METU - DEPARTMENT OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

REGULATIONS FOR Ph.D. QUALIFYING EXAMINATION

The Ph.D. qualifying examination (a.k.a. Doctoral Comprehensive Examination) is composed of written and oral examinations, which are offered twice a year, in May and November. The examination is administered by the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination Committee and conducted by an examination jury consisting of 5 faculty members formed for each applicant, all according to Part 5 of the METU “Graduate Education Regulations.”

An applicant for the Ph.D. qualifying examination must choose one major field, and one minor field for the examination. The major and minor fields, which are described in detail below, have "Core Subjects" from undergraduate courses, and "Specialization Subjects" mostly from the elective and graduate courses. The examination covers all the core subjects in both the Major and the Minor fields, three specialization subjects from the Major Field, one specialization subject from the Minor Field and subjects in Mathematics.

Eligibility

• Ph.D. students on M.S. are required to take the Ph.D. qualifying examination within the first 5 academic semesters, while Ph.D. students on B.S. are required to take the examination within the first 7 academic semesters.
• The applicants must have completed their course work fully prior to their Ph.D. qualifying examination.
• The applicants who fail the examination for the first time, can take it once more in the following semester. Those who fail in both examinations are dismissed from the Ph.D. program.

Application

• A Ph.D. student who intends to take the qualifying examination must submit a petition to the Aerospace Engineering Department together with
  • the original copy of the document of English proficiency (KPDS, TOEFL etc.)
  • his/her major and minor fields of study, three major specialization subjects and one minor specialization subject. The study fields and specialization subjects are to be selected under the supervision of the applicant's advisor.
  • a list of suggested jury members (from major and minor fields of study, 2 members from other academic institutions).
• Once an applicant files an application and it is approved by the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination Committee, the applicant can no longer withdraw his/her application and therefore must take the exam. Otherwise (absence on the exam), the applicant is assumed to have failed the examination.

Examination

The Ph.D. qualifying examination consists of both a written and an oral exam. The Ph.D. qualifying examination is conducted in English.

• The written exam is performed in two sittings;
  • 1st Sitting: 3 questions from the Core Subjects of the Major Field, and 3 questions from the Core Subjects of the Minor Field (a total of 6 questions to be answered in 3 hours)
  • 2nd Sitting: 3 questions from the Specialization Subjects of the Major Field, 1 question from the Specialization Subjects of the Minor Field, and 1 question from Mathematics. (a total 5 questions to be answered in 2.5 hours)
  In the written examinations, applicants are required to answer only one out of two questions asked on each subject.
• The students who succeed in both parts of the written examination take an oral examination on the date determined by the applicant’s jury. The oral exam covers all the subjects in both major and minor fields selected, and lasts about 2.5 hours.

The successful and unsuccessful applicants are finally announced by the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination Committee.

Examination Fields

The doctoral qualifying examination covers the following four main aerospace engineering fields and Mathematics:

1. Aerodynamics
2. Aerothermodynamics and Propulsion
3. Aerospace Structures
4. Flight Mechanics and Control

The content and the coursework of every major field are grouped under two categories:

1. Core Subjects
2. Specialization Subjects

The core and specialization subjects for each main aerospace field and Mathematics are listed below.

AERODYNAMICS Core Subjects:

• Fluid Mechanics - AE244
• Aerodynamics I - AE341
• Aerodynamics II - AE342

Specialization Subjects:

• Computational Aerodynamics - AE443
• Hypersonic Flows - AE445
• Introduction to Helicopter Aerodynamics and Helicopter Design - AE446
• Turbulence Modeling for Engineering Flows - AE540
• Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics - AE541
• Turbulent Boundary Layers - AE542
• Internal Fluid Mechanics - AE543
• Advanced Airfoil and Propeller Theory - AE544
• Advanced Fluid Mechanics - AE545
• Computational Fluid Dynamics on Unstructured Grids - AE546
• Experimental Aerodynamics - AE547
• Fundamentals of Aerodynamic Noise - AE548
• Linear Stability Theory and Laminar-Turbulent Boundary-Layer Trans. - AE549
• Aircraft Icing - AE572

AEROTHERMODYNAMICS and PROPULSION Core Subjects:

• Thermodynamics - AE231
• Heat Transfer - AE331
• Propulsion Systems II - AE435

Specialization Subjects:

• Aircraft Engine Design - AE438
• Introduction to Rocket Technology - AE442
• Hypersonic Flows - AE445
• Space Propulsion - AE477
• Advanced Engine and Process Thermodynamics - AE531
• Advanced Aircraft Engine Design - AE532
• Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer - AE534
• Combustion in Engines - AE538
• Advanced Combustion in Engines - AE539
• Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics - AE541
• Internal Fluid Mechanics - AE543
• Computational Fluid Dynamics on Unstructured Grids - AE546
• Fundamentals of Aerodynamic Noise - AE548
• Theory and Measurement of Turbomachinery Flows - AE567
• Physics of Gases - AE577
• Non equilibrium Gas Dynamics - AE578

AEROSPACE STRUCTURES Core Subjects:

• Dynamics - AE262
• Applied Elasticity - AE361
• Aerospace Structures - AE362

Specialization Subjects:

• Design of Aerospace Structures - AE462
• Mechanical Vibrations - AE463
• Finite Element Applications in Aerospace Structures - AE464
• Theory of Plates - AE562
• Constitutive Modeling of Engineering Materials – AE563
• Wave Analysis and Wave Propagation in Structures - AE564
• Experimental Analysis of Vibrating Structures - AE568
• Mechanics of Composite Materials - AE569
• Aeroelastic Effects in Structures - AE 714
• Fatigue and Fracture of Aerospace Structures – AE718

FLIGHT MECHANICS and CONTROL Core Subjects:

• Flight Mechanics - AE372
• System Dynamics - AE383
• Automatic Control Systems I - AE384

Specialization Subjects:

• Automatic Control Systems II - AE483
• Inertial Navigation Systems - AE484
• Spacecraft Dynamics - AE486
• Computer Assisted Analysis of Aircraft Performance, Stability and Control - AE489
• Applied Orbital Mechanics - AE554
• Automatic Flight Control Systems - AE581
• Robust Control in Aerospace Systems - AE582
• Helicopter Dynamics, Stability and Control - AE584

MATHEMATICS

• AE501: Matrix algebra. Tensors. Complex analysis. Calculus of variations.
• AE502: Power series solutions of ordinary differential equations.Eigen-value and boundary-value problems. Fourier and Laplace transforms. Green's functions. Partial differential equations.