The matriculation requirements are similar to those outlined for the master's degree with the addition of the residency requirement: doctoral students must spend at least two full-time semesters in residence at the Georgia Institute of Technology and ordinarily must complete research for the dissertation while in residence. Under special circumstances, candidates who have met the residency requirement may receive permission to pursue their research in absentia, provided the chair of the appropriate school approves and a faculty member directs the project. Although doctoral students working full-time on thesis research should normally be registered for a full course load of 9000 level dissertation hours each semester, this requirement is at the discretion of the advisor and the department: no minimum number of 9000 level dissertation hours is required for the doctoral degree. Doctoral students must be registered in the semester of graduation.

While no fixed course requirements apply for the doctoral degree, the student's thesis advisory committee may recommend graduate coursework in both a major and a minor field of study. Doctoral students must be registered in the semester of graduation. See Additional Graduation Requirements for more information.