Ph.D.
Program
Copyright © 1995 by Nadeem Bunni
The information presented here as of July 1994.
Program
Strengths of the Program
The first Ph.D's in the Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering were awarded in 1973. During the nineteen seventies the
number of Ph.D. graduates was relatively modest. In the nineteen
eighties the number of Ph.D.'s awarded increased substantially, with
10 being awarded in May 1989 and 7 or more in succeeding years with
the exception of one year (see the accompanying chart showing
enrollments and degrees granted for the most recent ten-year period).
In the period from 1968 to 1993, the number of faculty, volume of
research support, and number of publications also increased
significantly, as shown in the two graphs on Faculty Productivity for
the last ten-year period. Decreases in all three of these categories
have occurred in 1993 and 1994, in consonance with a marked decrease
in undergraduate enrollment. If history is a guide, this is part of a
cyclical phenomenon in engineering.
The quality of the graduate program is reflected in the honors and
awards that faculty and graduate students have garnered in the past
few years. Three of the faculty are Fellows of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (two, having reached emeritus
status, still are active in the operation of the department). In
recent years, one faculty member was selected as a Presidential Young
Investigator, one received a Fulbright Fellowship, one was elected to
the Electromagnetics Academy, and one was appointed Guest Professor of
Advanced Technology of Electrical Engineering Chair (funded by Kyushu
Electric Power), Kumomotu University, Japan. Two faculty members and
a graduate student co-authored a paper selected as the Best
Contribution to the Ninth Workshop on Distributed Artificial
Intelligence. Another faculty received a prize paper award in 1993
from the IEEE Power Engineering Society Electric Machinery Committee.
In addition, the faculty remain very active in professional societies
and the publishing activities and conferences they sponsor. In this
respect, one faculty member served as the Chair of the Computing
Sciences Accreditation Commission.
During the past five years faculty have published four books, and
authored several chapters in other books. The average number of
refereed journal articles, other publications, and presentations per
faculty member has been quite constant over recent years. While
externally funded research grants/contracts averaged $929,658 per year
for five years, this volume has fallen in the last two years (see
accompantying graphs).
There are five main areas of expertise within the department:
computer systems, electric power systems, robotics and control,
solid-state electronics, and communications. All of these areas
involve graduate students engaged in research and research results are
published in respected journals and conference proceedings.
A major strength of the program is the high quality of the Ph.D.
graduates. Approximately half of the department's refereed journal
publications and more than half of the conference papers are
co-authored by graduate students. This reflects one of the objectives
of the graduate program in the department: "Theses and dissertations
represent the highest standards of scholarly achievement with the
recognition that published research papers are the principal evidence
of creative activity." It is a policy of the department that at least
one paper be submitted to a recognized journal (and preferably
accepted) before completion of the student's Ph.D. requirements. One
graduate won an RCA Sarnoff Medal; among those who have specialized
in computer engineering, one is a partner in a company in this field
and the others either are employed in or teaching in this field. The
high quality occurs, in part, because of a careful selection from the
large number of applications received (246 last year) and from careful
mentoring by the faculty. Nearly all graduate courses have very small
enrollments, and faculty members work closely with graduate students
in the classroom as well as on their research. A weekly graduate
seminar, which all graduate students are expected to attend, provides
an opportunity for presentations and discussions with speakers from
other organizations, and by faculty members and students at Clarkson
on current research topics. Informal discussion groups are often
organized in particular areas to consider research progress, recent
journal articles, and new developments in the field. From time to
time graduate students have organized seminars on an informal basis to
present their own research results. In recent years a Graduate
Research and Applications Symposium Program (GRASP), complete with
invited speakers, a luncheon, awards, a printed program, and
proceedings was conducted to give students experience in organizing a
conference, preparing papers, and presenting research results. In the
past year, greater emphasis has been given to the preparation and
evaluation of student presentations. These activities have provided a
stimulus to the students' research and have resulted in polished and
professional performances in theses presentations and in conferences.
Research grants/contracts are received mainly from government
agencies and industry, but the university also supports research by
providing start-up funds for new faculty, by providing personal
computers for all faculty, by paying tuition for research assistants,
and by granting funds based on internal proposals. During recent
years the university has arranged workshops to aid faculty in writing
proposals.
Need for the Program
There are several reasons for needing a Ph.D. program in the
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Clarkson. These
relate to benefits that accrue to the world, national, technical, and
Clarkson communities. Overall, of the most recent 20 Ph.D. graduates
in the department, 10 are associated with universities, 6 with
industrial organizations, and 4 with governmental organizations.
Seven of the 10 in academic institutions are assistant professors of
electrical and/or computer engineering and 3 hold post-doctoral
appointments. Three of the 7 assistant professors are faculty members
in universities outside the United States. One visiting assistant
professor is at Clarkson, as are two of the three post-doctoral
students. The six graduates who hold industrial positions all are
engaged in engineering pursuits. Of the four graduates employed in
government, one is an engineering officer in the Taiwanese army, and
the others are employed by state and federal organizations in the
United States. Thus, the education that these Ph.D. graduates
received has led to careers in their chosen field and, in turn,
various segments of the world, national and technical communities are
benefiting from their contributions.
