PhD Program
The cross-disciplinary Ph.D. is uniquely designed to focus directly on rigorous research into teaching and learning in engineering contexts by combining established educational research methods with a thorough understanding of specific engineering content and practice.
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the program have the knowledge to:
1. Conduct and direct research in engineering education
2. Develop, review, and critique effective research designs
3. Effectively teach engineering subjects
4. Design and assess engineering courses
5. Address critical issues facing engineering education
Outline of Ph.D. Requirement
A minimum of 90 total credits beyond the Bachelor's degree, program of study subject to approval by student's advisory committee.
Minimum of 30 dissertation credits
6-credits graduate level Statistics
To be prepared for the qualifying exam, ENGE PhD students should have one semester of basic statistics (distributions and sampling through ANOVA, as in STAT 4604, STAT 5615, or SOC 5204) and one semester of experimental design (as in STAT 5616, SOC 5224, or STAT 5204). Students should also note that most statistics course sequences are fall-spring and very dependent on each other, so student should plan to start in fall and take the entire sequence (e.g. SOC 5204-5224, EDRE 6605-6606).
- STAT 5615-5616 or SOC 5204-5224 recommended for students with no prior statistics coursework.
Engineering graduate students with prior statistics courseswork (e.g. at undergraduate level) may request permission from the instructor to start in a second semester course, such as STAT 5616 or STAT 5204.
9-credit Education concentration* (coursework in School of Education)
15-credit Engineering (non-EngE) concentration* (coursework)
12 credits of coursework in Engineering Education
- ENGE 5014: Foundations of Engineering Education (3) Sample Syllabus
- ENGE 5404: Assessment Techniques in Engineering Education (3) Sample Syllabus
- ENGE 5504: Practicum in The Engineering Classroom (minimum 3) Sample Syllabus
- ENGE 5604: Engineering Education Research Methods (3) Sample Syllabus
Electives - 6 credits (5000 or 6000 level coursework in EngE or other discipline supporting student's research concentration)
Additional Information
Normally the student will have no more than 9 credits among 5974 and 5984 independent study/special study courses
At least 9 credits will normally be at the 6000 level, relevant to the student's research (do not have to be ENGE courses)
Up to 30 credits from a master's degree may be counted toward the Ph.D. at the discretion of the student's advisory committee
ENGE 5704: Engineering Education Graduate Seminar should be taken every semester and does not count toward the 90 credits
Eligibility
Admission for graduate study in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech is granted by a departmental review committee and/or the Department Head. Admission normally requires a bachelor's degree in engineering from an ABET-accredited engineering program.
For a regular student status, a student with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) for the last 60 semester hours may be granted regular admission status.
Occasionally, a graduate student is admitted on provisional status if the GPA for the last 60 semester hours is between 2.75 and 2.99. Upon completion of no fewer than 9 credit hours of course, the Graduate Committee may recommend that the student be admitted as a regular student. Provisional student status is allowed for no more than 12 semester credit hours. While on provisional status, a student must earn a GPA of at least 3.00. Students on provisional status are ineligible for financial aid. International students are not eligible for provisional status.