PhD Programs
The Ph.D. Programs in Engineering and Computational Sciences at Tennessee State University provide advanced, research-driven education for students seeking careers in academia, industry, and innovation. Drawing on expertise across engineering and computer science disciplines, these multidisciplinary programs offer opportunities to pursue cutting-edge research and develop the knowledge and skills needed to address complex technological challenges in a rapidly evolving world.
Engineering and
Computational Sciences
The Ph.D. in Engineering and Computational Sciences ENCS is a multidisciplinary research-based program that integrates the strengths of various disciplines of computer science, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical and manufacturing engineering, civil engineering, and systems engineering. The curriculum provides advanced knowledge and research experiences in the following concentration areas: (1) Engineering Systems and (2) Computational Sciences. The program prepares graduates for successful engagement in research and development, academia, and various research-based engineering industries.
| Requirement | Hours | Description |
| Group I : PhD Common Core | 12 | 4 common courses for all PhD students. |
| Group II:
Concentration Core |
9 | 3 courses required for students in a specific concentration. Students Select Engineering Systems Concentration or Computational Sciences Concentration |
| Group III: Specialty Electives | 27 | 9 courses across specialty areas within a concentration. Should be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor and dissertation committee. |
| Group IV: Dissertation Hours | 24 | Dissertation research hours. |
| Professional Development and Ethics | 0 | This course will introduce PhD students to ethical issues related to the research enterprise and the responsible conduct of research, it will also cover topics related to professional development and preparation for careers in academia, research, and industry. |
| PhD Seminar | 0 | This course exposes students to the most recent research developments in the areas of Data Sciences, Cyber-Security, Networking and Engineering Systems Design, Modeling, and Manufacturing. Students attend weekly seminars delivered by invited engineers, computer scientists, and other professionals. Enrollment required each semester. |
| Total hours required | 72 |
Admission and Degree Requirements
Applicants to the Ph.D. in Engineering and Computational Sciences (ENCS) program must hold a master’s degree in engineering, computer science, or a related field. Exceptional students with a bachelor’s degree may also be considered. International applicants must satisfy the English proficiency requirements outlined in the current TSU Graduate Catalog. Unconditional admission requires a minimum master’s GPA of 3.30 and above-average performance in prerequisite coursework, including Differential Equations, Engineering Design, and Computer Programming.
Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA and complete 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. Degree requirements include passing the comprehensive written examination, successfully defending a dissertation proposal, completing and defending the dissertation research, and obtaining approval from the advisory committee and the Graduate School for the awarding of the Ph.D. degree.
ENCS Courses
| Course Name | Course Number | Credit Hours |
|
Group I: Common PhD Courses (12 Hours) |
||
| Advanced Computing | ENCS 6020 | 3 |
| Advanced Applied Mathematics | ENCS 6010 | 3 |
| Modeling and Simulation of Cyber Physical Systems | ENCS 6030 | 3 |
| Software Engineering or
Systems Engineering |
COMP 5100 | 3 |
| CISE 5040 | ||
|
Group IIA: Engineering Systems Concentration Courses (9 Hours) |
||
| Engineering Design Optimization | ENCS 6200 | 3 |
| Engineering Management And Quality Control | ENCS 6210 | 3 |
| Engineering Statistics And Probability | ENCS 6260 | 3 |
| Engineering Systems Concentration Specialty Electives (27 Hours) | ||
| Robotics, Control Systems and Manufacturing | ||
| Advanced Robotic Systems | ENCS 6110 | 3 |
| Artificial Intelligence Robotics | ENCS 7100 | 3 |
| Mechatronics Systems Design | ENCS 6120 | 3 |
| Principles of Cyber Physical Systems | ENCS 7110 | 3 |
| Systems Engineering and Modeling | ||
| Intelligent Systems and Machine Learning | CISE 5110 | 3 |
| Finite System Analysis | ENCS 6280 | 3 |
| Estimation Theory and System Identification | ENCS 7200 | 3 |
| Advanced Materials | ||
| Fundamentals of Nanomaterials | ENCS 5300 | 3 |
| Micro- and Nano-fabrication and Characterization Techniques | ENCS 6300 | 3 |
| Solid State Physics and Devices | ENCS 7300 | 3 |
| Transportation and Environmental Systems | ||
| Transportation Facilities Evaluation and Design | ENCS 6410 | 3 |
| Transportation and Environmental Sustainability | ENCS 6420 | 3 |
| Pavement, Environmental and Ground Water Design | ENCS 6430 | 3 |
| Environmental and Transportation Risk Analysis | ENCS 6440 | 3 |
| Thermal Sciences and Energy | ||
| Analysis of Modern Energy Conversion and Conservation Systems | ENCS 6530 | 3 |
| Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics | MEEN 5430 | 3 |
| Special Topics in Power Engineering | EECE 5330 | 3 |
| Group IIB: Computational Sciences Concentration Courses (9 Hours) | ||
| Advanced Algorithms Design and Analysis | COMP 5200 | 3 |
| Network Programming and Computing | COMP 6700 | 3 |
| Distributed Algorithm Design and Data Analysis or
Digital and Computer Communications |
COMP 6400 | 3 |
| ENCS 6960 | ||
| Computational Sciences Concentration Specialty Electives (27 Hours) | ||
| Data Sciences and Analytics | ||
| Hybrid and Relational Databases | COMP 5400 | 3 |
| Machine Learning | COMP 6200 | 3 |
| Data Mining | ENCS 6620 | 3 |
| HPC and Bio-Informatics | ||
| Introduction to High-Performance Computing | COMP 5520 | 3 |
| Introduction to Bioinformatics | COMP 5800 | 3 |
| Bioinformatics and Computational Biology | COMP 6100 | 3 |
| High-Performance Computing Applications | ENCS 7700 | 3 |
| Cyber-security and Networking | ||
|
Cryptography and Computer Security |
COMP 5720 | 3 |
|
Introduction to Cyber Security |
ENCS 6800 | 3 |
| Graph Theory and Networks Analysis | ENCS 7800 | 3 |
| Communications and Signal Processing | ||
| Digital and Computer Communications | ENCS 6960 | 3 |
| Machine Learning | COMP 6200 | 3 |
| Computer Vision | ENCS 7900 | 3 |
| Applied Signal Processing | ENCS 7930 | 3 |
| Group III: Other Courses (24 Hours) | ||
| Professional Development and Ethics | ENCS 7070 | 0 |
| PhD Seminar | ENCS 7080 | 0 |
| Dissertation Courses | ENCS 7090 | 24 |