Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

A total of 108 hrs are required for the Ph. D. degree in chemical engineering, of which 60 are research hours (ChE 599 - Ph.D. Thesis Research) and 48 are coursework. Course outlines for students entering with B.S. and M.S. degrees are sketched in the tables on the following page.

For Ph.D. students entering with a B.S. degree, 20 hours of the 56 hours of course work will be the five required courses, at least 8 hours of credit must be earned in advanced math courses, beyond the ChE core course requirement in math (which is either ChE 431 or 445). Two courses may be taken from the Department of Mathematics, and at least one of these must be at the 500 level. One math course may be substituted by a second ChE course in math; that is, both ChE 431 and 445 can be taken within the ChE department, and this would be augmented with a 500 level math course. Of the 48 hours of coursework, a total of 24 hrs must be at the 500 levels. Since the required courses contain 12 hours at the 500-level and the math requirement contains 4 hours at the 500-level, 8 hours at the 500-level remain to be taken in elective courses.

Students entering with a M.S. should not repeat courses similar to prior courses. Prior courses can fulfill the above requirements, although these hours must be replaced by taking approved electives. If for example all five required chemical engineering and both math required courses have been taken previously, you would take 24 elective hours.

Within three years after formal admittance to the Ph. D. program (students admitted on limited standing have three years from the date they are accepted at full standing) candidates must also take a Ph. D. Preliminary exam. This exam is composed of a written report including a literature search, statement of research objective, proposed research project, and any preliminary results. The candidate will give an oral presentation of this report to the thesis committee. The Ph. D. Thesis Defense cannot be taken for at least one year after the Ph. D. Preliminary Exam is successfully completed. Students are allowed two opportunities to take the Preliminary Exam. If a student fails on both attempts, the student will not be allowed to continue in the Ph. D. program.

A major requirement of the Ph.D. program is the completion of a thesis based on original research carried out under the supervision of your advisor and defended during a final oral examination before the Thesis Defense Committee, with the Advisor serving as its Chairman. The Advisor and the members of the Committee normally will decide to hold the oral defense when they are satisfied in principle with the research. The Committee may accept the thesis, reject it, or impose conditions requiring that major or minor changes be made.

Ph. D. Course Sequence (108 hrs) - From B.S. degree

Required Courses:

ChE 410 (Transport Phenomena) 4 hrs

ChE 527 (Reaction Engineering) 4 hrs

ChE 431 or 445 (Advanced Mathematics) 4 hrs

ChE 501 or 502 (Advanced Thermodynamics) 4 hrs

ChE 510, 511 or 512 (Separation Processes) 4 hrs

subtotal: 20 hrs

Math course#1 (or ChE 431 or 445) 4 hrs

Math course#2 (500 level) 4 hrs

subtotal: 8 hrs

Elective Courses:

Elective course #1 (500 level) 4 hrs

Elective course #2 (500 level) 4 hrs

Elective course #3 4 hrs (note: 24 hrs

Elective course #4 4 hrs total at 500

Elective course #5 4 hrs level required)

subtotal: 20 hrs

Research:

Ph.D. Thesis Res. (ChE 599) 60 hrs

grand total: 108 hrs

Ph. D. Course Sequence (108 hrs) - From M.S. degree

Credit for M.S. degree 32 hrs

Required or Elective Courses:*

Course #1 (500 level) 4 hrs

Course #2 (500 level) 4 hrs

Course #3 4 hrs (Note: At least 8

Course #4 4 hrs hrs. required at

Course #5 4 hrs 500 level)

Course #6 4 hrs

subtotal: 24 hrs

Research:

Ph.D. Thesis Res. (ChE 599) 52 hrs

grand total: 108 hrs

Courses taken for the prior degree may be counted for required courses, including the math requirement. Their similarity to the required courses must be demonstrated on the course approval form.

Admission to the Ph.D. program is not automatic for those completing the M.S. Degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. A student desiring to continue graduate study in the Department of Chemical Engineering beyond the M.S. level must apply in writing to the Graduate Committee for admission to the Ph.D. program.

There is no foreign language examination requirement for the Ph.D. degree in the Department of Chemical Engineering.

A timetable to assist the student in implementing their Ph.D. program is given below.

Timetable

1. Application for admission to the Ph.D. program in the Department may be submitted through the Office of Admissions and Records at any time. For UIC M.S. graduates the application should either be made before the thirteenth week of the first semester after completion of the M.S. degree, or during the thirteenth week of the fourth semester of the M.S. program, whichever is earlier.

2. The student must select a degree advisor no later than the ninth week of the first semester following admission to the Ph.D. program. An advisor selection form is shown in Appendix 1. The student’s temporary advisor will conduct initial advising, including first semester course enrollment and details of settling into the program.

3. In consultation with the degree advisor, the student will organize a preliminary exam committee. All the necessary paperwork for the Graduate College must be submitted. A written report should be given to the committee at least two weeks before the oral exam. Upon successful completion of the preliminary examination, the student is formally admitted to Ph.D. candidacy.

4. In consultation with the degree advisor, the student will propose a list of a minimum of 48 credit hours of graduate courses and, with the advisor's signature, submit the list through the graduate secretary to the Graduate Committee for approval early in the third semester after admission to the Ph.D. program. A blank course approval form is shown in Appendix 2.

5. The student's Thesis Defense Committee is nominated by the student upon consultation with the advisor and must be approved by the Graduate Committee, who will then make a recommendation to the Graduate College. The Graduate Dean formally appoints the nominated Thesis Defense Committee. The student's Ph.D. thesis should be submitted to the Committee at least two weeks before the scheduled date of the defense. The time limit for the defense, for graduation in a particular semester, is set by the Graduate College. The Department’s graduate secretary will have these deadlines as well as graduation request forms.

6. The student must file one bound copy of the Ph.D. Thesis with the Department graduate office in addition to those normally required by the Graduate College.