Graduate Programs

Overview

The Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering (CEmaT) offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering with the following areas of emphasis:

• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Materials Science and Engineering

The educational objectives are to produce graduates that:

1. Have advanced technical knowledge in at least one specialty area of chemical, environmental, and materials engineering
2. Have advanced capability to apply advanced knowledge to engineering problems
3. Have made significant contributions in at least one specialty area of chemical, environmental, and materials engineering

The specialty areas of study for the Ph.D. include:

• Aerosols
• Environmental and Water-Resources Engineering
• Synthetic Biology
• Materials Synthesis

Students in the PhD program are required to complete at least 72 credits beyond a Bachelors degree.  At least 36 credits will be coursework credits, and at least 36 credits will be research credits.  For students who enter the PhD program with an earned Masters degree in a related field, the Masters degree coursework can count up to a maximum of 12 credits towards the required coursework, with approval of the Graduate Program Director and the Supervisory Committee. All PhD students are required to engage in supervised research and defend a dissertation.

The following are the major requirements for the degree:

1. Develop a Plan of Study that is approved by a Supervisory Committee.
2. Take coursework credits in Year 1, and pass a Comprehensive Exam (first part of the Qualifying Exam) at the end of Year 1.
3. Engage in research and defend a dissertation proposal by end of Year 2 (second part of Qualifying Exam), and be admitted to Candidacy.
4. Students who receive College of Engineering Fellowships must substantively participate in teaching beginning in Year 2.
5. Complete and defend a dissertation at the end of the program.
6. Students are encouraged to publish their research findings in refereed journals.