Clarkson needs the Ph.D. program in electrical and computer
engineering to be in a position to attract faculty members who are
highly qualified in their technical specialties, who have inquiring
and creative minds, who are energetic, and who are interested in the
educational and personal development of students. The Ph.D. program
provides an opportunity for the faculty to make technical
contributions, to stay abreast of current developments in their
specialties, to convey feelings of excitement and inquisitiveness to
students, to foster personal and intellectual growth in their
students, to add to the reputations of the department and of the
university, and to interact with other practitioners and
researchers.
Doctoral Degrees Other than the Ph.D.
The Ph.D. is the only doctoral degree offered by the university.
Number of Doctoral Degrees Awarded
The average number of doctoral degrees during the past five years is
6.4 per year; the year-by-year number since the Engineering Science
program began in the School of Engineering is shown in the graph on
Graduate Students and Degrees Granted.
Recruitment and Retention of Women and Minority Faculty and Students
Clarkson University is fully committed to the recruitment of women and
minorities at all levels - faculty, and graduate, and undergraduate
students. At the present time there is only one woman on the faculty
in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and no blacks or hispanics.
Virtually no minority candidates respond to our advertisements for
faculty positions who are qualified in the areas for which we have
openings. In recent years, a small number of women and minorities
were interviewed and offers were made, but most accepted positions
elsewhere. One hispanic joined the faculty in 1983, but left the
university in 1989.
In the past five years one doctoral degree of a total of
thirty-two was awarded to a woman. At the present time, there are
five females and no black or hispanic students in the Ph.D. program.
There are 4 other women enrolled in the M.S. program, and 11 were
awarded Master's degrees in the past five years. Fourteen percent of
the undergraduate students in the department are women, and it is
estimated that three percent are minorities.
Clarkson recognizes the importance of recruiting minority
students and has instituted new recruitment programs at the
undergraduate level, with encouraging results. Clarkson was the first
university in the nation to organize a chapter of the American Indian
Society of Engineers and Scientists, and has formed chapters of the
National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Hispanic
Professional Engineers. The Society of Women Engineers chapter also
was one of the first formed, and for several years was the largest.
It has won numerous awards for its activities. At the graduate level,
Clarkson, through the Office of Minority Student Development and the
Graduate School, has become a member of GEM. The Graduate Recruiting
and Admissions Committee is sensitive to the need for vigorous
recruiting of minorities and is making every effort to improve
enrollments.
The Office of Minority Student Development was created in 1989
to help recruit academically qualified African American, Hispanic
American, and Native American undergraduates; to solicit funds to aid
these students financially; and to assist them on campus. This effort
has been extended to help in the recruitment and support of graduate
students. Staffed by a director and an assistant, the office is
supported by a Minority Advisory Committee chaired by President
Gallagher. Students have organized a group named SPECTRUMM (Students
Proposing to Engineer Cultural and Thorough Relations Uniting the
Minority and Majority); it has been active for the past five years.
The Diversity Alliance Group, a student organization, was awarded the
Distinguished Service Award at last year's University Recognition Day.
The Director of Women's Programs also is a Co-Director of the Council
on Diversity, a community effort.
Students and the administration also have supported and funded
guest speakers and forums focused on diversity, and the Office of
Minority Student Development publishes a monthly campus newsletter on
minority affairs. "Valuing Diversity," a workshop of the Potsdam
Community Multicultural Development Project, sponsored by Clarkson,
SUNY Potsdam, and The Potsdam Community, will be held on four
occasions in August, September , and October of 1994. Joan Olsson, who
has made presentations and facilitated discussions during the past two
years at Clarkson, and Rudy Nickens, who heads the Black Men's Peace
Initiative and is active in other related organizations, will be the
facilitators for this workshop.
Internal and External Reviews
The Graduate Recruiting and Admissions Committee, typically
composed of five faculty members, recruits graduate students, reviews
applications, administers the qualifying exam, and generally
supervises the progress of graduate students and the administrative
details of the program. The Graduate Policies Committee makes
recommendations to the faculty on policies and guidelines for the
graduate program in order to achieve the department's goals and
objectives.
The doctoral program is reviewed by each of these committees
on a continuous basis, and also by the department chairman, the Dean
of the School of Engineering, and the Dean of the Graduate School. An
external review of the program was conducted in the Fall of 1987 by
James H. Mulligan from the University of California, Irvine, and by
Harry W. Mergler, from Case Western Reserve University. These
gentlemen are eminent engineers and academicians; both are members of
the National Academy of Engineering. After discussions with
university administrators and interviews with the department faculty,
a detailed examination of the program and student records led to the
conclusion that a separate doctoral program should be established in
the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Highly
favorable comments were made about the quality of the doctoral
research, the Ph.D. qualifying exam, and the computer literacy of the
faculty and students.
Program Requirements
General
The graduate programs are administered by the Dean of the Graduate
School. Detailed information from the University Catalog is presented
in the University Catalog Relevant to
graduate Program, and a copy of the Graduate Program General
Procedures and Guidelines is included
here. Relevant pages from the Graduate Student Guide for Students
in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department are also
included here. Each department
can impose additional restrictions as long as they are consistent with
the general requirements.
