Degree Requirements
The degree requires a minimum of 72 graduate credit hours that includes core and elective course work and a thesis. Coursework is valid for ten years towards a PhD degree; any exceptions must be approved by the Director of the ORWE program and the student’s advisor.
2011-12 Advising Sheet
Course work
25 credits of core courses
12 credits of elective courses
At least six (of the above 37) hours of courses must be taken from a participating engineering department/division (MNGN, EGGN, MTGN)
Research credits
At least 24 research credits are required. The student’s faculty advisor and the doctoral thesis committee must approve the student’s program of study and the topic for the thesis.
Qualifying Examination Process and Thesis Proposal
Upon completion of the core course work, students must pass a written qualifying examination and complete a qualifying research project to become a candidate for the PhD ORE degree. The written exam consists of material drawn from the following 4 courses: (i) EBGN555, (ii) MATH530, (iii) CSCI406, and (iv) EBGN552 or EGGN593. The proposal defense should be completed within ten months of passing the qualifying exam.
Transfer Credits
Students may transfer up to 24 hours of graduate-level course work from other institutions toward the PhD degree subject to the restriction that those courses must not have been used as credit toward a Bachelors degree. The student must have achieved a grade of B or better in all graduate transfer courses and the transfer must be approved by the student’s Doctoral Thesis Committee and the Director of the ORE program.
Unsatisfactory Progress
In addition to the institutional guidelines as described elsewhere in this bulletin, we impose the following criteria regarding unsatisfactory progress: Unsatisfactory progress will be assigned to any full-time student who does not pass the core courses, CSCI262, EBGN555, and MATH530, in the first fall semester of study and either EGGN593 or EBGN552, and CSCI 406 in the first spring semester of study. Unsatisfactory progress will also be assigned to any student who does not complete requirements as specified in his or her admission letter. Any exceptions to the criteria regarding unsatisfactory progress must be approved by the ORE committee. Part-time students develop an approved course plan with their advisor.
Prerequisites for the PhD in Operations Research with Engineering Program:
Students must have completed the following undergraduate prerequisite courses with a grade of B or better:
1. Programming (CSCI 261)
2. Data Structures (CSCI 262)
Students entering in the fall semester must have completed the Programming (CSCI 261) prerequisite or equivalent. Students may take CSCI262 during their first semester of study. Students will only be allowed to enter in the spring semester if they have developed a course program such that they are able to take the qualifying exam within 3 semesters.
Required Course Curriculum in the Operations Research with Engineering Program
All PhD students in the Operations Research with Engineering Program are required to take a set of core courses that provide basic tools for the elective courses in the program.
PhD Curriculum