PhD in Engineering Education - School of Engineering Education - Purdue University

There are two offices involved in the collection of application materials: the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Post Doctoral Scholars (OGSPS), formerly the Purdue Graduate School, and the ENE Graduate Programs Office. You apply using the electronic application system through OGSPS, and the ENE Graduate Office receives this information. Once we have received transcripts and an applicant file is complete, we review the file. The OGSPS sends applicants timeline reminders. If we find that you are missing information, the ENE Graduate Programs Office will reach out to you. Login into the OGSPS system if you wish to check the status of your application.

ENE applicants must meet the Purdue Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Post Doctoral Scholars (OGSPS) English Proficiency Requirements. However, ENE graduate work involves a great deal of reading and writing in English, and applicants should be ready to demonstrate they have the English proficiency necessary to be successful.

A Ph.D. degree from ENE requires 90 credit hours. The expected duration of the degree is unique to each student and greatly dependent on their research focus. It also is dependent on whether the incoming student possesses a master's degee. If a graduate student enrolls in 6-to-9 credits per semester, they are likely to complete the minimum required courses as well as their thesis or research work within four (4) years. For someone with a master's degree, the duration may be shorter.

Credits earned through a conferred degree (i.e. master's of science) come into the system as a number (up to 30 credits) rather than individual courses. Credits may apply to complete the Ph.D., but some credits may be too old. Appropriate completed coursework that is not part of a conferred degree might be considered for inclusion in a Ph.D. Plan of Study upon review by a advisory committee and head of the ENE Graduate Programs. Please be sure keep the syllabi from these courses.

Our program is known for its welcoming culture and active peer-mentoring. To get a sense of how our students describe this culture, view the virtual tour of the ENE research facilities.

Most of our Ph.D. graduate students in ENE are residential, full-time students. Our program does have a small number of part-time graduate students, as well. Some of these part-time students are self-funded and others are enrolled in a hybrid version of our program. The hybrid option is possible, but requires U.S.-citizenship, high commitment, funding considerations, and strong time-management skills. 

Our graduates pursue careers in academia, industry, policy/government, as well as self-employment and non-profit. However, the majority of our graduates pursue positions in academia. We have a strong mentoring initiative, a robust faculty and alumni network, and offer several opportunities for professional development including participation in professional societies. Our students engage in  career fairs and in professional organizations, such as the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), that help expand their network. 

It is becoming more common that applicants have prior research experience. As the admissions committee review applications, prior experience provides evidence of potential for success in graduate school. However, prior research is not a requirement as we review all supporting documents holistically. Regardless of your past experience, ensure you are familiar with ENE's research. Visit our website, review the research interests of our tenure-track faculty, check out our Google Scholar profiles, and read our articles. 

We want to see that you are familiar with our research, so review our website, check out our tenure-track faculty and Google Scholar profiles, and read our articles. We developed a glossary to help spell out key elements of strong application essays. The glossary gives applicants additional clarity into how to structure their Statement of Purpose, Research Statement, and Teaching Statement.

All applicants, whether they are domestic or international, are eligible for funding. Once you submit a formal application, it will be reviewed by our graduate committee. If you satisfy the formal requirements for admission, the committee can recommend your admission. Within our program the admission decision and funding decision are separate.

Not all students who are recommended for admission are offered funding. Faculty reviewers decide whether an applicant meets the qualifications for funding, and are responsible for making any offers. You may contact those faculty members whom you are interested in working with to discuss options.

In addition to funding opportunities initiated by ENE on behalf of the applicant, student-initiated funding may be available and it is up to the student to pursue those opportunities. 

We have had students admitted into our graduate program whose academic background was not in engineering (e.g., physics, mathematics, sociology, education). There are no formal prerequisites for admission; however, it is not uncommon for such students to be given a conditional admission in which the condition involves passing of a certain number of background courses that typically do not count toward meeting degree objectives. Our review process is essentially faculty-driven, so it's a good idea to communicate with faculty in your prospective interest area to see if your circumstances are favorable for admission.

Keep in mind that students without engineering backgrounds will be required to take nine (9) credits of graduate-level engineering courses as well as honestly self-assess whether their past educational background, technical/professional training, and/or work experience will support them in being successful in graduate engineering courses.