Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2020 Academic Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Academic Catalog [Published Catalog]

Engineering, with specializations in Construction Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, Control & Smart Systems (Ph.D.)


Director: A. Essawi

Steering Committee: M. Arafa, H. El Fawal, M. Habib, T. Shoeib

Associate professor: K. Addas, A. Amleh, A. El Gendy, M. Moustafa, K. Seddik

Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering

The Ph.D. in Engineering is an interdisciplinary program that applies modern approaches from the experimental, natural and life sciences in conjunction with theoretical and computational methods from the disciplines of engineering, mathematics and computer science to the solution of advanced problems of fundamental importance. The Ph.D. program in Engineering emphasizes the application of research methods and procedures to advanced areas of importance in the sciences and technology. The program builds on the premise that advancing the applied sciences and technology must be based on fundamental comprehension of the various disciplines, while continually being responsive to the needs of new technologies, and the interdisciplinary nature of the modern scientific enterprise. This program will be administered by a committee which has a representation of faculty from various graduate programs in the School of Sciences and Engineering.

This program offers a Ph.D. degree Engineering with specializations in:

  • Mechanical Engineering,
  • Construction Engineering,
  • Electronics and Communications Engineering,
  • Robotics, Control and Smart Systems,
  • or Environmental Engineering.

Admission Requirements

  • M.Sc. in an Engineering discipline.
  • Demonstrated proficiency in English language as determined by AUC graduate admissions
  • Obtain an acceptable score in the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

Program Objectives

The mission of the Ph.D. program in Applied Sciences and Engineering is to provide in-depth training to students in the natural sciences, modern engineering, and computer science and in the conduct of original research leading to a doctoral dissertation.

The primary goal of the program is to provide students with an opportunity to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of applied sciences and engineering. The program aims at providing students with the opportunity to develop their professional knowledge and expertise to a high calibre and to qualify for leadership positions in teaching, in research, in administration and management and in policy analysis and program development. The program caters to demands of industry and research institutes and places a strong emphasis on original thinking, professional behavior and ethical conduct. The objectives of the program are for students to acquire

  1. A broad analytic understanding of advanced experimental, theoretical and computational methods in the applied sciences and engineering
  2. Substantive knowledge of some field or area of practice (e.g., electronics engineering, environmental engineering, etc.).
  3. Competence to conduct independent, empirical research that extends the knowledge base of the field of interest.
  4. Ability to generate new ideas, convince others that their ideas are worth pursuing, do the necessary research to demonstrate that their ideas are viable, and communicate the results of their research in the public domain. 

Program Outcomes

Upon completing the degree requirements for the Ph.D. Program in Engineering, graduating students should have the ability to:

  1. Pursue a career in academia in teaching and/or research.
  2. Pursue a career in industrial research and development (R&D).
  3. Identify well-defined science and/or engineering problems of importance to the profession or the community, as well as generate new ideas and approaches to resolve such problems.
  4. Apply advanced experimental, analytical and computational techniques to solve complex science and/or engineering problems.
  5. Convince others that their ideas are worth pursuing and explore funding opportunities for their research.
  6. Initiate scientific collaborations schemes that advance their research endeavors.
  7. Successfully communicate their results to constituencies of various technical backgrounds and fields of specialty.
  8. Make significant contributions to their field of specialization and profession through their own continued research, writing, teaching, and practice.
  9. Implement the code of ethics within the study and work environments.

Doctoral of Philosophy Degree Requirements:

Students going through this program are expected to successfully complete the following requirements:

  1. Pass the required course work with a GPA 3.0 or higher: This insures the breadth of knowledge of the Ph.D. student.
  2. Pass a Qualifying Examination: This signifies that course work is completed and that the student has sufficient background knowledge in her/his field of specialization.
  3. Present and defend a proposal of the intended research work: This demonstrates that the candidate has defined her/his research problem and is capable of identifying the research methodology that she/he will adopt.
  4. Submit a written Dissertation and defend it in a final Oral Defense: This marks the completion of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree.

Doctoral Coursework:

As part of the process of achieving candidacy, a doctoral student must complete a set of courses known as the doctoral candidacy coursework. It includes at least thirty-six (36) credit hours of relevant graduate coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree, of which at least eighteen (18) credit hours must be earned at AUC. Students who change their major specialization of their master’s degree to a new specialization for their Ph.D. degree may have to take more than thirty-six (36) hours to fulfill the course requirements.
Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the program and in order to ensure sufficient breadth of study, the program is designed to include required course work in areas outside one’s main specialization. In addition the student must complete 3 credit hours of Seminar courses and register for thirty-three (33) credit hours of Dissertation research work.
Courses for each specialization will be listed at the 500 and 600 levels in addition to remedial courses to be taken at the 400 level whenever deemed necessary.

