PhD Plan of Study

Overview

This interactive tool helps Electrical & Computer Engineering PhD students and their advisors build and track a complete plan of study. Fill in each panel from top to bottom, and the Requirements Dashboard on the right will update in real time to show your progress toward degree completion.

• Work through the form with your advisor, then Save Plan to download a JSON file you can reload later.
• Use View Report to generate a printable text summary for submission or records.

Student Information

• Enter the student's full name and UK Student ID.
• Pathway — select the appropriate entry path:
  • UK Undergrad (Standard) — completed a UK bachelor's in ECE or related field.
  • UK Undergrad (AMP) — Accelerated Master's Pathways; up to 12 hours of graduate courses taken as a UK undergraduate count toward the PhD. (AMP replaced the University Scholars Program, USP; a plan saved with USP opens as AMP.)
  • External — bachelor's degree from another institution.
• Select the Start Semester/Year and Faculty Advisor.

AMP Credits

This panel appears only when the pathway is AMP. List each graduate course taken as a UK undergraduate under the Accelerated Master's Pathways — course, hours and grade — up to 12 hours. They count exactly like courses taken in the PhD: in the GPA, toward the core courses, and toward the 36 pre-QE hours and the ECE and 600–700 level requirements.

• Only courses at the 500 level and above qualify. Per the Graduate School, 400G–499G courses do not count for graduate credit for AMP undergraduates, so any 400-level course here is flagged and earns nothing.
• AMP credit is for a student who comes to the PhD without an MS. A student with a completed MS (a UK MS included) receives block credit for it instead; the AMP courses were part of that MS and are not listed again.
• AMP credit and individual transfer credit cannot be combined: list one or the other.

Summer Courses

Use this panel to add courses taken during summer semesters. Each course has a dropdown to select which summer it was taken in. Summer courses count toward all degree requirements (credit hours, core courses, GPA, ECE hours, etc.) but do not affect full-time status checks.

Transfer Credits

• Select the student's Prior Degree. What you enter next follows it.
• US MS / UK MS / Foreign MS: a completed MS receives block credit for the degree — 18 hours for an MS from an accredited U.S. university (a UK MS included), 12 for one from outside the U.S. Enter the institution, year and hours; hours typed past the block are reduced to it. It is credit for the degree, so there is no per-course grade requirement.
• UK MS: do not list the UK MS courses in the semester grid, nor any AMP courses (they were part of the MS). The 18-hour block already counts them; listed again they would count twice. The form does not detect grid duplicates, so check it when reviewing a plan.
• No prior MS / UK Post-Bacc (no MS): list each graduate course transferred from elsewhere — course, institution, hours and grade — up to 9 hours in total. Only courses graded B or better count; a course below B is flagged and earns nothing. UK post-baccalaureate graduate courses are transferred this way.
• Transfer grades do not enter the GPA, and transfer hours count toward the 36-hour pre-QE total but not toward ECE department hours or the core courses.
• MS block credit, individual transfer and AMP credit are three alternatives; none combines with another.

RA/TA Funding

• If the student holds a Teaching Assistantship, select the semester they will complete TA Training.
• If applicable, select the semester for the Language Screening requirement (required for non-native English speakers serving as TAs).

Qualifying Examination

• The Written Qualifying Exam tests breadth of knowledge in core ECE areas. Select the semester taken and result (Passed or Waived).
• Refer to ECE Graduate Handbook Section 8.5 for detailed QE policies and timelines.

Semester Course Planning

The main grid shows semesters from your start date through the 10-year degree window. For each semester:

• Adding courses — type a course prefix and number (e.g., EE 611) in the input box. As you type, matching courses appear in a dropdown. You can also select from the dropdown directly.
• Credit hours — auto-filled for known courses; editable for variable-credit courses.
• Grades — select the letter grade once earned. Future semesters can be left blank.
• Color-coded badges appear next to each course:
  • Core — one of the 6 core courses (EE 611, EE 621, EE 640, EE 641, EE 661, EE 685). You must complete at least 3 of 6.
  • Special — dissertation/research/seminar credits (EE 749, EE 757, EE 767, EE 780, EE 783, EE 790, EE 595).
  • DGS Approval — courses that need Director of Graduate Studies approval.
• Semesters are color-coded by timing: past (green tint), current (blue border), and future (default).
• Use the × button to remove a course row.
• UK MS holders: do not list the courses of your UK MS in the grid. The 18-hour block credit (Transfer Credits) already counts them, and listing them would count them twice.

Requirements Dashboard

The sticky sidebar on the right tracks all degree requirements in real time:

• Green checkmark — requirement met.
• Red X — requirement not yet met.
• Tracked requirements include: pre-QE credit hours (36), core courses (3 of 6), ECE department hours (at least 24), GPA minimums, qualifying exam status, and more.

Before Oral Qualifying Exam

This panel unlocks after 36 pre-QE credit hours are reached:

• Dissertation Committee — select at least 5 members: 4 ECE faculty (the dissertation director, who chairs, plus 3 others) and at least 1 member from outside the ECE Department.
• Check off Advisory Committee Formation and Request to Schedule QE as completed.
• Record the Oral QE result once taken.

Post-Qualifying Residency

After passing the oral QE, the student must complete at least 2 semesters of post-qualifying residency by enrolling in EE 767 (Dissertation Residence Credit) each semester. The Before Graduation panel unlocks after this residency is complete.

Before Graduation

• This panel unlocks after the oral QE plus 2 semesters of post-qualifying residency (EE 767).
• Checklist items include: Notification of Intent to Schedule Final Exam, Request for Final Examination, defense scheduling, dissertation defense, ETD submission, and Application for Degree.

Enrollment, Full-Time Status & Tuition

Full-time enrollment requirements and tuition change as a student progresses through the PhD program. See the UK Tuition & Fees page for current rates.

Phase	Courses	Full-Time Requirement	Tuition
Pre-QE coursework (first 36 credit hours)	Regular coursework; use EE 790 (Research in EE) to reach 9 hrs when finishing coursework	≥ 9 credit hours	Full-time tuition rate
Oral QE semester (EE 757)	EE 757 — Preparation for Qualifying Exam (2 hrs). Taken the semester the student intends to take the oral QE.	2 credit hours = full-time	Per-credit-hour rate (not full-time tuition)
If oral QE not passed	Return to EE 790 (Research in EE) to reach 9 hrs until the next QE attempt	≥ 9 credit hours	Full-time tuition rate
Post-QE residency (EE 767)	EE 767 — Dissertation Residence Credit (2 hrs). Taken every semester after passing the oral QE until graduation.	2 credit hours = full-time	Per-credit-hour rate (not full-time tuition)

Saving & Loading

• Save Plan — downloads a file containing all form data, named from the student name: POS_EE_PhD_<Name>.json. You are asked for an optional password (entered twice). With a password the file is encrypted and named POS_EE_PhD_<Name>.enc.json; leave it blank to save without one. Keep the password — an encrypted file cannot be opened without it.
• Load Plan — opens a file picker to load a previously saved file, asking for the password if it was encrypted. All fields are restored.
• Send to DGS — encrypts the plan so only the Director of Graduate Studies can open it, downloads it as POS_EE_PhD_<Name>_DGS.enc.json, and opens an email to the DGS. Attach the downloaded file to that email before sending — a web page cannot attach it for you. You cannot reload this file yourself; keep your own Save Plan copy.
• Clear All — resets every field to its default. Use with caution (you will be prompted to confirm).

View Report

Generates a formatted text report summarizing the entire plan of study. The report opens in a new window and can be printed or copied. This is useful for submitting the plan to the Graduate School or sharing with your advisor.