Graduate Programs: College of Engineering and Science

Administration

Dean
Hisham E. Hegab

Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies
Heath Tims

Associate Dean, Graduate Studies
Sumeet Dua

Executive Associate Dean, Research
Bala Ramachandran

Biomedical Engineering
Jim Palmer, Director
Steven A. Jones, Program Chair

Chemical Engineering
Jim Palmer, Director
Eric Sherer, Program Chair

Chemistry
Lee Sawyer, Director
Collin Wick, Program Chair

Civil Engineering
David Hall, Director
Jay Wang, Program Chair

Computer Science
Galen Turner, Director
Jean Gourd, Program Chair

Construction Engineering Technology
David Hall, Director
Norm Pumphrey, Program Chair

Cyber Engineering
Galen Turner, Director
Miguel Gates, Program Chair

Electrical Engineering Technology
Galen Turner, Director
Michael Swanbom, Program Chair

Industrial Engineering
Katie Evans, Director
Jun-Ing Ker, Program Chair

Mathematics and Statistics
Katie Evans, Director
Dave Meng, Program Chair

Mechanical Engineering
David Hall, Director
Henry Cardenas, Program Chair

Nanosystems Engineering
Lee Sawyer, Director
Sandra Zivanovic, Program Chair

Physics
Lee Sawyer, Director
Steve Wells, Program Chair

Address

More information about the College of Engineering and Science can be obtained by writing to

College of Engineering and Science
Louisiana Tech University
P.O. Box 10348
Ruston, LA
71272
(318) 257-4647

and by visiting www.latech.edu/coes.

Graduate Degrees Offered

Master of Science Computer Science (MSCS)

Computer Science

Master of Science Engineering (MSE)

Engineering (with concentrations in Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Communication Systems, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering)

Master of Science Microsystems Engineering (Professional Track) (MSMSE)

Microsystems Engineering

Master of Science Engineering & Technology Management (MSEM)

Engineering and Technology Management (with concentrations in Engineering Management, and Management of Technology)

Master of Science (MS)

Mathematics
Applied Physics

Master of Science Molecular Science and Nanotechnology (MSMSNT)

Molecular Science and Nanotechnology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Biomedical Engineering
Computational Analysis and Modeling
Engineering (with concentrations in Cyberspace, Engineering Education, Engineering Physics, Materials and Infrastructure Systems, and Micro- and Nano-scale Systems)
Molecular Science and Nanotechnology

Graduate Certificates Offered

Graduate Certificate in Communications Systems
Graduate Certificate in Six Sigma, Black Belt

Requirements for Admission

Students seeking admission to a graduate program are required to have an earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and must satisfy the admission requirements outlined under the “Graduate School” section of this Catalog. An official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score is required for admission, but this requirement may be waived for exceptionally qualified students. Academic programs within the College may have additional requirements, and these are published on the respective program web pages.

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is available to qualified graduate students in the form of a limited number of graduate assistantships. Out of state tuition is waived for students who are awarded assistantships. A limited number of fellowships are available to students in the doctoral programs; these fellowships may also include a full tuition waiver.

Graduate assistants are required to be full-time students (enrollment of 6 semester hours of graduate credit per quarter). The maximum load allowed is 9 credit hours per quarter for a graduate assistant.

Theses and Dissertations

A required element of the Master of Science degree (thesis plan) is a thesis describing the student’s research which is approved by the student’s Advisory Committee, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Dean of Graduate School. See the subsection on “The Thesis” in Chapter 15 of this Catalog for more details.

A required element of the doctoral programs is a dissertation describing the student’s research, approved by the student’s Advisory Committee, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Dean of Graduate School. See the subsection on “Research and Dissertation” in Chapter 15 of this Catalog for more details.

Submission of Thesis/Dissertation Proposals

Proposals describing the work to be done for a thesis (MS) or dissertation (Ph.D.) are required. Thesis proposals (MS) are due during the student’s second quarter of enrollment in the given degree program and dissertation proposals (PhD) are due during the student’s fourth quarter of enrollment.

Change of Thesis or Dissertation Advisor

After a thesis/dissertation proposal has been submitted, the student may appeal for a change of advisor only under extreme circumstances. A written request for a change of advisor, including a description of the circumstances leading to the request and an explanation of why the student believes this is the only course of action remaining to be explored, must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies. The final decision on the matter rests with the Dean of Graduate School. If the appointment of a new advisor is appropriate, a new thesis/dissertation topic may also have to be adopted.

Presentation of Thesis/Dissertation Research

An oral presentation of each student’s research for thesis or dissertation is required, which will be open to all faculty and students. This requirement may be waived only in cases where disclosure of classified or proprietary information is unavoidable.

The Masters’ Degree Programs

General Requirements

Thesis Plan. The student will be required to complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours (SCH) for graduate credit, of which a maximum of 6 hours will be earned in Research and Thesis. A minimum of 21 hours out of the 30 must be earned in courses open only to graduate students.
NonThesis Plan. A minimum of 36 SCH of graduate course work will be required, of which a maximum of 3 hours will be earned in Practicum. The practicum option is available in all MS programs except the professional MS degrees in the College. In this track, a maximum of 3 hours will be earned by taking the Practicum course and satisfying the requirements. The practicum shall involve an advanced topic approved by the student’s advisory committee. Also, a minimum of 18 out of the 36 hours must be earned in courses open only to graduate students. MS in Engineering also offers a coursework-only track, in which a minimum of 21 out of the 36 hours must be earned in courses open only to graduate students.
Professional track degrees. These require a minimum of 33 graduate hours of courses, as described under the specific degree programs that offer this option.

These minimum requirements apply to all Master of Science degrees offered by the College of Engineering & Science. Specific degree programs may have additional requirements, as stated below.

The exercise of these options and the choice of courses will be proposed as a Plan of Study by the student and his/her Advisory Committee subject to review and approval (in order) by the major program chair, the Director of Graduate Studies, the Dean of the College of Engineering and Science, and the Dean of the Graduate School. The transfer of graduate credit from another graduate institution, graduate credit by examination, graduate credit as a graduating senior, or credit earned other than as a regularly enrolled graduate student in the College of Engineering and Science at Louisiana Tech must meet all University standards and is also subject to approval as part of the Plan of Study. Courses taken for graduate credit while the student is registered in the non-degree category will not be applied to a degree program without approval by the student’s Advisory Committee and the Director of Graduate Studies.

A minimum Graduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 is required in order to maintain “good academic standing” while in graduate school. Additional information is given in Chapter 15 of the Graduate School section of this Catalog.

Individual Requirements

Individual programs may, upon approval by the Dean of the College of Engineering and Science, impose additional requirements, such as written comprehensive exams.

Programs

Master’s Degree Programs

Graduate Certificate

Doctoral Programs