Doctoral candidates will have as their primary goal the completion of an original engineering/scientific contribution to the body of knowledge in the field of textiles. This contribution will be in the form of a written doctoral dissertation that will be defended in the presence of the faculty of Philadelphia University. During the first year of the program, students will complete required coursework, including a nine-credit hour (three courses) engineering minor. In a collaborative agreement with nearby Temple University, these graduate-level courses will be taken at the College of Engineering at Temple. The student’s doctoral committee may require additional courses to enhance the student’s research.

All courses will be taken in the first year of the doctoral program. Students will then be required to pass a two-part qualifying examination in the field of textile engineering. The first part is a written examination, and the second part is an oral examination. A major and a minor topic will be chosen by the candidate and the doctoral committee and agreed upon at least four months in advance of the examination. Dates for the written and oral exams will be selected by mutual agreement of the candidate and the committee members.

All members of the committee should be present for the oral examination. The written examination may be administered by the committee chair with input from other committee members. The result of the two-part qualifying examination will be a pass or a fail. Both the written and oral examinations should be completed by the end of the second semester of study. Upon the successful completion of the examination, students will be formally admitted to doctoral candidacy. This will usually occur after the first year of full-time enrollment. Students who fail the qualifying examination on the first attempt will be given one more chance, at the discretion of the committee, to improve their performance. In any case, the qualifying examination must be completed before the end of the second year of the student’s doctoral program. The candidate will then make a formal Ph.D. thesis proposal defense. Once approved by the doctoral committee students will conduct their doctoral research and subsequent dissertation. At the completion of a written dissertation, the candidate will give a formal and public thesis defense. Upon a successful defense the student’s candidacy will be completed, and upon the recommendation of the faculty of the Philadelphia University the candidate will be awarded the Ph.D. in the field of Textile Engineering and Science.