Each student admitted to the PhD program in chemical engineering will initially be designated a doctoral student. Upon successful completion of the requirements for doctoral candidacy as described below, a student is reclassified as a doctoral candidate. After establishing candidacy, a student must complete a program of academic coursework and a dissertation under the direction of a dissertation advisor. All doctoral candidates must also pass a final oral examination.
Doctoral Candidacy for Direct Entry
To qualify for doctoral candidacy, the student must demonstrate mastery of four core courses of chemical engineering (thermodynamics or statistical thermodynamics, kinetics, transport, and mathematics). To become a doctoral candidate, students must maintain a grade-point average of 3.250 or above in the four core courses and have no individual grade below a B– in the four core courses.
In addition, each student must complete 4 semester hours of Research (CHME 9984) and demonstrate critical thinking, analysis, and experimental planning skills related to their dissertation research topic through a written candidacy proposal and an oral defense of this proposal. The student must pass, as determined by the student’s dissertation committee, this candidacy proposal defense in order to advance to doctoral candidacy. If the student fails, they may resubmit their proposal and retake the defense one time within four months, unless an extension is granted by the primary research advisor and the department graduate committee. The student earns the classification of doctoral candidate upon successful completion of these requirements.
Doctoral Candidacy for Advanced Entry
To become a doctoral candidate, advanced-entry students who have already completed a graduate degree in chemical engineering or a closely related discipline must petition the graduate committee of the Department of Chemical Engineering and demonstrate that the mastery has been attained through coursework either at Northeastern University or during a previous graduate degree from another institution (typically granted when the student has achieved a grade of at least A– in an equivalent course). The student must demonstrate mastery of the four core areas of chemical engineering (thermodynamics or statistical thermodynamics, kinetics, transport, and mathematics) through course performance.
The graduate committee may require a student to take or retake any or all of the core courses before achieving doctoral candidacy. Incoming advanced-entry students should form a plan of coursework in consultation with the associate chair for graduate studies and have this approved by the graduate committee. For the core courses taken at Northeastern, students should maintain a GPA of 3.250 or above and have no individual grade below a B–.
In addition, each student must complete 4 semester hours of Research (CHME 9984) and demonstrate critical thinking, analysis, and experimental planning skills related to their dissertation research topic through a written candidacy proposal and a defense of this proposal. The student must pass, as determined by the student’s dissertation committee, this oral candidacy proposal defense in order to advance to doctoral candidacy. If the student fails, they may resubmit their proposal and retake the defense one time within four months, unless an extension is granted by the primary research advisor and the department graduate committee. The student earns the classification of doctoral candidate upon successful completion of these requirements.
Course Requirements
Direct Entry
A minimum of 32 semester hours of academic coursework, not including any independent study credits, beyond the bachelor's degree is required. The 32 semester hours must include at least 24 semester hours of academic coursework (exclusive of thesis or dissertation) taken at Northeastern. All four of the core courses (see table under Program Requirements), the 4 semester hours of research, and the 4 semester hours of professional development courses must be included in the student’s academic graduate coursework.
Advanced Entry
A minimum of 20 semester hours of academic coursework, not including any independent study credits, beyond the master's degree is required. At least 16 semester hours of academic coursework (exclusive of thesis or dissertation) must be taken at Northeastern. At least one of the core courses (see table under Program Requirements), 4 semester hours of Research (CHME 9984), and 4 semester hours of professional development courses must be included in the student’s academic graduate coursework. At least 8 semester hours of noncore electives must also be included. If the graduate committee requires additional core courses to achieve doctoral candidacy, these are in addition to the 20-semester-hour minimum.
General Requirements
PhD students who have completed the majority of their coursework and not yet reached PhD candidacy should register for Candidacy Preparation—Doctoral (CHME 8960), in a section for which their research or academic advisor is listed as the instructor in the online registration system.
After obtaining PhD candidacy, students are required to register for Dissertation Term 1 (CHME 9990) and Dissertation Term 2 (CHME 9991) for two consecutive semesters. This is then followed by registration for Dissertation Continuation (CHME 9996) in each semester thereafter until the dissertation has been completed and defended. Note: No course credits are awarded for Dissertation Term 1 (CHME 9990),Dissertation Term 2 (CHME 9991), or Dissertation Continuation (CHME 9996); however, a student is considered full time if registered for these courses.
