By advancing to doctoral candidacy, a graduate student will To become an official PhD candidate at UT-Austin. This involves identifying a tentative research area and topic, and assembling a committee of faculty members who will evaluate the research, and eventually sign off on the dissertation, while also serving as a resource of complementary experts who will be available to provide advice and guidance throughout the PhD. An ECE PhD student is expected to advance to doctoral candidacy , you must:
Identify a general research area/topic.
Form a faculty committee to advise you and evaluate your dissertation.
Complete candidacy evaluations with non-supervisory committee members.
You must complete this within one year after attempting 33 or more + credit hours of coursework within the Graduate Program, (excluding approved leaves of absence. The accumulation of credit hours includes individual instruction leave). This includes courses like Research Problems. The first clock starts the semester after you attempt 33 or more credit begins the year in which you're expected to complete the steps listed below. Advancing to doctoral candidacy should be done as soon as a general research area and topic have been identified. You are not considered a PhD candidate until you have advanced to candidacy officially.Advancing to doctoral candidacy consists of two major steps, forming an approved PhD committee, and completing individual candidacy evaluation meetings with each non-supervisory committee member, major steps which are delineated below in a sub-set of six steps.
Please note that you are expected to complete the six steps in order, and to advance to the next step only after you have satisfactorily completed all preceding steps.
Forming a Committee, Committee Announcement, Committee Approval
Your candidacy and PhD dissertation will be overseen by the same committee of faculty members. This committee will consist of five or six members, including the supervisor(s) and other members from within as well as external to the ECE GSC as described HERE. The process of forming this committee and approval of the committee is comprised of several steps listed below, and can often take more than a month to complete.
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Step 1 of 6:
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With the assistance of your faculty supervisor, identify and contact potential committee members to ask for their general willingness to serve on your committee. Students should provide a 1 to 2 page abstract of the proposed research and an informal PhD Program of Work (list of coursework) when contacting potential members. Agreement to serve on your committee is the first step.
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Step 2 of 6:
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When you have tentative agreement from your proposed committee members, email your Track PhD Coordinator and request that your committee be announced to the ECE GSC, Graduate Studies Committee. Provide your full name, your EID, your academic track, a working title of your dissertation (this is not necessarily the final title), the full names of your committee members with labels identifying their roles (supervisor; co-supervisor, if you have one; member; external member), and a Word or pdf copy of the external member's CV (Curriculum Vitae, or academic resume).
You must wait two weeks after the announcement is made before proceeding to the next steps.
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Step 3 of 6:
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Your committee will be reviewed and approved by the ECE GSC on a no-protest basis over a period of 2 weeks. Please wait for confirmation of committee approval from your Track PhD Coordinator before moving to Step 4.
Candidacy Evaluation Meetings
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Step 4 of 6:
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hit 33+ hours.
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6-Step Process
Step 1: Form Your Committee
With your supervisor’s help, contact 5–6 potential members (including at least one external). Share a 1–2 page research summary and coursework list. Get verbal/written agreement.
Step 2: Announce Your Committee
Email your Track PhD Coordinator with:
Your name, EID, academic track
Tentative dissertation title
Committee members and their roles
CV of external member
Step 3: Committee Approval
The GSC will review your committee on a no-objection basis. Wait for official approval before moving on.
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Candidacy Evaluations
Step 4: Meet with Committee Members
Schedule 30-minute individual meetings. A formal presentation is not required, although you might choose to use slides to provide context (e.g. figures) where needed. Committee members should communicate any special expectations or requirements they may have for the evaluation beforehand.
Each candidacy evaluation should have the following suggested format:
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10-15 min
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Student provides a summary of proposed research directions, including a review of the student's research proposal and coursework.
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10-15 min
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A Q&A that covers how prepared the student is for candidacy, including suitability and feasibility of their proposed project.
ECE Candidacy Form Completion, Follow-Up Meetings
Step 5
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: Get Sign-Offs
Each member of your committee will formally sign off on your readiness, the proposed research and whether they agree to serve on your committee via the ECE Candidacy Form HERE.
Committee members will indicate any significant concerns they may have about your ability to communicate, your preparation, readiness, or the proposed research, and they may request follow-up meetings to address such concerns. It is your responsibility to setup any such follow-up meetings if requested.
Confirmation, Applying Online for Admission to Doctoral Candidacy, Approval
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Step 6 of 6:
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Final Application
Step 6: Apply for Candidacy
Wait for email instructions from the Graduate Advising Team
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Once you receive the instructions from the Graduate Advising Team, apply as instructed within two weeks of receiving the instructions.
Your application will be reviewed and approved electronically by your supervisor(s), the ECE Graduate Advisor, the chair of the ECE GSC (Graduate Studies Committee), a Doctoral Degree Evaluator in the Graduate School, and a Dean in the Graduate School. This process can take time, so be prepared to be patient. Once the Dean approves your application, you are an official doctoral candidate.
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. Once received, apply online within 2 weeks. Your application must be approved by multiple offices.
You officially become a PhD candidate after final approval by the Graduate School Dean.
Late Semester Candidacy: If admitted after the 12th class day (or 4th in summer), you may still join Dissertation hours that semester—if already registered for Research Problems. Contact grad advising to check eligibility.
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