Dean Davoud announces two new Ph.D. programs in PCEC

May 16, 2023

On behalf of the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing, I am very pleased to announce that the USG Board of Regents has just approved our proposals for degree programs for a Ph.D. in Engineering and a Ph.D. in Applied Computing.

I would especially like to thank Dr. Brian Vlcek, chair of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Andrew Allen, interim chair of Computer Science, for their hard work in preparing the substance of the proposals, with the support of Dr. Yiming Ji, chair of Information Technology, our other engineering chairs, Dr. David Williams, associate dean for students & curriculum, and Dr. Ashraf Saad, assistant dean.  It is a proud moment for all of us in the College, and I thank you for your input into the process as well.

This is an exciting and important development for the College of Engineering and Computing, its faculty, its students, and stakeholders.  With these Ph.D. programs, we can attract new external funding opportunities, more and high-quality graduate students, and create longer-term, more in-depth research programs than we ever have before.  We will also see more opportunities for research collaborations with R1 institutions in Georgia and across the nation.

The final step in the approval process will be for SACS-COC (The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) to review and approve the programs. Georgia Southern expects to be able to offer both programs in fall of 2024.