Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering

Admission Requirements

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies' current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

  1. B.S. degree in chemical engineering from an ABET accredited program with a GPA of at least 3.3 or a M.S. degree in chemical engineering with a GPA of at least 3.0. Students holding a B.S. degree in a science or other engineering field may be admitted to Qualified Status with an obligation to acquire background undergraduate engineering knowledge. The exact requirements will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
  2. Graduate Record Examination General Test for those with undergraduate degrees from non-ABET accredited programs.
  3. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies' English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

Degree Requirements

  1. A minimum of 90 semester credits, including acceptable master’s degree work and credits granted for the dissertation and the research leading to the dissertation.
  2. Successful completion of an oral comprehensive exam when at least 45 post baccalaureate credits have been completed. This exam will be based on the four core chemical engineering courses and their application to the student’s research. The exam will be administered by at least three faculty members from the Department of Chemical Engineering. Candidates who fail the exam will be allowed one opportunity to repeat the exam. The reexamination must take place no later than 13 months after the initial exam attempt.
  3. Students must present to their advisory committee an annual oral progress report describing research progress.
  4. Preparation and defense of a dissertation documenting original and independent research on a topic related to chemical engineering.
Required Courses
CHE 501Advanced Transport Phenomena3
CHE 509Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics3
CHE 511Advanced Chemical Engineering Kinetics3
CHE 515Design of Engineering Experiments3
CHE 562Seminar in Chemical Engineering3
CHE 591Research36-45
CHE 999Dissertation12
At least 9 credits of graduate coursework from outside chemical engineering, which may contribute to a minor or cognate.9
Additional graduate coursework9-18
Successful completion of the four core chemical engineering courses with a GPA of at least 3.3.12
CHE 501
Advanced Transport Phenomena
CHE 509
Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
CHE 511
Advanced Chemical Engineering Kinetics
CHE 515
Design of Engineering Experiments
Total Credits93-111