The Ph.D. dissertation describes the results of a research project and demonstrates that the candidate possesses powers of original thought, talent for research, and ability to organize and present findings.

Dissertation Advisory Committee

The student presents and defends a written Ph.D. proposal to a Dissertation Advisory Committee of at least five faculty members approved by the Robotics Program Committee. The Dissertation Advisory Committee consists of five or more members where:

• At least three members must be faculty affiliated with the Robotics Program or from the student's Home School (CoC, AE, BME, ECE, ME).
• At least two members must be from outside of the student’s Home School

Ph.D. Dissertation Proposal

The objective of the Ph.D. Proposal is to allow an early assessment of your chosen topic of research for the satisfactory completion of the doctoral degree. The proposal should delineate your specific area of research by stating the purpose, scope, methodology, overall organization, and limitations of the proposed study area. The proposal must include a review of the relevant literature and indicate the expected contribution of the research.

The proposal should be organized as follows:

• Summary - limited to 200 words.
• Table of Contents
• Project Description - a clear statement of the work to be undertaken. Limited to 15 pages single spaced (30 pages double spaced)  and including all graphic elements and tables.
• Bibliography

Pages should be of standard size (8½" x 11"; 21.6 cm x 27.9 cm) with minimum 1" or 2.5 cm margins at the top, bottom, and on each side. The minimum type font size is 10 to 12 points.

Dissertation Defense

The dissertation, when completed, must be publicly defended before an Examination Committee approved by the Graduate Studies office. In most instances the Examination Committee is expected to be the same as the Dissertation Advisory Committee. If a candidate should fail to pass the final oral examination, the Examining Committee may recommend permission for one additional examination. It is expected that the dissertation results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and conferences.

Details on preparing and submitting a dissertation according to institute guidelines are available at http://www.grad.gatech.edu/thesis/thesis_man.html .

Residency Requirement

“Doctoral students must spend at least two full-time semesters in residence at the Georgia Institute of Technology and ordinarily must complete research for the dissertation while in residence” (Georgia Tech 2006-2007 General Catalog, p. 129).