Chemical Engineering, Ph.D.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• apply engineering research and theory to advance the art, science, and practice of the discipline.
• design and conduct experiments as well as to analyze, interpret, apply, and disseminate the data.
• understand research methodology.

Contact Information

Sage Hiibel, Ph.D. Graduate Program Director
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
(775) 327-2260
shiibel@unr.edu

Department website

Graduate Handbook *

Admission Requirements

The Chemical Engineering graduate program offers Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Chemical Engineering. The general university requirements for these advanced degrees are listed in the Graduate School  section of this catalog.

Students must have an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering; students without a chemical engineering degree may be admitted to the M.S. program by taking additional preparatory courses.

Students must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 for four years of undergraduate work.
• The GRE is a required part of the application. Minimum scores for admission to the PhD program are 305 (combined Verbal and Quantitative) and 4.0 (Analytical Writing).
• Students whose native language is not English must earn an acceptable score on the TOEFL or IELTS unless they have completed BS/MS degrees at an English-speaking university. Minimum scores for admission to either the MS or PhD program are 79 for the internet-based TOEFL. A minimum band score of 6. 5 is required of the IELTS. Other tests accepted are Duolingo (115), Cambridge (176), and Pearson (59).
• Submit letters of recommendation from former professors indicating the student’s capability for advanced course work and research.

Prospective graduate students should contact the Graduate Program Director for further information. Formal application is completed through the Graduate School.

I. Program Requirements

General doctoral program requirements are:

1. Minimum of 60 graduate credits;
2. Minimum of 40 graduate credits of coursework;
3. Maximum of 9 graduate credits of S/U grading (including transfer credits);
4. At least 18 credits of 700-level graduate credits (exclusive of dissertation credits) are required: as many as 18 of these credits may be used from a master’s degree program;
5. Must enroll in a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 30 dissertation credits for degree completion (see program requirement). With the program director’s approval, internship/externship experiences can count for dissertation credits, if applicable;
6. Fulfill residency requirement by completing two consecutive semesters (including summer sessions) consisting of six (6) graduate credits each;
7. All requirements for the doctoral program, excluding prerequisite graduate course work or master’s degrees, must be completed within a period of eight (8) years immediately preceding the granting of the degree;
8. Continuous enrollment;
9. Minimum enrollment of 3 graduate credits each fall and spring semester;
10. Every graduate course must be completed with a grade of “C “or better.

Specific program requirements include the following:

II. Total Units

60 units

Note(s):

For additional requirements, please see the Graduate School section of this catalog and https://www.unr.edu/cme/graduate/chemical-engineering .

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, advanced soft-material manufacturing, separation processes, water treatment, phase equilibria, reaction engineering, environmental remediation, and risk analysis.

Graduate Handbook: * Curriculum requirements in the catalog supersede the Graduate handbook.

Undergraduate Prerequisites

An undergraduate degree in chemical engineering is recommended. Students without a chemical engineering undergraduate degree may be admitted to the M.S. program on a case-by-case basis, but will be required to take additional preparatory courses.  M.S. students may apply to the Ph.D. program at any time if they meet the eligibility criteria.