The Academic Advisor and the Research Advisory Committee:

The academic advisor is determined by the specialization of the student, and is particularly important for assistance in the preliminary course planning of a student’s Ph.D. program. Each specialization has at least one faculty member advisor (usually the Graduate Program Director of the discipline). The academic advisor will be available to the student to help in her/his preliminary choice of the courses. As the student progresses in the program she/he chooses the members of the Research Advisory Committee, which consists of the Chair of the Committee (Dissertation supervisor) and at least two other members. This committee plays a greater role in finalizing the courses for the student’s Plan of Study and in advising her/his research work. It is the responsibility of the student to find an AUC faculty member willing to serve as the Chair of the Research Advisory Committee and to choose in consultation with her/him the other members.

Ph.D. Plan of Study for Qualification and Candidacy:

The Ph.D. Plan of Study is intended to help the student select courses and will ensure that she/he has an academic program that meets the Ph.D. coursework requirements. The Plan of Study will also allow the student to identify a sequence of courses that meets her/his professional objectives. A preliminary Plan of Study will be drafted in consultation with the student’s academic advisor and should be submitted before the student signs up to take the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination.

As the student advances in the program, she/he should choose the members of her/his Research Advisory Committee. The final Plan of Study will be drafted in consultation with the Research Advisory Committee. A final up-to-date copy must be submitted before the student applies to take the qualifying exam.

The Plan of Study must contain a listing of the courses the student has taken or intends to take to satisfy the qualification coursework requirements and must constitute a coherent program within the scope of the chosen specialization. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that all requirements are met. Any departure from the requirements must be requested by written petition, which should normally flow starting from the supervisor, to the director of the specialization area, then the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research for final approval.

Doctoral Qualifying Examination:

The purpose of the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination is to evaluate the student’s ability to analyze problems and to synthesize solutions. It should demonstrate the ability of the student to interrelate basic concepts and ideas in her/his field of study. At least twelve (12) weeks prior to the examination, the student must submit a request indicating her/his intention to take the examination. The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination will be administrated by an Examining Committee in each specialization. Following the examination, the Examining Committee will submit an evaluation of the student’s performance to the Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. The qualifying examination is typically taken in the semester immediately following the completion of the coursework credit hours, but no later than during the fourth semester since admission into the program. Any deviation from this schedule must be made by written petition and subsequent approval as indicated earlier.

The Proposal Defense:

Typically in the semester immediately after the successful completion of the qualifying examination, the student has to write a research proposal under the guidance of the Dissertation supervisor and will give a Proposal Presentation in front of the Research Advisory Committee. Upon the acceptance of the proposal by the Research Advisory Committee, the student makes an oral presentation of the research proposal, including relevant background material. During and after the presentation, the committee will explore the research project with the student in order to provide guidance and make an evaluation of its suitability. They will report their recommendation to the Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. In case the student does not present an acceptable proposal, the student must take immediate steps to refine the proposal in consultation with the dissertation supervisor. The Proposal Presentation requirement are completed when the Research Advisory Committee chair reports a successful proposal presentation to the office of the associate dean for graduate studies and research at the School of Sciences and Engineering.

Following acceptance of the proposal, the Dissertation Defense Committee is finalized. This consists of the three members of the Research Advisory Committee in addition to two external examiners. The external examiners should be well qualified and highly-established experts in the candidate’s field of study. The external examiners will be selected in consultation with the supervisor, the Research Advisory Committee and the director of the specialization area and approved by the PhD program director and the associate dean for graduate studies and research at the School of Sciences and Engineering.

Publications Requirement:

The candidate is expected to have as a minimum two accepted peer-reviewed international research publications before the dissertation defense, one of which must be a journal publication. The publications should be originating from the PhD (not from a previous MSc).

The Dissertation and Its Defense - Final Oral Defense:

Upon completion, the dissertation will be sent to the external examiners for evaluation. The examiners will be contacted by the PhD program director two months before the final oral defense and will be asked to provide detailed written evaluation of the dissertation. The examiners recommendations will inform the decision of the PhD program director and the associate dean for graduate studies and research on whether the student proceeds to final oral defense or whether major revisions - including additional work - are needed. Copies of the external examiners reports will be shared with the student before the defense in order to have them addressed. The student will defend the dissertation in an open examination before the committee. The remote attendance of an international external examiner residing abroad in the final oral defense is permitted. Each member of the Dissertation Defense Committee will submit a written evaluation of the dissertation after the Oral Defense. Following the successful oral defense, the student must consult with the dissertation supervisor about any changes required by the committee, and must address these changes before final submission of the dissertation to the school dean.

Course and Research Requirements

Minimum number of credit hours beyond the B.Sc. degree: 72

Dissertation hours 33  (CENG 6290  , ECNG 6980  , ENVE 6980  , MENG 6980  )

Seminar hours 3

Course hours 36 (See below)

The required number of semester credit hours of coursework to be taken for the PhD degree is dependent upon the M.Sc. degree and is determined by the academic advisor or program director of the student at the time of admission. At least eighteen (18) credit hours of course work must be earned at AUC.

Case 1: M.Sc. from AUC

Case 1A: M.Sc. in the same Engineering discipline from AUC.

              A candidate may receive up to 24 hours of credit to be counted towards the Ph.D. degree


Case 1B: M.Sc. in a different Engineering discipline from AUC.

