Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Wichita State University

Admission into the current EECS PhD program (G10G) requires an already completed MS degree. This change is to allow exceptional students with just a BS degree to also be admitted into our PhD program. As the PhD degree requirements for students holding only a BS will be slightly different than for those who already have an MS, this curriculum has a new PhD program code (G10H) for students admitted with BS.

More information about

  1. Admission Requirements
  2. Degree Requirements

Admission Requirements

Admission into the PhD EECS program requires a completed bachelor's or master's degree, with a grade point average of at least 3.25, in electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field. Applicants holding just a bachelor's degree are admitted only if some EECS faculty member judges them as exceptional, and is willing to be their PhD advisor from the very start of their program. All applicants are required to submit official GRE General (Aptitude) Test scores. Evidence of ability to carry out independent research and present it in written English is highly desirable. Two letters of recommendation and a statement of purpose are encouraged. Each applicant is evaluated individually.

Degree Requirements

The PhD EECS program requires 84 hours of post-bachelor's courses. These include 30 hours of PhD dissertation for students admitted directly after a bachelor's, or 24 hours of PhD dissertation for students admitted after a completed master's. Students may transfer, towards the required 84 hours, up to 36 hours of courses taken previously as a graduate student at a regionally-accredited institution (or equivalent international institution). Such transferred courses must be traditional courses that are not thesis, project, or dissertation. At least 60 percent of all hours, including dissertation, taken as a PhD student must be at the 800-level or above.
The post-bachelor's non-dissertation coursework of all PhD students must contain the following:

  1. At least 15 hours of courses in the student's chosen major area of specialization. Currently available major areas are: (a) Algorithms and Software Systems, (b) Communication and Signal Processing, (c) Computer Networking, (d) Computer Systems and Architecture, (e) Control Systems, and (f) Energy and Power Systems.
  2. At least 6 hours of courses in the student's chosen minor area of specialization. A minor area may or may not be from any of the above major areas.
  3. At least 6 hours of courses in mathematics or statistics. Courses in each of the above three categories must be distinct. PhD students must also pass Comprehensive Examinations in their major and minor areas, the Dissertation Approval Examination, and the Final Dissertation Examination. Details of these exams are at the beginning of the College of Engineering chapter of this catalog.