Departmental Ph.D. Degree Requirements
A minimum of 90 credit hours is required for the Ph.D. (a master's
degree may be accepted in lieu of a maximum of 30 credit hours). This
must include 60 credit hours in residence at Clarkson, the equivalent
of two years of full-time study. Of the 90 credit hours, at least 39
must be in course work, with at least 15 credit hours in the major
field of study and 9 credit hours in the minor field. At least 6
credit hours of the 39 must be in out-of-department courses. An
additional 6 credit hours must be in seminar work, and the remaining
45 credit hours in thesis or course work.
Applications and Financial Aid
Student applications to the graduate program are examined by the
Graduate Recruiting and Admissions Committee. The Graduate Record
Exam is not a requirement, but the TOEFL is required of all foreign
applicants, with a minimum score of 550. Upon arrival on campus,
foreign students are also required to take an English as a Second
Language exam, with a prescribed course of remedial action for those
who fail.
Financial aid consists of teaching assistantships, research
assistantships, and fellowships. Awards are made by the Executive
Officer of the department, in consultation with the Graduate
Recruiting and Admissions Committee. Principal investigators select
the students for research assistantships.
Teaching Assistant Duties
A teaching assistant is expected to work 12 hours per week for 50
weeks. Duties include recitation or laboratory sections, proctoring
exams, grading, holding office hours, and aiding the instructor in
preparing instructional materials. A Senior Graduate Assistantship is
occasionally awarded to a more experienced graduate student who
assumes greater teaching responsibilities. An increased stipend is
available for these individuals. Research assistants are expected to
work 40 hours per week less time spent for classes, seminars,
homework, etc.
Selection of an Advisor
When a student first arrives on campus, registration and
administrative details are handled by the Chairman of the Graduate
Recruiting and Admissions Committee or the student's research advisor.
If the student has not selected a research area or research advisor,
the student is encouraged to talk with various faculty members until a
research advisor is selected by mutual consent.
A five-person advisory committee, including at least one faculty
member outside the department is appointed. This committee helps plan
the student's program and sees that a Ph.D. Course Program form is
filed, and updated as needed.
Induction Examination and Research Proposal
A Ph.D. comprehensive induction examination based on general
preparation in the major field must be passed before the student is
admitted to the Ph.D. program. The student must take the exam the
first time it is offered immediately after completion of the master's
degree, or before 33 credit hours of course work and seminar are
completed, or before the fourth semester in residence. The exam is
normally given twice a year, and consists of problems from all areas
of electrical and computer engineering.
Within 12 months after completion of the induction exam the
student must prepare a research proposal. This maps out the proposed
research problem, including a literature search, analysis of the
problem, and perhaps some preliminary results. The presentation of
the proposal constitutes the qualifying exam. The purpose is to allow
the advisory committee to verify that the proposed research is sound
and to allow them to influence the direction and scope of the
research.
Expected Participation
During his/her Ph.D. program the student is encouraged to present
formal/informal seminars, participate in the Graduate Research and
Applications Symposium, present papers at conferences, help prepare
grant proposals, and submit papers for publication in refereed
journals. During his/her several years in the Ph.D. program, a
student will typically have some opportunity for classroom instruction
under the tutelage of a faculty member. Those who intend to pursue
careers in academia are also encouraged to take the course ES601,
Teaching Methodology, where they learn not only classroom teaching
techniques, but also about the issues that will affect them in their
vocations.
Dissertation and its Defense
When the research program has been completed, the student writes a
thesis and prepares a thesis defense. Both the thesis and its
presentation are expected to be prepared according to professional
standards. Copies of the thesis must be provided to the advisory
committee at least three weeks before the scheduled defense. After
the Committee approves the thesis and the student passes the
dissertation defense, final copies of the thesis are submitted to the
Graduate School. To formally receive the doctorate at the
commencement exercises in May, this must be completed at least 10 days
prior to commencement.
Additional Requirements
Nearly all graduate students are full-time, in residence. Such
students typically register for 9-12 credit hours, depending on their
teaching assignments, with up to 6 hours taken during the summer
session. Two years of full-time residence are required for the
doctorate. A student who receives full-time support from the
university is not allowed to have other employment. A student who has
completed 90 credit hours of course work, seminar, and thesis
sometimes elects to seek work off-campus. He/she is required to
register for 1 credit hour of dissertation each semester until all
degree requirements are complete.
Induction Examination
As described earlier, an entering doctoral student must take a Ph.D.
induction exam upon completion of the master's degree, or before 33
credit hours of course work and seminar are completed, or before the
fourth semester in residence. The exam is a closed book written exam,
with questions from each of the several areas of electrical
engineering and computer engineering at the advanced undergraduate or
beginning graduate level. If a student fails the induction the first
time, he/she must take the exam again when it is next offered. If
failed the second time, the student is dropped from the program.
EMAIL your suggestions to:
webmast@sun.soe.clarkson.edu
Last Updated