PhD Program Description
The PhD program in Mechanical Engineering requires a minimum of 18 credit hours of course work beyond the master's degree. The student is expected to pass a two part PhD Qualification Examination. In addition, the student is expected to complete an original dissertation based on independent research that makes a significant contribution in his/her area of research. The thesis is the principal component of the doctoral program, and the part that will serve as the major indicator of a candidate's abilities. A minimum of 30 credits registered as thesis work is required. (to apply online please go to this link: http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webadmit/)

Course Requirements
The PhD program requires a minimum of 18 credit hours of course work beyond the master's degree. The program is composed of 6 credit hours of core courses of advanced study in mechanical engineering and mathematics, 6 credit hours of technical graduate level courses of advanced study in the student’s area of research (major course area requirements), and 6 credit hours of courses ( in a minor specialization area of study, selected by the student, in a field different from the major field of study. The minor specialization, 6 credit hours of courses, must be taken outside of the Mechanical Engineering Department. Minor requirement could be satisfied through courses previously taken in the master degree program. This however, will not reduce the required minimum of 18 credit hours of course work needed beyond the master’s degree.

Advisors
After admission into the department, a general advisor will be assigned to the PhD student to guide her/him with the initial selection of courses and to introduce the student to the various research areas in the department. The student must select a thesis advisor by the end of the first semester after admission to the program. The student must seek the faculty members that are in the student's area of interest, and discuss with them possible research topics for the PhD thesis. Once a thesis advisor is identified, the student will develop a Proposed Program of Study that lists the courses the student intends to take and the proposed dates for the written and oral Doctoral Qualifying Examinations. The Proposed Program of Study must then be submitted to the ME Graduate Committee for approval.

Course Requirements
The PhD program requires a minimum of 18 credit hours of course work beyond the master's degree.

Core Course Requirements
At least 6 credit hours of core courses of advanced study in mechanical engineering are needed to satisfy this requirement. The core requirement is as follows:

1- A mandatory advanced course in mathematics (3 credits) from outside the ME department. The adviser must approve the selected math course and all other courses taken by the candidate. The math core requirement is satisfied if the student has completed at least 6 credits of advanced math beyond the bachelor’s degree.
2- At least one advanced fundamental mechanical engineering course (3 credits) from any of the basic areas; thermal-fluid sciences; mechatronics; and design, materials and manufacturing. The course should not be in the student’s major research area and must be approved by the graduate thesis adviser.

Major Course Area Requirements
Doctoral candidates are expected to pursue course work that directly supports their research and addresses recommendations made during the qualification period by their advisor and thesis committee. The following major course areas are offered:

Thermal and Fluid Sciences
Mechatronics
Design, Materials and Manufacturing

The major course area is a program of advanced study which gives the candidate both depth and breadth in a field of engineering or science. The student is expected to complete at least 6 credit hours of technical graduate level courses (600 level and above) in the student’s major area of research as approved by his/her thesis advisor. The FEA Graduate Studies Committee may approve other major course areas than those listed above. The major course area requirements represent the principal component of the candidate's coursework.

Minor Subject Requirements
The minor is a program of advanced study that will help the student to develop knowledge and some competence in an area related to the major field of study. Two graduate courses (not less than 6 credits) must be taken in a coherent field that is different than the major field of study. These subjects cannot be taken in the ME department but may be taken in other engineering or basic science departments. Some of this requirement could be satisfied through courses taken during the master’s degree program. This however will not reduce the required minimum of 18 credit hours of course work needed beyond the master’s degree. All courses taken in the minor area must be graduate courses and must be taken while the student is registered in the graduate program at the AUB. The minor program must be approved in advance by the student's thesis committee, and by the FEA Graduate Studies Committee. The approval of the department offering the minor should also be sought.

B. PhD Qualification Examination
The qualification examination for admission to PhD candidacy has two parts. Part 1: the Written Qualification Examination must be completed before the end of the second semester of enrollment in the doctoral program. Part 2: Oral Qualification Examination must be completed within one year following the completion of Part 1.

The purpose of the qualifying examination is to determine whether the applicant possesses the attributes of a doctoral candidate: mastery of the core mechanical engineering disciplines, ingenuity and skill in solving unfamiliar problems.

The oral and written qualifying examinations will be held at end of the fall and the spring semester every year.

The Mechanical Engineering faculty will review each student's performance in the qualifying examination and decide whether he or she passes or fails. Students who fail sections of Part 1 may be permitted to take that section of the examination again, in which case they must do so the next time it is offered. In no case will a student be allowed to repeat any section of this examination more than once.

