The PhD program in Electrical engineering includes the following specializations:

·      High voltage and insulation technology 

·      Power system and automation

·      Power electronics

·      New technology in Electro-technics 

Objectives and Qualification Profile

The study serves as a preparation to scientific work in the area of electrical engineering. It provides a scientific education at international level and empowers graduates to provide international standard standalone research services in the relevant technical area.

Study Year

The academic year of Wuhan University (WHU) is divided into a summer term and a winter term. The summer term runs from September to January, the winter term runs from February to July. The vacation period starts after the winter term in July and last for two months.

The PhD program starts with the summer term. Every term corresponds to one semester. The program generally lasts for 6 semesters (three years), but is not to exceed six years.

Language

Teaching language is English.

Credits

To obtain a PhD degree, the students are required to earn 14 credits in the Wuhan University Credit System (of which at least 4 are for public required courses and 6 are for other degree courses, the rest credits are for optional courses). There is no fixed amount of credits required each semester. If the students select more courses, they can earn more credits. One credit in the Wuhan University Credit System corresponds to 18 hours of classes.

Publication Requirement

The basic publication requirement for a PhD degree is two journal papers indexed by EI or SCI, with one in a journal indexed by SCI.

PhD Thesis and Defense

A written thesis must be submitted and be defended in a colloquium.

1)    A qualified PhD supervisor of Wuhan University will supervise the PhD Thesis. 

2)    A thesis proposal must be submitted at least one year before the defense. A committee (includes at least 5 members, with at least 3 PhD supervisors) will review this proposal to determine if the subject is appropriate and whether the topic is relevant to the field of study. If the committee does not see any value in the chosen topic, the thesis topic will not be approved.

3)    A status report must be submitted to the supervisor every three months after thesis work begins. The status report must provide a summary of the work that has already been done, and must give an outlook on the anticipated outcome together with a schedule for the time until submission.

4)    Assigned reviewers will review the PhD Thesis. After a positive review, the thesis must be defended in a doctoral colloquium at WHU.

Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis

The thesis proposal must clearly describe the research project to allow the committee to assess the relevance and quality of the proposal. It must be structured according to the following items:

·      Title

·      Introduction and problem description

·      Literature review

·      Research questions

·      Objectives

·      Methods and data used/needed

·      Significance and innovative aspects of the research

·      Work plan

·      References

The introduction and problem description introduce the problem area, explains the background, and lets the reader understand the problem context. The literature review discusses the major existing literature in the problem area and helps to identify research gaps. The research questions should logically follow from the introduction and literature review and state clearly formulated questions. The objectives follow the research questions and clearly state what the project wishes to achieve, i.e., what will be the major outcomes of the research. An explanation of the methods used to perform the research and to achieve the objectives as well as the data used or needed for the research will be described. A statement about the significance and the expected innovation of the intended research results should be included. A work plan and references conclude the proposal.

The PhD thesis must be written in English and must be structured according to the following items:

·      Front matter containing

-      Title page

-      Abstract

-      Acknowledgements

-      Glossary (if needed)

-      Table of contents

-      List of tables

-      List of figures

·      Introduction (addressing the following points)

-      Problem description

-      Literature review

-      Research questions

-      Objectives

-      Methods and data used/needed

-      Description of thesis structure (chapter contents)

·      Main chapters

-      Chapters describing the subject area, study area, and data

-      Chapters describing the topic and methods

-      Chapters describing the (new) research approach, results, and critical discussion of results

·      Summary and conclusions

·      Back matter containing

-      References

-      Author’s curriculum vitae

-      Appendices (optional)

-      Attachments (if needed)

Curriculum

The curriculum of the PhD program in electrical engineering consists of four mandatory courses with 8 credits and optional courses with a total of 6 credits of which two courses with a total of four credits are predefined for each specialization. A total of 14 course credits are required for a successful completion of the program. The following table lists the courses of the program.

Course Description

Comprehensive Chinese

This course is specifically designed for international students without basic knowledge of Chinese. This course includes lessons for Chinese Pinyin, strokes of Chinese characters, Chinese words, phrases and grammar. Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to handle basic Chinese communication and reading skills. The course grade depends on mid-term exam, final exam, classroom tests and assignments.

A survey of China

This course aims to make international students recognize China comprehensively, profoundly and correctly. It lays the foundation of some Chinese encyclopedia of knowledge for international students, and enhances their knowledge of Chinese territory, history, politics, economy, culture, diplomacy, technology, education and so on. The course grade depends on assignments, attendance and course paper.

Seminar (Notes of Modern Science & Technology)

Doctoral students are required to attend at least 15 academic reports given by domestic and overseas well-known experts and scholars. Students must write a report including notes and discussion about the lecture after each attendance. The course grade depends on the submitted reports.

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