EE:S Program - How to Transition from EE:S MS to EE:S PhD

This is the process for EE:S students interested in changing to PhD program prior to completion of the MS degree:

1. Following the rules and timetable for the PhD qualification exam; take 4 courses approved for the Qual 1 exam during the first and second terms of enrollment.
2. Initiate a research relationship with a faculty member who is eligible to supervise EE:S students. (If your advisor is outside EECS, you must have the signature of an EECS faculty in addiiton to the outside faculty.)
3. Submit a Qual 1 application for the May and/or September exam which is signed by the faculty member with whom research has either begun or will begin in the summer.
4. Take and pass the Qual 1 exam.
5. Attain financial endorsement from an EECS faculty member (required for eligibility for the Qual 2 exam). If the student's advisor is outside EECS, the student may be advised to apply for the PhD in the advisor's department.
6. If receive financial commitment from faculty, complete the Rackham application for PhD (letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, etc. not required).

As indicated above, financial support in the form of a research assistantship from a faculty member is necessary (but not sufficient) for transitioning from MS to PhD. Attaining such financial endorsement is not guaranteed and hard to predict. In the last two years since our new PhD funding model was implemented, a relatively small number of students (less than 5 each year) in the MS program have transitioned to the PhD.