Doctoral Degree Procdeures:
IDC Guidelines Chemical Engineering
Introduction
The Ph.D. Program provides contemporary and significant research
topics in advanced materials engineering, biochemical engineering,
reaction engineering, molecular thermodynamics, colloid and surface
science and engineering, multiphase transport, and environmental engineering.
Students are expected to formulate and analyze these problems using
modern experimental methods of investigation, numerical simulations,
mathematical analysis, and computer modeling. The Program also develops
students' interdisciplinary communication skills, thereby enhancing
their ability to interact with other professionals.
The following provides guidelines regarding specific program requirements
for the Chemical Engineering Dept. For more information the student
should consult the document on Interdisciplinary Doctoral Procedures
provided by the College of Engineering.
Academic Matters – Ph.D. Degree
in Engineering
Upon arrival, the first year Ph.D. student will meet with the graduate
coordinator and prospective advisors to establish an initial plan
of study for the first semester. Over the course of the first semester,
the student must identify an interdisciplinary field of study, a
dissertation director, and finalize plans for coursework, research,
and degree requirements throughout the first year. Among these requirements,
the student must form an interdisciplinary doctoral committee (IDC).
The chair of the IDC must be in the Department of Chemical Engineering.
The IDC shall consist of at least five faculty members, of whom
at least two members must be from the Chemical Engineering Department
and one from outside the College of Engineering.
The Plan of Study
The Plan of Study is established by the IDC in accordance with the
following guidelines:
The Plan of Study has a minimum of 96 total credit hours with a
minimum of 36 credits of coursework at the 600-700 level. At least
6 credits of the coursework must be from outside of the Chemical
Engineering Department.
The intent of the coursework in the Plan of Study is to provide
background necessary to perform the dissertation research and prepare
the student for a career in research. The Plan of Study must include
a language requirement as specified by the IDC.
The Qualifying Examinations
The Qualifying Examinations consist of open-book and closed-book
sections covering the three topics of thermodynamics, kinetics, and
transport phenomena and is composed by the faculty of the Chemical
Engineering Department. Scores on each topic will be averaged between
the two sections and an average score of 60 will satisfy the qualifying
exam requirement. Students achieving between 40-60 shall be required
to satisfactorily complete remedial work on the subject in question
as designated by the IDC.
The Qualifying Examinations will be offered at least once per year,
normally in May, and must be taken no later than the end of the student's
first year of study. At most one retake of the examination is allowed
should the student fail in the first attempt. Topics passed during
one examination do not need to be retaken during the second examination
The Candidacy Examination
The purpose of the Candidacy Examination is to test the student's
ability to conduct independent research. The student must pass the
Candidacy Examination composed and administered by the IDC within
one year after passing the Qualifying Examination. The student cannot
enroll in doctoral dissertation credits before becoming a doctoral
candidate upon passing the Candidacy Examination.
The Dissertation Proposal
The student must present an acceptable Proposal for Dissertation
Research to the IDC. This should be done within two years after passing
the Qualifying Examinations. The proposal shall be in written form
and given to the IDC at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date
of the Dissertation Proposal oral presentation.
The Dissertation and Oral Defense
The dissertation must be a scientifically acceptable and comprehensive
study whose format meets all accepted standards of the College of
Engineering and the IDC. The written dissertation should be given
to the IDC at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the oral
defense. The doctoral candidate must successfully pass this oral
defense allowing no "fail" vote from the members of the
IDC.
