Florida International University
College of Engineering

Doctoral Program for Engineering Faculty from Latin America, Caribbean and other Countries

Overview

Florida International University (FIU) is one of the founding members of the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI). LACCEI promotes cooperation and partnerships among member institutions in the areas of engineering education, research and technology advancement.

The FIU College of Engineering has developed a special program to support and promote LACCEI’s mission and goals, and to help the engineering institutions increase the proportions of their faculty with PhD degrees. The program is open to engineering faculty from all Central and South American and Caribbean countries. Faculty who would like to pursue a Master’s degree may be considered on exceptional basis.

The faculty development program is aimed at establishing a long-term relationship between the sponsoring institution and FIU in all areas of education, research and technology development.

FIU’s College of Engineering offers a variety of academic programs in engineering and management through its six departments:

· Biomedical Engineering
Dr. Richard Schoephoerster, Chair Richard.Schoephoerster@fiu.edu

· Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Amir Mirmiran, Chair Amir.Mirmiran@fiu.edu

· Construction Management
Dr. Irtishad Ahmad, Chair Irtishad.Ahmad@fiu.edu

· Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dr. Kang Yen, Chair Kang.Yen@fiu.edu

· Industrial and Systems Engineering
Dr. Shih-Ming Lee, Chair Shih-ming.Lee@fiu.edu

· Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Dr. George Dulikravich, Chair George.Dulikravich@fiu.edu

If you have questions about a particular program, you should contact your prospective Graduate Program Director:

· Biomedical Engineering
Dr. Richard Schoephoerster Richard.Schoephoerster@fiu.edu

· Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Albert Gan Cheng-tin.Gan@fiu.edu

· Construction Management
Dr. Syed Ahmed Syed.Ahmed@fiu.edu

· Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dr. Jean Andrian Jean.Andrian@fiu.edu

· Industrial and Systems Engineering
Dr. Chin-sheng Chen Chin-sheng.Chen@fiu.edu

· Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Dr. Arvind Agarwal Arvind.Agarwal@fiu.edu

Admission Requirements

To be admitted into this program, applicants must be recommended by the Dean of Engineering or a higher official of their home institutions and must meet all criteria of admissions to the doctoral programs in the College of Engineering. In order to be admitted into the program, Applicants must submit the following:

· FIU Graduate Admissions Form. Applicants can complete it online at: http://www.fiu.edu/gradadm/index_high.html
· Application Fee
· Official Transcript(s) from undergraduate and graduate school(s)
· Official GRE Score
· Official TOEFL Score: Minimum 213 on Computer Based Test
· Sponsorship letter from the home institution

Please refer to the website www.eng.fiu.edu or contact Ginelle John at Ginelle.John@fiu.edu for additional information.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the Faculty Development Participant**:

· The Participant will be required to complete 60 credit hours beyond his or her master’s degree to earn a doctoral degree in Engineering. Of these 60 credits hours, 24 or more credit hours will be for course work and the rest will be for dissertation, or as required by the departments administering the applicable PhD program.

· Six hours of graduate credits may be completed at the sponsoring institution and FIU may accept these credits as transfer credits, if appropriate.

· While studying at FIU, the Participant may be employed by FIU’s College of Engineering to teach one course during each fall and spring semester, or serve as an associate to a faculty.

· During the Participant’s stay at FIU (preferably three semesters, but not to exceed four semesters including a Summer) he or she must take and pass the qualifying examination; identify a dissertation advisor and dissertation committee members; and develop a dissertation proposal. It may be desirable to defend the dissertation proposal within the context of a successfully passed candidacy examination before going back to the home institution to conduct research.

· Qualified local faculty from the sponsoring institution, if available, may serve on the Participant’s dissertation committee. The proposed local faculty member to serve on the Participant’s dissertation committee must meet the qualifications for appointment to the FIU Graduate Faculty. In addition, the proposed local faculty member must be one of the required four members (three from the department from which the Participant will obtain the degree; one from another department in Engineering or another college) of the dissertation committee.

· After completion of the required course work and qualifying examination, the Participant may go back to the home institution. He or she may also be required to enroll for a minimum of 3 hours of dissertation credit each term until the doctoral thesis is defended.

· The Participant will visit FIU at least once every semester to meet with the dissertation advisor and the committee members.

· The dissertation advisor will visit the sponsoring institution at least once every year.

Responsibilities of FIU:

· Any Participant enrolled in FIU’s PhD program in Engineering will be employed by FIU’s College of Engineering to teach one course during each semester, or serve as a teaching associate as determined by the Chair of the department and the candidate.

· The College of Engineering will provide financial support comparable to stipends given to its doctoral Participants to cover the Participants’ living expenses as well as tuition. The total amount of award will be approximately $ 29,968.80, this includes a stipend of $15,000 per calendar year to defray living expenses in Miami, and 24 credits per year at the current rate.

· FIU will pay for the air travel of FIU’s dissertation supervisor to visit the Participants’ home institution prior to the beginning of the dissertation research and once a year thereafter.

Responsibilities of the Sponsoring Institution:

· The sponsoring institution will pay travel expenses of its faculty members for travel to FIU during the first year of their PhD studies.

· The sponsoring institution will continue to pay full or a part of the faculty salary while they are studying at FIU.

· The sponsoring institution will pay the expenses incurred by the Participant in visiting FIU every semester or as agreed upon by the faculty candidate and the Dean of Engineering of their institution. Each visit will last for a minimum of one week.

· The sponsoring institution will pay the hotel, meals and other expenses for FIU’s dissertation supervisor to visit the sponsoring institution prior to the beginning of the dissertation research and once a year thereafter.

· The sponsoring institution will provide research support to its faculty pursuing doctoral studies as well as reduce his/her teaching load to a reasonable level.

· The sponsoring institution will be responsible for the payment of tuition when its faculty members are in the dissertation research phase and working from his/her home institution. This tuition will be equivalent to the in-state fee established by FIU each year, provided that the Participant receives the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) scholarship.

Division of Corporate and Global Programs
College of Engineering
Florida International University
10555 West Flagler Street, EC 2443
Miami, FL 33174, U.S.A.

**Participants who would like to bring their family members should be aware of the visa requirements and limitations of their respective visa(s).