Topical Areas for Written Qualifying Examination (WQE)
Achieving PhD candidacy is contingent upon successfully passing a two-stage qualifying examination which is composed of a Written Qualifying Exam (WQE), followed by a Research Proposal Examination (RPE). For further details, please refer to the “PhD Research Milestones” section of this catalog.
The primary objective of the PhD Written Qualifying Exam (WQE) is to ensure that students pursuing a Doctoral degree in a particular concentration have graduate level understanding of the fundamentals of that concentration and evaluates the student’s ability to apply them to solve problems in three topical exam areas. The syllabi for the topical exam areas are taken from undergraduate courses in the College of Engineering at Khalifa University.
Students must register for the PhD WQE in Banner before the end of the Add/Drop period of the semester in which they plan to take the exams. The student must choose three exam topical areas from an approved list, in consultation with his/her Main Advisor. Students enrolled in the PhD with a concentration must select at least two of the three topical areas from the list specific to their concentration. Students pursuing a multidisciplinary PhD must select topical areas relevant to their particular fields of research.
The exams are coordinated by the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and the Chair of the relevant Department (or designee) and held twice per year over a one-week period. The duration of each exam is three hours. A minimum score of 73 percent is required to pass the exam for each topical area. Failing any topical area of the WQE will result in the student failing the entire WQE and placing him/her on Academic Probation Level 1. A failed WQE can be retaken only once and passed upon the next offering. If the student repeats the WQE, then 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. The student may opt to retake the exams in topical areas other than those he/she failed in at the first attempt. PhD students who fail the WQE at the second attempt will be placed on Academic Probation Level 2 and will be subject to dismissal from the PhD program.
The list of topical exam areas for each of the PhD in Engineering concentrations and their corresponding undergraduate course syllabi are given below. This list is subject to change.
Aerospace Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Aerodynamics
Topical Exam Area: Aerospace Materials and Manufacturing
Topical Exam Area: Astronautics
Topical Exam Area: Dynamics and Control
Topical Exam Area: Mechanics of Solids and Structures
Topical Exam Area: Thermodynamics and Propulsion
Biomedical Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Biochemistry
Topical Exam Area: Biomaterial Sciences and Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Biomechanics
Topical Exam Area: Biomedical Signals
Topical Exam Area: Genomics
Topical Exam Area: Molecular Biology
Topical Exam Area: Physiology and Anatomy
Topical Exam Area: Transport Phenomena
Chemical Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
Topical Exam Area: Mass Transport Phenomena
Topical Exam Area: Momentum and Heat Transport Phenomena
Topical Exam Area: Reaction Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Chemical Engineering Process Control
Civil Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Atmospheric Pollution
Topical Exam Area: Behavior and Analysis of Structures
Topical Exam Area: Building Design
Topical Exam Area: Construction Project Management
Topical Exam Area: Environmental Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Fluid Mechanics
Topical Exam Area: Geotechnical and Foundation Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Hydrology
Topical Exam Area: Pavement Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Transportation Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Water and Wastewater Treatment Technologies
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Algorithms and Computing Theory
Topical Exam Area: Artificial Intelligence
Topical Exam Area: Communication Systems
Topical Exam Area: Computer Architecture
Topical Exam Area: Computer and Network Security
Topical Exam Area: Computer Systems
Topical Exam Area: Control Systems
Topical Exam Area: Digital System Design
Topical Exam Area: Electromagnetic Waves and Propagation
Topical Exam Area: Electronic Devices and Circuits
Topical Exam Area: Integrated Microelectronic Devices and Technology
Topical Exam Area: Power Electronics
Topical Exam Area: Power Systems and Electrical Machines
Topical Exam Area: Signal Processing
Topical Exam Area: Software Engineering
Engineering Systems and Management
Topical Exam Area: Applied Statistics and Quality Control
Topical Exam Area: Engineering Economics
Topical Exam Area: Operations Research and Optimization
Topical Exam Area: Production and Facilities Planning
Material Science and Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Synthesis and Characterization of Materials
Topical Exam Area: Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Materials
Topical Exam Area: Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Materials
Mechanical Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Control and Mechatronics
Topical Exam Area: Dynamics and Vibrations
Topical Exam Area: Engineering Mathematics
Topical Exam Area: Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer
Topical Exam Area: Solid Mechanics and Strength of Materials
Topical Exam Area: Thermodynamics
Nuclear Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Reactor Systems Design and Analysis
Topical Exam Area: Nuclear Material Science Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Radiation Safety in the Environment
Petroleum Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Reservoir Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Drilling Engineering
Topical Exam Area: Production Engineering
Robotics
Topical Exam Area: Control and Mechatronics
Topical Exam Area: Signal Processing
Topical Exam Area: Computer Architecture and Networks