PhD Program
The Institute requirements for the Ph.D. degree are described in the General Catalog. The
School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering requirements are as follows:
(a) Satisfactory performance in a qualifying examination.
(b) Submission of a written thesis proposal and satisfactory oral defense of this proposal.
(c) Completion of (i) a committee review, generally 6-12 months before the thesis
defense and (ii) a presentation in the graduate seminar series during the third or fourth
year.
(d) Submission of an acceptable dissertation, and satisfactory oral defense of this
dissertation.
(e) Satisfactory completion of core courses and 9 credit hours of courses in a minor area
of study.
These requirements are discussed more fully below.
PhD Qualifying Examination
Students seeking a PhD degree in Chemical Engineering or Paper Science and
Engineering, and having the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering as an
academic home, must pass the PhD qualifying examination given twice a year - once in
January and again in May. Students entering in the Fall semester must take the
examination offered during the following January; students entering in the Spring or
Summer semesters must take the examination by the following January. If a student does
not take the PhD qualifying exam during the normal time period, he/she must complete
the MS degree requirements and take the qualifying examination at the first opportunity
after defending the MS thesis. A student failing the written and/or oral component of the
examination may retake the failed exam(s) once, the next time that the exam is given.
The qualifying exam will consist of four parts:
Part I-Written Exam: The written exam will be a three-hour closed-book exam covering
material normally found in undergraduate chemical engineering curricula, including
Material and Energy Balances, Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Heat Transfer, Mass
Transfer, Separations, Reactor Design, and Chemical Kinetics and Catalysis.
Part II-Oral Exam: The oral exam will require the student to review and critique a
technical paper which will be assigned to the student approximately one week before the
exam. The student will be required to make a 15-minute oral presentation on the paper at
a scheduled time and to a committee of two or more faculty members. This will be
followed by a question and answer session lasting no more than 45 minutes covering the
paper and other fundamental aspects of chemical engineering.
Part III-Research Evaluation: The research advisor will submit an evaluation of the
student’s research progress and potential, plus a letter grade evaluation of the student’s
research performance.
Part IV-Course Work: An average GPA of 3.0 is required in core courses (ChBE 6003,
6100, 6200, 6260, 6300, 6500) for students seeking a PhD in Chemical Engineering and
(ChBE 6003, 6630, 6631, 6634, 6231) for students seeking a PhD in Paper Science and
Engineering.
Overall Results: The overall recommendation from the faculty will be based on the
student’s performance in the four parts cited above. A separate exam is administered for
students seeking a PhD in Bioengineering.
Thesis Proposal and Oral Defense
The thesis proposal must be presented in writing to the Thesis Advisory Committee and
must include the following:
• objectives and specific aims of the research
• thorough but concise review of the relevant literature
• significance of the proposed work and its scientific and societal impact
• preliminary work
• outline of the proposed methodology, anticipated difficulties, and methods for
overcoming these difficulties
• timetable for the completion of thesis
The proposal should be between 10 and 20 pages in length (single spaced, 12 point
font, 1 inch margins, including Figures and Tables). A one page abstract is also
required, as well as appropriate references (not subject to the page limit).
The proposal must be defended orally before the Thesis Advisory Committee, whose
members must receive the written proposal no later than two weeks prior to the oral
examination. The student must also circulate to the faculty (via the Graduate Office) an
announcement of the time and place of the thesis proposal defense. This must be done at
least two weeks before the date of the defense. The examination will consist of a 20
minute oral presentation by the student, followed by a question and answer session.
The subject matter of the oral defense will be based on, but is not limited to, the research
proposal.
The Thesis Advisory Committee will consist of the thesis advisor and at least four other
faculty members with knowledge of the research area. At least three committee members
must be faculty in the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, and at least one
committee member must be from outside the School. The majority of members should
also be program faculty (Chemical Engineering, Paper Science and Engineering,
Bioengineering, or Polymers, as appropriate). A brief resume must be included for any
member who is not a Georgia Tech faculty member. The Graduate Studies Committee
must approve the Thesis Advisory Committee at least 30 days prior to the proposal date.
The thesis proposal defense must be completed no later than the end of the sixth
semester at Georgia Tech.
The student must meet on a regular basis with the Thesis Advisory Committee (either as
a group or individually) to report on his/her progress. A minimum of one progress
meeting is required after the proposal defense and before the final thesis defense. The
progress meeting must take place during the 9th or 10th semester of residence.
Admission to Candidacy
After successful completion of the qualifying exam and the proposal defense, the student
must file with the Graduate Office a formal statement (Request for Admission to PhD
Candidacy) naming the Thesis Advisor and Thesis Advisory Committee, and setting forth
the topic selected for research. This statement should include the purpose of the
investigation and the steps by which the student proposes to conduct it, supported by
literature references where appropriate. The Associate Chair will then forward this
request to the Dean of the Division of Graduate Studies for the applicant to be formally
admitted to PhD candidacy.
Thesis Research
The thesis research must represent a significant contribution to fundamental knowledge
in the field of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, and be publishable in a research
journal in the field. The student and his/her thesis advisor will normally formulate the
thesis topic. The thesis advisor must be a member of the academic faculty of the School.
In some cases, the student may conduct his/her thesis research under an advisor from
another School. In this case, the student must have a Chemical & Biomolecular
Engineering faculty member as a thesis co-advisor.
