Course work must include a minimum of four 500-level lecture courses in chemical engineering and a coherent program of a minimum of four courses (including at least one 500-level course) in one or two other departments.
Courses often taken by graduate students in our department
The Ph.D. qualifying examination is a three-hour written test covering various aspects of the required background (standard course in Chemical Engineering) and graduate course work in Chemical Engineering. It is normally taken after one year of graduate study. The certification examination - also called the 'prelim' - is an individual oral exam, given after the student has completed all course work and made definite progress on research, usually at the end of the second year. Students are expected to show research plans towards obtaining the Ph.D. degree.
Students are urged to complete all requirements as rapidly as possible. Our goal is for students to finish in about four years, and during the past 15 years, approximately 50 percent of the Ph.D. students have done so.
The schedule given above is for students entering with a B.S. in chemical engineering. For students whose B.S. is in another field, additional course work is typically required before the qualifying examination. On the other hand, students entering with an M.S. in chemical engineering will follow an accelerated schedule.
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