Doctoral Program

Admission to the Chemical Engineering or Materials Science and Engineering doctoral program is based on evidence that a student will prove capable of scholarly specialization in a broad intellectual foundation of a related discipline. The master’s degree is strongly recommended for students entering the doctoral program. Applicants without the master’s degree will normally be enrolled in the master’s program.

Ninety credits of graduate work in an approved program of study are required beyond the bachelor’s degree; this may include up to 30 credits obtained in a master’s degree program, if the area of the master's degree is relevant to the doctoral program. A doctoral dissertation for a minimum of 30 credits and based on the results of your original research, carried out under the guidance of a faculty member and defended in a public examination, is a major component of the doctoral program. The Ph.D. qualifying exam consists of a written and an oral exam. Students are strongly encouraged to take the qualifying exam within two semesters of enrollment in the graduate program. A minimum of 3.5 GPA must be satisfied in order to take the exam. A time limit of six years is set for completion of the doctoral program.

Doctoral Program - Interdisciplinary

An interdisciplinary Ph.D. program is jointly offered with the Department of Physics and Engineering Physics and the Department of Chemistry, Chemical Biology, and Biomedical Engineering. This program aims to address the increasingly cross-cutting nature of doctoral research in these disciplines. The interdisciplinary Ph.D. program aims to take advantage of the complementary educational offerings and research opportunities in these areas. Any student who wishes to enter this interdisciplinary program needs to obtain the consent of the three departments and the subsequent approval of the Dean of Academic Administration. The student will follow a study plan designed by his/her faculty advisor(s). The student will be granted official candidacy in the program upon successful completion of a qualifying exam that will be administered according to the applicable guidelines of the Office of Graduate Admissions. All policies of the Office of Graduate Admissions that govern the credit and thesis requirements apply to students enrolled in this interdisciplinary program. Interested students should follow the normal graduate application procedures through the Dean of Academic Administration.

Doctoral Program – Nanotechnology Concentration

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering doctoral programs are an integral part of the Institute-wide Nanotechnology Graduate Program. Ph.D. degree options in these disciplines with a Nanotechnology concentration are available to students who satisfy the conditions and requirements outlined in a separate section of this catalog.

Research

A thesis for the master’s or doctoral program can be completed by participating in one of the following research programs of the department

• Biologically Active Material - Professor Libera
• Biochemical Engineering - Professor DeLancey
• Crystallization - Professors Kovenklioglu and Kalyon
• Electron Microscopy and Polymer Interfaces - Professor Libera
• Heterogeneous catalysis, infrared spectroscopy, density-functional theory (DFT) calculations – Prof. Podkolzin
• Mathematical Modeling and Simulation of Transport Processes – Professor Lawal
• Microchemical Systems - Professors Lee, Lawal, Besser, and Kovenklioglu
• Polymer Characterization and Processing - Professor Kalyon
• Rheology Modeling Processability and Microstructure of Filled Materials - Professor Kalyon
• Surface Modification at Multiple Length Scales, Photonic Sensing, High-Temperature Oxidation - Professor Du
• Surface Science and Engineering - Professor Rothberg