Ph.D in Material and Textile Engineering
Overview
Introduction
The philosophy of the PhD programme in Material and Textile Engineering is anchored in the philosophy and Core Values of Moi University to engineer innovation for enhanced livelihoods and industrial development. The curriculum foundation for the program is conceptualized, designed and focused to train and produce a graduate who is holistically knowledgeable and geared towards the achievement of pragmatic developments in material & textile engineering. The programme is intended to create the highest level of scholarship, research and development capability and envisages the training of graduates who are industrially analytical, professionally savvy, researchers and agents of industrial innovations. Moreover, the programme will train graduates who are capable of working independently and utilize the acquired knowledge and practical skills to pursue successful high-level professional and leadership careers in the industry as well as in innovation, development and in other disciplines of academic research. The methodological approaches that will be used in the programme will maintain appropriate balance between technical and theoretical aspects of the curriculum and shall involve engineering analysis through course work, seminars and research.
Expected Overall Learning Outcome of the Programme
Upon the completion of the programme, the learner should be able to:
1. Analyse and appraise contemporary and emerging issues in Material and Textile Engineering
2. Formulate and implement research, publish results and evaluate solutions to Material and Textile Engineering problems.
3. Adapt Material and Textile Engineering knowledge, expertise and workshop floor practice to integrate engineering concepts and develop innovative solutions to societal problems.
4. Provide innovative engineering services in a professional manner.
Academic Regulations
The common University regulations governing the conduct of Doctor of Philosophy programmes shall apply.
Admission Requirements
To qualify for admission into the programme, a candidate must be a holder of a Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a closely related discipline. In addition, the candidate must have:
i). Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering or Textile Engineering or Industrial Technology or Textile Technology or Mechanical and Production Engineering or Chemical Engineering or Industrial and Textile Engineering or Materials Engineering or Electrical and Communications Engineering or any other relevant Masters degree in Engineering of Moi University.
ii). A relevant Master’s degree of any other accredited University recognized by Moi University Senate.
Credit Transfer
Candidates may apply for credit transfer of relevant engineering courses from other universities. The application for credit transfer and any financial implications therein has to be approved by Moi University Senate. The maximum courses to be given credit transfer should not exceed 40%. Unless otherwise approved by the Moi University Senate, any transfer of credits shall not translate to fee waiver.
Duration of the Programme
1. The programme shall be offered in three academic years (six semesters) with a maximum duration of six years.
2. The minimum number of courses per semester in the first year of the programme will be three (3)
3. The programme shall take at least 1,170 contact hours with a minimum of nine (9) courses and a thesis or research project. The courses are qualified in terms of credit hours. Each course shall have three (3) credit hours while the research thesis will have sixty three (63) credit hours. The minimum number of credit hours required to complete the programme shall be 90.
4. The minimum number of courses for the programme is ten (10). This includes eight (8) taught courses, a research proposal and PhD research thesis. These are equivalent to 90 credit hours.
Mode of delivery
The programme shall be offered through face-to-face; this will be done by means of coursework, seminars and research among others.
Grading System
Each course shall be graded out of a maximum of 100% marks and assigned appropriate letter grades as shown below,
| Mark (%) | Letter Grade |
| 75-100 | A Distinction |
| 65-74 | B Credit |
| 50-64 | C Average |
| Below 50 | F Fail |
The pass mark in any course shall normally be 50%. Those who attain marks below 50% will sit for a supplementary exam or re-take the course provided that they have not failed more than 25% of the total courses taken in the first academic year. Candidates who fail more than 25% of the total courses taken in the first academic year shall be discontinued.
Examination Regulations
1. The Common Examination regulations for Doctor of Philosophy of Moi University shall apply.
2. The Moi University postgraduate rules and regulations shall apply in the evaluation of PhD thesis after submission of the same by the candidate.
3. In order to graduate, candidates shall be expected to publish at least two scientific publications in refereed journals.
