PhD in Electrical Engineering

The PhD in Electrical Engineering program aims to produce graduates with the disciplinary preparation and ability to:

Synthesize scientific and technical electrical engineering knowledge to identify, formulate and solve research challenges, and effectively disseminate the results to a variety of
Work across multiple disciplines and develop their individual academic, professional and career focus.
Keep abreast of the latest advances in electrical engineering science that contribute to the advancement of knowledge for the benefit of society.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a PhD in Electrical Engineering will have the ability to:

Demonstrate appropriate breadth and depth of knowledge that is at the frontier of electrical engineering and areas of specialization.
Conduct and defend original independent research that results in significant contributions to knowledge in the field of electrical engineering and leads to publishable quality scholarly
Understand and value diverse methodologies and techniques for solving critical problems in research.

Verify, justify and evaluate the various aspects of the solution to a complex electrical engineering problem.
Communicate effectively and professionally, in written and oral forms, the major tenets of the field of electrical engineering and their work to a variety of audiences.
Demonstrate commitment to ethical behavior in research and professional
Contribute effectively in teams and collaborative

Regular PhD (With MSc)

The PhD in ELEN consists of a minimum 60 credit hours, distributed as follows: 3 credit hours of Program Core courses, 21 credit hours of Program Technical Elective courses, 36 credit hours of Dissertation research and two zero credit PhD Research Seminar courses. The technical background of the student will be assessed by a Written Qualifying Examination (WQE), followed by a Research Proposal Examination (RPE) which the student must successfully complete in order to progress further in the program. The components of the PhD program are summarized in the table below.

Program Component	Credit Hours
Program Core	3
ELEN 703 PhD Research Seminar I	0
ELEN 704 PhD Research Seminar II	0
ELEN 795 Written Qualifying Examination (WQE)	0
ELEN 796 Research Proposal Examination (RPE)	0
Program Electives	21
PhD Research Dissertation	36
Total	60

All the courses that the students will take are at PhD level.

Program Core (3 credit hours)

Students must complete the core courses listed below.

ENGR 701

Research Methods in Engineering

3cr

Program Electives (21 credit hours)

Students must complete a minimum of seven technical elective courses from the list below.

Subject to the approval of the dissertation Main Advisor, up to two elective courses (6 credit hours) can be taken from another relevant PhD program in KU.

The electrical engineering PhD elective courses are listed below (all 3cr)

ELEN 701	Power System Modelling and Control
ELEN 703	Embedded Generation Operation and Control
ELEN 706	Power Quality and FACTS Devices
ELEN 710	Analysis of Power Systems Over-voltages and Transients
ELEN 711	Advanced Power System Grounding and Safety
ELEN 714	Application of Heuristic Optimization Techniques to Power Systems
ELEN 720	Advanced Electromagnetics
ELEN 721	Analog Mixed Signal Design Techniques
ELEN 723	High Speed Communication Circuits
ELEN 751	Discontinuous Control Systems
ELEN 752	Nonlinear Control
ELEN 755	Cognitive Robotics
ELEN 756	Robotic Perception
ELEN 757	Control of Robotic Systems
ELEN 762	Voltage Source Converters
ELEN 773	Photonic Materials and Metamaterials Design for Engineers
ELEN 774	Advanced Photonic Integrated Circuits
ELEN 778	Physics and Manufacturability of Advanced Micro and Nano Devices
ELEN 781	The Physics of Solar Cells
ELEN 763	Computational Electromagnetics
ELEN 764	Advanced Antennas
ELEN 765	Power Distribution Networks Planning, Operation and Control
ELEN 766	Microwave Radar Remote Sensing
ELEN 794	Selected Topics in Electrical Engineering

PhD Research Dissertation (minimum 36 credit hours)

Students must complete a PhD Research Dissertation that involves novel, creative, research-oriented work under the direct supervision of a full-time faculty advisor from the Department of Electrical Engineering, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor. The outcome of research should demonstrate the synthesis of information into knowledge in a form that may be used by others. The research findings must be documented in a formal Dissertation and defended successfully in a viva voce examination. Furthermore, the research must lead to publishable quality scholarly journal articles.

ELEN 799

PhD Research Dissertation

36cr

Direct PhD (with only BSc)

The Direct PhD in EE consists of a minimum 72 credit hours, distributed as follows: 12 credit hours of Program Core courses, 24 credit hours of Program Technical Elective courses, 36 credit hours of Dissertation research and two zero credit PhD Research Seminar courses. The technical background of the student will be assessed by a Written Qualifying Examination (WQE), followed by a Research Proposal Examination (RPE) which the student must successfully complete to progress further in the program. The components of the direct PhD in EE program are summarized in the table below.

Program Component	Credit Hours
Core Courses	12
Technical Electives	24
ELEN 703 PhD Research Seminar I	0
ELEN 704 PhD Research Seminar II	0
ELEN 795 PhD Written Qualifying Exam	0
ELEN 796 PhD Research Proposal Exam	0
PhD Research Dissertation	36
Total	72

All the courses that the students will take are at PhD level. The students will only be able to attempt ELEN 795 PhD Written Qualifying Exam (WQE) after successfully completing a minimum of 27 credits of formal coursework.

