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Q: What are the advantages of taking the ECE PhD preliminary exam while I am in the MS degree program?
A: Students who pass the ECE PhD preliminary exam have a higher success rate of securing a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) position at GT-Atlanta, if they wish to pursue PhD studies there. After enrolling in the GT ECE PhD program, students who have passed the ECE PhD prelim exam in the MS phase will not need to take the prelim exam again. Check the ECE Graduate Handbook for additional details.
Q: I will be in school the fall, spring, and summer semesters to finish the GT MS ECE degree. How many chances do I have to pass the prelim exam?
A: ECE PhD prelim exams are offered during March (spring semester) and October (fall semester) of each year. Students admitted into the graduate program as M.S. students and wish to become Ph.D. students are allowed to take the preliminary examination while in the M.S. program. However, students classified as Ph.D. at the time of admission must pass the Ph.D. Preliminary Examination within their first four semesters (not counting the summer) in the program. All Ph.D. students are permitted three opportunities to take the exam while enrolled in the ECE graduate program at Georgia Tech.
Q: I plan to join the GT-Shenzhen program in the fall semester and complete the MS ECE degree the following fall semester. How many chances do I have to pass the prelim exam?
A: ECE PhD prelim exams are offered during March (spring semester) and October (fall semester) of each year. Based on your program plan, you will have three chances to take the prelim exam – during the first October, the next March, and the second October. Even if you will be spending a semester doing internship, you can still participate in the prelim exam that semester. Note that if you fail the prelim all 3 times, you will not be eligible to apply to the GT ECE PhD program any more, now or in the future.
Q: I plan to take the ECE PhD Preliminary Exam. On the prelim exam registration form, I am asked to select a primary area of interest for PhD research. Does it have to be the area that I entered in my ECE graduate application? Does it affect how I should complete the MS Coursework Form?
A: The area that you select on the PhD prelim exam registration form and the area(s) that you indicated on the ECE Graduate Application form do not have to be identical; both are for information and planning purposes and are not-binding. They do not affect how your MS Coursework Form should be completed.
Q: What is the format of the ECE PhD preliminary exam?
A: It is a 4-hour, closed book, closed notes exam on undergraduate materials. The exam consists of 24 problems; each student must select 8 problems to work on and submit for grading. Students are only permitted to bring pencils, pens, eraser, and a basic scientific calculator – trigonometric and log functions can be used but the calculator must not have programming modes. The passing score for the preliminary exam is 65 out of 100. Be sure to read the preliminary exam study guide.All students who take the preliminary exam will have to choose one of two exam options: CompE or EE. Each of the two options will consist of a core, which is a set of 4 fixed classes, and electives, which is a set of 4 classes that the student chooses to work.Each student will receive a total of 24 problems and choose if they are CompE or EE option after seeing the exam. Each student will turn in 8 problems: all 4 core problems for the chosen option, plus 4 electives that they choose from the remaining pool. The choice of electives can be made from the other core (for instance, if a student chooses EE core, they can work one or more of the CompE core problems as electives).
Q: Will the GT College of Computing (CoC) recognize my ECE PhD prelim exam results?
A: No. Doctoral programs at the CoC have an entirely different set of requirements.
Q: How do we transition from the GT-Shenzhen MS ECE program to the GT-Atlanta ECE PhD degree program?
A: First, pass the ECE PhD prelim exam at the earliest opportunity. Keep your GT GPA high (minimum GPA of 3.5 is required for the PhD program). Approximately 6-9 months before the start of your planned PhD studies at GT-Atlanta, you can contact selected professors to inquire about Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) opportunities. If any professor agrees to sponsor you, please inform the GT-Shenzhen Office about the GRA arrangement. You will need to fill out a simplified internal application for the ECE PhD program. After that application is accepted, we will arrange for the ECE Graduate Office and the Registrar’s Office to switch your campus from GT-Shenzhen to GT-Atlanta, once you have completed your GT MS ECE degree. Your I-20 form will be requested at that time.
Q: I have completed two semesters of coursework at GT-Shenzhen and have passed the ECE PhD prelim exam. I have contacted a GT-Atlanta professor and received a GRA offer from him to study for the PhD. Can I transfer to GT-Atlanta now?
A: Most professors offer the GRA position because the student will come in with the GT MS degree. If all parties are “on the same page” regarding the student’s qualifications and intentions, the student can transfer to GT-Atlanta with the J-1 (not F-1) visa, as an Exchange Student.
Q: If I pass the ECE PhD preliminary exam, earn the GT ECE MS degree, and begin my GT ECE PhD studies at a later date, do I have to take the preliminary exam again?
A: Currently, there is not an expiration date for the PhD preliminary exam results so you will not need to take the exam again once you have passed it.
A: Students should upload the electronic or scanned version of their homework to their account in T-square. You can use the scanner found in any GT-Shenzhen office. Remember to include a cover sheet to each homework assignment. The GT-Shenzhen office scans all exam papers and submits to DLPE.