The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Information Science with a focus in Telecommunications prepares students for independently engaging in advanced work in high-quality research and teaching. It provides research-oriented graduate study and professional specialization in telecommunications and emphasizes both scholarly and applied research. To earn a PhD degree, a student must demonstrate breadth of knowledge, give evidence of superior scholarship and mastery of a specialized field, and must demonstrate their ability to do significant and relevant research. In addition, the student must conceive, write, and defend a PhD dissertation representing a significant and original contribution to current academic research as demonstrated by a public dissertation defense and publication in established peer-reviewed academic conferences and/or journals. Major milestones en-route to the PhD degree are the preliminary examination, the comprehensive examination, the dissertation proposal, and the dissertation defense.