项目介绍

2022年4月28日

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The Ph.D. program aims to prepare students for positions as independent researchers, whether in industry or academia. We believe that our program’s close mentorship and strong emphasis on written and oral communication benefit students who follow such career paths. The central feature of the program is original research leading to the student’s Ph.D. dissertation. In addition, students must exhibit a firm and broad grasp of modern chemical engineering and allied fields through coursework, and demonstrate the ability to conceive and plan original research.  Every admitted Ph.D. student is given financial support in the form of a first-year fellowship. In addition, all admitted Ph.D. students are automatically considered for the prestigious Wu and Upton Fellowships.COURSES:

Satisfactory completion of ten courses for the core course requirement is required for this degree, including five departmental core courses (CBE 503; CBE 504; CBE 507; MAE 501/CBE 509; CBE 510 or MAE 552/CBE 557) and a research ethics course (EGR 501). Among the remaining four courses, at least three must be technical courses at the graduate level (500-level) or senior level (400-level). Exemptions from certain core courses may be granted for students who have completed a similar course at another institution; exemptions should be sought in writing from the director of graduate studies.GENERAL EXAM:

The general examination has two components. The first component is mastery of graduate-level chemical engineering material, demonstrated by satisfactory grades in the departmental core courses. The second component is the first proposition, which is a written document defended orally.  The written document outlines plans for dissertation research, including progress already made. This document is submitted in the late fall of the second year of residence and is defended orally in January, before a committee of faculty members. Satisfactory completion of the core course requirements and the first proposition defense is required to achieve post-generals degree candidacy. Students must pass both components before May of the second year. Deficiencies noted at either the end of the first year of study or at the first proposition defense may result in a student being required to retake one of the core courses (not for credit), possibly after auditing a relevant undergraduate course.QUALIFYING FOR THE M.A.:

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is normally an incidental degree on the way to Ph.D. candidacy and is earned after a student successfully passes the general examination.  It may also be awarded to students who, for various reasons, leave the Ph.D. program, provided that these requirements have been met.

Please note, students admitted to the Ph.D. program who do not wish to complete the program may be considered for an M.S.E. degree with approval from the department and the Graduate School.  Ph.D. students who have already been awarded the incidental M.A. are not eligible to earn an M.S.E.TEACHING:

All Ph.D. students must serve a minimum of one semester as an assistant in instruction (teaching assistant) to broaden their experience and expose them to the other side of the instructional process.  For students who secure certain competitive fellowships that do not allow teaching, this requirement can be lifted with approval from the DGS.  Students are expected to serve six AI (assistant in instruction) hours, which equates to approximately twenty hours/week for the semester.  Six AI hours is based on the number of contact hours each week with undergraduates.   Students generally serve as AIs in their second year of graduate study, never in their first. Some students may serve more than once if the student so desires; if AI service is needed to ensure a student’s continued financial support; or if the department cannot fill the AI position otherwise. In addition, some “half” (three-hour) AI positions may be available, which should require approximately 10 hours/week; these would normally be filled by students who have already completed their term of “full” AI service.DISSERTATION AND FPO:

The doctoral dissertation must demonstrate the student’s independent research and mastery of the field and extend existing knowledge or present a significant new interpretation of known phenomena. The dissertation must be approved by the student’s research adviser and a knowledgeable second reader.

The final public oral examination culminates the student’s graduate studies. A faculty committee examines the student’s technical mastery of the material in the dissertation.