PhD Academic Plan of Study

Academic Plan of Study Admissions Degree Requirements Finacial Aid Qualifying Exams

In consultation with the graduate advisor, the student should complete a Plan of Study form and submit to the ECE Graduate Support Specialist by the end of the student’s second semester into the program. To complete the Plan of Study, the student would need the following:

  1. Identified an advisor and discussed his/her plans
  2. Determined the credits from his/her Masters’ program that can be counted towards the Ph.D. degree.
  3. Determined a tentative plan for completing credits to be taken at UNC Charlotte to meet the degree requirements for Ph.D.
  4. Identified at least two other members of the advisory committee
  5. Identified a tentative research topic for the dissertation

Transfer of Masters’ credits: The student should consult with the advisor and the Graduate Coordinator, if needed, to determine which courses from his/her Masters’ degree can be counted towards the Ph.D. degree. Typically, approved graduate level courses from accredited universities can be included. The student should fill out the Application for Transfer of Credit form from the Graduate School by attaching the list of courses to be transferred and the corresponding list of equivalent courses at UNC Charlotte in two tables (type them in an attachment page yourself) and a copy of the Master’s transcript, and submit to the ECE Graduate Support Specialist. The two lists should correspond in line numbers. The number of credits transferred should not exceed 30. Students who earned a Masters’ degree from UNC Charlotte also need to complete this form.

Completing the Plan of Study: The student should fill out the list of transferred credits in page-2 of the Ph.D. Plan of Study and include additional credits to be taken in the following page. Additional credits should include at least 12 credits of courses taken in ECE after joining the Ph.D. program and at least 18 dissertation credits. The Plan of Study should be approved and signed by the advisor and the chosen committee members before submitting to the ECE Graduate Support Specialist.

Students who have entered the Ph.D. program without a Masters’ degree would need to include additional courses at UNC Charlotte as recommended by the advisor to complete 72 credits beyond their baccalaureate degree.