Doctor of Philosophy in Systems Engineering

The Doctor of Philosophy in systems engineering degree program is designed for students who plan careers in industrial or governmental research and development laboratories or problem-oriented agencies, as well as in the academic field.The field of engineering has evolved into a blending of disciplines that is well suited for dealing with such concerns as robotics and machine vision, electronic and communication systems, mechanics, material and manufacturing systems, fluid and thermal systems, dynamic systems and control, computer and microprocessor systems, industrial and production systems, and artificial intelligence and expert systems. The School of Engineering and Computer Science (SECS) is concentrating its efforts in these areas at the Ph.D. level.

​Official transcripts are required from all post-secondary educational institutions from which the applicant earned a degree (beginning with first baccalaureate) and all enrollment in graduate level course work beyond the bachelor’s degree.International university transcripts (educational credentials) must be evaluated by a professional credential evaluation service. Oakland University will only accept transcript evaluations completed by a NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation service) member organization.Applicants must submit official scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) if they graduated from an institution not accredited by a regional accrediting agency of the USA. The hosting department may choose to waive the GRE requirement if at least one of the following special circumstances is met:Applicant’s overall GPA from last degree is at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.Applicant has worked in the USA for at least two years in engineering or related profession.To request a waiver, applicants must submit a Request to Waive GMAT/GRE form to the Graduate School as part of the application packet. The request for waiver is subject to the approval of the Graduate Admissions CommitteeAdmission to Ph.D. program is selective; applicants should have an M.S. degree GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale or better for regular admission.If the applicant’s M.S. GPA is between 3.0 and 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, and the percentile score of the GRE Quantitative Reasoning section is 70% or better, admission with limited standing may be offered.Applicants from institutions with which Oakland University has an articulation agreement containing alternative admission criteria will be admitted according to the criteria in that agreement.Normally a master’s degree from an accredited institution is required for admission; however, students with outstanding undergraduate records may apply directly for admission to the doctoral programs.The Ph.D. in systems engineering program is designed for students with academic backgrounds in engineering and computing. Students with backgrounds in mathematics or the physical sciences may also be admitted to the program, but they will be required to build up basic engineering/computing knowledge through relevant coursework.