Basic Information
The key information for the Ph.D. students in E&CE at UAB is in the following two documents.
Dr. Jannett (tjannett@uab.edu) is our graduate program director and has not only put these documents together, but is also most knowledgeable of our requirements.
Other Advice
Other good information for the Ph.D. student (such as keeping an engineering notebook and finding a research area) can be found in items D, E, and F of the guidelines for the MSEE student.
More general information about the process and politics of the Ph.D. process can be found at the student information site. I encourage all Ph.D. students to take a serious read of such material. The Ph.D. is much different in scope than the MSEE. If there is a place and time to think outside the box, this is it. More often than not, we find graduate students who are enticed with engineering tools and toys, but cannot get to past market hype and current product offerings to do real research.
At the graduate level you are expected to go beyond and make a contribution. While it may not be feasible to change the world while completing your degree, you at least want to be part of the team.
You should become part of the research community, no longer just a consumer of its goods!