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Research/Thesis (for M.S. Thesis option)1.A minimum of six credit hours of CEE 6990 Thesis Research/Thesis.2.When a student makes satisfactory progress in research andthesis, a grade of SP (Satisfactory Progress) will be assigned forcredit earned. When satisfactory progress is not achieved, a grade ofNP (No Progress) will be assigned. Only grades of SP and NP shallbe used to indicate a student’s progress in thesis or dissertationcredit. Refer to the TTU Graduate 4/4843/20172018GraduateAnnual-Catalog.pdf.3.A student that receives a grade of “NP” in two consecutive semesterswill be dismissed from the program.(Source: http://catalog.tntech.edu/content.php?catoid 24&navoid 4713)4.A student can register for CEE 6990 Research and Thesis onlyafter approval of his/her thesis proposal by his/her graduate committee.5.A thesis draft will be submitted, through the thesis advisor, to thegraduate committee at least three weeks prior to the thesis defense.6.The date and location of the defense will be publicized through theCEE office two weeks prior to the defense. It is therefore theresponsibility of the major advisor to schedule a defense date in atimely manner through prior consultation with the graduate committeeand the student.7.Students must perform satisfactorily on a comprehensiveexamination.This examination is an oral examination that is held at the same timeas the student’s thesis defense.8.A copy of the hand-out that the student distributes during his/hercomprehensive examination must be provided to CEE Office forofficial records.9.Two acceptable copies of the thesis, ready for binding, must bedeposited with the Associate Vice President of Research and GraduateStudies at least one week prior to the close of the semester in whichthe degree is to be conferred (or at an earlier date if such is specifiedin the University calendar). These copies will be hardbound for libraryreference purposes.Time Limit for Completion of M.S. Degree(Source: http://catalog.tntech.edu/content.php?catoid 24&navoid 4638)1. A graduate student in a master's or specialist program must completeall degree requirements within a period of six consecutive years, andin a doctoral program within a period of eight consecutive years. Timelimits shall be computed from and including the first term in which credit11

applied to the degree is earned.2. The time limit on credits earned that can be accepted toward fulfilling therequirements for a degree is six years.3. An appeal to these time limitations must be requested by the student andapproved by the advisory committee, department chair, AssociateEngineering Dean for Graduate Studies and the Graduate School.4. A successful appeal results in an extension of three semesters granted by theGraduate School Executive Committee upon recommendation of the student'sgraduate advisory committee and departmental chairperson. Further appealswill not be considered. With approval of the advisory committee anddepartmental chairperson, a student may continue to take graduate coursesand may file a new Program of Study to accommodate the additional creditwhich would result in degree requirements being satisfied within the mostrecent 21 semesters at the time of graduation.5. If a masters degree student has not graduated by the end of 21 semesters(27 for Doctoral students) after entering the graduate program and has notbeen granted special approval to continue to take graduate courses andsatisfy requirements within the most recent 21 semesters, the student’s statuswill change to non-degree graduate student and all regulations pertaining tonon-degree graduate students will apply. When the change to non-degreestatus occurs, the student’s graduate committee will be considered to bedissolved and the special responsibilities of the faculty member who chairedthe committee are terminated. Non-degree students will not be eligible toregister for thesis credit.6. If the student subsequently reapplies and is admitted as a degree-seekingmaster's or doctoral student, the time limit for completion will be computed inthe same way as for others, with the period beginning with the first term inwhich credit applied to the degree is earned. At readmission, the student’scommittee is not reinstated; instead, the usual procedures for forming acommittee are to be followed.7. When the coursework taken by a student is too old to be included in thegraduate program, the Department may allow the student to validate thatcoursework by examination, subject to the following regulations: i) onlystudents who are fully admitted to the graduate program and are in goodstanding; ii) not more than 12 hours of total credits in a master’s program maybe validated; iii) only courses with fixed content are eligible for validation(independent study, research or special topics courses are ineligible); iv) onlythose courses still being taught are eligible for validation.12

8. For validation of old coursework by examination, the student should contactthe graduate school for further details.9. A master's student may receive support during the first two calendar yearsafter initial enrollment. This time limitation does not imply a student will receivesupport during his/her first two years. Whether or not a student receives supportdepends on the availability of funds and the suitability of the student to carryout the responsibilities associated with the support. Support beyond the statedlimits requires justification, which must be approved by the Associate Dean ofEngineering for Graduate Studies and Research. Fo r deta ils, s ee:http://catalog.tntech.edu/content.php?catoid 24&navoid 4705).13

