Academic Programs Catalog

College of Engineering

Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Graduate Study
Chemical Engineering - Doctor of Philosophy

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Engineering, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

An applicant for admission to the Ph.D. degree program in chemical engineering must hold a bachelor's or master's degree in chemical engineering or a related field and must have a grade–point average that would indicate success in graduate study.

Applicants must submit their scores on the Graduate Record Examination General Test.

Students may be required to complete additional collateral course work to fulfill deficiencies in their academic background. A grade of 3.0 or higher is required in each course. In some cases, students may be granted provisional status in the program until collateral course work has been satisfactorily completed. Collateral course work does not count towards fulfillment of degree requirements.

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Chemical Engineering

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Chemical Engineering is comprised of course work, research, selection of an advisor, a qualifying examination, formation of a guidance committee and doctoral degree program, comprehensive examination, and successful completion of a dissertation and final oral examination in defense of the dissertation.

Students must complete the requirements specified by their guidance committee and must include the requirements specified below:
1. All of the following courses (13 credits):
CHE 801 Advanced Chemical Engineering Calculations 3
CHE 802 Research Methods 1
CHE 821 Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics 3
CHE 822 Advanced Transport Phenomena 3
CHE 831 Advanced Chemical Reaction Engineering 3
2. Complete 5 credits of CHE 992 Seminar.
3. Students entering the program with a master’s degree must complete 12 additional credits in consultation with the guidance committee. Students may receive a waiver for some of the required courses. Students who have a bachelor’s degree are required to complete a minimum of 16 additional credits chosen in consultation with the guidance committee.
4. Pass a qualifying examination consisting of a written component and an oral component.
5. Pass a comprehensive examination in the form of a research proposal defense containing a written proposal and an oral defense.
6. Complete a minimum of 24 credits and no more than 36 credits of CHE 999 Doctoral Dissertation Research and successfully defend the dissertation.
7. Present the results of the research in a public seminar during the final oral examination.