The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is offered in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and may be obtained either through full-time or part-time studies. The Ph.D. degree can be obtained through programs in Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering, and Oil and Gas Engineering.

Admission to the Ph.D. program is limited and competitive. All applicants must meet the minimum qualifications described in the General Regulations for the School of Graduate Studies. Admission is normally restricted to candidates holding a Master's Degree in Engineering or a related area. Decisions on admission, however, will also take into account such things as the applicant's rank in class, referees' assessments, general performance throughout the applicant's previous academic programs, and the availability of supervisors in the area of the applicant's interest. In cases of demonstrated ability, a student enrolled in the M.Eng. program may be allowed to transfer to the Ph.D. program without the completion of all the M.Eng. Degree requirements. As well, in exceptional cases, direct entry to the Ph.D. program, after completion of a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or a related area, is possible.

Normally, applicants will be considered in January for admission for the following September. In special cases, applicants may also be considered in April and August. Applications should be made sufficiently far in advance to permit the University to obtain all relevant documents and review the application.

A Ph.D. program shall normally consist of three components:

1. a minimum of 6 credit hours consisting of graduate courses recommended by the student's supervisory committee

2. a comprehensive examination as detailed in Regulations for Ph.D Comprehensive Examination.

3. a thesis satisfying the requirements of the General Regulations for the School of Graduate Studies.

In cases of direct entry after a Bachelor's Degree or promotion from a Master's program before fulfilment of the Master's course requirements, it is likely that the student will be required to take more credit hours than the normally required minimum. In such cases, the requirements for the course component of the student's program will be reviewed on an individual basis by the student's supervisory committee and the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.

Timing

The Comprehensive Examination for Ph.D. candidates in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science shall be conducted in two parts: I) General Examination and II) Examination of the Research Proposal. A candidate registered full-time in the Ph.D. Program shall normally take Part I of the exam within four semesters of the start of their program and Part II within six semesters. Part-time students will normally take Part I of the exam within four semesters of the start of their program and Part II within seven semesters. Students transferring from a Master of Engineering program will normally complete both parts within seven semesters of the start of their Master of Engineering program.

The Examination Committee shall be appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies on the recommendation of the Dean of Engineering and Applied Science, normally within three semesters of the start of the student’s program.

Examination Procedure

Part I General Examination is an oral examination of the candidate’s mastery of selected sub-disciplines of Engineering and Applied Science related to their area of research. The candidate will be apprised of the sub-disciplines in writing no later than three months prior to the examination. The examination is open to the University community; however, only members of the Committee are permitted to ask questions. The Committee may make four recommendations following this examination: I) the candidate may proceed to Part II of the Comprehensive Examination, ii) the candidate may proceed to Part II but will be assigned additional course work to their program of study, iii) the candidate will be assigned additional study materials and redo Part I in 2 to 8 weeks, iv) the candidate fails. Part I may only be redone once and failing Part I means that the Comprehensive Examination is failed without proceeding to Part II.

Part II Examination of the Research Proposal shall consist of I) a research proposal, normally of no more than 10,000 words, that should clearly define the research problem, survey literature, present the research method or experimental design, and may include a summary of results already obtained, and ii) a 20 to 30 minute presentation. The candidate should submit the written proposal at least one month prior to the presentation which is open to the University community and will be followed by questions from the Committee and the audience.

Committee Recommendations

Following Part II, the Examination Committee will meet in camera to decide a final recommendation for the Committee Chair to forward to the Dean of Graduate Studies. The possible recommendations in accordance with General Regulation Comprehensive Examinations, Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination are “pass with distinction”, “pass”, “re-examination” or “fail”.

For a list of graduate courses offered by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science refer to the list of "Core Courses" and the list of "Other Courses" offered for the Master of Engineering program.