The Ph.D. degree plan is primarily a research program. Students with a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field, are encouraged to apply for this program.

Graduate students enrolled in the Ph.D. program will have the opportunity to work closely with our dynamic, internationally-recognized faculty, focusing on innovative research problems through interdisciplinary collaborations in the colleges of engineering, liberal arts and sciences, health and human performance, and medicine, which are all co-located on the Gainesville campus. Ph.D. students will observe a strong commitment to excellence in research, education, and ethics in both the classroom and the laboratory. 

The granting of the degree is based on general proficiency and distinctive achievements of the Ph.D. candidate in their research field. Ph.D. students are expected to demonstrate the ability to conduct independent investigation of research problems and attain mastery of a field of knowledge. Ph.D. students will also have opportunities to gain valuable teaching and communication experience by assisting instructors in the classroom and supervising undergraduate and other graduate researchers in the laboratory.

Briefly, the requirements for the Ph.D. degree are:

• Completion of at least 90 credits (minimum of 24 credits of coursework) beyond the B.S. degree while maintaining an overall and major GPA of 3.0 or higher. Specific coursework requirements include completion of four core courses Continuum Basis, Molecular Basis, Mathematical Basis, and Chemical Engineering Kinetics/ Reactor Design. 
• Successful completion of a written research proposal and oral qualifying examination based on the candidate’s research plan to achieve the objectives for his/her doctoral dissertation and his/her general knowledge of chemical engineering fundamentals. 
• Successful completion of a written doctoral dissertation and final oral examination based on the candidate’s original research. 

Transition to Ph.D. Candidacy requires successful completion of both the research proposal and the oral qualifying examination, which should be completed by February 1^st of the second year. Although the time to complete all Ph.D. degree requirements is dependent on the specific research program and benchmark achievements, the minimum requirements for the Ph.D. program are typically met in 4-5 years following a B.S. degree.

Yes, the University of Florida’s Office of Admission will need official transcripts from both degrees. Official transcripts must be sent to the Office of Admissions prior to registering in the Fall. Unofficial transcripts are suitable for application review.

Yes, this is just a guideline from the graduate school not from the department. The application portal will accept documents with longer lengths.

Please write a statement of purpose that allows you to really showcase who you are and why you want to do a Ph.D. We are interested in your previous experiences (work, research, outreach, etc…) that have led you to apply to the Ph.D. program. We are interested in why UF is a great place for you to do that. We want to know what you hope to gain from doing your Ph.D. at UF. Usually, applicants are able to do this in about 2 pages.

Yes. This is just a graduate school recommendation. The portal will accept documents with longer lengths.

UF accepts electronic scores only from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score report. These scores are valid for two years.

Minimum requirements for these scores as dictated by the Graduate School are found at https://admissions.ufl.edu/apply/international/#toefl.

Please also note international applicants are exempt from the English proficiency requirement if enrolled for one academic year in a degree-seeking program at a recognized/regionally accredited university or college in a country where English is the official language prior to your anticipated term of enrollment, or if you are from one of the countries listed on the exemptions page: https://admissions.ufl.edu/apply/international/countries.html.

The Application Portal DOES NOT recognize these exemptions during the application process. You will need to email grad@che.ufl.edu after submitting your application to let us know you qualify for an exemption. Then we will process the exemption with the Graduate Admission Office for you.

Students with a B.S. in chemical engineering from UPRM (University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez) will be exempt by our department. Please email grad@che.ufl.edu to discuss this and proceed with the exemption.

There are a lot of different housing options near campus. Some of our students do live on campus, but most graduate students live close to campus in housing not maintained by the university. Our current graduate students usually provide information and recommendations to newly accepted students through our new Ph.D. student peer mentoring program. Accepted students should expect communications from mentors in the summer prior to the start of the fall semester.

UF offers graduate family housing as well. You can apply after you have been admitted to our program. It is recommended that you apply 10-12 weeks prior to your anticipated move in date. You will need a UFID and email address to complete this process. Some of these rentals can be month-to-month, which is helpful for students who are just arriving or students who are graduating and do not want to sign a lease for a whole year.

https://www.housing.ufl.edu/living-options/apply/graduate-family-housing/

Also, several housing websites are available to find apartments or rentals off-campus. Often, the cost of housing is cheapest when you sign a yearlong lease or rental agreement.

