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Admission PhD Guidebook (pdf) >> General PhD Requirements Timeline Dissertation Prior Dissertation Abstracts Scholarships and Fellowships Preliminary Exams

Advisor
It is recommended that students select an advisor as early in their program as possible. The advisor generally serves as both the academic and dissertation advisor. Each student admitted to the doctoral program is required to be sponsored by a faculty member - indicating the willingness of the faculty member to serve as a dissertation advisor for that student. Students are not required to complete their dissertation with this individual, if another faculty member can be identified who offers a program that meets the student's goals. All doctoral students must select a permanent advisor within one semester following successful completion of the Preliminary Exams. The Graduate Committee must be notified of the selection. If a student wishes to change advisors, he/she should discuss the change with the current advisor and must then submit a Graduate Record/Status Change form, signed by both the old and new advisor, notifying both the Graduate Committee and the College of Engineering of this change.

Plan of Work
The Doctor of Philosophy Plan of Work (pdf) must be completed as early in the graduate program as possible and submitted to the PhD Office of the Graduate School. Prior to submission, the Plan of Work must be approved by both the student's academic advisor and the Curriculum Committee or Graduate Program Officer in Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering. This Plan of Work must be submitted before the Petition for Candidacy can be filed. Approval by the Graduate School can take several months. If changes to the Plan of Work are made following approval, a Change in PhD Plan of Work (pdf) form must be filed with the PhD Office. This form may be used for up to four changes (pairs of additions/deletions) to the Plan of Work. If more than four changes are desired, a revised Plan of Work form must be filed with appropriate approval.

Coursework

The doctoral degree requires a minimum of 90 semester credits beyond the baccalaureate degree. The division of these credits is as follows: 20 - 21 credits of core courses 8 credits of a minor 30 credits of dissertation research (IE 999x) 31 - 32 credits of additional coursework The additional coursework must be completed with the following conditions: At least 30 credits of courses at the 7000-level or above If more than 8 credits of 7990 and 7996 are to be applied to the degree, this must be substantially justified by both the student and the advisor and must be approved by the Graduate Program Officer At least 20 credits of lecture credits in the Industrial Engineering program, not including those from the core program At least 30 credits of coursework, outside of dissertation direction, must be completed at Wayne State

Transfer of Credit - Doctor of Philosophy
Students wishing to transfer graduate credit toward the PhD program should file a Transfer of Credit -Doctor of Philosophy form (pdf) along with the Doctor of Philosophy Plan of Work (pdf). A minimum grade of B is necessary to transfer credits; B-minus credits and courses graded "P" or "S" (Pass or Satisfactory) is not transferable. Transfer credit must be appropriate to the student's degree program and may not be used to reduce the minimum requirement of thirty credits that must be earned at Wayne State.

Michigan Intercollegiate Graduate Studies
In addition to the course offerings at Wayne State, students may elect to take courses at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, or other universities within the state through the Michigan Intercollegiate Graduate Studies (MIGS) Program or the reciprocal registration agreement with the University of Michigan. Both programs are designed to allow graduate students to expand their curriculum beyond what is offered at Wayne State.

Credit earned through the MIGS program will be treated in the Plan of Work and grade point average as if it were earned at Wayne State. There may be additional tuition fees involved if the MIGS system is used. In order to enroll in courses through this program, a MIGS Application Form must be completed and signed by the student's academic advisor, the WSU MIGS Liaison Officer (Dr. Michael Wood, Office of Admissions), the faculty contact and department chair of the host institution, and the MIGS Liaison Officer of the host institution. It is recommended that this process be started as early as possible before the semester in question in order to minimize potential problems.

No additional tuition is charged for students registered at UofM through the reciprocal registration agreement. However, while the credits count towards the graduate degree, the classes shall not be included in calculation of the gpa. PhD students may elect any number of credits through this program except as required for dissertation credit or satisfaction of the residency requirement. However, students may only elect courses for which there is not an equivalent course at Wayne State. In order to utilize this option, students should complete the Graduate Petition to Elect Courses at the University of Michigan form.

