Chemical Engineering Ph.D.

Overview of the Department of Chemical Engineering Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Financial Support and Satisfactory Progress

As detailed in their offer letter of admission, students admitted to the University of Virginia Department of Chemical Engineering Ph.D. program receive a financial aid package including a stipend, health insurance (for all full time graduate students who choose to accept the University’s health plan), and all tuition and fees as long as the student maintains satisfactory progress. 

Satisfactory progress in the University of Virginia Chemical Engineering Ph.D. program requires:

1. A graduate student to successfully find a suitable research advisor approved by the Department of Chemical Engineering in their first academic year.
2. Passing the Ph.D. qualifying exam. Subsequently, the Ph.D. Proposal should be completed within two years of completing the doctoral qualifying exam (which includes the research exam).
3. A grade of “satisfactory” assigned for research credit hours.
4. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 

Since students are expected to complete the Ph.D. program in 5 years beyond the B.S. degree, financial aid is not guaranteed beyond 5 years after matriculation at UVA. Continued funding past 5 years is at the discretion of the advisor and approval of the department. Four years beyond matriculation will be the expectation for students entering with a master’s degree in chemical engineering.

Chemical Engineering Core Courses

The five core graduate chemical engineering courses are:

• CHE 6615 - Advanced Thermodynamics Credits: 3
• CHE 6618 - Chemical Reaction Engineering Credits: 3
• CHE 6625 - Transport Processes Credits: 3
• CHE 6630 - Mass Transfer Credits: 3
• CHE 6665 - Techniques for Chemical Engineering Analysis and Design Credits: 3

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  All core courses must be completed at UVA. A grade of C- or lower does not satisfy the core course requirement (or any course credits to be applied towards a Chemical Engineering graduate degree).

  Although there are no specific elective departmental course requirements for the doctoral degree, students should work closely with their advisors on how to structure their electives. Their courses should ensure both depth in the specific research area and breadth in the chemical engineering and related sciences.

I. Qualifying Examination and Admission to Doctoral Study

All Ph.D. students must pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam, which includes a research examination, in the beginning of their second year. After passing the qualifying exam, the student may elect to complete an M.S. degree, but is not required to do so (unless specifically deemed necessary by the faculty or research advisor.) The Research Examination is to be taken within one month after completing the first summer of research. The student is to describe, in both written and oral forms, his/her research progress to that time as well as plans for further work. Although the motivation, background and technical originality of the research are important components, the overall goal is to assess the student’s aptitude for research. The written document and oral presentation will be limited in length. Following the oral presentation to the faculty exam committee, faculty serving on the committee will ask the student questions on their research which will focus on connections to core chemical engineering principles, e.g., Thermodynamics, Transport, Fluid Dynamics, Heat Transfer, etc. The outcomes of this exam are pass, pass with conditions, or fail. Students failing the exam taken on the first attempt at the beginning of the semester (typically September) will have an opportunity to retake the exam at the end of that same semester. Students must indicate in writing their intention to take the Research Exam when it is announced. Admission to Doctoral Study is a formal action of the departmental faculty. It indicates acceptance of the student into the ultimate research phase of the doctoral program. In order to be admitted to doctoral study the student must have:

1. Completed a program of advanced course work, here or elsewhere, equivalent to the department course requirements for the M.S. degree.
2. Passed the Doctoral Qualifying Examination (which includes the Research Examination).
3. Demonstrated to the faculty’s satisfaction a capability for independent research of the quality expected for the doctorate.

II. Dissertation Proposal and Admission to Candidacy

Ph.D. students are required to prepare a written Dissertation Proposal. The proposal should indicate the purpose and objectives of the work to be undertaken, the current state of the art with bibliography, and the strategy to be followed and techniques to be employed in the research. Preliminary data, calculations, and/or theoretical developments may be included in support of the proposed work. The proposal document should also include a one-page outline summarizing career planning activities prior to the proposal and the career planning trajectory moving forward. The proposal will be presented orally and discussed publicly. 

The Doctoral Advisory Committee must include a minimum of 3 CHE faculty, one additional UVA faculty member from outside the student’s home department, and a minimum of 4 total members. The outside member must be UVA faculty. The committee should be chaired by a CHE faculty member other than the research advisor. 

The purposes of the dissertation proposal are:

1. To determine if the student’s knowledge of the area chosen for research and the pertinent literature is adequate.
2. To determine whether the proposed work, if completed, would provide the basis for an acceptable dissertation.
3. To advise the student on general approaches and specific techniques that may be helpful in the proposed research.

If, in the judgement of the Advisory Committee, the student’s proposal is not satisfactory, the student may be required to submit a revised proposal for further discussion with the Advisory Committee.

The Dissertation Proposal should be completed within two years of completing the doctoral qualifying exam (which includes the research exam). Upon successful defense of the Dissertation Proposal, the student will be admitted as a doctoral candidate. Ph.D. students are encouraged to consult with their dissertation committee no later than six months prior to the dissertation defense. The Dissertation Proposal and plans for work must be completed prior to defense.

III. Teaching Experience

Each doctoral student must serve as a graduate teaching assistant for a minimum of one semester. A grade of “S” is required for at least one semester of CHE 9897 Graduate Teaching Instruction in order to graduate.

IV. Research

Research begins as soon as the student has chosen a research advisor. Research remains a primary focus of the student throughout enrollment in the graduate program.

V. Dissertation Defense

Finally, the candidate must present and publicly defend a dissertation based on their independent original research to a committee of 5 faculty members, including the Doctoral Advisory Committee and one additional member. Dissertations should be submitted to committee members two weeks prior to the defense date.

The Ph.D. Dissertation Defense Committee form (https://engineering.virginia.edu/graduate-forms) is used to request appointment of the dissertation defense committee. Copies of the Dissertation Proposal should be given to the committee members at least one week before the date of proposal.

After the dissertation has been approved by the defense committee, the Report on Final Thesis or Dissertation Defense form will be sent to the Dean from the department. The student is responsible for submitting the thesis electronically through LIBRA. (http://libra.virginia.edu/)

Please note that Chemical Engineering requires that the Ph.D. dissertation bibliography include titles of journal articles.