• https://housing.offcampus.ufl.edu/
• https://www.swamprentals.com/
• https://www.apartments.com/gainesville-fl/under-500/
• https://www.forrent.com/find/FL/metro-Gainesville/Gainesville/extras-Cheap
• https://www.collegerentals.com/off-campus-housing/fl/gainesville/?gclid=CjwKCAjw95D0BRBFEiwAcO1KDHtKYrq7Kupq1g8cueKLhJu1AzWGAfnKdV8P6ORsE08O6x1KWhosYRoCpwAQAvD_BwE
• https://www.apartmentlist.com/fl/gainesville

The admissions office receives many applications for the university and reviews them before listing the transcript as received. Applicants should see that their transcript is “Under Review”. This indicates that the transcript has been received and that the department can review it for admissions decisions.

We will give strong consideration to applicants from ChE and Petroleum Eng, as well as excellent students holding degrees in Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, General Engineering, or closely related fields.

Ph.D. coursework requires a solid background in Transport (heat, mass, and momentum/fluids), kinetics (reactor design and reaction engineering), thermodynamics, and mathematics (ordinary and partial differential equations).

All Ph.D. students that maintain good academic standing and make satisfactory progress toward their degree are guaranteed competitive stipends, tuition waivers, and medical insurance for 5 years within the program, though funding and support for additional time is often provided by the Ph.D. advisor when necessary.

Applications have a priority deadline of December 5^th but are due by December 15^th for full consideration.

• Statement of purpose (to be submitted with the online application)
  • This should highlight your educational and career path, answer questions such as:
    • Why do you want a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering?
    • What motivates you to get a Ph.D.?
    • What motivates you to study Chemical Engineering?
    • What past experiences have led you to where you are now?
    • What are you most proud of in your accomplishments as a student, a researcher, or a chemical engineer?
  • Three recommendation letters 
    • Make sure to add contact information for three letter writers in the online application
    • They will be contacted via the online form
  • A resume, no longer than two pages (part of online application)
  • Official transcripts sent by mail, even if you provided unofficial copies in the online application (see FAQ page)
  • Research interest survey, which is sent ~1 week after receipt of the complete formal application (usually on Mondays through department communication)

Prior to submitting your application in full, email grad@che.ufl.edu

Late applications will be considered until positions are filled. Usually, we receive substantial numbers of qualified applicants by the December 15th deadline and complete application review no later than January 5th.

Application review will begin on December 6^th and continue until available positions are filled. Questions should be sent to grad@che.ufl.edu.

UF Office of Admissions
PO Box 114000 (201 Criser Hall)
Gainesville, FL 32611-4000, USA

Usually the department requires a GRE scores for both US applicants and international applicants. GRE scores are not required for admission to our programs between now and Fall 2023.

TOEFL or other English language proficiency scores are also required for international applicants.

If you would like to discuss these exemptions, please email grad@che.ufl.edu

Minimum requirements for these scores as dictated by the Graduate School are found at https://admissions.ufl.edu/apply/international/#toefl

Scores should be sent electronically when possible. If that is not an option, mail them to:

UF Office of Admissions
PO Box 114000 (201 Criser Hall)
Gainesville, FL 32611-4000, USA

The first round of admissions decisions are made in January and February. If you have not received any communication from our department by March, it means that you are on the wait list. We use a rolling admissions process to ensure that we are always able to uphold our commitment to 5 year contracts for all admitted students. The national deadline for Ph.D. program decisions is April 15, and it is not uncommon to continue our rolling admissions process up until that deadline. 

New Ph.D. students start each fall and are required to be on-campus on August 16^th each year. If this date falls on a weekend, the next Monday is the start date. For international students concerned with visa issues, please email grad@che.ufl.edu and we will help you as best we can given the continued changing policies. 

As a student with a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering, you are a qualified applicant for our Ph.D. program. We do not require applicants to have a MS degree to obtain admission to our program. However, the two degrees are quite different and emphasize a different learning path and perhaps a different career path. The answer to which degree is right for you takes into consideration many more things than what can be put on an FAQ page. We recommend reaching out to trusted faculty advisors at your current institution for help with this.

Apply! We routinely accept students who have industrial experience. A supervisor at your previous place of employment is welcome to write one of your recommendation letters. If you have any questions about navigating this transition, email grad@che.ufl.edu

Usually, no. Our Ph.D. students do not pay tuition and are provided a stipend and benefits while continuing to make satisfactory progress toward their Ph.D. degree, so the additional coursework or “repetitive” coursework is not a financial burden to the student. However, performance in the core courses is part of the evaluation for “Ph.D. Candidacy,” and thus it is critical that all students take these courses. 

