GradSrudent3645

Main Question: I submitted an abstract to a well known journal (in the field of Civil, Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering) a couple months ago and the abstract was accepted. Due to major changes in unrelated circumstances, it will not be ready/adequate. Is this a problem? Background: I am a graduate student at an American engineering university. I submitted a journal paper a couple months ago and it was accepted. However, my circumstances changed over the past months, and completing this paper is no longer a priority nor plausible. My funded research (unrelated to the said journal paper) is requiring too much of my time, and I am likely planning to leaving the program. Also, my wife would prefer me to leave the program and pursue an engineering job with a salary. To further compound problems, my personal computer (which carries the work corresponding to the paper) has broken down permanently (that is, the computer is completely dead). As a result, my priorities have dramatically shifted to job applications and interviews. At this point, completing the paper by the due date (one week) is no longer a priority, nor feasible. However, I would like to one day return to a career in academia and get a PhD. Would neglecting to submit this paper negatively effect my reputation? In your opinion, would this hurt my professional relationship with my advisor (who was working on the paper with me)? Would this hurt my ability to publish in the future with this journal?

So I have a MS from a top program and I work as an engneer in the greater LA area. I would really like to get a PhD in aerospace engineering from USC or UCLA. Since I'm working, I would need to do a part-time PhD. Does anyone know if USC or UCLA offer the option for someone to get a Part Time PhD (ie, get a PhD while working full time)? I talked to administrative people and they gave me a non-answer. Do you know anyone who does a part-time PhD at USC or UCLA, or anywhere in CA?

If you already have a Masters, could it be possible to obtain a PhD (in engineering) in 2 years? How feasible is this?

Maybe I can edit/bend my research to a more interdisciplinary problem. You're correct, at the grad level switching majors is more complicated than changing the major's name on one's university account. The requirements for a dissertation a pretty strict, so switching departments could be a tough maneuver as you suggest - although I'm still going to seriously look into it. I have another question then. Do you think I could get away with this if it was a MS thesis (as opposed to a PhD)? The requirements should be more relaxed, and this way I atleast pick up a 2nd MS from a different department. Basically I want to at least capitalize on the research I've already done

Agreed, I'm going to talk to them. It's really a win for them bc the research would result in 2 publications that (in my opinion) are pretty decent

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I agree - transferring departments is the best option. I don't think I'll need to go thru the application process all over again (letters of recommendation, GRE, etc) - however I'll need approval from my advisor and the respective departments. This leads me to another question. I made decent progress on my thesis under the work/funding of my current prof. If I switch departments, could I still use that prof and that research for my dissertation? In other words, are you allowed to have a research project and dissertation chair outside of the department? Maybe I can make the work relevant to the scope of the new department. I understand this is partially an administrative question - and I'll ask around at my university too, but what do you guys think?

Hi everyone I'm looking for some opinions/advice. I'm in a top ranked (top 10, sometimes top 5) engineering program. I failed the PhD qualifying exam ... twice. The 1st time I took it, I passed 1/2 of the exam, and only had to retake a specific portion. Multiple profs asked me to stay, so I did. The second time I took it I still failed that topic. Basically I choked the 2nd time. This means I'm kicked out of the program. Now I have 3 options: 1) apply for jobs. This is the most obvious. In fact I've applied for 15 engineering jobs already. 2) apply to a lower (but still respectable) school. I would need to convince profs to write me letters of recommendation after failing a qualifying exam, this could be a challenge. 3) switch departments at my current school. This is appealing since I've already made progress on a thesis at my current institution. However, I've probably damaged my reputation here, and there's a chance I could fail AGAIN (which would probably turn me into a public spectacle here) So this sucks. Since I took the exam twice, this results in a total 8 months of studying. These 8 months were a complete waste of time, unless I take a similar 3rd qualifying exam and pass it (justifying the 8 months of studying). Obviously since it's mid-April I have to make a decision quick. I have a few questions: 1) does anyone here have experience with this (failing quals twice and being kicked out)? Or, do you know somebody who had this happen? What did they do? 2) is it irresponsible to go to another school/program and take the quals? I mean, I just failed twice. 3). How would I explain failing quals to another university? Would they immediately reject me? My research/gpa are good, and now I have an MS. 4) Do I have any chance of being admitted into a respectable PhD program after failing the doctoral qualifying exam at one school? **sorry for any misspellings - I created this post in a rush**

Hey I'm looking for some opinions/advice. I'm in a top ranked (top 10, sometimes top 5) engineering program. I failed the PhD qualifying exam ... twice. The 1st time I took it, I passed 1/2 of the exam, and only had to retake a specific portion. Multiple profs asked me to stay, so I did. The second time I took it I still failed that topic. Basically I choked the 2nd time. This means I'm kicked out of the program. Now I have 3 options: 1) apply for jobs. This is the most obvious. In fact I've applied for 15 engineering jobs already. 2) apply to a lower (but still respectable) school. I would need to convince profs to write me letters of recommendation after failing a qualifying exam, this could be a challenge. 3) switch departments at my current school. This is appealing since I've already made progress on a thesis at my current institution. However, I've probably damaged my reputation here, and there's a chance I could fail AGAIN (which would probably turn me into a public spectacle here) So this sucks. Since I took the exam twice, this results in a total 8 months of studying. These 8 months were a complete waste of time, unless I take a similar 3rd qualifying exam and pass it (justifying the 8 months of studying). Obviously since it's mid-April I have to make a decision quick. I have a few questions: 1) does anyone here have experience with this (failing quals twice and being kicked out)? Or, do you know somebody who had this happen? What did they do? 2) is it irresponsible to go to another school/program and take the quals? I mean, I just failed twice. 3). How would I explain failing quals to another university? Would they immediately reject me? My research/gpa are good, and now I have an MS. 4) Do I have any chance of being admitted into a respectable PhD program after failing the doctoral qualifying exam at one school? **sorry for any misspellings - I created this post in a rush**