M.S. (Non-thesis Option)An MSCE program of study with non-thesis option requires a minimum of 34 credithours of graduate course work, as specified in the student’s approved Program ofStudy. The program of study shall include 30 semester hours of graduate-levelcoursework, one semester hour of CEE 6910 CEE graduate seminars, and threesemester hours of CEE 6980 Special Topics (Project Work) course. At least 15credit hours of graduate coursework must be CEE courses. The Special Topicscourse will demonstrate the student’s capability to engage in independent learning.Non-thesis MSCE student will have to submit a project report on CEE 6980, presentthe project results, and pass an oral comprehensive exam. Other departmentalrequirements may apply.Fast-Track M.S. ProgramThe Fast-track M.S. Program in Civil Engineering will provide an opportunityfor promising CEE undergraduate students to accelerate the completion of the M.S.Students must apply to the CEE Fast-track M.S. program by the end of their secondJunior Term. Students must apply and take the GRE during their second senior term(one semester prior to their anticipated graduation).Students admitted to the Fast-track CEE M.S. program will meet the followingcriteria: be enrolled as an undergraduate Civil Engineering student at TTU with atleast Junior standing; have at least an overall GPA of 3.25; have at least a 3.5 GPAin CEE. Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to thegraduate program. In addition to the requirements for admission to the CEE Fasttrack M.S. program, all requirements for admission to the CEE graduate programmust also be met upon graduation.Students interested in the Fast-track M.S. program should consult with theCEE Chair or CEE faculty regarding the admission process and requirements.14

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Ph.D.) DEGREE15

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Ph.D.) DEGREEGeneral Admission Requirements:(Source: ograms/)(Note: For completeness, refer also to ‘General Requirements’ for M.S. Degree on page 8)A graduate program leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Engineering is offeredby the College of Engineering. The Associate Dean of Engineering for Graduate Studiesand Research is the head of the program. Currently, the departments of ChemicalEngineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and ComputerEngineering, and Mechanical Engineering participate in the program. The generalrequirements for a Ph.D. in Engineering are the same for all departments. The admissionrequirements, application procedures, admission to candidacy, degree requirements,and other such details may be found in the graduate catalog 3/20172018Graduate-AnnualCatalog.pdf.Learning Objectives1. The student should demonstrate breadth of knowledge in the discipline anddepth in the specific area of his/her research topic.2. The student should gain experience in doing independent academic workand research.3. The student should demonstrate his/her ability to identify and define theresearch topic.4. The research work performed by the student should contribute to theexisting knowledge in the engineering field.5. The student should demonstrate the ability to clearly communicatecomplex engineering and research topics in both verbal and written format.Students Admitted with a Master’s DegreeThe general requirements for a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering are as follows:1. A minimum of 50 credits of course work and doctoral research anddissertation as follows:a. A minimum of 18 semester credits of course work beyond the mastersdegree, including six credits of 7000-level courses acceptable to thestudent’s advisory committee. Additional 6 semester credits of eithergraduate level course work or research experience as per the policy ofthe student’s major department. No 5000-level courses are to be usedto meet the minimum requirements of course work, and no directedstudy courses (CEE 7980) are to be used to meet the minimum 7000level course requirement.b. The equivalent of 24 semester credits of doctoral research anddissertation (CEE7990) built upon the student’s course of study and16

making a significant contribution to the state of knowledge or to the artof the engineering profession, is required; not more than 9 credits maybe earned in a particular semester. “c. Two semester hours of CEE 6910 CEE Graduate Seminar.d. CEE Policy on additional six semester credits of either coursework or research experience:The additional six semester credits should be used as 6000 or 7000level graduate level course work only (including directed study andspecial topics).2. Residence of four semesters beyond the master’s degree, with at least twosemesters in continuous residence, is required. All requirements, includingthe dissertation, must be completed within a period of eight consecutive year.3. Maintenance of a minimum quality point average of 3.0 and adherence to thegeneral regulations of the Graduate School are expected.Sometimes a master’s-level student takes more graduate-level courses than arerequired for the degree because the student is expecting to continue on to the Ph.D.program and hopes to use the extra courses to satisfy the Ph.D. courseworkrequirement. When this is the case, the student can request when registering for thecourse(s) that the course(s) be "banked" for the Ph.D. program. If the student lacksno more than 12 semester hours on the master’s degree, he/she may accumulate amaximum of 9 semester hours that may be applied toward the Ph.D. When this isthe case, the student’s advisory committee must initiate approval via memo withconsensus of the Departmental Chairperson, Dean of the College, and the AssociateVice President of Research and Graduate Studies. Banked courses then appear onthe student’s transcript as courses taken for the Ph.D. rather than being shown as apart of his/her M.S. program. Banking a course does not guarantee admission to thePh.D. program, or, if admitted, that the student’s Ph.D. advisory committee willapprove the course as part of the student’s Ph.D. Program of Study.Time Limit for Completion of Ph.D. DegreeA graduate student in a doctoral program must complete his/her Ph.D. withina period of eight consecutive years. Time limits shall be computed from and includingthe first term in which credit applied to the degree is earned.A successful appeal to this limitation would result in an extension of threesemesters granted by the Graduate School Executive Committee uponrecommendation of the student's graduate advisory committee and departmentalchairperson. Further appeals will not be considered. With approval of the advisorycommittee and departmental chairperson, a student may continue to take graduatecourses and may file a new Program of Study to accommodate the additional creditwhich would result in degree requirements being satisfied within the most recent 2717