Graduation Requirements
To qualify for graduation, a candidate must complete and pass a minimum of ninety (90) credit hours and achieve at least 1,170 contact hours from a minimum of ten courses consisting of nine (9) prescribed courses and a thesis or research project.
Programme Structure
The program consists of course work, examination and thesis. The complete programme contains 10 courses composed of 7 taught courses and 3 research-based courses amounting to 90 Credit hours. All the taught courses carry 21 Credit hours (3 Credit hours for each course) while the research courses carry 6 Credit hours and PhD research thesis 63 Credit hours. All course work is done in the first year of study. The distribution of the course credit hours is as presented in Table 3.0. The programme shall be offered over six (6) semesters, the first two of which consist of course work and the last four (4) consisting of research work. The program shall offer Two (2) areas of specialization that include Material Engineering and Textile Engineering.
Distribution of the courses and Credit hours
| Year of Study | Programme Core Courses (taught) | Programme Required Courses (taught) | Programme Core Courses (Research) | Total Courses | Total Credit Hours |
| Year 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
| Year 2 and 3 | 1 | 1 | 60 | ||
| Total | 90 | ||||
Course Distribution
All students enrolled for PhD in the Material and Textile Engineering programme are required to take all programme core courses and research courses as listed below. The students are also required to take at least four programme required courses selected based on their chosen area of specialisation. In addition, the student shall be required to select a researchable problem in Material Engineering or Textile Engineering for the purpose of proposal writing and thesis research. The selection of the research topic shall be done under the guidance of University supervisors as approved by the University Senate, one of which must be a specialist in the intended field of research. At least one of the University supervisors must be a full time employee of Moi University. The course work and research are distributed as follows:
| COURSE CODE | COURSE TITLE | CREDIT HOURS |
| First Year Courses | ||
| Programme Core Course | ||
| MTE 901 | Advanced Research Methods in Engineering | 3 |
| MTE 902 | Industrial Innovation and Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| MTE 905 | Statistics for Research | 3 |
| Additional Core Course from relevant option | 3 | |
| Programme Research Course | ||
| MTE 903 | Research Seminar I | 3 |
| MTE 904 | Research Seminar II | 3 |
| MTE 999 | Thesis | 3 |
| Programme Required Course | ||
| Additional course from relevant option | 3 | |
| Additional course from relevant option | 3 | |
| Additional course from relevant option | 3 | |
| Second Year Course | ||
| Programme Research Course | ||
| MTE 999 Thesis | 30 | |
| Third Year Course | ||
| Programme Research Course | ||
| MTE 999 Thesis | 30 | |
| Total Credit hours | 90 | |
Additional courses from relevant option clusters
A student enrolled in the PhD in Material and Textile Engineering programme shall be required to take the core course in the relevant cluster and then choose at least three (3) elective courses according to the chosen area of specialisation. The courses for the different relevant option clusters of specialization are listed below:
| a) Material Engineering Option | ||
| CODE | TITLE | CREDIT HOURS |
| Core Course: | ||
| MTE 910 | Nanotechnology | 3 |
| Electives: | ||
| MTE 911E | Advanced Composite Materials and Structures | 3 |
| MTE 912E | Advanced Computational Techniques | 3 |
| MTE 913E | Material Characterisation Techniques | 3 |
| MTE 914E | Engineering Materials in Design and Society | 3 |
| MTE 963E | Advanced Methods In Polymer Characterization | 3 |
| MTE 812E | Mechanics of Materials | 3 |
| b) Textile Engineering Option | ||
| CODE | TITLE | CREDIT HOURS |
| Core Course: | ||
| MTE 960 | Medical and Smart Textiles | 3 |
| Electives: | ||
| MTE 961E | Geotextiles | 3 |
| MTE 962E | Polymer Rheology and Processes | 3 |
| MTE 963E | Advanced Methods In Polymer Characterization | 3 |
| MTE 964E | Advanced Medical Textiles and Biomaterials | 3 |
| MTE 965E | Advanced Woven and Non Woven Structures | 3 |
| MTE 966E | Advanced Knitting Technology | 3 |