The doctoral degree, i.e. the Ph.D., is primarily intended for students desiring a career in research andor collegiate teaching. The focus is on advanced ECE topics, on learning to perform research and to write research papers, and on making fundamental new contributions to an ECE topic. Students take advanced course work and write a doctoral dissertation, also called a thesis. Program Overview: Students newly admitted to a doctoral program are classified as precandidates. Upon entering a doctoral program, there is a Ph.D. qualifying process, normally completed during the first two years. After all requirements except the dissertation are completed, students become candidates. Students entering the ECE doctoral program with a bachelor’s degree typically become candidates in the third year and and are strongly encouraged to complete the degree within five years. Such students ordinarily complete the requirements for a master’s degree along the way and receive this degree in addition to the Ph.D. A masters thesis is optional. Students who enter the ECE doctoral program with a master’s in the field of their program typically become candidates in their second year and are strongly encouraged to complete the degree within four years. Such students are not ordinarily eligible to receive an additional master’s degree. Plasma science and engineering (PSE) is the discipline investigating fundamental transport and reaction chemistry of partially ionized gases and their application to technologies ranging from lighting sources, lasers and sensors to materials processing, biotechnology, microelectronics fabrication and space sciences. PSE has incredibly broad and strategic impact on national and economic security, and providing societal benefit. Modern microelectronic devices could not be fabricated in the absence of plasma etching, deposition and cleaning processes. Thin film solar cell technologies depend upon plasma deposition to be economically viable. Fabrication of biotechnology devices depends on plasma processes to harden artificial joints and prepare biocompatible surfaces on tissue scaffolding. Interplanetary probes are powered by plasma thrusters. Although focused on applications, PSE is also rich in fundamental science challenges. The recently released National Research Council report Plasma Science: Advancing Knowledge in the National Interest identifies key science challenges, including: a) basic interactions of plasmas with organic materials and living tissue, b) quantifying the behavior of plasmas that contain chaotic and stochastic processes, c) very high power density plasmas and microplasmas, and d) stability of very large area and high pressure plasmas. Specialties: Computational and theoretical plasma science; Environmental, Biotechnology and Medical applications of plasmas; Plasma Fabrication and Plasma Based MEMS Devices; Plasma Materials Processing of Microelectronics; Plasma photonic sources.