Energy Science and Engineering Ph.D. program

The PhD in Energy Science and Engineering is a new doctoral program specifically associated with the Bredesen Center. This new PhD provides both breadth and depth while ensuring a solid grounding in scientific fundamentals for research. Topical areas have been chosen to resonate with Department of Energy priorities and industry needs, with a tailored integration of graduate courses across disciplines to provide deep expertise in a chosen specialty. The core requirements provide a broad overview of subjects related to energy, while research topics are designed to be approached from an interdisciplinarily perspective. This new degree program encourages innovation and entrepreneurship, including an opportunity for business plan development and implementation in collaboration with the UTK College of Business Administration.

Bredesen Center graduate students will join interdisciplinary research teams at ORNL and UTK, which will expose them to large-scale, problem-oriented research and development, foster their ability to work across disciplinary boundaries, encourage them to approach research problems from new directions, and strengthen their ability to work in teams. Students will be encouraged to develop their research in the context of potential solutions to important national problems, and will be given the tools and support to follow an entrepreneurial path consistent with their interests.

The Energy Science and Engineering Fellowship offers an annual stipend of either $28,000 or $30,000, a tuition waiver, and health insurance for PhD candidates pursuing research in one of the preceding areas of focus.

Energy Science and Engineering as a concentration

The Bredesen Center welcomes applicants that choose to pursue energy-focused graduate studies through other academic departments. Students would still be part of the Energy Science and Engineering program and work on dissertation research with one of the Bredesen Center faculty, but may choose to work towards a conventional PhD in one of the participating science or engineering departments with a concentration in Energy Science and Engineering. These students would complete ESE 511 and 512 (Introduction to Energy Science and Technology [6 credits total]), at least 3 hours from the Knowledge Breadth Curriculum, and 3 credit hours of topical seminars. All seven departments in the College of Engineering are establishing an ESE concentration as part of their doctoral program, as are the science departments in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Specific Degree Requirements for the PhD in ESE

Click here for a Full Description of the ESE Ph.D. Requirements

The Ph.D. requires a completing a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond those earned in a bachelor’s or master’s degree, including the completion of all courses outlined in the section on Core Requirements. Of this number, a minimum of 24 hours of 600-level Doctoral Research and Dissertation and six hours of 600-level coursework will be required.

After one year in the program, each student must take a qualifying examination. A student must pass the qualifying examination to proceed in the PhD program.

No later than the end of the second year following entrance into the PhD program, each student must take and pass a comprehensive examination that includes presentation and approval of the proposed dissertation research. After passing the comprehensive exam, the student will be admitted to candidacy. Admission to candidacy indicates that the student has demonstrated the ability to do acceptable work in the area of study and has made satisfactory progress toward the degree. This action usually connotes that all prerequisites to admission have been completed and the program of study/research has been approved (see details in a later section).

After completion of the dissertation, prior to graduation, each student must pass a dissertation defense examination administered by the student’s doctoral committee.