The ECE PhD program requires a Program of Work consisting of at least thirty semester hours of graduate level classroom instruction courses (ten three-hour courses) taken for a letter grade and not used toward an undergraduate degree nor a prior PhD.
Coursework is divided into major and supporting work with at least eighteen hours (six courses) of major work and at least six hours (two courses) of supporting work. Which courses may be counted as major work and which may be counted as supporting work can vary not only with the academic track but with the interests of the individual student. Ultimately, all major and supporting coursework must be logically related. However, in contrast to the MSE degree, up to eighteen semester hours of graduate level classroom instruction coursework taken at another university and not used toward an undergraduate degree nor a prior doctoral degree may be counted toward the PhD Program of Work with approval.
For coursework taken at The University of Texas at Austin, a minimum grade point average of 3.35 is required in major coursework and, separately, in supporting coursework within the Program of Work, and no course with a grade of less than a B- may be counted toward the Program of Work. University policy also forbids use of any course with a grade of less than B toward the Program of Work. The Program of Work including coursework taken at another university also should meet these standards.
The student’s PhD Program of Work must be approved by the student's supervising professor or professors, his or her dissertation committee (see below), which can require additional coursework beyond the above described minimums, the Chair of the ECE GSC, and the Graduate School of the University of Texas at Austin.
Beyond the requirements for a master’s degree (whether or not the student actually has or obtains one), the PhD becomes primarily or entirely a research-based degree requiring the student to make a significant original contribution. For students who entered or enter the PhD program fall 2018 or later or who entered earlier but choose to follow the rules that are mandatory for students entering fall 2018 or later, research milestones toward the PhD include finding a research supervisor or supervisors, forming a dissertation committee consisting of the research supervisor or supervisors and of other members inside and outside of the ECE GSC, and performing a Candidacy Evaluation and being admitted to PhD candidacy by the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin, passing a Progress Review, and ultimately writing and successfully defending their PhD dissertation, each before their dissertation committee.
For students who entered the PhD program prior to fall 2018 and choose to be grandfathered into the rules in effect at that time, research milestones toward the PhD include finding a research supervisor or supervisors, performing any prequalifying examination or procedure as defined by the student’s academic track, forming a qualifying committee consisting of the research supervisor or supervisors and of other members inside and outside of the ECE GSC and successfully performing a qualifying examination before their qualifying committee, forming a dissertation committee (probably but not necessarily the same as their qualifying committee) and being admitted to PhD candidacy by the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin, and ultimately writing and successfully defending their PhD dissertation before their dissertation committee.
PhD students also take accompanying individual instruction research problems and dissertation courses before and after entering candidacy, respectively, as required to meet registration and employment requirements. These matters are discussed in detail in the Rules, Procedures and Expectations Regarding Academic Progress within the ECE PhD Program