A minimum of 80 graduate semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree is required for the Ph.D. degree. Students may apply 30 semester credit hours (20 hours of graded coursework plus 10 research hours) earned as part of a Master's degree toward the 80 semester hours, according to the rules of the Graduate School.
For the Ph.D. in Geodetic Science, the student must complete a minimum of 10 credit hours of letter-graded, advanced courses from the list below, or from available advanced courses in the Earth Sciences or related disciplines with approval of the Geodetic Science GSC. The remaining credit hours may be fulfilled with elective courses (including research and seminar courses). The entire curriculum for a student must be approved by the Geodetic Science GSC before the student begins the Ph.D. Candidacy Examination.
Advanced Geodetic Courses for core requirements of a Ph.D.
GS7763: Advanced Adjustment Computations (4 semester credit hours)
GS7765: Analysis and Design of Geodetic Networks (2 semester credit hours)
GS7837: Computational Cartography (4 semester credit hours)
GS8862: Adjustment Computations for Random Processes (2 semester credit hours)
GS8871: Advanced Physical Geodesy (3 semester credit hours)
GS8873: Advanced Satellite Geodesy (3 semester credit hours)
GS7875: Spectral Methods in Geodesy (3 semester credit hours)
Ph.D. Candidacy Examination
A Ph.D. aspirant must pass the Ph.D. Candidacy Examination to be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree, and must ultimately complete and defend a dissertation that presents the results of an independent, original research project that is a scholarly contribution to the science. All components of these requirements (i.e., the Ph.D. Candidacy Examination, the Ph.D. dissertation, and the Ph.D. oral defense) must be fulfilled to meet the requirements of the Graduate School.
A Ph.D. aspirant who enters the program with an M.S. in Geodetic Science is expected to complete the Ph.D. Candidacy Examination by the end of his/her second year in the program. A Ph.D. aspirant who enters the program without an M.S. in Geodetic Science is expected to complete the Ph.D. Candidacy Examination by the end of his/her third year in the program; the additional time is required for the student to achieve the competencies expected of an M.S. student in Geodetic Science. Some exceptions to this general schedule occur because the student is involved in extensive field work, or some desired courses are not offered at an appropriate time in the student’s plan.
The Candidacy Examination includes both written and oral portions, and begins only after the respective Application has been submitted in accordance with procedures outlined by the Graduate School. The student is responsible for knowledge and competency at the M.S. level in Geodetic Science or a related field, as well as competencies presented in the core courses of the Ph.D. curriculum. The Candidacy Examination is administered by the student’s Advisory Committee (Dissertation Committee), comprising the student’s advisor and faculty members and/or guest members in accordance with Graduate School rules.
The student becomes a Ph.D. candidate on successful completion of the Candidacy Examination. Note: If the final oral exam is not taken within five years of admission to Candidacy, the Candidacy exam must be retaken, as required by the Graduate School.
Dissertation and Final Oral Examination
To be awarded the Ph.D. degree, a student must complete a dissertation that presents the results of an independent, original research project that is a scholarly contribution to the sciences. The dissertation document must be prepared according to the guidelines described in the Graduate School Handbook.
A Ph.D. candidate must satisfactorily defend the dissertation research in a Final Oral Examination, and must submit an approved copy of the dissertation to the Graduate School. These requirements must be fulfilled according to the requirements of the Graduate School.
The committee for the Final Oral Examination will meet the requirements set by the Graduate School. It is headed by the Student’s advisor and includes the members of the Dissertation Committee (comprising faculty and/or guest members in accordance with Graduate School rules) plus a Graduate Faculty representative appointed by the Graduate School.
The rules and regulations covering the PhD Final Oral Examination are detailed in the Graduate School Handbook. The Geodetic Science GSC adheres to these rules and regulations. The format, principles and policies of the Final Oral Examination in Geodetic Science satisfy the Graduate School’s requirements and enable the Ph.D. aspirant to present research results and engage in discussion of these and other topics before an audience of mentors, teachers and the student’s peer group, as well as responding to formal questioning by the Examination Committee.
Registration Guidelines
A Ph.D. student is generally expected to complete all requirements for his or her degree within five years of the semester following successful completion of the Candidacy Examination.
A student must register for at least one credit hour to maintain office space and to use School and University facilities.
A student must meet Graduate School guidelines for registration during the semester in which any portion of the General Examination is taken, the semester during which the Final Oral Examination is taken, and the semester of expected graduation.