Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering

Fifty-seven (57) semester hours are required for the PhD degree in ChE as follows:

  1. Twelve (12) semester hours of ChE core courses
  2. Twenty-one (21) semester hours of approved electives
  3. Twenty-four (24) semester hours of ECH 6980r, Dissertation
  4. Successful completion of ECH 8965r, Doctoral Qualifying Exam (0) (P/F grade only)
  5. Successful defense of an oral and written dissertation - ECH 8985, Dissertation Defense (0) (P/F grade only)
  6. Registration and attendance at all departmental seminars - ECH 5935, ChE Seminar (0)

No courses with a grade below "C" will be counted toward fulfillment of degree requirements. No more than one course with a grade of "C" will be counted toward fulfillment of degree requirements.

Required Chemical Engineering Core Graduate Courses (twelve [12] semester hours):

  • ECH 5052 - Research Methods in Chemical Engineering (3)
  • ECH 5126 - Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics I (3)
  • ECH 5261 - Advanced Transport Phenomena I (3)
  • ECH 5840 - Advanced Chemical Engineering Mathematics I (3)
  • ECH 8965r - Doctoral Preliminary Exam (0) (P/F grade only)
  • ECH 8985 - Dissertation Defense (0) (P/F grade only)

Chemical Engineering Electives (eighteen [18] semester hours):

  • Students should consulate major professor to determine the elective courses offered by the department. Additional elective courses may be found in the University Graduate Bulletin.

Dissertation Hours (twenty-four [24] semester hours):

  • ECH 6980r - Dissertation (1-9) (S/U grade only)

Degree Requirements

The PhD degree will be awarded to a doctoral candidate upon successful completion of the following requirements:

  1. Passage of the ChE PhD qualifying examination (ECH 8965) within two (2) consecutive exam attempts (see PhD Qualifying Examination Requirements below for more details); successful completion will result in formal admission to PhD candidacy;
  2. Selection of a research topic and major professor(s);
  3. Formation of a supervisory committee in consultation with the major professor(s);
  4. Submission and defense of a prospectus on the dissertation topic to the supervisory committee;
  5. Completion of thirty-three (33) semester hours of advanced coursework (including twelve [12] semester hours of core graduate coursework);
  6. Completion of at least twenty-four (24) semester hours of dissertation research;
  7. One semester teaching assistantship in the undergraduate laboratory;
  8. Presentation of a research topic at one local, regional, national or international professional meeting;
  9. Submission or publication of scholarly articles based on original dissertation research in peer-reviewed journals;
  10. Satisfaction of the University residency requirement; and
  11. Presentation and defense of an original dissertation (ECH 8985, Dissertation Defense).

All paperwork associated with the above requirements (see forms) must be submitted in a timely fashion to the Departmental office with appropriate signatures for review by the Graduate Committee and its Chair.

All ChE graduate students are required to attend the Program for Instructional Excellence (PIE) Workshop to prepare for teaching assistant (TA) duties. This requirement is mandatory regardless of the student's classification as a teaching assistant or research assistant. In addition, all students are required to take safety training courses as necessary.

Students with a master's degree in ChE from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering may, with approval of the graduate committee and major professor, take nine (9) additional approved semester hours beyond the thesis-type master's course requirements to satisfy the thirty-three (33) semester hour requirement for the PhD. All other requirements must be fulfilled as stated above.

Students with master's degrees in ChE from other institutions will be given a specific course plan by the departmental graduate committee. A maximum of thirty (30) semester hours may be assigned to remedy any deficiencies in the student's background. Transfer credit from another institution is limited to six (6) semester hours towards the PhD degree and only with departmental approval.