2008–2009 - Florida Institute of Technology

Course Work and Dissertation Summary
Doctoral course work minimum beyond the master’s degree ...................24
Doctoral research and dissertation ...........................................................24
TOTAL MINIMUM BEYOND THE MASTER’S DEGREE .................48
Curriculum
A minimum of 24 credit hours of course work beyond the master’s
degree and at least 24 credit hours of Dissertation Research
(ECE 6999) are required.
The student’s adviser and the department head must approve a
program of study. A wide degree of latitude is allowed in course
selection and research interest within the capability of the university
and the student’s academic background. This requirement
is imposed at the discretion of the doctoral committee.
After admission to doctoral candidacy, a yearly seminar demonstrating
progress must be presented to the graduate faculty.
Electrical Engineering _______________________
The doctor of philosophy degree is offered to students who
want to pursue advanced research in an area of existing faculty
expertise. The doctoral degree is granted in recognition of high
achievement in a program of study, required examinations and
original research in the field of electrical engineering.
Admission Requirements
Admission to doctoral study is granted to applicants who have
received master’s degrees in electrical engineering or related
fields from accredited institutions or from international institutions
that provide suitable preparation for doctoral-level studies.
Included with the application should be a short, clear statement
of the applicant’s interests and objectives. An on-campus
interview is highly recommended, although not required for
admission.
General admission requirements and the process for applying are
presented in the Academic Overview section of this catalog.
Degree Requirements
The degree of doctor of philosophy is conferred primarily in
recognition of creative accomplishment and ability to investigate
scientific or engineering problems independently, rather than for
completion of a definite course of study. The work will consist of
advanced studies and research leading to a significant contribution
to a chosen research area.
The doctoral program in electrical engineering may be completed
with a minimum of 48 credit hours beyond the master’s degree.
Each student must complete an approved program of study
beyond that required for a master’s degree, pass a comprehensive
written examination, complete a program of significant original
research, and prepare and defend a dissertation concerning the
research.
General degree requirements are presented in the Academic
Overview section of this catalog.
Course Work and Dissertation Summary
Doctoral course work minimum beyond master’s degree .........................24
Doctoral research and dissertation ...........................................................24
TOTAL MINIMUM BEYOND THE MASTER’S DEGREE .................48
Curriculum
A minimum of 24 credit hours of course work and at least 24
credit hours of Dissertation Research (ECE 6999) beyond a
master’s degree are required. Up to nine credit hours outside of
76 Florida Tech
electrical and computer engineering can be counted toward the
degree.
The student’s adviser and the department head must approve a
program of study. A wide degree of latitude is allowed in course
selection and research interest within the capability of the university
and the student’s academic background. This requirement
is imposed at the discretion of the doctoral committee.
After admission to doctoral candidacy, a yearly seminar demonstrating
progress must be presented to the graduate faculty.
reSeArch
Current areas of research include image processing, electromagnetics,
computer vision, neural networks, speech processing,
wireless communications and pattern recognition. These activities
are being carried out in relation to the following general areas
of research interest.
Electromagnetics: Applied and computational research is conducted
in order to manipulate electromagnetic fields. Antennas,
frequency selective surfaces, high impedance ground planes,
and bandgap structures are designed and analyzed using computational
tools, then tested for validation. The ability to model
electromagnetic properties of complex structures requires
full-wave analysis with finite element, method of moments or
finite difference techniques. RF measurements are conducted
in the antenna laboratory that houses an anechoic chamber and
screen room.
Image Processing: Much of the research is directed at basic problems
and contributes to the solution of major national problems
in vision and image processing. These include automated object
detection and perception, computer imaging, modeling and
other areas of image analysis. Techniques being used include
traditional techniques and others that include wavelets, fractals,
higher-order statistics and morphology. Application areas include
autonomous inspection in manufacturing and other commercial
uses. Projects include the fusion of infrared and visible imagery,
and denoising of imagery using advanced methods. In addition,
many of the techniques in image processing are being applied to
speech processing.
Lightwave and Optronics Laboratory: Research includes unique
fiber-optic devices and techniques using modal multiplexing,
allowing communications channels to operate with expanded bit
rates and optical encryption and switching devices. Fiber-optic
sensors are developed for 2-D and 3-D structural health monitoring
of strain and material failure; environmental parameters
such as temperature, pressure, magnetic field, ammonia, pH and
salinity; and other sensors, such as level sensors for cryogenic,
combustible and corrosive liquids, hydrogen leak detection and
intrusion detection sensors for homeland security applications.
Instrumentation includes tunable lasers, optical spectrum analyzers,
optical power meters, bit error rate test sets, fiber amplifiers
and digitally controlled attenuators, fiber-optic transmitters and
receivers, optical time domain reflectometers, fiber splicers
and customized data processing systems for data acquisition
and signal processing. The work is also used for the design,
development and analysis of nano-junction-based electronic and
photonic devices.
Microelectronics Laboratory: See the Institution Overview section
of this catalog.