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Doctoral Program in Chemical Engineering

Superior students with M.S. or B.S. degrees will be considered for the doctoral program in chemical engineering.

All students are expected to develop competence in their areas of specialization. All students are urged to select a thesis topic and supervisor early in the program. A student becomes a Ph.D. candidate upon passing the candidacy examination, which includes writing and defending a research proposal; a doctoral committee is formed to direct his or her research and other aspects of the program of study.

As the culmination of intensive study and independent research, the doctoral dissertation represents a major scholarly endeavor; accordingly, it is recognized as the most important requirement of the degree. All doctoral candidates must present an acceptable dissertation based on significant work. The dissertation must represent a unique contribution to chemical engineering or biochemical engineering knowledge. A final oral examination is conducted, in part, as a defense of the dissertation.

Course Requirements

• 15 credit hours of core chemical engineering graduate courses (CHE 502, CHE 513, CHE 525, CHE 543, CHE 554)
• 15 credit hours of courses from Specialized Ph.D. Plan of Study (15 credit hours of courses approved by research and graduate program advisors)
• 60 credit hours of research and/or electives

Students joining with a Master’s degree may satisfy up to 45 credit hours of the Ph.D. course/research credit requirements depending on the courses taken and/or research carried out in their Master’s programs, subject to approval by graduate program advisor.

For more information, visit the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department web page.