semesters at the time of graduation.If a student has not graduated by the end of his/her initial 27 semesters andhas not been granted special approval to continue to take graduate courses andsatisfy requirements within the most recent 27 semesters, the student’s status willchange to non-degree graduate student and all regulations pertaining to non-degreegraduate students will apply. When the change to non-degree status occurs, thestudent’s graduate committee will be considered to be dissolved and the specialresponsibilities of the faculty member who chaired the committee are terminated.Non-degree students will not be eligible to register for dissertation credit.If the student subsequently reapplies and is admitted as a degree-seekingdoctoral student, the time limit for completion will be computed in the same way asfor others, with the period beginning with the first term in which credit applied to thedegree is earned. At readmission, the student’s committee is not reinstated; instead,the usual procedures for forming a committee are to be followed.Ph.D. Admission with BS DegreeThough the general requirement for admission to the Ph.D. program is amaster’s degree in an appropriate discipline, students with a BS degree may beadmitted to the Ph.D. program directly if the student has a record of excellentacademic performance in the undergraduate program and the applicant’s test scores,personal recommendations, and relevant work experience indicate a high potentialfor success in doctoral studies and research. In addition, factors such asappropriateness of the applicant’s goal to the research interests of the programfaculty, availability of faculty to supervise the applicant’s research, and priorresearch accomplishments of the applicant will also influence the admissiondecision.The minimum GPA requirement for direct admission with B.S. degree can beas low as 3.5, if GRE scores and other criteria are very high. A student admitted witha B.S. degree should complete a Qualifying Examination based mostly onundergraduate material before the end of the second semester of enrollment. Thisexamination will be aimed at determining the student’s mastery of the basic conceptsin the discipline and the potential for successfully conducting research at the doctorallevel. Based on the student’s performance on the qualifying examination, the studentmay be (i) permitted to continue in the Doctoral Program or(ii) advised to transfer to a M.S. Degree program in an appropriate discipline in theCollege or (iii) recommended for termination from the graduate program of theCollege. Only one attempt will be permitted for Qualifying exam. (For more details,seehttp://catalog.tntech.edu/preview program.php?catoid 24&poid 2916#Engineering,Ph.D.)If permitted to continue in the doctoral program, the student, as describedelsewhere in the document, will select a research advisor, form an advisorycommittee and submit a Program of Study satisfying the following requirements:The program of study should have a minimum total of 74 semester credit hours of18

academic work, consisting of course work and dissertation work, beyondbaccalaureate work, subject to the following: The program of study should include a minimum of 44 semester credits ofappropriate graduate course work consisting of a minimum of 6 semestercredits at the 7000-level and a maximum of semester credits at the 5000level, acceptable to the student’s advisory committee. Additional 6 semestercredits of either graduate level of course work or research experience as perthe policy of the student’s major department. No directed study courses at7000-level (CEE7980) are to be used to meet the six credits of 7000-levelcourse requirement.A minimum of 24 semester credit hours of doctoral research and dissertation,built upon the student's course of study and making significant contribution tothe state of knowledge and the art of the engineering profession, is required;no more than nine credit hours may be earned in a particular semester.CEE Policy on additional six semester credits of either course work orresearch experience:The additional six semester credits should be used as 6000 or 7000 levelgraduate level course work only (including directed study and special topics).The other requirements, such as residency, grade point average, comprehensiveexam, and dissertation are the same as those for students admitted with a master'sdegree, as described in the catalog.Preliminary Assessment for Ph.D. Students in the CEE Department:During the first semester or early second semester of enrollment, the CEE Ph.D.student must undergo an assessment of his/her strengths and weaknesses in achosen academic area of study and field of research. The purpose of thisassessment is to tailor a Program of Study of advanced course work and to preparethe student to undertake independent research. The department will assemble anevaluation team for each Ph.D. student’s assessment. If possible, the evaluationteam should consist of the department chairperson and the student’s majorprofessor. In certain situations, a third professor who is familiar with student’s areasof study will be required as well. The Ph.D. student and the evaluators shall meetfor the assessment as arranged and complete the following tasks:Requirements for Ph.D. Students:1. The Ph.D. student should give a short presentation to show his/her readinesson the advanced study. The presentation should include:(a) The background courses taken during the M.S. study, the 6000 and7000 level courses taken at TTU, and other advanced courses that willbe taken. The student should give a brief description about the coursestaken at TTU.(b) Prior research projects and activities in which the student hasparticipated.(c) The publications, manuscripts, and conference presentations that the19

student has developed or published.(d) The analysis and design tools that the student has used.2. The Ph.D. student should answer all questions posed by the evaluators clearly.3. The Ph.D. student should propose his/her program of study.Requirements for evaluators:1. The evaluators should qu

HOW TO APPLY FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL Interested students should apply through the Graduate School. For application forms contact: Graduate Admissions, Box 5036, Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, TN 38505, U.S.A. or call: 1-931-372-3233 or email gradstudies@tntech.edu. All relevant information is available from the Graduate