Chemical Engineering, Ph.D.

I. Contact Information

Hongfei Lin, Ph.D. Graduate Program Director
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
(775)784-4697
hongfeil@unr.edu

Department website: http://www.unr.edu/degrees/chemical-engineering

II. Brief Introduction

The doctor of philosophy degree in chemical engineering is designed for exceptional students who want to pursue advanced careers in research, teaching, or industry.  Students gain significant research experience and have the opportunity to work closely with our nationally recognized faculty.
Departmental research strengths include:

• renewable energy,
• polymer science and engineering,
• catalysis,
• molecular modeling,
• biofuels

Students in the Ph.D. program develop expertise on a topic within chemical engineering and conduct original research that contributes to knowledge in the field.

III. Program Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes

• An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering to engineering problems.
• An ability to design and conduct experiments as well as to analyze and interpret data.
• An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability constraints.

IV. Admission Requirements

To apply for the Ph.D. in chemical engineering, students must have an appropriate bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) from an accredited college and have an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75 or at least 3.0 in the last two years.

Applicants to the program should apply through The Graduate School website. Every applicant needs to provide the following:

• Official GRE scores, sent directly to the graduate school
• TOEFL scores, for non-native English speakers
• At least two reference letters
• Statement of purpose

V. Program Requirements

 Requirements include the following:

VI. Total Units

72 units

VII. Note(s):

For additional requirements, please see the Graduate School section of this catalog and http://www.unr.edu/engineering/academics/degree-programs/chemical-engineering/phd .

Research and teaching assistantships are available to Ph.D. students. Current areas of research are: biomaterials, chemical process safety, polymer engineering, process control, biomedical engineering, fuel cells, renewable energy, process simulation, molecular simulation, surface and colloid engineering, applied surfactant research, fluidization, process design and optimization, separation processes, water treatment, phase equilibria, reaction engineering, and risk analysis.

VIII. Undergraduate Prerequisites

Applicants to graduate study in chemical engineering should have an engineering undergraduate degree, except those with a B.S. in chemistry, who may be admitted to the special M.S. program by taking additional preparatory courses.