             A candidate may receive up to 18 hours of credit to be counted towards the Ph.D. degree

Case 2: M.Sc. achieved outside of AUC

Case 2A: M.Sc. in the same Engineering discipline achieved outside of AUC.

              A candidate may receive up to 18 hours of credit to be counted towards the Ph.D. degree


Case 2B: M.Sc. in a different Engineering discipline achieved outside of AUC.

             A candidate may receive up to 12 hours of credit to be counted towards the Ph.D. degree


A plan of study will be developed under guidance of the academic advisor of the student at the time of admission and may be modified later on by her/his Research Advisory Committee. Courses are to be selected from the following, noting that at least eighteen credit hours of course work must be earned at AUC as earlier indicated:

I - Core Courses


Core courses are selected from an area outside of the specialization of the student.

Admission Cases 1A and 1B: at least 3 credit hours.

Admission Cases 2A and 2B: at least 6 credit hours.

II- Specialization Courses


Dependent on the admission status, the student will take the following number of credit hours in their relevant area of specialization:

Admission Case 1:

Case 1A: at least 6 credit hours.
Case 1B: at least 12 credit hours.


Admission Case 2:

Case 2A: at least 9 credit hours.
Case 2B: at least 12 credit hours.

5000-level masters courses offered by the graduate programs of Construction Engineering (CENG), Environmental Engineering (ENVE), Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECNG), Mechanical Engineering (MENG) and Nanotechnology (NANO) are considered specialization courses. At least one of the courses taken in the specialization must be a 6000-level course relevant to the student’s specialization from the following list:

ECNG 619/6219 - Design and Analysis of High-Performance Integrated Circuits (3 cr.) 
ECNG 625/6235 - Detection, Classification, and Estimation Theory (3 cr.) 
ECNG 661/6211 - Nanoscale CMOS (3 cr.) 
ECNG 694/6930 - Advanced Selected Topics in Electronics and Communications Engineering (3 cr.) 
ENVE 662/6250 - Advanced Treatment Processes (3 cr.) 
ENVE 680/6910 - Independent Study in Environmental Engineering (3 cr. Max.) 
ENVE 692/6930 - Advanced Selected Topics in Environmental Engineering (3 cr.) 
CENG 611/6211 - Structural Stability (3 cr.) 
CENG 612/6212 - Structural Dynamics (3 cr.) 
CENG 613/6213 - Earthquake Engineering and Seismic Design (3 cr.) 
CENG 631/6222 - Specialty Materials for Construction (3 cr.) 
CENG 632/6231 - Highways Pavement Systems and Design (3 cr.) 
CENG 679/6223 - Preserving, Repair and Sustainability of Structures (3 cr.) 
CENG 680/6291 - Independent Study in Structural and Material Engineering (3 cr. max.) 
CENG 692/6292 - Advanced Selected Topics in Structural and Material Engineering (3 cr.) 
MENG 615/6255 - Continuum Mechanics (3 cr.) 
MENG 620/6270 - Nonlinear and Adaptive Control (3 cr.) 
MENG 660/6261 - Sustainability of Thermal Systems (3 cr.) 
MENG 670/6262 - Advanced Transport Phenomena (3 cr.) 

MENG 000/6263 - Advanced Measurements in Thermofluids (3 cr.)  

NANO 621/6121 - Nanophotonics (3 cr.) 
NANO 642/6242 - Nanocatalysis (3 cr.) 
RCSS 692/6930 - Advanced Selected Topics in Robotics, Control and Smart Systems (RCSS) (3 cr.)  


Environmental Engineering students can also register for online graduate course offerings through a cooperative program between AUC’s Department of Construction and Architectural Engineering and lowa State University’s Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. A maximum of six credit hours can be earned as such.Sample courses are as follows:

  • CE 521: Environmental Biotechnology
  • CE 522: Water Pollution Control Processes
  • CE 569: Environmental Geotechnology
  • CE 571: Surface Water Hydrology

III - Dissertation and Seminars (Minimum of 36 credit hours)


Dissertation work includes completion of:
 

  • Graduate Thesis Seminar 3cr.

Research Dissertation Guidance, a minimum of 33 cr. (CENG 6290 , ECNG 6980 , ENVE 6980 , MENG 6980  or RCSS 6980 )

A student may register for up to 12 research dissertation guidance credits while conducting research at an entity outside AUC. Conducting research outside AUC is subject to recommendation from the research advisory committee of the student, and an approval of the PhD program director,as per the latest PhD guidlines. The dissertation supervisor must be fully involved in any such research. Additionally, evidence of demonstrable collaboration between the dissertation supervisor and the entity outside AUC where this research is to be conducted, as well as the contribution of this external entity to this research, must be provided by the dissertation supervisor to the PhD program director prior to the proposal defense.


After completing 33 credit hours of dissertation, the course may be taken for one credit hour each semester until completion of the program requirements.


A PhD guidelines manual will detail advising, the qualifying examination, the proposal defense, and dissertation defense.