The major milestones in completing a PhD in mechanical engineering at ¾«¶«Ó°ÊÓ State are charted in the following table. For more information about these milestones, click on the corresponding table links.
University-wide requirements for earning a doctoral degree at ¾«¶«Ó°ÊÓ State are detailed on the .
| Milestone | Deadline | Reference links on these pages: |
| Meet with the MIME graduate advisor | Meeting should occur prior to end of first term in graduate school. |
Meet with Lynn via (after scheduling an appointment) |
| Major professor selection and graduate committee formation | Must be completed prior to program meeting. Major professor selection should occur prior to end of first term in graduate school. | |
| Make a rough sketch of proposed graduate coursework | Core coursework must be done prior to qualifying examination. Should occur prior to end of first term in graduate school. | |
| Ethical research training | Can be completed at ANY time, but it MUST BE COMPLETED before program of study approval. |
Step by step instructions for finding the correct ethical research training |
| Finalize program of study (POS) | Must be completed prior to program meeting. |
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| Ph.D. program meeting | This meeting must be convened but need not be scheduled through the graduate school. | |
| Qualifying examination | With MS: Before third term of Ph.D. program. With BS only: Before sixth term of Ph.D. program. |
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| Preliminary examination | At least six months after completing qualifying examination, and At least one full academic term before final oral examination. |
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| Thesis/dissertation completion | Must be completed prior to final oral examination. | |
| Arrange a final defense date and time | PLAN AHEAD! To find a time that works to get your five or more committee members and yourself together at the same time, in the same place may be challenging. Communicate with them often and early about how your research and thesis writing is progressing so that your committee members can let you know if they have a conference or other commitment you need to work around. | |
| Schedule a final defense of your thesis/issertation (Final Oral Exam) | No more than five years after completing preliminary examination. |