After application submission or after receipt of an offer letter, email grad@che.ufl.edu

Graduate students join the department as a cohort each fall semester. During the first month, students participate in a matching process. This includes the ability to meet with as many faculty members as they would like (at least 3), participation in research group meetings or current graduate student shadowing, and 1:1 meetings with potential faculty advisors to discuss research topics, expectations, and mentorship styles. Students are then asked to rank available projects based on their interests. Based on these rankings and other factors, students are matched with a Ph.D. thesis advisor in early October. Thus, accepted students are free to explore their options once they arrive on campus. Accepted students are encouraged to reach out to the research groups that interest them- either the professor or students in the research group- to learn more information.

Ph.D. students take 9 credits during the spring and fall semesters and 6 credits over the summer. Usually, Ph.D. students take three 3-credit core courses during the first semester. In the following semesters, students can determine their course load each semester with their advisor, taking a combination of formal courses, research-based instruction, and departmental seminar. Students will continue to register for seminar every semester as part of the Ph.D. program requirements until graduation.

UF ChE has a set of requirements for obtaining “Ph.D. Candidate” status. These requirements do not include a formal test. Students are evaluated via their performance in the core graduate courses and via their proposal defense. 

UF Chemical Engineering does not have teaching assistantships (TA ships). Instead, Ph.D. students enroll in a supervised teaching course for a total of 4 credits usually during their 3^rd year. They work with a faculty mentor to gain skills relevant to their career path while assisting the faculty member in the execution of an undergraduate or graduate course. Ph.D. students can focus on skills such as course design, conflict resolution, public speaking, equitable treatment of students, mental health support, student assessment, and classroom teaching skills. Thus, Ph.D. students will assist in the execution of 2 courses during their time at UF.

Ph.D. students are guaranteed funding on a research assistantship appointment for 5 years as long as they are making satisfactory progress toward the completion of the PhD degree.

To advance from graduate student status to an official Ph.D. Candidate, we have a few requirements:

1. A grade of B- or better in all core ChE graduate courses
2. Overall GPA of 3.0 or better
3. Submission of a written proposal document outlining the aims of your Ph.D. thesis to the graduate program director, the student’s advisor, and their committee by February 1^st
4. An oral qualifying exam consisting of a 30-45 min presentation on your written proposal followed by a closed Q&A session with your committee

Based on course performance, the written document, the oral presentation, and Q&A session, the committee will determine the student’s admission into Ph.D. Candidacy.

Students are allowed to submit their documents and present orally 1 additional time within 6 months of the first presentation, if they are unsuccessful.

At UF, all students are on semester-based contracts. These contracts start at the beginning of the fall, spring, and summer terms. Prior to starting a new contract, the PI (the Ph.D. advisor) provides feedback to the student via an evaluation and re-appointment form, collected and maintained by Human Resources (HR). In these forms, the advisor is able to comment on the student’s progress to date, the expectations for the student over the next semester, and their proficiency in a variety of broad skills necessary to obtain their degree. To maintain satisfactory progress, students must meet the Ph.D. qualifying criteria (described above), be in good academic standing, and/or not received two unsatisfactory performance reviews in a row.

If you have questions about the HR side of these reviews, email che-HR@eng.ufl.edu for clarification or a copy of these evaluation forms.

Gainesville is a lovely city, with a very reasonable cost of living and a diverse population. Gainesville has an array of restaurants, parks, breweries, and outdoor activities. As a city, Gainesville values education and diversity, with spaces for people of different backgrounds to come together for common goals. Gainesville is home to the major UF research hospitals, including a cancer center, children’s hospital, cardiovascular center, and dental college. Gainesville also houses the North Florida Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. There are plenty of things to do outdoors in Gainesville, including trail running and mountain biking, golfing, swimming or kayaking in the natural springs, and ultimate frisbee or disc golf. Additionally, UF has nationally ranked sports teams including gymnastics, volleyball, football, basketball, and baseball.

Gainesville is also about 1.5 hours from both the “Nature Coast” to the west where you can go fishing, scalloping, or swim with the manatees or the Atlantic Coast to the east, which boasts beautiful dog-friendly beaches. Gainesville is also a short 2-hour drive to Orlando, Disney World, and Universal Studios. Graduate students routinely plan adventures as a group that take advantage of all the things North Florida has to offer.