Ph.D. Program
Ph.D. Program
Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering
The Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering is a terminal degree program designed to meet the needs of researchers and scholars, whether in academia, industry, or government. The program offers a highly flexible multidisciplinary structure that gives students the freedom to pursue a wide range of graduate elective courses while insuring their proficiency in core chemical engineering principles, technical writing, advanced mathematics, and research.Student Learning Goals:
Candidates will obtain a level of technical proficiency in advanced mathematics, core chemical engineering principles, and a breadth of technical subjects that prepare them to face complex challenges in real-world chemical engineering applications.Student Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to apply advanced mathematical principles to solve engineering problems. The student will get direct education in this area in their required graduate level mathematics class and will have it reinforced in all chemical engineering core courses and most graduate electives.
Students will have an in depth understanding of the terminology and processes that are core to the field of chemical engineering. The student will be required to take four core chemical engineering courses and pass each with a B- or higher.
Students will have the ability to read, understand, analyze, and critique research papers with advanced Chemical Engineering content. This topic will be developed throughout the research experiences of the student, including preparation for the proposal defense, and will culminate with an appropriate and detailed literature review in the dissertation.
Students will develop a level of technical writing proficiency sufficient for them to produce quality manuscripts, grant proposals, and a meaningful dissertation.Students will demonstrate their ability to explain complex topics in written formats. Students will have this skill developed in their required technical writing course and reinforced throughout their education including the writing of literature reviews, experimental methods, technical reports, and, ultimately, a dissertation.Students will be able to write effective external documents including manuscripts for journal submissions and grant proposals. Graduate students will be expected to produce manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals as they progress through their research, and to provide data and assistance in subsequent external funding requests.
Students will learn to identify and approach unsolved problems in chemical engineering, formulate a hypothesis on how to solve such a problem, design and execute experimental or analytical methodologies to test the hypothesis, analyze results, and draw meaningful conclusions.Students will demonstrate their ability to conduct independent research. Students will be required to propose, execute, and defend a dissertation that address a novel problem with meaningful real-world implications. Their skills will be developed through group meetings, meetings with their advisors and dissertation committees, and participation in the departmental seminar program. Student progress will be assessed at the dissertation proposal and, ultimately, the dissertation defense.
Application Timeline:
| ENTRY TERM | APPLICATION DEADLINE | INTERNATIONAL DEADLINE |
| Fall (same year) | May 1 | April 15 |
| Spring (next year) | October 1 | September 15 |
| Summer (same year) | March 1 | ----- |