By advancing to candidacy, graduate students will officially become PhD candidates at UT. 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.
A PhD student is expected to advance to candidacy within one year after attempting 33 hours of coursework within the Graduate Program, excluding approved leaves of absence. Advancing to 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.
Advancing to candidacy consists of two major steps: forming an approved PhD committee and going through a candidacy evaluation with the committee members.
Your candidacy and PhD dissertation will be overseen by the same committee of faculty members. This committee will consist of five members, including your supervisor(s). At least two members must be on the ECE GSC. At least one member of your committee must be from outside of the ECE GSC. The process of forming this committee is comprised of several steps listed below, and can often take more than a month to complete.
| Step 1: | 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 1-2 page abstract of the proposed research and a Program of Work (list of coursework) when contacting potential members. |
| Step 2: | When you have received tentative agreement from your proposed committee members, contact your Track PhD Coordinator with the names of your committee. |
| Step 3: | Your committee will be voted on and approved by the ECE GSC on a no-protest basis. Please wait for confirmation of committee approval from the Graduate Advising Team before moving onto the Evaluation Process. |
Once your committee is formed and approved, you will need to reach out to and setup a time to meet individually with each member of your committee for approximately 30 minutes. Each candidacy evaluation should have the following suggested format:
| 10-15 min | Student provides a summary of proposed research directions, including a review of the student's research proposal and coursework. |
| 10-15 min | A Q&A that covers how prepared the student is for candidacy, including suitability and feasibility of their proposed project. |
A formal presentation is not required, although the student 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 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. Follow the instructions on the form and await further instructions via email.
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.