Chemical and Biological Engineering
PhD
Chemical & Biological Engineering is a discipline that integrates chemistry and biology at the molecular level and uses this broad foundation along with engineering fundamentals to study the synthesis of new processes and products. Our graduate program in Chemical and Biological Engineering is an interdisciplinary program that combines chemical engineering fundamentals and systems biology to meet the research challenges of the future.
Degree Requirements
Applicants can apply to our PhD programs with a BS or MS degree. PhD students admitted with a BS degree must be completed at least 14 courses and 42 credits, as well as the seminar course, by the end of the sixth semester and take the qualifying exam no later than the seventh semester. PhD students admitted with a MS degree must be completed at least 7 courses and 21 credits, as well as the seminar course, by the end of the fourth semester and take the qualifying exam no later than the fifth semester.
In addition to the credit courses, students must complete the non-credit courses; CHBI 695 – PhD Thesis, CHBI 590 Seminar, ETHR 500 – Scientific Research Methods and Research and Publication Ethics, ENGL 500 – Academic Writing, TEAC 500 – Teaching Experience, KOLT 500 -Teaching in Higher Education and LIBR 500 – Library Researcher Development.
Curriculum
Required core courses (3 credit each):
CHBI 501 Transport Phenomena
CHBI 502 Reaction Engineering
CHBI 503 Thermodynamics
Elective courses (3 credit each):
CHBI 504 Advanced Thermodynamics
CHBI 505 Polymer Engineering
CHBI 506 Bioinformatics
CHBI 507 Advanced Mass transfer
CHBI 509 Fundamentals of Environmental Technologies
CHBI 510 Industrial Microbiology
CHBI 511 Sustainable Energy
CHBI 516 Biotechnology
CHBI 521/MECH 521 Advanced Fluid Dynamics
CHBI 522 Computational Structural Biology
CHBI 530 Systems Biology
CHBI 584 Tissue Engineering
CMSE 520 Biomolecular Structure, Function and Dynamics
ENGR 500 Applied Optimal Control
INDR 501 Optimization Models and Algorithms
MASE 501 Structure of Materials (1,5 credits)
MASE 502 Electrical & Optical Properties of Materials (1,5 credits)
MASE 504 Thermal Properties of Materials (1,5 credits)
MASE 505 Mechanical Properties of Materials (1,5 credits)
MASE 506 Synthesis, Characterization & Processing of Materials
MASE 538 Intermolecular and Surface Forces
MASE 540 Surface & Interface Properties of Materials
MASE 542 Biomaterials
MASE 570 Micro and Nanofabrication
MATH 503 Applied Mathematics
Courses are selected by the students from the above list and from other courses not listed here in accordance with their areas of specialization and subject to the approval of their advisors. In addition, each student has to take a seminar course, CHBI 590 Seminar. Students also register for the thesis course.
CHBI 590
Seminar
CHBI 695
PhD Thesis
Students who have TA assignments must take TEAC 500: Teaching Experience during the semesters of their assignments. Students must also take ENGL 500: Graduate Writing course.
Students who do not have a formal degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering are encouraged to apply. Once they are admitted, their course program is designed to make up for any lack of background. These students will attend our undergraduate courses in fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, if they have not taken such courses earlier. With this additional course work they will be able to take the graduate required courses and obtain a strong educational background. For these students the course schedule will be tailored but a typical coarse load includes:
YEAR 1
Fall Semester
CHBI 301 Fluid Mechanics
MATH 503 Applied Math
CHBI 503 Thermodynamics
Spring Semester
CHBI 302 Heat and Mass Transfer
Graduate Electives (1 or 2)
YEAR 2
Fall Semester
CHBI 501 Transport Phenomena
Graduate Electives (1 or none)
