PhD in Electrical Engineering

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PhD in Electrical Engineering

The PhD program in Electrical Engineering (further in the text: PhD program), fully taught in English, is designed to provide advanced skills and a sophisticated knowledge base at the expert level for individuals planning a career in academia, industry and research settings in any of the subfields of the Electrical engineering discipline. The program focuses on the development of an in-depth understanding of the nature, implementation and evaluation of Electrical engineering principles and applications together with the growth of research skills. The current areas of research interest for the PhD in Electrical Engineering encompass a wide spectrum, with specific focus on priority areas for Kazakhstan, such as: power engineering; electronics, signal processing and communication, biomedical engineering, intelligent mechatronic systems, computer engineering.

The program requires a full-time dedication of the students and is expected to be completed in 4 years of studies, considered as 48 consecutive months, comprised of 8 regular (fall and spring) semesters and 4 summer terms. The minimum possible duration of the program is four academic years (8 regular semesters plus their 4 summer terms). Extensions beyond 4 years, for up to a maximum of total program duration of 6 years, require approval of the DGPC.

By the completion of the PhD program, students will be capable of designing and conducting independent, innovative, original and high-quality research related to a variety of topics in Electrical engineering. In addition, the program will prepare graduates for careers in an industrial and academic environment in the positions of university faculty members, senior researchers, engineers; and product developers.

Year 1: Fall Semester

(*) Course may be waived for NU graduates and replaced by a Level-8 course (core or elective) selected by the student’s supervisory committee and approved by the corresponding departmental committee. (**) All participating schools and departments with Level-8 courses

Year 1: Spring Semester

Year 1: Summer Semester

Year 2: Fall Semester

Year 2: Spring Semester

Year 2: Summer Semester

Year 3: Fall Semester

Year 3: Spring Semester

Year 3: Summer Semester

Year 4: Fall Semester

Year 4: Spring Semester

(*) 0 ECTS if thesis is not completed/defended

Year 4: Summer Semester

(#If not submitted/defended the following semester follows) (*) 0 ECTS if thesis is not completed/defended

Research Methods&Ethics

Course description: The course will facilitate the understanding of research planning and development, while enhancing the PhD student skills for reading, interpreting, writing and presenting his/her scientific and technical ideas to the peer community. The course will also deliver theory and examples of a variety of research methods and ethical principles associated to them.

Thesis Research

Course description: This course is designed to monitor progress and develop understandings, skills, and outlooks to conduct original, independent research at the PhD level. The student will develop (with the advisor’s guidance) a research plan at the beginning of the semester that will state a research problem/question/hypothesis, its background, outline a research strategy and experimental approach, method of data collection, interpretation and validation, and method of communication of the project results to others. The research plan is used as the basis for assessment of the student’s research progress.

Current Research Literature

Course description: This course is designed to provide students a directed focus on preparing a literature review on the topic of their interest in coordination with a faculty supervisor. The students are expected to develop a comprehensive review of the state of art and identify the major gaps in the field of research. They also develop critical assessment and comparison of the past literature, and present the work in the form of the term paper.