Admission to Candidacy will be granted when the student has satisfactorily passed the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination (AE 6999). The Qualifying Examination is intended to measure each student’s fundamental knowledge in two Curricular Areas to be chosen by the student from the following: Fluid Dynamics; Propulsion and Energy; Flight Dynamics and Controls; and Materials and Structures. The AE 6999 Ph.D. Qualifying Examination is graded using a Pass/Fail system as determined by a) the results from the written Candidacy Test in the two Curricular Areas chosen by the student and b) the student’s performance in graduate courses taken at WPI in the same two Curricular Areas.
The written Candidacy Test is typically offered during the first week of B and/or D term. A student will be tested on material from two (2) graduate courses of their choice in one AE Curricular Area and on material from one (1) graduate course of their choice in a second AE Curricular Area. In the term preceding the written Candidacy Test, a student must inform the Graduate Coordinator about their selection of the two Curricular Areas and the three courses. The written Candidacy Test is graded using the Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory Performance (SP/NP) grading system and has no retake.
If a student fails to register or fails to earn a Pass in the AE 6999 Ph.D. Qualifying Examination prior to completion of 18 credits after admission to the Ph.D. program, the student must withdraw from the Ph.D. program by end of the B term or D term of the year registered for the Qualifying Examination.