Engineering and Applied Science
PhD
The PhD degree program in Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) features contemporary, advanced interdisciplinary research and educational opportunities for students and faculty.
Today's scientist/engineer/professional must be able to deal with the rapid pace of technological change, a highly interconnected world, and complex problems that require interdisciplinary approaches to advance fundamental understanding or to address pressing societal needs.
The program's unique cross-cutting options provide students with the means to integrate and synthesize disciplinary depth with breadth of interests, vision, and skills for successful interdisciplinary research careers in industry or academia.
Interdisciplinary options:
- Applied Mechanics and Materials
- Computational Science and Engineering
- Computer Science and Information Systems
- Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Infrastructure, Environmental, & Fluids
- Machine Learning Data Science
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Research
The educational goal of the program is to prepare qualified scientists/engineers who can contribute significantly to society through their professional, scientific, and research activities.
To achieve these goals, PhD students will acquire breadth in scholarship and the ability to make original research contributions. Program options emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of modern research at the interfaces of engineering, the applied sciences, and technology.
At the completion of the program, you will have knowledge and skills in:
- computational and experimental research
- the nature and criteria for scientific inquiry
- theory building, synthesis, and application
- research design and theoretical perspectives in engineering
- multi- or interdisciplinary approaches to understanding complex systems
- technical communication within and outside their field
- experimental/computational techniques and approaches appropriate to their field
- ethical, social, and environmental consequences of engineering developments
The PhD in Engineering and Applied Science is a research-intensive program.
A minimum number of core courses is required of all students in the program, with additional course work directed by the student’s faculty advisor and supervisory committee based on the student’s area of interest. Committee members must be selected from at least 2 different disciplines, and the planned curriculum must result in cross-training in 2 or more disciplines.
Students complete a significant, original research investigation and write a dissertation based on it that is defended publicly.
EAS options require a minimum of 66 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. Of the 66 credits, a minimum of 36 semester credit hours must be course work and a maximum of 30 credit hours may be allotted to doctoral research.
Program overview: outline of curriculum requirements for program options
The PhD degree program in Engineering and Applied Science features a wide array of interdisciplinary research on complex problems at the intersection of engineering, applied science, mathematics, and technology.
Students and faculty work together to advance innovation in three broad areas that address critical human needs:
- engineering in medicine and biology
- energy and environmental science and engineering
- computing and intelligent systems
UMassD advantages
The College of Engineering has multiple instructional and research facilities located in five campus buildings: Dion, Science & Engineering, Violette, Research, and Textiles. The Textiles building is currently undergoing major renovations to modernize and expand research space for graduate students in the EAS PhD program.
Experimental facilities include integrated laboratories for research in:
- environmental engineering
- energy and fluids
- mechanics and structures
- materials characterization and testing
- robotics
- acoustics
All laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation and data acquisition capability.
Computational facilities include:
- High-Performance Computing Cluster (HPCC) for high-fidelity dynamics simulations (HFS)
- large-scale data mining/management/analysis
- image processing and feature recognition
- additional computer laboratories for computer-aided engineering and numerical analysis
The above facilities are vital for the development of cross-cutting toolkits to enhance research and development in interacting biological, chemical, medical, physical, business and finance and engineering phenomena associated with interdisciplinary research.
Additional equipment is available to students through participating faculty from other colleges and schools across campus and at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in nearby Fall River, MA.
A limited number of assistantships are available on a competitive basis. This award is subject to the work needs of the position and department, your satisfactory performance of duties, your academic record, and availability of funds, and may be subject to change.
International (F-1) students who receive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees may be eligible to apply for a 24-month extension of their post-completion optional practical training (OPT). To learn about the eligibility criteria and detailed steps to apply, please review the International Student & Scholar Center (ISSC) OPT page and USCIS resources. F-1 students must consult with the ISSC to apply for STEM OPT.