Proposal & Advancement to Candidacy
Once a student has passed their qualifying exam, successfully completed the coursework listed on their approved Plan of Study, and obtained committee approval for their dissertation proposal, the student is eligible to advance to Ph.D. candidacy. Students must be advanced to candidacy at least six months prior to the date on which their Ph.D. degree will be conferred.
What is the dissertation proposal?
The dissertation proposal is a formal presentation of the research a Ph.D. student plans to undertake as the basis for their Ph.D. dissertation that is prepared in written form and accompanied by a visual component during the presentation under the guidance of the student’s advisor(s). This presentation provides a students dissertation examining committee the opportunity to review the proposed research plan and provide feedback and advice on how the student should move forward with their dissertation.
When do I need to present my dissertation proposal?
- Students in the Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. program who matriculated with an M.S. degree from an approved engineering, math, or science program must successfully present their doctoral dissertation proposal no later than the end of the 4th semester following matriculation into the Ph.D. program. In the event the proposal is not approved, the student will be given until the end of the 5th semester to gain the approval of a proposed dissertation topic.
- Students in the Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. program who matriculated with a B.S. degree, or whose admission status is changed from the M.S. program to the doctoral program, must successfully present their doctoral dissertation proposals no later than the end of the 6th semester following their matriculation into the Ph.D. or M.S. program, whichever occurs first. In the event the proposal is not approved, the student will be given until the end of the 7th semester to gain the approval of a proposed dissertation topic.
- All students in the Reliability Engineering program must successfully present their doctoral dissertation proposals no later than 2 semesters following their completion of the Qualifying Examination. In the event the proposal is not approved, the student will be given 1 additional semester to gain the approval of a proposed dissertation topic.
How should the dissertation proposal document be formatted?
The dissertation proposal document can follow the dissertation format of the Graduate School: single-spaced, 12-point type, and one-inch margins all around. The content can be organized as follows:
- Motivation
- Literature Survey
- Problem Statement
- Proposed Research
- Roadmap and timeline for completion of dissertation
- Plans for publishing, data sharing, and software sharing
- All questions regarding the formatting of the written dissertation proposal materials should be directed to the student’s advisor. For further formatting suggestions and tips, please email MEGA@umd.edu.
How should the presentation be conducted?
The dissertation proposal is to be submitted to each member of the Examining Committee by 12pm, one week prior to the scheduled proposal presentation.
The dissertation proposal presentation should not be open to the public but the Dissertation Committee may extend invitations to outside parties of their choosing. It is at the discretion of the Dissertation Committee whether the student must present their proposal to the whole committee on a single occasion or may present their proposal to individual members at different times. It is also at the discretion of the Dissertation Committee whether such presentations should be 100% virtual, hybrid, or 100% in-person. The presentation should last between 20 and 30 minutes for a total duration between 1 and 1.5 hours, including questions.
What happens if my dissertation proposal is not approved by my committee?
Students who are unable to secure the approval of a proposed dissertation within the time limits set forth above will not be allowed to continue in the Ph.D. program. Such students will be permitted to remain in the program for 1 additional semester, after which their graduate admission will be terminated. Under no circumstances will such students be considered for readmission into the doctoral program.
What do I do after I successfully present my dissertation proposal?
Please submit the following materials to megrad@umd.edu in order to initiate the candidacy process:
- A pdf copy of the proposal.
- A pdf copy of the cover page of the dissertation proposal that includes the signatures of all committee members (handwritten or digital).
- A pdf copy of the student’s most recently approved plan of study.
- An Application for Admission to Candidacy; the student’s advisor must sign the application before it is submitted to the Graduate Office; we will collect the Director of Graduate Studies’ signature.
The candidacy process will not be initiated until all of the materials listed above are submitted. The Graduate Office must receive these materials by the 20th of the month in order for the candidacy advancement to be effective the first day of the following month, barring exceptional circumstances. Students will not be enrolled in ENME or ENRE 899 credits until the following semester.
Am I eligible to receive an M.S. along the way after I have completed my dissertation proposal?
Following admission to candidacy, students without an M.S. degree in their corresponding discipline may request to obtain an M.S. along the way by submitting a Request for Inclusion or Transfer of Credits (if utilizing graduate credits not used for a previous graduate degree from another University or graduate program outside of ENME/ENRE) and an Approved Program Form to megrad@umd.edu in a timely manner.
Students must also submit an Application for Graduation under the M.S. non-thesis option through Testudo by the deadline set by the Graduate School and ensure that they are registered for at least 1 credit in the term they expect to receive their degree in. Please note that students cannot receive two degrees in the same semester, so students who successfully apply for and obtain their M.S. along the way will need to apply for their Ph.D. degree clearance in a later semester.
How will I know that I have officially advanced to candidacy?
Once a candidacy application is approved, the student will receive a confirmation letter via email from the Graduate School; the student must forward this letter to megrad@umd.edu and mehr@umd.edu in order to complete the candidacy process.