by the chair and submitted to the graduate office.

Defense

When the dissertation is ready, and the supervisor gives approval, the defense can be scheduled.

Format of Defense

Student must schedule a time when the committee members can meet and arrange for a room.
Student must submit a copy of the final draft of the dissertation to each member of the committee at least 4 weeks before the defense.
The student should send the title, time, and the list of committee members to the graduate coordinator (currently Nur Touba) so that the defense can be advertised.
At least two weeks before the defense, a form must be submitted to the graduate school.
The format of the exam is similar to Part II of the Qualifying Exam. Anyone can attend the open room part which consists of a 45-55 minute presentation, but only the committee members are present for the closed room part.
The supervisor serves as chair for the defense.

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