Discipline Coordinator

Ganesh Thiagarajan, (816) 235-1288, ganesht@umkc.edu

Discipline-Specific Admission Requirements

1. The applicant must have a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in civil or mechanical engineering or related disciplines with a grade-point average of at least 3.0 in the last 60 hours of undergraduate engineering coursework. In addition, a GPA of 3.5 or better in all post-baccalaureate coursework is required. Pre-program requirements may be specified in case the bachelor's degree is in a discipline different than that to which the candidate is applying.
2. The student must demonstrate an aptitude for advanced-level work by obtaining a cumulative GRE score of at least 1100 (verbal + quantitative) and by ranking at least in the 85th percentile on the quantitative portion of the examination. GRE requirements may be waived if the applicant has passed the fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam.
3. TOEFL scores are required for international students without prior U.S. degrees. There are two TOEFL tests. One is paper-based; one is computer-based. A minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test (which corresponds to 213 on the computer-based test) is required.
4. The student must provide at least three recommendation letters from professors at previous institutions or mentors at work.
5. The applicant must provide a 500- to 750-word essay on his or her goals and objectives in pursuing the Ph.D. in the chosen fields.
6. Provisional admission may be granted if the minimum GPA and GRE requirements are not met, but other indicators promise the student's success in the program. To be fully admitted to the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program, the provisionally admitted student must obtain a grade of B or better in the first nine hours of coursework and submit a satisfactory GRE score within their first year of the program.

Suggested Compatible Co-disciplines

Core Program Requirements

A minimum of 60 credit hours of approved graduate coursework (300-level or higher) beyond the baccalaureate, including dissertation research hours (CIV-ENGR 5699, E&C-ENGR 5699 or MEC-ENGR 5699), are required. Of these, at least two-thirds must be at 5500/5600-level. The graduate coursework may include courses taken at UMKC or other institutions and approved for transfer by the student's supervisory committee. A minimum of 12 credit hours of dissertation research (CIV-ENGR 5699, E&C-ENGR 5699 or MEC-ENGR 5699) is required.

Example Minimum Requirements Beyond Master of Science Degree

A student electing engineering as co-discipline will be required to complete 12 credit hours in engineering graduate courses, of which at least six hours must be at the 5500/5600-level.

Qualifying Examination Guidelines

A qualifying exam will be completed by the Ph.D. student as a core program requirement. The exam will be administered by the graduate committee in conjunction with the research adviser in the first year of study. The exam will consist of two parts: (1) a written exam based on core areas in civil/mechanical engineering OR an engineering problem related to the student's emphasis area AND, (2) an oral defense of the exam and other discipline fundamentals or the problem solution. The department will keep a record of whether the student has passed or failed the exam. The student may request one more attempt to retake the exam in the event of a failed grade. The student will be recommended for termination from the doctoral program after two failed attempts.

Comprehensive Examination Guidelines