Current Ph.D. Students

• Students are required to take four core chemical engineering courses (12 cr. hrs.) and a minimum of two elective courses (6 cr. hrs.)
• Students are also required to pass two research-based courses, Introduction to Research (CHE 701) and Research Proposition (CHE 702).
• All first-year students are required to register and attend the departmental seminar (ChE 801); other students not in their last semester need to attend 2/3 of the seminars each semester. Final semester students need not register/attend.
• There are 3 major exams towards obtaining a Ph.D.: qualifying exam, preliminary exam and final dissertation defense.
• Students need to meet annually with their thesis committee to assess progress towards their degree.
• Students are required to have a thesis committee consisting of at least four faculty members with the thesis advisor serving as the chair of the committee; the makeup of the committee is discussed later.
• Students can get an M.S. enroute to a Ph.D. without additional work when they meet certain criteria (passing prelim and completing 30 cr. hrs. of courses)
• Students need to complete two semesters of Teaching Assistantship (TA) as part of their curriculum typically during their second year.
• Students need to maintain full-time status by registering for at least 9 cr. hrs. each semester (but no more than 15); registration needs to be completed before semester starts and no later than 10 days after the semester starts to maintain health insurance, tuition waiver and visa status (for international students)
• Students need to complete 72 cr. hrs. (if coming with a B.S.) or 54 cr. hrs. (if coming with a Masters), in courses and research (CHE 895), to be eligible for a doctoral degree. Students who complete these hrs can subsequently register for 3 cr. hrs. and still be full-time.

The following table highlights the pathway of important chronological requirements that doctoral students follow during their tenure here. The courses listed below reflect only the required courses, while the Pre-Defense meeting indicates a meeting with the thesis committee that a student needs to have 2-3 months prior to the final defense. This meeting can occur during any semester that a student is close to wrapping up the doctoral work. We show here instances of this happening during the student’s 8^th-10^th semesters.

Roadmap Towards Ph.D. Completion

The majority of our students falls in this category and are required to take the following courses during their first semester. The four 700 level courses mentioned below along with the two others offered in Spring (ChE 702 and ChE 715) are required as part of the Ph.D. curriculum. Students also need to complete MSE 601, the safety course, prior to undertaking any research.

First Semester Courses for Ph.D. Students Entering with a Bachelor’s Degree

Ph.D. students entering with an M.S. degree may request to get waived from taking ChE 711, 713 717 or ChE 715 (in Spring) if they had taken similar courses as part of their M.S. program. This is decided on a case-by-case basis. Students need to submit their grades, course syllabus, sample problem sets and/or examination to the relevant course instructors in this regard. When waived from any course, the student works with the Director of Graduate Program (DGP) to find alternative courses to ensure keeping full-time status by enrolling for at least 9 credit hours. These alternative course(s) could be in the form of electives that are of interest to the student or needed for his/her research area. For example, a student interested in soft matter could enroll in ChE 543 (Polymer Science & Engineering) in lieu of a waived course.

Students need to take two ‘bridging’ courses prior to being able to take the topics-based 700 level courses, i.e., ChE 711, 713, 717 and ChE 715. These courses, Core ChE Concepts I and II are offered in fall/spring or Spring/Summer sequences. Because of the latter sequence, students who have decided on pursuing a Chemical Engineering graduate program early on could take these courses even prior to officially starting their Ph.D. program. Most students, however, start them off in their first semester. Please note that a background in differential equations is needed for these courses. The courses for Fall could take one of two options given below or some individualized form.

• Option 1: ChE Core Concepts I, ChE Elective, ChE 701, ChE 801, MSE 601
• Option 2: ChE Core Concepts I, ChE 713 (Chemistry students with Physical Chemistry background, ChE 701, ChE 801, MSE 601

• August/September: Attend faculty presentations.
• August – early November: Meet with faculty members (could be multiple times).
• Aug – early November: Attend group meetings of interested faculty, talk to students in the groups.
• Mid November: Submit three choices of advisor.
• Late November: Faculty meet to discuss choices; students informed of their advisor.
• January: Join research group.