All students pursuing a doctoral degree must enroll in the department’s Seminar (CHME 7390) course for each semester they are working toward their degree.
Students will be advised on their courses for the first semester by the associate chair for graduate studies. After the first semester, students will work with their dissertation adviser to determine appropriate courses and course schedule to meet their educational needs and aspirations. Upon consultation with the dissertation advisor, a student may take up to 44 semester hours of course credit without additional financial penalty. Students and dissertation advisors should keep in mind that the university residency requirement requires two semesters of academic studies after becoming a doctoral candidate.
Language Requirement
There is no foreign language requirement for the PhD degree. However, each candidate must be proficient in technical writing and oral presentation in the English language. The graduate committee may require additional coursework to improve language proficiency, if necessary.
Residence Requirement
A student satisfies the residence requirement by completing one academic year of full-time graduate studies during two consecutive academic semesters after qualifying for doctoral candidacy. Additional required coursework (exclusive of seminars) may be completed during this period. Students are required to be continually enrolled while pursuing the completion of the dissertation.
Dissertation
After a student establishes doctoral candidacy, they must complete a dissertation that embodies the results of extended original research and includes material suitable for publication. The student is responsible for proposing a dissertation committee to be approved by the dissertation advisor at least one month prior to the dissertation defense. The committee must have a minimum of four members, including the primary advisor. At least two committee members must be faculty members in the Department of Chemical Engineering. Additionally, one of the committee members must be external to the Department of Chemical Engineering. Committee membership is not limited to faculty at Northeastern or to engineering faculty. The student is encouraged to consider experts in the dissertation topic and to work with the dissertation advisor to create a meaningful and helpful committee. The dissertation committee will approve the dissertation in its final form. The graduate school requirements for dissertation formatting and electronic submittal instructions can be found on the College of Engineering's webpage. Students are responsible for contacting the Graduate School of Engineering for any updates to dissertation requirements and appropriate deadlines.
Dissertation Defense and Final Oral Examination
This comprehensive examination includes the public dissertation defense as well as a final oral examination to include the subject matter of the doctoral dissertation and significant developments in the field of the dissertation work. The oral presentation will be open to the public, including students, faculty, and the student’s committee.
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Milestones
- Biannual review
- Dissertation committee
- Dissertation proposal
- Dissertation defense
Core Requirements
A minimum of 32 semester hours of academic coursework is required, plus 2 optional semester hours for cooperative education and mentoring in chemical engineering. Independent study credits do not count toward the 32 required semester hours.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| A cumulative 3.250 GPA, with no individual class lower than a B–, is required for the following: | ||
| CHME 7320 | Chemical Engineering Mathematics | 4 |
| or ME 6200 | Mathematical Methods for Mechanical Engineers 1 | |
| CHME 7330 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | 4 |
| CHME 7340 | Chemical Engineering Kinetics | 4 |
| CHME 7350 | Transport Phenomena | 4 |
| Research | ||
| CHME 9984 | Research | 4 |
| Professional Development | ||
| CHME 7391 | Professional Development and Communication in Chemical Engineering 1 | 1 |
| CHME 7392 | Professional Development and Communication in Chemical Engineering 2 | 1 |
| CHME 7393 | Professional Development and Communication in Chemical Engineering 3 | 1 |
| CHME 7394 | Professional Development and Communication in Chemical Engineering 4 | 1 |
| Seminar | ||
| Complete the following (repeatable) course each semester: | ||
| Seminar | ||
| Recommended but optional: | ||
| Mentoring in Chemical Engineering | ||
| Introduction to Cooperative Education | ||
Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 8 semester hours. Consult your faculty advisor for acceptable courses: | 8 | |
| Molecular Bioengineering | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering Analysis | ||
| Materials Characterization Techniques | ||