If a student plans to include credit earned from institutions other than Wayne State in their curriculum, the form Transfer of Credit - Doctor of Philosophy must be completed and submitted along the Plan of Work. A separate form must be completed for each institution from which a student wishes to transfer credit. Original transcripts must accompany the form. [Transfer of Credit Form]

Program Load
A full-time graduate student is enrolled for eight or more credits during a semester. A student with a strong academic record who is devoting full-time effort to graduate study and carrying no outside employment may register for a program not to exceed 16 credits per semester. A student engaged in part-time work should limit registration in proportion to the amount of outside work. A student employed full-time will normally not register for more than eight credits. A student working full-time who desires to carry more than eight credits must get permission from the Graduate Committee Chair.

Graduate Assistants are required to register for at least six credits of graduate level courses per semester (1 credit during the Spring/Summer semester). If students supported by Graduate Assistantships are also required to take undergraduate courses as part of their programs, these must be in addition to the six graduate credits. As assistantships do not cover tuition for undergraduate courses, students should discuss options for payment of this portion of their tuition with their advisors.

Minimum Grade Point Average
Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in order to continue in the program. Students receiving a grade below a B- in a course may not count that course towards their graduation requirements. A student may petition to repeat up to two courses in which a grade lower than a B- has been received. Permission to repeat a course must be obtained from the Graduate Committee Chair as well as the Dean of the Graduate School by filing the Request to Repeat a Graduate Course form. This form must be filed before registering for the repeated course. The grade received in repetition of the course will be shown on the transcript and used in computation of the student's grade point average for the degree program. Students will not receive University financial aid for repetition of courses.

Residency Requirement
The PhD requirement of one year of residence is met through the completion of at least six graduate credits in course work, exclusive of dissertation research, in each of two successive semesters. The Spring/Summer semester may be excluded from the definition of successive semesters. If it can be demonstrated that a student's research must be completed on campus, the residence requirement for the PhD may be met by the dissertation director's written certification that the student has been in full-time residence for at least two successive semesters and one summer session. In this case, a count of course credits is not required for the fulfillment of the requirement, but specific dates of residence must be furnished. In addition, the PhD residency requirement stipulates that the student must elect at least 30 credits in graduate work, exclusive of dissertation direction, at Wayne State University.

Time Limitation
Students have a seven-year time limit to complete all requirements for the PhD degree. The clock starts on the first day of the semester for which the student is admitted to the PhD program and ends on the last day of that semester seven years later. (For example, admitted September 1, 1998, time expires December 31, 2005). Up to 32 semester hours of B or better graduate credit earned prior to the student's admission as a doctoral applicant may be applied toward the degree without regard to lapse of time. This credit may be from Wayne State or other institutions, if approved for transfer credit. Credit earned beyond these thirty-two semester hours shall not be over ten years old at the time of admission as a PhD applicant. Credit earned after acceptance, as a PhD applicant may not be over seven years old at the time the degree is conferred, except when, on the recommendation of the advisor, up to ten semester hours of credit previously earned at Wayne State may be specified for revalidation by examination. Courses completed at other institutions cannot be revalidated. In the event that any courses have been previously revalidated in connection with the earning of the Master's degree, these shall be counted as part of the total ten credits. A special examination fee is charged for course revalidations. Time extensions beyond these limitations are authorized only for conditions that are clearly beyond the student's control.

Preliminary Examinations - General Information
The exams are scheduled once each year in late January or early February. The exam includes three separate tests: 1) probability, 2) statistics and 3) operations research. The material tested by the exams is generally covered in master’s level or advanced undergraduate courses. Relevant courses include BE3220, IE6210, and IE6560. The math course MA5700 is also good preparation for the probability exam. Students must take the preliminary examination before completing three academic year semesters of work after their masters degree. Doctoral students entering the program in Fall are expected to take the exam the following winter. Students who enter in winter would take the exam, a year later in their second winter semester. Students must notify the IME Graduate Program Committee by January 10 of the year they are first scheduled to take the exam if for some reason they are requesting the right to delay taking the exam. Not taking the exam as outlined above without written permission will constitute failure of the exam.