Faculty members with available funded projects will make half- to one-hour presentations on their topics during the first two months of the Fall semester. After identifying a few topics of interest, students should meet with the faculty members offering these projects. We expect the students to meet more than once with faculty members whose research are of interest to them. Students often read proposals or research papers prior to their second meeting. Students should also attend the research group meetings and meet with other student members of the groups.

We ask that students meet with a minimum number of 5 faculty members during the advisor selection process and get signatures from them verifying such discussions. Students will turn in their top 3 advisor choices in November, the exact date will be specified later during the semester.

The faculty members meet together to discuss the final choices turned in by the students and assign the final choices. Most of the students end up getting an advisor from their first or second choice. However, conflicts can arise in terms of two or more students listing the same projects/advisors. In that case the DGP works with the students to resolve the situation.

The table below provides a snapshot of the courses students take during the second semester (spring) of their doctoral program. The coursework is designed to cover the required materials (CHE 715, 702, and 801) but have room to take research specific course(s). Students often take an elective or research project (CHE 597, same as doing their PhD research but also counting towards their MS, as discussed later); some students do both. CHE 893 should not be taken if a student is doing both an elective and CHE 597.

The Research Proposition course (ChE 702) is a hallmark of our program designed to better prepare students to function at high levels of productivity in both their Ph.D. studies and careers, and to teach the mechanics of effectively communicating to a general and technical audience orally and in writing. While details are provided in the course syllabus, the essential elements include:

• Writing a literature review (2-3 pages) on research topic
• Creating TOC graphic and research summary understandable to a general audience
• Providing preliminary research results
• Learning to provide 3-minute oral synopsis of thesis topic
• Writing a research proposal (~ 3 pages) delineating research plan. This is done in discussion with advisor.
• Present research proposal to 3-4 member faculty committee that includes advisor, and course instructor.

For students entering our program with M.S. degrees, they can re-defend their thesis to a three-member faculty committee immediately upon entering the program. Satisfactory performance in this re-defense waives the Research Proposition course (CHE 702) requirement.

Qualifying for the Ph.D. program takes the following form.

• ChE 702 instructor presents student performance in all required courses to the entire faculty in a meeting late April
• Faculty discusses the results
• Students who have passed all the courses satisfactorily are recommended to ‘officially’ advance to the Ph.D. program

Students failing to qualify for the Ph.D. program are asked to obtain an M.S. degree with thesis, following which they are required to re-defend their thesis in front of a three-member faculty committee, provided they plan to re-enter the Ph.D. program. This committee, which cannot include members of the student’s M.S. committee, then re-evaluates the student and decides if he/she will be admitted into the Ph.D. program.

• Students are TA for a course in each of their 3rd and 4th semester (i.e., Fall and Spring of their second academic year).
• Prior to each semester, the DGP sends out an email listing all the courses and how many TA positions are available for each
• Students submit 3 choices of courses
• DGP assigns TA responsibility taking into account student preferences but also departmental needs
• The TA responsibility is in addition to students doing their normal research activity but is not onerous as multiple TAs are assigned for larger classes to keep the workload equitable and manageable.

• Each semester, there are TA slots available that are not filled up by the students doing their required TA assignments.
• The department needs students to volunteer to help TA these courses.
• DGP sends out email prior to each semester listing courses that need TAs.
• Students who have already done their TA requirements are requested to volunteer for additional TAship upon consultation with their advisors.
• Departmental supplements are provided to these students in addition to their normal pay.

The advisor(s) serves as the chair (or co-chairs) of the thesis committee. The primary function of the committee is to advise the student in all aspects of the educational program and to monitor and evaluate progress toward and completion of the degree.

• The committee must be active throughout students’ programs, meeting annually with the student to assess progress and provide guidance.
• The annual meeting can be an hour-long event with all members present where the student makes a presentation and get feedback. It can also be done by meeting committee members individually. It is left up to the chair and student to decide on the format.

