Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering Ph.D. Program Requirements

Transcription

1 Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering Ph.D. Program Requirements For Students Entering the Program After September, 2015 New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ 07102

2 Department Policies for Chemical Engineering Ph.D Students This is a research-oriented degree intended primarily for full-time students. Although courses may be taken on a part-time basis, a minimum of one year of full-time residency is typically required for completion of the doctoral dissertation. A person with either a master s or baccalaureate degree in chemical engineering is eligible to apply if they satisfy the requirements below. Admission Requirements: 1. A masters degree in chemical engineering and a GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent. 2. A BS in chemical engineering with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent. 3. Both GRE and TOEFL. 4. Students admitted to the program without a master s degree in chemical engineering must complete an additional 18 credits of course work as specified below. Admission of full-time doctoral students is on a competitive basis as the department admits only as many students as it can support through departmental and research-based funds. 5. Applicants with a BS in Chemistry or a BS in an engineering discipline with an outstanding academic record will be considered. Completion of a Bridge Program might be required in order to insure success in the PhD program. Degree Requirements: For students entering the program with a MS degree in Chemical Engineering. Course work (24 credits): 12 credits of course work at the 700-level and 12 credits of electives at the 600 or 700 level. Of these required 700-level courses, at least 6 credits must be in chemical engineering. No more than 6 credits may be in Independent Study (ChE 694 or ChE705). No more than 3 credits in Independent Study may be taken with the same supervising faculty member. Once an advisor is selected, the student cannot take an Independent Study course with the selected advisor. Students need always to get departmental approval for the courses they take for their degree requirements.

3 Students with a MS in Pharmaceutical Engineering from NJIT are required to take four courses from among [PhEn 601, 603, 606, 612, 614 or 618] as equivalent ChE elective graduate courses. These students are also required to take the 12 credits of ChE core courses and 18 credits of elective courses of which 12 credits must be at the 700 level. Degree Requirements for students entering the program with a BS degree in Chemical Engineering Course Work (42 credits): 12 Credits of core courses (ChE611, ChE612, ChE626 and ChE624). Students must maintain an average GPA of 3.0 in these courses. 12 Credits of 700-level courses (at least 6 credits in Chemical Engineering). 18 Credits of Elective Courses at 600 or 700 level. Dissertation Credits: Students are expected to register for courses in each of the first two semesters and to pass the qualifying exam by the end of the first year. After passing the qualifying exam students can register for dissertation credits [Ch.E790] as well as completing required courses. In some cases students may register for up to six credits of Pre-Doctoral research (Ch.E792) prior to taking the qualifying exam. Students who defend the dissertation proposal successfully may start registering for 1-credit dissertation [Ch.E790A] until they complete all the degree requirements. Seminar: In addition to the minimum degree credits specified above, students must register every semester for ChE791, Graduate Seminar. Part-time students may request that this requirement be waived. Selection of Dissertation Advisor: Students must select a dissertation topic and advisor within 6 months of joining the program. Before making a decision, students should discuss research topics with at least six active research faculty members of the department and get their signature on a form provided by the department. The signed form with the name of the selected advisor and tentative title of dissertation must be returned to the department for approval.

4 Qualifying Examination: All students are expected to pass a qualifying examination that tests general competence in chemical engineering, and mathematics at the master s level. Students with a master s degree in chemical engineering must take the exam during the first year of their studies. Students admitted to the program without a master s degree in chemical engineering must take the exam within the first three semesters of their studies. All students must pass the exam within the first two years of their studies. Students are allowed two attempts to pass the examination. The doctoral qualifying examination is offered in January and June of every year. It is a 6-hour written examination. Students are expected to solve/answer 4 problems as follows: 1 problem from each of the core (ChE611, ChE612, ChE624 and ChE626) courses. There are two problems in each of the required areas and students have to select one problem from each area. All problems are weighed equally and are graded on the 0-10 scale. A grade of at least 28 out of 40 points (ie, at least 70%) is required to pass the exam. A grade of 60% or less is a failing grade. Students receiving grades higher than 60% but less than 70% (i.e., more than 24 but less than 28 out of 40) may pass, fail, or conditionally pass the exam based on the decision of the departmental committee on Graduate Studies. Formation of Dissertation Committee: Within three months of passing the qualifying examination, doctoral students must form a dissertation committee. The department provides a special form. The signed form must be submitted for the approval of the Advisor for Graduate Studies in Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering. The committee consists of a minimum of five members and must consist of the doctoral student s dissertation advisor, and a minimum of two additional faculty members from the department, and one member from outside the department (preferably outside the university). The committee may consist of more than five persons, subject to the approval of the Advisor However, the majority of the committee members must be tenured or tenure-track faculty from the student s program or department. Two committee members, including an external member, may serve as co-advisors. The members of the dissertation committee, except for an external member from outside the university, must have faculty rank at the level of assistant professor, associate professor, professor, distinguished professor, or research professor. Post-doctoral associates, instructors, special lecturers, research and teaching assistants, or any other student category, are specifically excluded from membership. The external member(s) should either have appropriate faculty rank elsewhere or have sufficient research expertise to warrant inclusion on the dissertation committee. Part-time doctoral students pursuing the doctorate with industry collaboration should have at least one dissertation committee member from the participating industrial partner whose research credentials would otherwise be appropriate for a member of the university faculty. Once formed, the committee cannot change unless there is a written explanation and request from the doctoral student and/or his/her advisor. The Advisor for Graduate Studies handles such requests.

5 Research Proposal: Within six months of forming the dissertation committee (ie, no more than nine months after passing the qualifying examination), doctoral students must make an oral presentation to their dissertation committee and other interested persons on the scope of their proposed research. The committee must formally approve the proposal within a maximum of three additional months. This ensures meeting the requirements that doctoral students must have an approved dissertation committee and an approved dissertation proposal within a year of passing the qualifying examination. The approved and signed proposal must be submitted to the Advisor for Graduate Studies so that it is kept in the student s file. Dissertation Defense: An oral defense of the dissertation is required after submission of the final document to the dissertation committee for approval. Signatures of all members of the dissertation committee must be received for final approval to be granted. The oral defense is open to the university community and general public and must be announced early. An overall GPA of at least 3.0 is always required. Students admitted to the doctoral program without a master s degree in chemical engineering but are unable to complete the requirements for the Ph.D. degree, may become candidates for the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering upon completion of the requirements for that degree.

6 Doctoral Dissertation Advisor Selection Form Name of Student (please print) I have discussed thesis topics with the following faculty members of the department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering for my Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering: Name of Faculty Member Signature of Faculty Member and date My preferences for Doctoral Advisor in order are as follows: Student s Signature Date Received by the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies in Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering: Signature Date

7 Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering Doctoral Dissertation Committee Form Name of Ph.D. Candidate (please print) Dissertation Title (tentative): Name of Committee Member Signature of Committee Member and date Affiliation of Committee Member(s) that are not on the department faculty: Name: Affiliation: Candidate s signature (please include date) Approved by the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies in Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering: Signature Date

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