EC4000 Introduction to Doctoral Research

The main objectives of the course are to foster interaction among the doctoral students and the department faculty and to promote excellence in research. Additional objectives of the course are to prepare the doctoral students to initiate the screening and qualifying steps of the program, to undertake dissertation research, and to publish and present research results. Along with an overview of the ECE Ph.D. program, the course provides guidance on the program preliminaries, such as the screening and qualification exams and minor requirements, and the dissertation research process. A broad overview of the current research problems in the field of electrical and computer engineering relating to the needs of national defense and in the ECE department in particular is presented. Students in the early stages of their program will be exposed to ongoing dissertation research and advances in the field through research presentations delivered by doctoral students in the research phase of their program, NPS faculty and outside researchers. The course provides the opportunity for doctoral students at all levels of progress to meet once a week to discuss their research, share ideas, rehearse conference presentations and dissertation defenses, and to gain exposure to a diversity of research topics and ideas. Graded on Pass/Fail basis only.

Prerequisite

Approved ECE Ph.D. student or Consent of the ECE Ph.D. Program Committee.

Lecture Hours

2

Lab Hours

0

Course Learning Outcomes

  • To foster interaction among doctoral students and the department faculty and to promote excellence in research.
  • To provide orientation for students in early stages of the program to initiate the screening and qualifying steps of the program.
  • To help students who have completed the screening phase of the program to undertake dissertation research and to publish and present research results.
  • To provide a forum for making presentations of student research results.
  • To bring NPS faculty and external speakers for presentations and seminars on contemporary research topics of interest to ECE doctoral students.