The thesis committee should consist of at least 4 members (including the advisor or co-advisors). The student should consult his/her advisor to decide on the other members of the committee. The composition of the committee can be varied, depending on the need of the research:

• 3 members from CBE with one from outside the department. In this case, the outside person will also serve as a Graduate School Representative (GSR). The role of the GSR is to ensure that all exams are conducted in a fair manner.
• All 4 members from CBE. In this case, the student, with the help of the graduate school, has to find a GSR from another department. The GSR can be from any college or department.
• All 4 members from CBE with the caveat that 1 of the CBE members is an associate faculty of another department. In that case, this faculty member will be listed under that department in the PoW and also serve as GSR.
• 2 members from CBE and 2 from outside the department. In this case, one of the two members from outside the department will serve as the GSR also.

The Graduate Plan of Work (PoW) reflects the courses and research credit hours a student will take during his/her tenure here. It is a document that serves both as a guide to successful degree completion and a contract between students and their programs. In this way, it serves to reduce the potential for misunderstandings about degree requirements and outlines the expected academic progress students should make. It should be viewed as a “living document” that reflects changes that may occur as students continue to develop and refine their academic programs.
The PoW:

• includes both a list of the course work to be undertaken (in all programs) and the dissertation topic.
• has research and course credit hours adding up to 72 (BS students) or 54 (MS students).
• includes the names of the thesis committee members.
• is developed by the student with possible help from the advisor.
• has to be approved (electronically via MyPackPortal) by the committee and the DGP prior to submission to the Graduate School for final approval.
• can be modified at any time to reflect changes in coursework, etc.

• Consists of MAXIMUM 15 single/30 double spaced text, excluding figures, references. This should be in a legible font, so font 12 Times Roman or equivalent is recommended.
• While varying in format from group to group should include motivation, literature review, methodology, research plan and preliminary results.
• Should be developed in concert with advisor guidance and discussion.
• Should be given to the committee members at least 10 days in advance prior to the oral exam date (grad school rule is 14 days but CBE is more flexible).

• This examination is conducted by the student’s advisory committee, with the student making a ~35-40 minute presentation on his/her written document.
• It is expected that the student will work with his/her advisor to fine tune the presentation prior to the official exam.
• Two hours should be allocated for the exam to cover presentation, questioning by the audience and, more importantly the committee, and follow-up discussion by them.
• Its scheduling (time and day) needs to be approved by the Graduate School by submitting a scheduling form through MyPackPortal. This needs to be done at least 2 weeks in advance of the exam. CBE Graduate Office has more information on this.
• The exam is open to all faculty members and students of CBE including the question/answer section. However, relatives and friends are not allowed.
• Three outcomes are possible; unconditional pass, conditional pass and fail (happened only once in the past 30 years). For conditional pass, the students are asked to meet a certain number of conditions. Once these conditions are met, the student passes unconditionally. All these information has to be submitted to the Graduate School for their approval.

To qualify for getting the M.S. degree, students must:

• complete 30 credit hours of courses, and
• pass their preliminary (often referred to as prelim) examination.

Since the prelim exam typically takes place in the student’s 4th semester (spring of their second year), they can get this degree either at the end of their 4th semester or fall or December of that year, depending on when they get the prelim done.

In terms of the required 30 cr. hrs. of course completion, please note that research credit towards a Ph.D. (e.g., ChE 895 or ChE 893) do not count towards this total. As such, one can envision a scenario of the following courses as an example towards those counting towards the M.S.:

• 17 cr. hrs. from the core (ChE 711, ChE 713, ChE 717, ChE 715) and other required courses (ChE 701, ChE 702, MSE 601)
• 4 cr. hrs from seminar (ChE 801) taken every semester during the first two years
• 6 (or 3) cr. hrs. from research project courses ChE 597 and ChE 798; students should sign up for these anytime during their second through the fourth semester.
• 3 (or 6) cr. hrs. from elective courses

Once a student has met the requirements for the M.S. degree, the procedure is straightforward. The student needs to fill out (a) a plan of work (POW) for the M.S. degree showing the relevant courses, and (b) change of degree status form. The graduate student services specialist can help in this effort. Typically, the graduate school approves these forms within two days and often the same day. All that is left then is for the student to fill out an ‘apply to graduate form’ to get the official M.S. diploma.