| Computational Modeling in Chemical Engineering | ||
| Drug Delivery: Engineering Analysis | ||
| Complex Fluids and Everyday Materials | ||
| Design of Experiments and Ethical Research (DOEER) | ||
| Fundamentals in Process Safety Engineering | ||
| Process Safety Engineering—Chemical Reactivity, Reliefs, and Hazards Analysis | ||
| Electrochemical Engineering | ||
| Biochemical Engineering | ||
| Biomaterials Principles and Applications | ||
| Advanced Topics in Biomaterials | ||
| Introduction to Polymer Science | ||
| Special Topics in Chemical Engineering | ||
| Computational Programs in Process Safety for Relief and Scenario Modeling | ||
| Special Topics in Process Safety | ||
| Pharmaceutical Engineering I | ||
| Pharmaceutical Engineering II | ||
| Pharmaceutical Engineering Laboratory | ||
| Special Topics in Chemical Engineering | ||
| Engineering Project Management | ||
| Economic Decision Making | ||
| Financial Management for Engineers | ||
| Fundamentals of Advanced Materials | ||
| Foundations in Nanomedicine: Therapeutics | ||
| Nanomedicine Research Techniques | ||
| Nano/Biomedical Commercialization: Concept to Market | ||
Dissertation
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Dissertation Term 1 | ||
| Dissertation Term 2 |
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
32 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA overall required
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Milestones
- Biannual review
- Dissertation committee
- Dissertation proposal
- Dissertation defense
Core Requirements
A minimum of 20 semester hours (SH) of academic coursework is required, plus 2 optional semester hours for cooperative education and mentoring in chemical engineering. Independent study credits do not count toward the 20 required semester hours.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| Complete at least one of the four core classes. A cumulative 3.250 GPA—with no individual class below a B minus—is required for core classes taken: 1 | 4 | |
| Chemical Engineering Mathematics | ||
or ME 6200 | Mathematical Methods for Mechanical Engineers 1 | |
| Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | ||
| Chemical Engineering Kinetics | ||
| Transport Phenomena | ||
| Research | ||
| CHME 9984 | Research | 4 |
| Seminar and Professional Development | ||
| CHME 7391 | Professional Development and Communication in Chemical Engineering 1 | 1 |
| CHME 7392 | Professional Development and Communication in Chemical Engineering 2 | 1 |
| CHME 7393 | Professional Development and Communication in Chemical Engineering 3 | 1 |
| CHME 7394 | Professional Development and Communication in Chemical Engineering 4 | 1 |
| Complete the following repeatable course each semester: | ||
| Seminar | ||
| Recommended but optional: | ||
| Introduction to Cooperative Education | ||
| Mentoring in Chemical Engineering | ||
Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete a minimum of 8 semester hours. Consult your faculty advisor for acceptable courses: | 8 | |
| Molecular Bioengineering | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering Analysis | ||
| Materials Characterization Techniques | ||
| Computational Modeling in Chemical Engineering | ||
| Drug Delivery: Engineering Analysis | ||
| Complex Fluids and Everyday Materials | ||
| Design of Experiments and Ethical Research (DOEER) | ||
| Fundamentals in Process Safety Engineering | ||
| Process Safety Engineering—Chemical Reactivity, Reliefs, and Hazards Analysis | ||
| Electrochemical Engineering | ||
| Biochemical Engineering | ||
| Biomaterials Principles and Applications | ||
| Advanced Topics in Biomaterials | ||
| Introduction to Polymer Science | ||
| Special Topics in Chemical Engineering | ||
| Computational Programs in Process Safety for Relief and Scenario Modeling | ||
| Special Topics in Process Safety | ||
| Pharmaceutical Engineering I | ||
| Pharmaceutical Engineering II | ||
| Pharmaceutical Engineering Laboratory | ||
| Special Topics in Chemical Engineering | ||
| Engineering Project Management | ||
| Economic Decision Making | ||
| Financial Management for Engineers | ||
| Fundamentals of Advanced Materials | ||
| Foundations in Nanomedicine: Therapeutics | ||
| Nanomedicine Research Techniques | ||
| Nano/Biomedical Commercialization: Concept to Market | ||
Dissertation
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following two courses: | ||
| Dissertation Term 1 | ||
| Dissertation Term 2 | ||
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
Minimum 20 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA overall required
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Additional core classes may be required by the chemical engineering graduate committee to achieve PhD candidacy, which would not count toward the 20 SH minimum for the PhD.