As a Ph.D. student in aviation science, students will complete coursework before scheduling a qualifying exam, which focuses on topics related to the coursework and assesses general preparation for graduate research. Upon successfully passing the qualifying exam, students will develop a dissertation proposal under the supervision of a research mentor. Then students will present and defend the dissertation proposal. After conducting research and writing a dissertation, students will defend the dissertation in a public forum and then privately to the committee. As a Ph.D. student in aviation science, students will complete coursework before scheduling a qualifying exam, which focuses on topics related to the coursework and assesses general preparation for graduate research. Upon successfully passing the qualifying exam, students will develop a dissertation proposal under the supervision of a research mentor. Then students will present and defend the dissertation proposal. After conducting research and writing a dissertation, students will defend the dissertation in a public forum and then privately to the committee.