Selection of courses for the first semester should be done in consultation with the departmental graduate coordinator. All students must also register for the departmental seminar (BME/ECH 5935, Chemical/Biomedical Engineering Seminar) every semester.
All full-time graduate students following the thesis or dissertation option are required to select a research topic and major professor by the end of the first term in which they enter the Department. A form for this purpose is available. The completed form should be submitted to the departmental graduate coordinator. The major professor is responsible for directing the student's research and progress toward a degree. Once a major professor has been approved, a supervisory committee should be established and a program of study prepared in consultation with the major professor before the end of the second term.
The supervisory committee for a master's degree candidate must consist of a minimum of three faculty members from student's home department with appropriate graduate directing status. The major professor is the chair of the supervisory committee and must be a faculty member from the Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering. Additional members may be appointed to the committee if deemed desirable by the major professor. The supervisory committee for a doctoral candidate must have four members (including major professor). All members must have appropriate graduate directing status. The major professor is the chair of the supervisory committee, must be a faculty member from the Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering and must have appropriate graduate directing status. Two of the remaining members of the committee must be from the Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, and the fourth member must be from outside the department. Additional members may be appointed if deemed desirable. The final members of the committee must be approved by the department chair. After the members of the supervisory committee have been identified, the supervisory committee assignment form should be completed and returned to the departmental graduate coordinator. This form will be placed in the student's permanent file. All committee members must be physically present for the Doctoral Dissertation Defense with the exception that one committee member may participate via distance technology.
In order to maintain good standing in the department, the student must maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.0, with no more than one "C" grade for the all courses. No more than one course with a "C" grade will be counted toward fulfilling the degree requirements. No grades below "C" will be counted toward degree requirements. Students without an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering should obtain a grade of "B" or better in all required undergraduate courses. Master's and doctoral degree students must submit the Graduate Student Progress Evaluation Form at the end of every Spring term for evaluation by the supervisory committee and graduate committee. A form for this purpose is included in the appendix of the graduate handbook. This form should be approved and signed by the major professor. An assessment of the progress of the student in research and courses by the graduate committee will be placed in the student's permanent file. Continuance of assistantships and/or tuition waivers is contingent upon satisfactory evaluations.
Students with undergraduate degrees in chemical or biomedical engineering normally complete the thesis-type master's program in four or five semesters, including one summer semester. The graduate committee will not normally recommend continuation of assistantships and tuition waivers beyond a period of two years subsequent to the student's admission to the master's program. Students without an undergraduate degree in chemical or biomedical engineering will be given one additional year for completion. However, these students are normally not supported during their first year, when they are primarily taking preparatory undergraduate chemical/biomedical engineering courses. Doctoral candidates will be recommended for departmental support only for a period of three years subsequent to being admitted to candidacy for the doctoral program. They may be supported on research grants after this period.
Graduate student support is generally in the form of research or teaching assistantships (RAs or TAs), although University fellowships are also available. Research assistantships generally do not require the performance of any work beyond the research requirements of the degree. However, research assistants who receive departmental support for tuition waivers may be required to perform teaching assistant duties (TA) for classes. In addition, students will have to satisfy the teaching requirements of the degree (TA for one undergraduate laboratory course). Teaching assistantship duties include grading homework and/or exams, conducting problem-solving recitation sections and having office hours for answering student questions. Specific duties are assigned by the course instructor, but will typically require less than ten (10) hours per week.