Program summary – Full detail on UH site
Recognizing each student is different, here are some suggested guidelines to alleviate some confusions. To graduate from the PhD program and from the AIM Lab, you generally need to do the following things:
- Receive 9 credits every semester for a total of 4 years (UH refer to them as credit hours)
- Fulfill the course requirements (see below)
- Publish two to three journal papers of excellent impact
- Pass the qualifying exam (beginning of second year)
- Pass the dissertation exam (end of fourth year)
Year 1:
- Fall semester, take two mandatory courses (3 credits each), one seminar (1 credit), and 2 research credits (2 credits)
- Spring semester, take one mandatory courses (3 credits), one Mech course (3 credits), one seminar (1 credit), and 2 research credits (2 credits)
- Work on a small project to familiarize yourself with the lab, and co-write a paper.
- Prepare for your qualifying exam by writing a research plan.
- You should take a vacation during the summer / winter break.
Year 2:
- Schedule for your qualifying exam in the first semester of year 2.
- Pass your qualifying exam.
- Register for one or two classes per semester. Fill the remaining with research credits.
- Attend a conference and give a talk.
- You should take a vacation during the summer / winter break.
Year 3:
- Finish up any coursework requirements you have not yet completed.
- Attend a conference and give a talk.
- Consider spending a summer at another lab in another university.
- You should now be spending most of your time on research, not classes. Congratulations!
- You should keep on taking a vacation during the summer / winter break.
Year 4:
- Attend a conference and give a talk.
- Discuss future direction, career opportunities.
- Write your thesis.
- Defend your dissertation.
- You should keep on taking a vacation during the summer / winter break.
Requirements for PhDs in the ME department
PhDs in the AIM Lab will typically be in the Mechanics research group with mechanical engineering. This entails the following three core courses,
- MECE 6377: Continuum Mechanics I (Fall)
- MECE 6384: Methods of Applied Mathematics (Fall and maybe spring)
- MECE 7397: Advanced Mechanics of Solids (Spring)
Qualifying exam:
- GPA > 3.40 or higher in a minimum of 12 MECE graduate hours (4 classes)
- GPA > 3.70 for the core courses
To graduate (for students with a Masters degree):
- Pass the qualifying exam
- > obtain 51 credit hours in total
- Of which, > 30 hours of Research credit
- Of which, > 21 hours of courses (7 classes) at the 6000-level or higher including
- 3 credits from MECE 6384 (one of the mandatory courses),
- > 9 credits sl of MECE courses,
- a two-course breadth requirement,
- the remaining courses are from any department in the , or the College of Natural Science and Mathematics.
- Pass the dissertation examination
To graduate (for students without a Masters degree, direct-admit):
- Pass the qualifying exam
- > 66 hours of approved graduate study including,
- > 36 hours of Research and Dissertation credit
- > 30 hours of course work (10 classes) at the 6000-level or higher composed of
- three hours MECE 6384 Methods of Applied Mathematics I,
- at least fifteen hours of MECE courses,
- a two-course breadth requirement,
- the remaining courses are from any department in Engineering, or Natural Science and Mathematics.
- Pass the dissertation examination