Revised May, 2026
Students are expected to register for at least 10 credits applicable toward their degree in each quarter during the nine-month active academic year. A minimum of 90 credits must be completed for the Ph.D. degree. A master's degree in a relevant field of study from the UW or another accredited institution may be used as a substitute for 30 credits of enrollment and will be applied only after the successful completion of the General Exam per Policy 1.1: Graduate Degree Requirements - UW Graduate School . A minimum of 60 credits must be completed at the University of Washington. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 must be maintained.
1. Preparation
The PhD qualifying exam is a major milestone used to evaluate a student’s readiness for doctoral-level research. The exam has two components: coursework requirements and a research-focused component. For detailed requirements and guidance on planning your course of study, please visit Qualifying Exam Requirements | Industrial & Systems Engineering.
2. Take the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam
During the first one to two years of study, students work in close consultation with their Research Advisor to plan and complete all required coursework. To demonstrate readiness for doctoral‑level research, students must complete a faculty‑guided research project and present their work to a qualifying exam committee. When completing the qualifying exam, students are required to submit a concise written report (not to exceed 15 pages) and deliver an oral presentation followed by a question‑and‑answer session with the committee. Evaluation is based on the student’s depth of understanding, command of research methodologies, quality and clarity of analysis and communication, professionalism, and demonstrated potential for independent research. Students who fail the qualifying exam twice may be recommended for termination from the PhD program.
3. Establish the Doctoral Supervisory Committee
In the quarter following successful completion of the Qualifying Exam, students should begin establishing their Doctoral Supervisory Committee. This committee provides guidance on the student’s research, evaluates the General and Final Examinations, and approves graduation.
The Doctoral Supervisory Committee must be established no later than four months prior to the intended date of the General Examination and must consist of a minimum of four members. The Committee Chair must be a tenured, tenure‑track, or adjunct faculty member in the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering; for direct‑admit students, the Chair is typically the previously established Principal Investigator (PI). At least two members, including the Chair or co‑Chairs, must be tenured, tenure‑track, or adjunct ISE faculty. The Graduate School Representative (GSR) must be a member of the Graduate Faculty from another department and hold an endorsement to chair doctoral committees. To establish the Supervisory Committee, students must complete the Request to Establish a Ph.D. Supervisory Committee form and submit it, with all required signatures, via email to the ISE Advising Office at isemengr@uw.edu.
Note: If all committee members cannot be accommodated on a single page, please use additional copies of the form and submit all pages together to the email address listed above.
4. Successfully complete the Ph.D. General Examination
General Examination should be scheduled at least two weeks before to the end of a quarter. Prior to scheduling the General Examination, you must complete 60 credits, with at least 18 credit hours of 500-level courses. A master's degree from the UW or another institution may be used as a substitute for 30 of these 60 credits. When you are ready to schedule the General Examination, follow the following steps.
At least a month in advance- students must login to MyGrad and review your committee information for accuracy. To establish the Supervisory Committee, students must complete the Request to Establish a Ph.D. Supervisory Committee form and submit it, with all required signatures, via email to the ISE Advising Office at isemengr@uw.edu. After the academic advisor establishes the requested committee, students will log into MyGrad again and submit their "Request for General Examination".
Two weeks before the exam- email isemengr@uw.edu the abstract for your presentation and to your committee members the draft of your dissertation.
Candidacy is awarded upon completion. Registration and completion of credits as a graduate student is required the quarter the exam is taken and candidacy is conferred.
5. Complete necessary dissertation credits
The candidate must register and complete a minimum of 27 credits of dissertation (IND E 800) over a period of at least three quarters. Students are not allowed to register for IND E 800 credits prior to the quarter in which they take the general exam. At least two quarters must come after the student passes the General Examination.
6. Establish the Ph.D. Reading Committee
For most students this committee will be the same one that heard their General Exam.
To meet the basic Graduate School requirements, a doctoral Reading Committee must consist of a Chair and two additional members, all being voting members from the student's Supervisory Committee. The committee must be established before a "Request for Final Examination" is submitted to the Graduate School. To establish the Reading Committee, follow the steps outlined above.
7. Successfully complete the Ph.D. Final Examination
The Ph.D. Final Examination serves as the defense of the students' dissertation. Ensure that the entire Committee has received and had an opportunity to read a draft of your dissertation before approaching the advising office. Full or part-time registration is required the quarter the Final Examination is taken and the degree is awarded.
At least one month prior to the intended examination date, students must log in to MyGrad to review Supervisory Committee information for accuracy and submit the Request for Final Examination.
No later than two weeks prior to the examination date, students must email the dissertation abstract to isemengr@uw.edu and distribute the full dissertation to all committee members to allow adequate time for review prior to the defense.
8. Submit the Signed PhD Committee Signature Form and Dissertation to the Graduate School
If the Final Examination is satisfactory, the Supervisory Committee members who participate in the examination sign a form, which is promptly provided to the ISE Advising Office by the Chair of the Supervisory Committee. After the student has incorporated all of the committee's comments into the dissertation, the student should follow up with the reading committee to obtain all required electronic reading committee approvals of your dissertation by the deadline (last day of the quarter at 11:59PM). The student has 60 days after the Final Examination to electronically submit the final approved dissertation to the Graduate School. Registration as a graduate student is required the quarter the Final Examination is taken AND the quarter the dissertation is submitted and the degree is conferred, even if the 60-day time period has not yet expired. See the complete Ph.D. graduation checklist and instructions.
Note: for OPT most up to date guidance, please reach out to the ISS Office