Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (PhD)

Admission Requirements

  • A Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering or a related field such as chemistry, physics, mathematics, or engineering.
  • A grade point average of 3.0 or greater (A=4.0) on all undergraduate work.  
  • International applicants whose native language is not English must have a minimum score of 550 on the written TOEFL, or a minimum score of 79 in the internet-based TOEFL, or a minimum band score of 6.5 on the IELTS, or a minimum overall score of 58 on the PTE academic test, or a minimum score of 100 on the Duolingo test. 
  • A GRE score is not required.  Each application will be reviewed by the Admissions committee, which carries out a holistic review of all applications. This committee may reserve the right to evaluate additional credentials, such as but not limited to course work taken and letters of recommendation.    

Degree Requirements

The core classes for this program are defined as CHE 510 Advanced Chemical Thermodynamics, CHE 520 Advanced Transport Phenomena I, and CHE 525 Chemical Reactor Analysis. For the proposed degree program, the student will complete a minimum of 43 credit hours of classwork courses and 18 credit hours for thesis research. In addition, a doctoral student must pass a PhD doctoral examination, which is comprised of the qualifying exam and a preliminary oral examination, to be admitted to candidacy. The qualifying exam requirement is satisfied by obtaining a B or better in the core courses defined above. The preliminary oral exam is completed at the end of the 6th semester, or earlier, where the student presents their proposed research. A doctoral plan of study must be submitted to the USA graduate school by the time the student completes 30 hrs of credit towards a doctorate. A final oral dissertation defense of the written dissertation is required to be presented to the students committee and a majority of the committee must approve.

Course Requirements

Program Core Courses
CHE 510Adv Chemical Thermodynamics3
CHE 520Adv Transport Phenomena I3
CHE 525Chemical Reactor Analysis3
Program Support Courses
CHE 501Chemical Engineering Seminar1
CHE 592Directed Independent Study6
GIS 501Responsible Conduct of Researc1
Program Elective Courses
Select 21 hours from the following: see footnote table below 121
Biology
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Environmental Toxicology
Math
Statistics
Pharmacology
Other Areas
Disertation
GIS 799Dissertation1-3
Total Hours39-41

Footnote

1

Specific elective classes listed by course number are available from the Graduate School.

Graduation Plan

(61 Total Hours)

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
FallHours
CHE 520 Adv Transport Phenomena I 3
Graduate ElectivePhD Elective 1 3
CHE 501 Chemical Engineering Seminar 1
GIS 501 Responsible Conduct of Researc 1
 Hours8
Spring
Graduate ElectivePhD Elective 3
Graduate ElectivePhD Elective 3
CHE 501 Chemical Engineering Seminar 1
 Hours7
Summer
CHE 592 Directed Independent Study 3
 Hours3
Second Year
Fall
CHE 510 Adv Chemical Thermodynamics 3
CHE 592 Directed Independent Study 3
CHE 501 Chemical Engineering Seminar 1
 Hours7
Spring
CHE 525 Chemical Reactor Analysis 3
CHE 592 Directed Independent Study 3
CHE 501 Chemical Engineering Seminar 1
 Hours7
Summer
GIS 799 Dissertation 3
 Hours3
Third Year
Fall
GIS 799 Dissertation 3
Graduate ElectivePhD Elective 3
CHE 501 Chemical Engineering Seminar 1
 Hours7
Spring
GIS 799 Dissertation 3
Graduate ElectivePhD Elective 3
CHE 501 Chemical Engineering Seminar 1
 Hours7
Summer
GIS 799 Dissertation 3
 Hours3
Fourth Year
Fall
GIS 799 Dissertation 3
Graduate ElectivePhD Elective 3
CHE 501 Chemical Engineering Seminar 1
 Hours7
Spring
GIS 799 Dissertation 3
Graduate ElectivePhD Elective 3
CHE 501 Chemical Engineering Seminar 1
 Hours7
Summer
GIS 799 Dissertation 3
 Hours3
 Total Hours69
1

PhD Electives must be approved by the PhD program director.