• Students enrolled in 9 credit hours, or more are considered full-time. Although students are permitted to enroll in up to 15 credit hours, they are recommended not to.
• Students who are not enrolled full-time by Census Day (the 10th day of classes each semester) lose eligibility for the Graduate Student Support Plan (GSSP) (e.g., health insurance). International students will be out of compliance with their visa requirements.
• As a standard practice, students in their 2nd-5th year should register in each semester for 9 cr. hrs. of ChE 895, 1 cr. hr. of ChE 801. If they need or want an elective/course, this would be on top of these courses.

• Continuous enrollment means there is no break in your enrollment/registration.
• Students however do not need to register during summer to maintain continuous enrollment (see more details later)
• If you have a break in your enrollment, you will need to re-apply to the program. However, it is possible to file a Leave of Absence for up to two (2) semesters during your academic career at NCSU, if there is a need for it.

• Students are not required to be enrolled over the summer semester UNLESS they are scheduling their final exam/defense, their funding source (e.g., external fellowship) requires it, or they have medical issues that require frequent visit to the health center.
• If you are scheduling final defenses/exams over the summer, students should register for at least one credit in the summer term in which you defend. Generally, defending graduate students will register for 1 credit of ChE 896 which is a 10-week summer session.
• Students taking their PhD Preliminary exams over the summer however are not required to be registered.

• For summer internship, international students need to register for COP 500; however, US citizens/permanent residents do not need to register.
• For internship during a semester, all students need to register for COP 500. In addition, international students need prior approval from the Office of International Services (OIS). The internship should cover the entire semester as students cannot start or end an internship during the middle of a semester.

• For students who have completed all of the credit hour requirements for the degree, including research credits and the Preliminary Exam (e.g., 72 cr. hrs.), but need to complete research and/or writing and dissertation defense, they can register for a minimum of three (3) credit hours of ChE 895 (Research) for each of their subsequent semesters.
• In certain cases, international students who are in their very last semester may file a Reduced Course Load (RCL) form through the Office of International Services (OIS) and register for just one (1) credit hour. Please see the CBE Graduate Office if you feel this applies to you. If you are eligible, this request must be made before the first day of classes of the requested semester.

• This should reflect an original contribution to the field. There is no specified format or length for the dissertation. It will be governed by the advisor and his/her group style.
• As a general guideline, most dissertations have chapters that are self-contained that are published, submitted or draft forms of manuscripts. These chapters are preceded by an introduction/background and followed by conclusions/ future work chapters.
• Dissertation chapters can contain co-first author chapters. In other words, the same chapter can be put in both co-first authors’ dissertation. There should however be a footnote explaining that this is the case.
• Students should give their dissertation to the committee members at least 10 days in advance of the final defense.
• Following successful passing of the oral exam (discussed next), students need to electronically submit their thesis. Please follow the Graduate School’s ETD (Electronic Thesis and Dissertation) guidelines. The CBE Graduate Office can help in this regard.

• The student makes a formal presentation of his/her research work to the student’s advisory committee
• The presentation should be ~40 minutes long, the content varies depending on the research group dynamics. Some students present overview of their entire thesis while others tend to focus on some aspects of the work and go more in depth.
• Two hours should be allocated for the exam to cover presentation, questioning by the audience and, more importantly the committee, and follow-up discussion by them.
• The final oral schedule (time and day) needs to be approved through the Graduate School by submitting a scheduling form via the MyPackPortal. This needs to be done at least 2 weeks in advance of the exam. CBE Graduate Office has more information on this.
• By university rules, the final presentation is a public event. So, it is open to all members of the CBE community as well as friends and family of the student.
• Three outcomes are possible: unconditional pass, conditional pass and fail (not happened in the past 30 years). For conditional pass, the students are asked to meet a certain number of conditions. Once these conditions are met, the student passes unconditionally, and is eligible to receive the Ph.D. diploma. Outcome of the exam has to be submitted to the Graduate School for their approval.

Students who have successfully passed their oral exam and whose thesis has been accepted by the Graduate School should Apply to Graduate in MyPackPortal. The CBE Graduate Office can guide you towards this joyous outcome!