The
graduate student and Advisor should consult and follow the
CEE Department manual (Regulations Governing the M.S. and
PhD Programs of the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering) regarding requirements and regulations pertaining
to the Ph.D. degree. Information on Degree requirements, Committees,
Examinations, etc., is described in the manual. In addition
to the CEE Department regulations, the Transportation Engineering
Program has a requirement pertaining to course credits which
is greater and more comprehensive than the CEE Department,
and a different format for the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination.
Course
Credits. The Transportation Engineering Program requires a
minimum of 24 credits of approved coursework beyond the requirements
of the M.S. degree. The Ph.D. candidate's program includes
courses from both the major and supporting areas; however,
the specific breakdown and exact number of credits required
is left up to the discretion of the Ph.D. Committee. "Supporting
area" may actually involve coursework in one or more
academic programs outside of transportation engineering. Examples
include Industrial Engineering (human factors), Regional Planning,
Business, Math, Statistics, Operations Research, etc. In addition,
all Ph.D. students are expected to attend the transportation
seminar (CEE 795) each semester they are in residence, although
formal registration for the course can only take place during
one semester. Transportation graduate courses are described
in the M.S. degree section of this manual. Course descriptions
are provided in the last section of this manual.
The
goal is for the Ph.D. student to support his or her research
and career plans with additional coursework deemed appropriate
by the Ph.D. Committee. Typically, at least six (6) of these
credits are devoted to a "research skill" such as
statistics, numerical methods, or advanced computer programming.
Dissertation
Credits. The CEE Department and Transportation Engineering
Program requirements for dissertation credits are the same,
but are described here for your convenience. A minimum of
18 Dissertation credits (CEE 899 Doctoral Dissertation) must
be earned in addition to the minimum of 24 credits of coursework
specified above. A student may not register for CEE 899 until
he/she has passed the Comprehensive and Qualifying Examinations
and been admitted to Ph.D. candidacy.
Ph.D.
Committee. After passing the Comprehensive Examination, the
Ph.D. student must select a Dissertation Committee. The committee
is composed of at least three Graduate Faculty members: your
Advisor, who will be recommended as Chairperson, at least
one other faculty member from the Transportation Engineering
program, and a least one member from other areas of the Civil
and Environmental Engineering Department or from other UMass
Departments. Committee composition should be discussed with
your Advisor before selection.
Comprehensive
and Qualifying Examinations. To become a Ph.D. candidate,
all Ph.D. students must pass both the Comprehensive and Qualifying
examinations as well as successfully defend their dissertation
proposal. This consists of two written and two oral exams.
The Transportation Engineering Program requires a different
format for these exams. Guidelines are described in the following
sections.
Ph.D.
Comprehensive Exam
Content
to be inserted.
Dissertation
Prospectus Defense
Schedule:
To be performed after successful completion of the Qualifying
Exam.
Examining
Committee: Ph.D. Committee, specific to each candidate; defense
to be administered by the candidate's Advisor.
Format:
The student will present his or her dissertation prospectus
in a formal presentation. The student will then respond to
oral questions from the committee. Exam is expected to last
about two hours.
Rules:
A passing grade must be earned from all committee members.
If on the first attempt the student does not pass, the committee
will direct the student to make changes to the Dissertation
Prospectus and reschedule the Defense.
Dissertation
Defense
Schedule:
To be performed after completion of the written Dissertation
with approval of the candidate's Advisor.
Examining
Committee: Ph.D. Committee.
Format:
The student will present his or her dissertation in a formal
presentation. The student will then respond to oral questions
from the committee. Exam is expected to last about two hours.
Rules:
A passing grade must be earned from all committee members.
If on the first attempt the student does not pass, the committee
will direct the student to make changes to the Dissertation
and reschedule the Defense.
Ph.D.
Summary
The
Ph.D. degree has the following requirements:
24
credit hours of graduate coursework beyond the Master's Degree
18
credit hours of dissertation
One
(1) credit hour of Transportation Seminar
Passage
of a Preliminary Comprehensive Examination
Passage
of a Qualifying Examination
Passage
of a Dissertation Prospectus Defense
One
year of residency (2 consecutive full-time semesters on campus)
Completed
Dissertation
Passage
of Final Oral Examination (Dissertation Defense)
Other
Ph.D. Academic Activities
Teaching
and Service
All
of the Transportation Engineering Ph.D. students are encouraged
to obtain teaching experience as part of their education.
Each student should talk to their Advisor about having the
opportunity to present lectures in appropriate courses. In
addition, the Transportation Engineering Program has a philosophy
of having everyone work together to help the program. In this
regard, Ph.D. students are occasionally called upon to help
with program activities.
Publication/Presentation
All
Transportation Engineering Ph.D. students are encouraged to
write and publish one or more conference and/or peer-reviewed
papers during their Ph.D. program. Each student should consult
with their Advisor to identify publishing opportunities. Every
effort will be made to obtain financial assistance to send
students to conferences and meetings in which a paper written
by the student has been selected for presentation. Students
will be strongly encouraged to attend professional meetings
and conferences within driving distance of UMass.
