Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program

1. Within the three months following initial registration as a doctoral candidate, select a member of the Chemical Engineering faculty or adjunct faculty as your adviser, based on the area of research contemplated for the dissertation.

2. Required Courses

a) Earn a grade of B or better in four of the core 600-level ChE courses, including: 

Required in the first Fall semester:

    • ChE 621 Thermodynamics I
    • ChE 625 Chemical Reactor Design
    • ChE 633 Transport Processes
    • ChE 661 Advanced Analysis I

b) 1 credit/semester of Departmental Seminar (ChE 691)

c) 2 credits/semester of research group seminar in each semester after the first

d) 1 one-time 2-hour seminar of (ENV HL) Laboratory Safety Course and continuous compliance with hazardous waste and safety certifications.

e) 3 approved 600-level elective courses (refer to your advisor to select relevant courses).

3. Complete the Qualifying Exam Procedure (which fulfils the oral portion of the preliminary comprehensive examination).

Preliminary Comprehensive Examination
For the Ph.D. degree the Graduate School requires the successful completion of the preliminary comprehensive examination. This examination consists of two parts, one oral and one written. The qualification procedure for the Ph.D. in chemical engineering shall consist of the following:

a) Qualifying Exam Procedure - Stage 1 - January Performance Review

    • Timing: Near January 15th of first year.
    • Objective: This element of the procedure is intended to ensure that the student achieve a minimum standard of proficiency in the graduate curriculum.
    • Qualification: A minimum of B in all four first semester courses and certification of satisfactory progress by faculty advisor.
    • Process: The progress of each first year student is reviewed by the faculty during a meeting held on or about January 15th.
    • Outcomes: Students would be allowed to continue in the program if performance is satisfactory. If performance is unsatisfactory, students can be removed from the program or placed on probation for an additional semester.

b) Qualifying Exam Procedure - Stage 2 - May Performance Review

    • Timing: Near May 31st of the first year.
    • Objective: This element of the procedure is intended to ensure that the students achieve a minimum standard of proficiency in the graduate curriculum and provide evidence of satisfactory progress in initiating their research.
    • Qualification: A minimum grade of B, a certification of satisfactory progress by faculty advisor and a satisfactory research progress document.
    • Research progress document: Each student will submit a document of 2500-3000 words describing their research and their progress up to that point (submission around May 15th).
    • Oral Presentation: Students will present their research progress to a faculty panel. Time will be permitted to allow for detailed questions from the panel.
    • Process: The progress of each first year student is reviewed by the faculty during a meeting held on or about May 31st.
    • Outcomes: Students would be allowed to continue in the program if performance is satisfactory. These students will each receive a memo informing them that they have completed the first part of the PhD. Qualification process. If performance is unsatisfactory, students can be removed from the program or placed on probation for an additional semester.

The Graduate Program Director (GPD) will be available to answer questions that the students may have prior to the examination.

4. Upon successful completion of the oral portion of the comprehensive exam, select a doctoral dissertation committee (thesis committee) composed of at least three graduate faculty members. For details regarding the composition of the dissertation committee refer to the Graduate Program Secretary. Within three months following the successful completion of the oral portion of the comprehensive exam, submit to the departmental Graduate Program Office a memo with a list of your doctoral dissertation committee.

5. Within 16 months following the successful completion of the oral portion of the comprehensive exam, prepare and defend, before a dissertation committee, a dissertation proposal describing the research to be done for the dissertation. The defense of this prospectus will constitute the written part of the comprehensive exam. This proposal is to outline the proposed research topic, including a statement of the problem and its relevance, literature survey, plan of attack, description of experimental equipment and/or analytical/computation techniques, description of safety considerations, object or conclusions to be derived from the study, timetable, etc. The proposal should be typed, double-spaced, and of sufficient length to cover the subject matter adequately. This shall constitute the written portion of the preliminary comprehensive examination. Students are urged to complete the proposal within one year of completion of the oral exams. Students are required to complete the proposal within 16 months of completion of the oral exams. Stipend and fees will be discontinued for students failing to complete the proposal within 16 months. Three outcomes are possible: pass, fail, and fail with option to retake. The dates for retake exams will be set by the thesis committee.

6. The approved and signed original copy of the dissertation proposal must be filed with the Graduate School. A signed copy of the approved prospectus must also be filed with the departmental office. It is the student’s responsibility to provide the required copies.

7. At least one month before the date of your final oral examination (thesis defense), submit to your adviser and dissertation committee a final draft of your thesis and an abstract of 600 words or less, suitable for publication. Arrange for an announcement of the date of the final oral exam in the Weekly Bulletin section of In the Loop. Follow the Typing Guidelines for Doctoral Dissertations, available from the Graduate School.

8. Following satisfactory performance in your final oral examination, submit your dissertation electronically to the Graduate School. Present one bound copy to your adviser (and others as may be appropriate). Also, one bound copy is required for the department office.

9. Submit to the Graduate School the “Certification of Eligibility for a Doctoral Degree.” To complete this form, the student checks his/her status at the Graduate Student Service Center.

10. Pay all fees and expenses.

11. All of the requirements described above must be completed in accordance with a schedule available from the Graduate School, in order to qualify for granting of the degree at the commencement each year. For example, the requirements must normally be completed by the April deadline to qualify for the May commencement.