The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is conferred in recognition of high attainment and productive scholarship. Admission to the Ph.D. program is a two-step process. First, the candidate must apply to the Admissions Committee for admission as a Ph.D. student. Admission will permit the student to begin working toward a doctor's degree. However, the student is not a doctoral candidate until he or she has passed a candidacy examination and been admitted to Candidacy. Admission to Candidacy will be based on:

- The academic record of the student.
- The results of a candidacy examination.
- The opinion of the Graduate Faculty of the Program and the Program Chair regarding his or her overall fitness for Candidacy.

Penn State's Graduate School allows 8 years from successful completion of the candidacy exam for completion of a doctoral degree. The Acoustics Program anticipates a student will complete the doctoral degree in approximately 5 years. Time to degree completion may vary more or less by 1 or 2 semesters based on the dissertation project.

 

 

 

 

 

Graduate Program in Acoustics, The Pennsylvania State University