PhD Degree Requirements

A minimum of 10 credit units must consist of formal graduate courses, including several specified by the Graduate Group Committee. Six of these courses must be:

1. ENM 510 Applied Engineering Mathematics I
2. ENM 511 Applied Engineering Mathematics II
   or ENM 502 Numerical Methods and Modeling
3. CBE 618 Advanced Thermodynamics
4. CBE 621 Kinetics and Reactor Design
5. CBE 640 Transport Processes I
6. CBE 641 Transport Processes II

Grades given in graduate engineering courses are A, B, C, D, F, and I. The I (Incomplete) is a temporary grade which is changed to a letter grade when the course requirements have been completed. A grade average of at least B must be kept to remain in good standing. Students with an undergraduate degree in a field other than chemical and biomolecular engineering receiving a grade of C or below in any required undergraduate course will be asked to withdraw. Research is graded S or U.

Participation of Ph.D. students in the educational mission of the department is considered to be an important component of each student's education and will help to develop their teaching, presentation, leadership, and interpersonal skills. All doctoral students are required to participate in a formal teaching practicum under faculty guidance for two semesters (not exceeding 10 hours per week), generally in their second year.

• English Proficiency: Pennsylvania law requires a standard of proficiency in English for anyone teaching a class in the state. Students whose native language is not English must pass a "Speak Test."

There is no foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

• All first year graduate students in the Ph.D. program must take the qualifier. This examination is given each year at the end of Spring semester. The exam may use a written or oral format, or both; the exam covers fundamental chemical engineering principles and may also include a research proposal.
• Based upon the performance on the qualifying exam and in-class performance and research progress during the spring semester, a recommendation is made by the Graduate Group Committee whether or not a student will be welcomed into the Ph.D. program.

The examining committee will consist of at least three members plus the research advisor. Of the three, two will normally be members of the Graduate Group Committee in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. At least one member should be from another department of the University.

• A research proposal before the student's thesis committee will determine the research potential and ingenuity of the candidate. The exam is to be scheduled and presented before spring semester of your 3rd year.
• The results of the oral examination will be one of the following: (1) passed; (2) failed with permission to take again; and (3) failed without permission to take again.

• The oral thesis proposal form is available here.

In order to assure that each student is making satisfactory progress toward completion of the dissertation, the department will require a progress report due in the Fall semester for those students in their fourth year and beyond.

The doctoral dissertation in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering is normally based upon the successful completion of a research problem. It should be of a sufficiently novel or original nature as to warrant publication in a recognized journal requiring critical review by one or more referees. While the choice is important, it should not be regarded as committing the student to specialize in that particular area as his or her life's work. The topic choice should be neither so limited in scope as to leave little room to maneuver as difficulties are encountered, nor so overly ambitious as to waste much time in properly defining the problem.

A Ph.D. Thesis presents results of the candidate's research for evaluation by his or her dissertation research committee. A copy of the final approved thesis will be presented to the University of Pennsylvania Graduate Faculties. Detailed regulations concerning the writing, format, and presentation of the thesis apply.

Normally, the members of the dissertation research committee shall be the same members who evaluated the oral examination. All of the members of the committee shall be readers of the thesis. At the time of the examination, the candidate will be allowed approximately 30 minutes for the oral presentation, which will be followed by questions. Students and the public are invited to attend the presentation and the question portion of the examination.

• Dissertation Deposit Fee: A fee of $100 is payable to Trustees of the U of Pennsylvania to cover cost of processing and publication. Copyright Registration by UMI, if desired, is an additional cost of $65.
• Electronic Filing of the Dissertation: Beginning in fall 2009, a PDF file of the dissertation may be submitted online via the Scholarly Commons@Penn portal.
• Submit your manuscript to Scholarly Commons in advance of your appointment at the Graduate Division. See the instructions online at: http://www.library.upenn.edu/scholcomm/dissertations.html If possible, use your Penn email account.
• The thesis acceptance form is available here.

The Department pays for binding of the two copies indicated. Additional copies may be bound at the same time as the others but must be paid for by the student. Money for binding should be paid to the Business Administrator when the dissertation is submitted. The Dissertation Manual may be found here. 

The PhD dissertation presented to the research committee for approval will be the final typed copy ready for delivery to the SAS Graduate Division Office in Suite 322A, 3401 Walnut St.

The following procedure is typical:

• When the research advisor has approved the rough draft, the final copy is prepared, including all tables and figures. This final copy should satisfy all requirements as to the format found on the web. Copies of this final version are then given to the faculty members who have been selected to read the dissertation.
• The readers may offer informal suggestions, but their formal action will be either to permit the oral examination to be held, or to reject the dissertation. The oral examination will be scheduled by the student a minimum of three weeks from the date the final copy of the dissertation is submitted to the readers. Each reader will examine the student's work, including a conference with the candidate, if any, within two weeks after receipt of the dissertation. After the oral examination, the examining committee consisting of the research committee and any other faculty members (within or outside Chemical Engineering) will either accept or reject the dissertation.
• The Graduate Faculties deadline (available from the CBE Dept. Office and the SEAS Graduate Office) for the final oral examination must be met with the final typing completed. Other details are covered in the Graduate Catalog. The forms for the abstract and title pages are prescribed in the guide for dissertation-authors published by the Graduate Faculties. It is the responsibility of each student to pick up this booklet (311A or Suite 322, 3401 Walnut) and to adhere to it. Information on the special margin dimensions required for microfilming is also provided in the guide.
• An appointment must also be made with the Graduate Faculties Office, Suite 322, 3401 Walnut, (8-7444) to submit the dissertation and forms.

Most students admitted to the PhD program who receive fellowship aid from the department must make satisfactory progress toward their degree in order to maintain their support up to the maximum of five years.

Research assistants are formally allowed 2 weeks (10 working days) of vacation each year. In addition, University-observed holidays are paid time off. Unclaimed vacation cannot be carried over to a subsequent year. Any special arrangements must be negotiated with the research advisor.