Electrical Engineering (Ph.D.)
Electrical Engineering Doctoral Program
A Ph.D. in engineering recognizes superior achievement in independent research and coursework, which demonstrates your capacity for original thought, talent, and an ability to organize and present findings. As an electrical engineering graduate student, you'll work with top scholars and industry leaders to develop your area of expertise.
University of Dayton faculty are nationally recognized as educators and researchers. They will support and guide you in a well-equipped learning environment, including seven dedicated computer labs with industry-specific software along with ten specialty laboratories. You will use state-of-the-art computational and engineering tools equipped with industry-specific software — MATLAB, FPGA, Altera, Xilinx, and Microsoft Visual Studio Pro, and simulation and design tools — ADAMS and ANSYS. Your graduate degree will take you to diverse work settings and prepare you for global, ever-evolving technologies.
A substantial amount of financial aid is available to support your continued studies. We offer competitive teaching assistantships, research assistantships and fellowships to some of our advanced students. We receive a large number of qualified applications each term.
- College Choice and U.S. News & World Report rate the University of Dayton's graduate engineering school in the top 60 in the nation
- No. 1 — Catholic university for sponsored engineering R&D
- No. 10 — nationally for federally sponsored engineering R&D
Areas of Research
- Applied electromagnetics
- Autonomous electric vehicles
- Avionics
- Biosensors, bioinstrumentation, and human performance
- Color science
- Control systems
- Electrical engineering
- Energy storage
- Machine learning and artificial intelligence
- Medical additive manufacturing and bioengineering
- Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)
- Multifunctional oxide thin films
- Nano-electronics
- Radar systems
- Robotics
- Signal and image processing
- Smart grid and power electronics
- 3D printed trusted electronics
- Wide area surveillance
- Wireless networks
Plans of Study
A minimum of 60 semester hours beyond the master’s degree:
- At least 30 semester hours of coursework, including
o ECE 500 - Introduction to the Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering
o At least 9 semester hours from an approved concentration
o At least 6 semester hours of graduate (post-B.S. degree) mathematics courses
o At least 3 semester hours of ECE696 Graduate Seminar - At least 30 semester hours of dissertation work, including
o Completion (or waiver) of the Preliminary Examination over coursework
o Completion of the Candidacy Examination
o Submission of a journal paper
o Completion of the dissertation document and oral defense
Admission Requirements
Applicants to the electrical engineering program should submit the following information in addition to the online application:
- Official academic records of all previously attended colleges or universities must be submitted directly from the colleges or universities to the Office of Graduate Admission Processing. Hand-carried transcripts, official copies marked Issued to Student and unofficial copies are not acceptable.
- Three letters of recommendation from professors or employers.
- Statement of research interests.
- Results from the GRE are not required. However, candidates are welcome to submit a score in support of their application.
Applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited program in engineering, physics, chemistry, applied mathematics or another related field of study. Applicants without an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering may be required to complete prerequisite coursework. Applicants should have at least a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average on a 4.0 scale on their undergraduate degree. Applicants should have at least a 3.25 cumulative grade-point average on a 4.0 scale on their master's degree.
Additional requirements apply for international students.
Application Deadlines
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with the following approximate deadlines:
- Fall Term: June 15th
- Spring Term: November 15th
- Summer Term: March 15th
Please contact your department chair to follow up on exact deadlines.
Financial Assistance
- School of Engineering Graduate Assistantship: The University of Dayton School of Engineering has several assistantship positions available for the academic year. Learn more about graduate assistantships here.
- Research Assistantship: Graduate students can receive monthly stipends and tuition support through the research grants/contracts from individual professors, based on half-time employment during the academic year and up to three months of summer employment. Contact individual professor for details
- Teaching Assistantship: Graduate students can receive teaching assistantships from the department for helping professors with undergraduate courses and laboratories. Contact department chair for details
- Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute: Student-faculty research fellowships are available through the Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute (DAGSI), a state-funded consortium of Ohio universities. As DAGSI participants, students have the added benefit of tuition-free coursework, using the libraries, computational and research resources (including the Ohio Super Computer System) from any DAGSI institution. More information is available at http://www.dagsi.org
- Other Scholarship Opportunities: We offer tuition scholarships and assistantships to exceptional incoming candidates from the department’s MUMMA foundation Contact department chair for details