Part 1: Written Qualification Examination
Students must demonstrate that they have mastered the concepts of advanced calculus, solution of differential equations, and computational methods.
The student must take four sections of the Written Qualification Examination in four sub-disciplines which are normally selected from the list of topics below:

1) Applied mechanics
2) Materials and manufacturing processes
3) System Dynamics and Control
4) Design
5) Fluid Mechanics
6) Thermodynamics
7) Heat and Mass Transfer

Part 2: Oral Qualification Examination
Students must give a presentation on their proposed thesis research area to a committee comprised of the thesis adviser(s), thesis committee members, and other interested faculty. The proposed oral examination will include questioning by the committee to assess whether the candidate has sufficient background to perform research in their area. The oral examination may include a component in the student’s major core course area of studies. The criterion for passing requires that the research topic is of PhD standard, original, clear in its contribution to existing knowledge, and the proposed methodology is appropriate. A student who fails the oral qualification examination should repeat it within four months after addressing the comments of the Thesis Committee compiled by the Thesis Committee chair in the examination report.

C. Thesis Requirements
Following successful completion of the first part of the qualifying examination, all PhD candidates must submit a thesis proposal summarizing their thesis problem and the planned approach. The purpose of the proposal is to inform the department and faculty, in a concise statement, of the candidate's research program and those involved in it. It should explain what the student intends to do and how he/she intends to go about it. The thesis proposal must provide sufficient literature citation to indicate an awareness of previous work, and enough detail to show how the work is expected to advance knowledge in the field.
Doctoral Thesis Committee
The Doctoral Thesis Committee includes the primary adviser(s), other mechanical engineering faculty, and expert(s) of professorial rank from outside the department, Faculty, or other institutions of higher learning in Lebanon or abroad. The committee must have at least five members. The doctoral committee is usually chaired by the thesis adviser, unless he/she is not a member of the ME faculty, in which case a member of the ME faculty will chair the committee. At least one of the committee members must be from outside the ME department. The candidate may also invite qualified individuals from outside AUB faculty to serve as additional members of his/her committee. Although research collaboration is encouraged, research work previously accomplished at AUB or elsewhere, not under the supervision of a member of the FEA/AUB faculty, cannot be accepted in full or partial fulfillment of the thesis requirement. Note that the Doctoral Thesis Committee also serves as the examining committee for the Oral Qualifying Examination.

External Examiner
An external examiner of high standing from abroad will be nominated by the Chair of the Department in consultation with the thesis adviser, to review the thesis before the defense. Comments by the external examiner will be shared with the student and the student will be given an opportunity to revise the thesis and incorporate revisions in the work in a timely manner. The external examiner may choose to attend the thesis defense and participate in the deliberations.

All PhD candidates must defend their dissertation in an oral examination, open to the community, in which the candidate is examined by their committee.

Course Plan for PhD Students
All courses that are offered for the master’s program will also be offered as graduate courses for those in the PhD program.

Core Course Requirement
1. At least one math course offered outside the ME department and approved by the graduate student advisor.

2. The following is a list of recommended core courses by major areas

I. Thermal and Fluid Sciences: MECH 606, MECH 607, MECH 701
MECH 760, MECH 761, MECH 762.
II. Mechatronics: MECH 641, MECH 642, MECH 729, MECH 740
III. Design, Materials and Manufacturing: MECH 622, MECH 720, MECH 721

Major Area Course Requirement
Thermal and Fluid Sciences
MECH 602, MECH 603, MECH 604, MECH 606, MECH 607, MECH 663, MECH 665, MECH 701, MECH 702, MECH 703, MECH 751, MECH 760, MECH 761, MECH 762, MECH 764, MECH 765, MECH 766, MECH 767, MECH 768, MECH 769, and MECH 898.

Mechatronics
MECH 624, MECH 626, MECH 627, MECH 628, MECH 631, MECH 641, MECH 642, MECH 643, MECH 644, MECH 729, MECH 740, MECH 745, MECH 746, MECH 747, MECH 898.

Design, Materials and Manufacturing
MECH 622, MECH 624, MECH 625, MECH 626, MECH 627, MECH 628, MECH 630, MECH 631, MECH 633, MECH 634, MECH 641, MECH 642, MECH 720, MECH 721, MECH 729, MECH 736, MECH 740, MECH 769, MECH 898.

Seminar Course
Seminar Course: MECH 797 (no credit). The student must register for this course once a year.

PhD Thesis
MECH 899 PhD Thesis A minimum of 30 credits of thesis registration is required. A student may register for a maximum of twelve credits in any given semester. Thesis credit may be repeated as many times as necessary.

Graduation Requirements
A student can graduate at the end of any academic semester provided the student has satisfied the following requirements:

1. Passed all the required courses with a minimum grade of 80 in each graduate course.
2. Attained a minimum cumulative course average of 85 excluding courses taken prior to admission to the program.
3. Passed the Doctoral Qualifying Examinations: Part 1 and Part 2 as set by the department.
4. Successfully defended a thesis of original scholarly work.
5. Met the residence requirements and all pertinent AUB regulations.