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 1st 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.