Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering
The doctoral program is primarily for students who wish to develop independent research or problem-solving and critical thinking abilities. Research areas must be related to the faculty's interests.
General admission requirements and the application process are presented in the Academic Overview section of the university catalog.
Admission to the doctoral program normally requires the completion of a master's degree in chemical engineering. However, students enrolled in the Florida Tech master's program may apply to be admitted directly to the doctoral program after completing 18 credit hours with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or more, if there is evidence of the ability to pursue problems independently.
Doctoral applicants must demonstrate outstanding scholastic achievements and aptitude, provide letters of recommendation from previous professors, including the M.S. thesis advisor and provide results of a recent GRE test including both the General Test and Subject Test in Engineering.
The doctor of philosophy degree is recognition of one's independent creative ability to research, delineate and solve novel, significant scientific and/or engineering problems. Results of such work must be publishable in refereed journals. Coursework is also included in support of these objectives.
Each student is expected to complete an approved program of study, pass both oral and written examinations, propose and complete an original research project, and write and defend a dissertation on the research work.
The Ph.D. in chemical engineering requires a minimum of 72 credit hours (42 credit hours after the completion of a master's degree), including at least 18 credit hours of formal coursework in chemical engineering (six after the master's degree) and six credit hours in mathematics, and satisfaction of the general doctoral degree requirements presented in the Academic Overview section of the university catalog. The written examination covers chemical engineering and related mathematical, physical and chemical sciences. The oral examination includes the presentation of a research proposition developed independently by the student to demonstrate ability to create and develop a research idea. The written and oral examinations are normally taken before the end of the fourth academic semester, counted from the semester of admission to the doctoral program. The dissertation may be theoretical, computational, experimental or a combination of the three in any of the areas of specialization shown for the master's degree.