The Ph.D. program is intended to train students to become world experts in specialized areas of Chemical Engineering. Students become experts by taking core Chemical Engineering courses and elective courses in their specialty, as well as conducting independent, original research advised by WPI faculty.
A Ph.D. student is evaluated at three points in the program. In the first year, students take a Qualifying Exam. By the end of the third year, students present a Proposal to their Dissertation Committee. After passing the Qualifier and the Proposal, Ph.D. students become Ph.D. Candidates. The third and final checkpoint is the Dissertation Defense. In addition to these checkpoints, Ph.D. students must also participate in an educational activity, submit an authored manuscript, participate in an external conference, take at least 21 credits of graduate coursework, attend CHE 503 Colloquium every year, and take eight semesters of CHE 501 Professional Development for Chemical Engineering Doctoral Students. Progress towards these checkpoints and requirements is tracked annually through the Annual Progress Report, which is completed by the student and their advisor. The Annual Progress Report is filed with the Department.
There are two Ph.D. tracks: Ph.D.90 and Ph.D.60. Students admitted with a B.S. degree will be on the Ph.D.90 track. Students admitted with an M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering qualify for the Ph.D.60 track. Students with previous graduate credit (such as from an M.S. or Ph.D. degree in a field other than Chemical Engineering) will be on the Ph.D.90 track but may transfer previous credits toward the Ph.D. course credit requirements. Credit transfer first must be approved by the Graduate Program Committee and then a transfer form submitted to the Registrar. Note that a maximum of one third of the required credits can be transferred from outside WPI to fulfill the Ph.D. requirements (30 for Ph.D.90 and 20 for Ph.D.60).
Ph.D. (90 credits)
Students in this track must earn a total of 90 credit hours after the B.S., including at least 30 in research. Research credits should be CHE 598: Directed Research prior to earning Candidacy. Ph.D. Candidates should enroll in CHE 698: Pre-Dissertation Research.
Ph.D. students must complete eight semesters of CHE 501 Professional Development for Chemical Engineering Doctoral Students and must enroll in CHE 503 Colloquium while in residence at WPI.
The course requirements are as follows:
Ph.D. (60 Credits)
A student holding a Chemical Engineering M.S. from another institution may count 30 course credits towards the Ph.D. course requirements, meaning that 60 credits will be required to complete the Ph.D. A minimum of 6 graduate course credit hours must be earned at WPI.
A student holding a Chemical Engineering M.S. from WPI (any option) may count 30 course credits towards the Ph.D. course requirements, meaning that 60 credits will be required to complete the Ph.D. Students may need to complete an additional 3 credit hours of core courses, to ensure they have taken 12 credit hours in core courses.
Ph.D. 60 students defending less than four years after entering the program can apply to the Graduate Committee to waive up to two semesters of CHE 501 Professional Development for Chemical Engineering Doctoral Students. Otherwise, Ph.D.60 students must complete eight semesters of CHE 501. They must enroll in CHE 503 Colloquium while in residence at WPI.
Other Requirements
Advisor. The Graduate Advisor for students in the Ph.D. program is a Chemical Engineering Faculty or Affiliate who is the Principal Investigator directing the dissertation research. The Graduate Advisor tracks doctoral student progress through the Annual Progress Report, which is filed with the Graduate Administrative Assistant and regularly reviewed by the Department Head, the Graduate Program Director, and the Graduate Program Committee.
Dissertation Committee. The composition of a Dissertation Committee must be at least four individuals, and three must be WPI Faculty members. It must consist of the Graduate Advisor (a Chemical Engineering Faculty or Affiliate), at least two other WPI Chemical Engineering Faculty or Affiliates, and at least one external faculty. The external faculty must hold a non-Chemical Engineering appointment at WPI or another institution. In rare cases, additional committee members may be included beyond these four. To qualify as an additional committee member, the person must hold a Ph.D. or equivalent degree and be active in research, technology development, analysis, or similar in a related field. The Dissertation Committee tracks doctoral student progress through the Committee Report, which is filed with the Graduate Administrative Assistant and regularly reviewed by the Department Head, the Graduate Program Director, and the Graduate Program Committee.
Candidacy. Doctoral Candidacy is earned by a student after passing the Qualifying Examination and passing the Research Proposition. The Qualifying Examination takes place at the end of the first year. For a complete description of this process, please consult the department handbook. The Research Proposition takes place by the end of the third year, and consists of a written Research Proposal and an Oral Presentation. Both parts of the Research Proposition are intended to assess the suitability, degree of originality, methodological scope, and intellectual merit of the student’s proposed doctoral dissertation topic. For a complete description of the Research Proposition, please consult the department handbook.
Manuscript Submission. Prior to the Dissertation Defense, a student must have submitted an authored manuscript to a refereed journal.
External Presentation. Prior to Dissertation Defense, a student must have presented at an external conference.
Educational Activity. Prior to the Dissertation Defense, a student must have participated in an activity that facilitates learning of another individual. Activities that automatically fulfill this requirement are working as a Teaching Assistant, mentoring an MQP, or mentoring an Independent Study. Other activities, like obtaining a teaching certificate or leading a significant outreach event, need to be approved by the Graduate Program Director.
Dissertation Defense. After completion of all other requirements, typically by the end of their tenth semester at WPI, students submit a written Dissertation and present an Oral Defense. This is the final approval given by the Dissertation Committee. After completion of all other requirements, typically by the end of their tenth semester at WPI, students submit a written Dissertation and present an Oral Defense. The Dissertation Committee will evaluate the Dissertation and the Oral Defense. If, in the evaluation of the Dissertation Defense, it becomes apparent that there are serious omissions or errors in concept, fact, or technique, then additional research may be required and the dissertation must be revised and submitted to the Dissertation Committee for reexamination at a later time.
- Written Dissertation. The student must be the primary author of the Dissertation, although they are encouraged to discuss it with their Graduate Advisor and members of their Dissertation Committee. Copies of the Dissertation are to be distributed to the Dissertation Committee prior to the Oral Defense.
- Oral Defense. A date for the Oral Defense shall be set with their Dissertation Committee and sent to the Graduate Administrative Assistant for a public announcement. It is the responsibility of the student to set this date. After the Oral Defense, the Dissertation Committee will hold a private discussion and fill out a Committee Meeting Report describing the outcome of the Oral Defense.