The PhD Dissertation
Instructions concerning preparation of the dissertation are available from the Division of
Graduate Studies and PhD candidates should familiarize themselves with these
instructions. The format of the dissertation must be approved by the Division of Graduate
Studies, and the student is required to submit a draft of the dissertation to the Graduate
Division no later than three weeks before the date of graduation. This must be done after a
successful thesis defense and after approval by the Thesis Reading Committee.
The student and his/her thesis advisor are expected to publish the completed research in
appropriate journal(s) as promptly as possible.
Course Requirements
PhD students in Chemical Engineering must successfully complete the following courses
(or their equivalents) with an average GPA of 3.0 or higher:
ChBE 6003 |
Chemical Process Safety |
1 |
ChBE 6100 |
Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics |
3 |
ChBE 6200 |
Transport Phenomena |
3 |
ChBE 6260 |
Mass Transport |
3 |
ChBE 6300 |
Kinetics and Reactor Design |
3 |
ChBE 6500 |
Mathematical Modeling |
3 |
ChBE xxxx |
ChBE Elective |
3 |
Courses in minor field of study (see below) |
9 |
|
The ChBE elective is a 6000 level course in ChBE, separate from other degree
requirements such as the minor.
PhD students in Paper Science and Engineering must successfully complete the following
courses (or their equivalents) with an average GPA of 3.0 or higher:
ChBE 6003 |
Chemical Process Safety |
1 |
ChBE 6100 |
Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics |
3 |
ChBE 6200 |
Transport Phenomena |
3 |
ChBE 6260 |
Mass Transport |
3 |
ChBE 6300 |
Kinetics and Reactor Design |
3 |
ChBE 6630 |
Pulp and Paper Manufacture I |
3 |
ChBE 6631 |
Pulp and Paper Manufacture II |
3 |
ChBE 6231 |
Environmental Engineering for Forest Products |
3 |
ChBE 6634 |
Wet-end Processing of Paper |
3 |
Minor requirements: All students are required to demonstrate a mastery of some body
of knowledge outside their major. This area of study is referred to as a minor program
of study. The minor should consist of at least nine semester hours of work in related
cohesive courses chosen in consultation with the thesis advisor. The courses should be
offered by Schools other than Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (cross-listed
courses offered by the School are acceptable). The proposed minor program of study
must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee before the courses are taken. At
least two of these courses must carry graduate credit, and one course may be at the 4000
level. All courses must be completed with a grade of B or better.
After completing the coursework for the minor, the student should complete the
appropriate form and submit it to the Graduate Studies Committee setting forth the list of
courses (and grades received) for the minor. The approved minor form will then be
submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies.
The 3rd/4th Year Requirements
Candidates for the PhD degree must complete a committee review between the Proposal
Defense and the Thesis Defense. This review will usually occur 6-12 months before the
Thesis Defense. The typical scope of the review will include a brief 10-15 minute
presentation by the student of an outline for the completed PhD dissertation. A 3rd/4th
year review form must be signed by the committee and returned to the graduate office.
Additionally, every 4th year student must present a seminar to the School as part of the Fall
4th Year Graduate Colloquium.
The Degree Petition
Candidates for the PhD degree must file with the Registrar a Petition for Degree in the
semester prior to that in which graduation is expected. Any errors in this petition may
delay the student’s graduation until the following semester. Students who do not
complete their requirements when anticipated must file a reactivation petition. This form
is also due in the semester prior to the student’s expected graduation date. Reactivation
instructions may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar.
Final PhD Examination
The thesis must be submitted to the Thesis Reading Committee at least two weeks prior
to the date of the oral defense. In addition, the student must provide the School with an
abstract, plus the date, time and place of the oral defense two weeks prior to the date of
the defense. The examination will be conducted by the Thesis Reading Committee
chosen by the student and the thesis advisor, and approved by the Graduate Studies
Committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies. This committee will consist of at least five
faculty members, including at least three from the School of Chemical Engineering and at
least one from another School; the Thesis Advisory Committee members may also serve
on the Thesis Reading Committee (or the examining committee). The examination will
be announced throughout the School and will be open to the academic community. The
student will be required to make an oral presentation of the final thesis lasting 30-45 minutes, and this will be followed by a question and answer session.
The student must be registered during the semester in which the final doctoral
examination is given.
If both the dissertation and examination are satisfactory, and there is compliance with
requirements of residency and the minor field, then the candidate will be certified as
qualified to receive the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
Summary of Deadlines for PhD Students
1. Admission to the Doctoral Program: This occurs on admission to Graduate School or
following satisfactory performance in the qualifying examinations.
2. Request for Approval of Proposed Program of Study (including Minor Program): No
later than the end of the sixth semester of graduate study.
3. Thesis Proposal Examination: No later than the sixth semester of graduate study.
4. Admission to Candidacy: Upon completion of thesis proposal examination and
approval of the thesis topic.
5. Approval of Minor: Coursework for the minor must be completed one semester
before graduation. Students must petition the Graduate Studies Committee and
Dean of Graduate Studies.
6. 3rd/4th Year Review: Completed during the period between the Thesis Proposal
Examination and the Thesis Defense, ideally no less than 3 months before graduation.
7. Petition for Degree: This must be submitted to the Registrar during the semester
preceding the expected graduation date.
8. Final Doctoral Examination: The student must be registered during the semester in
which the final examination is given. Dissertation approval form must be submitted
following the examination. Copy of thesis must be submitted to the Reading
Committee at least two weeks prior to oral defense. Final copy must be submitted to
the Graduate Division at least 15 days before graduation date.