Program Core (12 credit hours)

Students must complete the core courses listed below.

ENGR 701	Research Methods in Engineering	3cr
Select three courses from the list below:
ELEN 782	Linear Systems	3cr
ELEN 783	Power System Analysis	3cr
ELEN 786	Integrated Microelectronic Devices	3cr
ELEN 789	Electrical Measurements	3cr

Program Electives (24 credit hours)

Students must complete a minimum of eight technical elective courses from the list below.

Subject to the approval of the dissertation Main Advisor, up to two elective courses (6 credit hours) can be taken from another relevant PhD program in KU.

The PhD elective courses are listed below (all 3cr)

ELEN 701	Power System Modelling and Control
ELEN 703	Embedded Generation Operation and Control
ELEN 706	Power Quality and FACTS Devices
ELEN 710	Analysis of Power Systems Over-voltages and Transients
ELEN 711	Advanced Power System Grounding and Safety
ELEN 714	Application of Heuristic Optimization Techniques to Power Systems
ELEN 720	Advanced Electromagnetics
ELEN 721	Analog Mixed Signal Design Techniques
ELEN 723	High Speed Communication Circuits
ELEN 751	Discontinuous Control Systems
ELEN 752	Nonlinear Control
ELEN 755	Cognitive Robotics
ELEN 756	Robotic Perception
ELEN 757	Control of Robotic Systems
ELEN 762	Voltage Source Converters
ELEN 773	Photonic Materials and Metamaterials Design for Engineers
ELEN 774	Advanced Photonic Integrated Circuits
ELEN 778	Physics and Manufacturability of Advanced Micro and Nano Devices
ELEN 781	The Physics of Solar Cells
ELEN 763	Computational Electromagnetics
ELEN 764	Advanced Antennas
ELEN 765	Power Distribution Networks Planning, Operation and Control
ELEN 766	Microwave Radar Remote Sensing
ELEN 794	Selected Topics in Electrical Engineering

PhD Research Dissertation (minimum 36 credit hours)

Students must complete a PhD Research Dissertation that involves novel, creative, research-oriented work under the direct supervision of a full-time faculty advisor from the Department of Electrical Engineering, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor. The outcome of research should demonstrate the synthesis of information into knowledge in a form that may be used by others. The research findings must be documented in a formal Dissertation and defended successfully in a viva voce examination. Furthermore, the research must lead to publishable quality scholarly journal articles.

ELEN 799

PhD Research Dissertation

36

Criteria for Admission

Applicants for the PhD in Electrical Engineering (ELEN) must satisfy Khalifa University (KU) general graduate admission requirements as well as program specific requirements. The admission requirements are available on KU admissions webpage through the link below.

https://www.ku.ac.ae/postgraduate-admissions

Study Plans

Typical Study Plans for Students with MSc

Typical Study Plan for Students with only BSc

Typical Study Plan for Direct BSc to PhD admitted students

Typical Study Plan for Full-Time Students
	Semester 1	Semester 2
Year 1	ENGR 701 Research Methods in Eng. Core Course 1 Core Course 2 Core Course 3	Technical Elective 1 Technical Elective 2 Technical Elective 3 ELEN 799 PhD Research Dissertation
Year 2	Technical Elective 4 Technical Elective 5 ELEN 799 PhD Research Dissertation	ELEN 799 PhD Research Dissertation ELEN 795 PhD Written Qualifying Exam
Year 3	Technical Elective 6 ELEN 703 PhD Research Seminar I ELEN 799 PhD Research Dissertation	Technical Elective 7 ELEN 799 PhD Research Dissertation ELEN 796 PhD Research Proposal Exam
Year 4	Technical Elective 8 ELEN 799 PhD Research Dissertation	ELEN 704 PhD Research Seminar II ELEN 799 PhD Research Dissertation
Year 5	ELEN 799 PhD Research Dissertation	ELEN 799 PhD Research Dissertation Final Doctoral Dissertation Exam

All courses in the study plan are 3 credit hours each. PhD Research Seminars I & II are zero credits each.

Written Qualifying Examination (WQE)

The WQE for a PhD in Electrical Engineering consists of written examinations in three topical areas approved by the department. The topical areas are selected by the student with the approval of her/his advisor. The topical areas for a PhD in Electrical Engineering are the following:

Control Systems
Electromagnetic Waves and Propagation
Electronic Devices and Circuits
Integrated Microelectronic Devices and Technology
Power Electronics
Power Systems and Electrical Machines

Failing any of the above topical areas will result in the student failing the entire WQE. However, a failed WQE can be retaken only once and passed upon the next offering of the examination pending a written request from the student and the approval of the relevant department chair, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and the Dean of Graduate Studies. He/she will be required only to retake the exams in the topical areas that he/she failed during the WQE at the first attempt.

Program Learning Outcomes

Criteria for Admission

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