Return to: School of Graduate Engineering and Applied Science: Degree Programs
Overview
The Systems Engineering (SE) Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is an advanced graduate degree built of three components:
- Coursework and teaching to gain fundamental and advanced knowledge, as both student and graduate teaching assistant (GTA).
- Research conducted in a collaborative environment leading to a doctoral dissertation and scholarly papers.
- Engagement in UVA’s intellectual life
Admissions Criteria
We accept applications from candidates with degrees from all engineering and some affiliated backgrounds. In some cases, candidates who do not have engineering or similar credentials will be offered conditional admission, which will require them to take selected undergraduate coursework in addition to the coursework required for their Ph.D.
All candidates are evaluated by one or more research subgroups. Some students are admitted directly into a specific research group with a specific advisor. Other candidates are admitted into a subgroup and are then connected with an advisor during the first year.
Program Requirements
A candidate for the Ph.D. in SE must fulfill School of Engineering and Applied Science Ph.D. degree requirements (see “Ph.D. Milestone Requirements” on the School of Engineering and Applied Science - Academic Rules page of the Record), along with the coursework, plan of study, and professional development requirements described below.
Coursework
The Ph.D. in SE involves relevant coursework to help students access foundational knowledge in their discipline while striking a balance between depth and breadth. It requires at least seventy-two (72) credit hours of graduate-level work, of which twenty-four (24) credits must be of graded coursework beyond the B.S. program. Please note, students that enter the Ph.D. program with a STEM master’s degree, must take at least six (6) credits of graded graduate-level course work.
Plan of Study: The plan of study must include at least seventy-two (72) credit hours of graduate-level work, be approved by the student’s graduate advisor and SE graduate program director, and satisfy the following requirements:
- Mandatory Courses: Students must complete SYS 6001 and two (2) semesters of SYS 7096.
- Foundation Courses: Students must complete nine (9) credits from the following: SYS 6003, SYS 6005, SYS 6007, SYS 6021.
- Methodological Areas Courses: Students must take four (4) courses from at least two (2) of the methodological areas listed below. Other courses in these areas may be used to fulfill methodological requirements as approved by the student’s doctoral advisory committee. Additionally, certain courses are listed in multiple areas. In these cases, the student must decide which area the course satisfies for their plan of study. Each course may only satisfy one area for the student’s plan of study.
- Research Electives: Students must complete nine (9) research elective credits. Courses at the 6000 and 7000 levels are chosen in consultation with the advisory committee to support the student’s research program.
- Research: Students must complete at least twenty-four (24) credit hours of SYS 9999: Research. The research is performed under the direction of the faculty advisor and the advisory committee and is documented in a written dissertation.
Professional Development
The following professional training requirements help students prepare for the full spectrum of career choices:
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA): Students typically serve as a GTA at some point over the course of their MS or PhD. GTAs will enroll for three credits (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, or S/U, basis) of SYS 6097 or SYS 9997 in a section corresponding to their supervising instructor. Receipt of one or more U grades for graduate instruction may endanger a student’s eligibility to serve as a GTA in future semesters. More information about the Engineering School’s language-skills requirements for international students serving as GTAs can be found on the Center for American English Language & Culture’s Assessment’s website.
- Research Dissemination: Students will disseminate their research via papers and conferences. Before scheduling the final defense, students must have at least one “first- authored” paper with their advisor published or accepted by a journal or peer- reviewed conference paper approved by their advisory committee. In addition, students must have presented at least one paper at a conference. To support students’ travel, SE Ph.D. students are eligible to receive a travel grant.
- Seminars and Defenses: The department is committed to providing members of our community with the opportunity to learn from a wide range of scholars and practicing engineers through seminars. These seminars are organized as (a) our weekly Graduate Colloquium, led by our Graduate Student Council, and (b) Distinguished Speakers invited by our faculty on an ad-hoc basis. As an essential component of graduate education, Ph.D. students must register for at least two semesters (preferably in their first year) of SYS 7096. Students are expected to attend and participate actively in scheduled department and UVA seminars, and student’s thesis/dissertation defenses.
Information about the dissertation, committee composition, milestones, and administrative forms can be found on the Doctor of Philosophy in Systems Engineering webpage.
Students should consult “Transfer Credit” and “Time Limit” in the School of Engineering and Applied Science—Academic Rules section of the Record for policies that govern transferring credits and limits on the time that may be taken to earn a degree.
