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:

Student success

phd cybersecurity student gaspard baye in front of library staircase

Gaspard Baye '25

Gaspard Baye came to the U.S. from Cameroon to pursue his PhD at UMass Dartmouth. With a focus in cybersecurity and machine learning, Gaspard is researching novel ways to keep people and data safe. He has also been a highly engaged leader on campus, serving as president of the National Society of Black Engineers.

"At UMass Dartmouth, I have the opportunity to work closely with faculty who are experts in their field. To pose new ideas and have those ideas validated by faculty makes UMassD the top choice for me."

Program objectives

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

Degree requirements

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

Research areas

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.

Learn more about assistantships at UMass Dartmouth

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.

Graduate admissions requirements

University requirements for graduate admissions

Submit an application via the online portal. Be sure to provide your full legal name and to capitalize the first letter of all proper nouns.
Pay non-refundable $60 application fee (American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa) via the online portal. For Nursing applicants, the non-refundable application fee is $75.
Statement of Purpose, minimum 300 words. Unless otherwise indicated in the program requirement details, indicate your graduate study objectives, research interests and experience, and business or industry experience if applicable. If you are applying for a teaching or research assistantship, include any special skills or experience that would assist us in making assistantship decisions.
Resume
Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended (regardless of whether a credential is earned or not). Unofficial transcripts are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled a final official transcript is required. International students applying with an transcript evaluation, please submit that document with your unofficial transcripts. International applicants for Data Science must submit semester-by-semester transcripts as well as consolidated transcripts.
Many programs have specific recommendations/requirements, please see the additional program-specific requirements for more information.
International students: official TOEFL iBT, IELTS, Pearson PTE or Duolingo (if accepted by program) score. Unofficial scores are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled official scores are required and must be sent by the testing agency (copies/scans not accepted). This is required of any applicant who did not earn a bachelor’s degree or higher degree from an accredited academic institution in the U.S. or accepted English-speaking country, see exemptions for more details. We require an overall/total minimum score of 72 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.0 on the IELTS or a 52 on the Pearsons PTE Academic for entrance to any program and a minimum score of 79 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.5 on the IELTS for consideration for a teaching assistantship. Some programs require higher minimum scores (see program-specific requirements). Most programs also accept the Duolingo with a minimum score of 95. The following programs do not accept the Duolingo: Art Education, Biology/Marine Biology, Marine Science and Technology (MS, PSM, PhD), Nursing (MS, DNP, PhD), Psychology: Clinical, and Public Policy.
All official documents are required for enrollment, please have documents (ie. test scores) sent prior to the expiration.

Program-specific requirements

Candidates must submit the required application materials, university requirements and program-specific requirements, for consideration.

Students possessing a bachelor's or master's degree and a strong academic background in any of the four program tracks (Applied Mechanics and Materials, Computational Science and Engineering, Computer Science and Information Science, Industrial and Systems Engineering) or similar disciplines are encouraged to apply for admission to the EAS PhD program.
Generally, a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.00 (on a scale of 4.00) is required or a minimum graduate GPA of 3.25.
Applications indicating option preferences will be made directly to the PhD program and reviewed by admissions committees in the selected options. Admission is made by the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies and the Dean of the College of Engineering upon the recommendation of the EAS Graduate Program Director and the admissions director of the major option.

Requirements

GRE is waived.
2 letter of recommendation: from a person in the field of your academic major at the institution most recently attended or from a supervisor familiar with your recent job performance. Applicants will be required to provide the recommenders name and email address so we can contact the recommender for the letter of recommendation.
International students should have a minimum English Proficiency score of TOEFL iBT 90, IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 120 or the Pearsons PTE 60.

Program deadlines