Engineering Ph.D. Program
Goals and Objectives

A. Mission Statement

The College of Engineering and Computer Science offers a graduate program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Engineering degree. The Ph.D. in Engineering is an interdisciplinary program that involves the Departments of Biomedical, Industrial & Human Factors Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical and Materials Engineering. This program is a unique collaboration of Wright State University, Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton, and Air Force Institute of Technology. The collaboration strengthens the program by providing doctoral students easy access to additional resources (faculty, courses, laboratories and equipment at these institutions) for their program of study and dissertation research. The Ph.D. in Engineering is a nontraditional program because it is interdisciplinary and collaborative, reflecting the fact that few engineering problems are solved today within a single discipline. The Ph.D. in Engineering incorporates (1) an interdisciplinary core curriculum that spans the commonality of the various engineering fields involved, (2) both major and breadth course specialization areas, and (3) significant research in one of six focus areas. In addition, the program provides for substantial collaboration among several graduate engineering programs at five different institutions. The educational experience afforded by the Ph.D. in Engineering program provides a foundation for research and development careers in industry, government and academia.

Wright State’s Ph.D. in Engineering does not narrowly define research focus areas, as normally would be the case in traditional Ph.D. programs. While the program provides for doctoral research efforts in six focus areas to meet the needs of the state of Ohio, these areas are not intended as disciplinary boundaries; rather, they are intended to help define research efforts across disciplinary boundaries in a way that exploits collaborative opportunities while avoiding unnecessary duplication. The six research focus areas are:

• Computational Design and Optimization

• Controls and Robotics

• Electronics, Microwave, VLSI, and Nanotechnology

• Industrial and Human Systems

• Materials and Nanotechnology

• Medical and Biological Systems

• Sensor Signal and Image Processing

The Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute (DAGSI) provides collaboration opportunities through the graduate engineering courses, faculty, and research resources of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), University of Dayton (UD), The Ohio State University (OSU), University of Cincinnati (UC), and Wright State University (WSU). Students enrolled in Wright State’s Ph.D. in Engineering program are effectively considered resident students of both AFIT and UD. Additionally, WSU engineering Ph.D. students have the courses, faculty, and research resources of OSU and UC available to them on a transfer credit basis. Students are expected to take at least 10 percent of their coursework at these partner institutions.

B. Admission Standards

Students applying to the Ph.D. in Engineering must satisfy the requirements of the School of Graduate Studies. All applicants for the Ph.D. in Engineering must submit scores on the quantitative and analytical parts of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and a Statement of Purpose. International students must have a TOEFL score of at least 550. The minimum admission requirements for the Ph.D. in Engineering are a B. S. in engineering or related field with a minimum 3.0 grade point average, or an M. S. with a minimum of a 3.5 grade point average.

C. Meeting the Needs of the State

The Miami Valley region is home to a wide variety of technical organizations that rely on advanced research and a talented pool of scientists and engineers. When compared to other locations, the Miami Valley region has over 17,000 scientists and engineers, making it one of the highest concentrations in the United States. However, prior to initiation of the Ph.D. in Engineering at Wright State, one Ph.D. engineering graduate was awarded locally for every 42 engineering Masters degree. Nationally, one Ph.D. for every five engineering master’s degrees is typically granted. Consequently, the Dayton Area Progress Council cited the lack of advanced degree programs in science and technology as an impediment to expansion of the local economy. Through the collaborative approach to doctoral education in engineering, the Wright State Ph.D. targets this need for talented individuals with advanced degrees. In addition, the faculty and students involved in this program collaborate closely with the Air Force Research Laboratory and Ohio industries to develop new technologies for the 21^st century.

D. Placement Objectives for Graduates

The Ph.D. in Engineering prepares graduates for positions primarily in the corporate environment and government research laboratories, in addition to academia. With a focus on both theory and application, the students are well suited for creation and dissemination of new technologies to support Ohio and national constituents.