A student must take all three parts of the examination. If the student passes only two of the exams, the student will be required to retake only the third exam the next time it is offered. If a student fails at least two exams, the student will have to take all three exams the next time they are offered. Once a student has taken the preliminary exam once and failed all or part of the exam, the student MUST take the exam the next time it is offered; not doing so will count as a second failed attempt. Students will have two chances to pass the entire preliminary examination. If all or parts of the exam are not passed by the second attempt, the student will be asked to leave the doctoral program.

Students enrolled in one of our MS programs who are considering applying for admission into the doctoral program and funding are expected to sit for the Preliminary Exams prior to applying to the doctoral program. Students who take this exam and not pass it will not be considered for funding.

See Preliminary Exams page for more current information regarding sign up procedures, exam schedule, study guides, sample exams, and so on.

Paperwork Summary
Students should be aware of the following paperwork requirements. Some forms are required for all students, others only in certain circumstances. Electronic copies of these forms are provided on the Handbook CD and on the Department Forms page.

Application for Admission or Change of Status Form
Students who are not currently enrolled in a graduate program at Wayne State University must submit a Graduate Application and accompanying documentation to the Department indicating Industrial Engineering as their selected major. The completed application will be forwarded to the Admissions Office for final processing after a departmental decision has been made. A g.p.a. of 3.5 in an accredited undergraduate program is required for direct admission into the doctoral program. Students with below a 3.5 in their undergraduate program should complete a graduate degree in a related field before applying to the doctoral program. GRE scores are required for doctoral applicants who have not previously completed the MS-IME at Wayne State. In order to be granted admission to the doctoral program, a student must be sponsored by a faculty member.

If a student has applied to any program at the university for regular admission within the previous three consecutive semesters, either successfully or unsuccessfully, a Graduate Renewal Application can be filed indicating Industrial Engineering as the selected major. The application will undergo the normal review process, but supporting paperwork need not be filed an additional time.

Students who are currently enrolled in a different graduate program within the university may apply to transfer to the Industrial Engineering program by submitting a Graduate Record/Status Change form and copies of graduate and undergraduate transcripts to the Graduate Program Chair or Associate Chair. Students who are changing from Master's Candidate to the doctoral program, even within the Industrial Engineering program, must also submit a Graduate Record/Status Change form. It is important to submit these forms in order to be officially registered with the Industrial Engineering Program at the correct degree level, which is required before graduation can be approved.

Doctor of Philosophy Petition and Authorization for Directed Study
Independent study may be authorized for areas of interest not covered by courses scheduled at the time the student is completing course requirements. Before a Ph.D. Applicant/Candidate may register for directed study, he/she should prepare an outline of the study and obtain the approval of the course instructor and the Graduate Committee Chair. Students wishing to take more than 8 credits of 5990, 7990, or 7996 and apply them towards their degree requirements must fully document the justification on the Petition form (pdf).

Petition for Candidacy
This form is to be completed by the student and signed by the members of the Dissertation Committee. These signatures indicate the willingness of the committee members to oversee the dissertation and allow the Graduate School to confirm eligibility. In order to be eligible for candidacy, a student must have:

• Completed approximately 50 credits of coursework
• Successfully completed the Preliminary Qualifying Examination
• Submitted an approved Plan of Work to the Graduate School

Following granting of candidacy status, a student may register for IE 999x credits.

Doctoral Dissertation: Prospectus and Record of Approval
This form (pdf) must be completed and submitted to the Graduate School following successful completion of the Proposal Defense. The topic of the Doctoral Dissertation requires final approval from the Associate Dean of the Graduate School. This satisfies the University's requirement for an Oral Examination.

Final Report: Dissertation Public Lecture Presentation - Defense
This form (pdf) should be completed by the student and signed by the members of the Dissertation Committee indicating preliminary approval of the dissertation manuscript. It must be submitted to the PhD Office of the Graduate School, along with a draft of the dissertation and a copy of the public announcement of the defense, at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled defense. The format of the dissertation will be checked (if not previously approved) and a Graduate Examiner will be appointed for the defense. Following successful completion of the defense, the form must be signed again by all Committee members and submitted, along with the Graduate Examiner's Report, to the Graduate School.

Graduate Application for Degree
In order to be certified for graduation, a Graduate Application for Degree form must be completed online at WSU Pipeline by the first day of classes of the semester in which a student plans to graduate. It must be accompanied by a check or money order for the Graduation Fee.