Program Requirements
The Ph.D. is awarded for original research performed under the guidance of a thesis advisor. The formal requirements for this degree are:
- Completion of six graduate-level courses, including the four required core and elective courses.
- Completion of an annual research evaluation each year.
- Serve as a teaching assistant for at least two required courses.
- Completion in the first semester of departmental safety requirements (see Handbook for more information).
- Attend graduate seminars (EN.540.600 Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Seminar I/EN.540.601 Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Seminar II) every semester. Students are expected to enroll and attend department seminars throughout their tenure in the department.
- Successful completion of the Graduate Board Oral Exam.
- Completion of an original research project, documented in a dissertation that is defended by the candidate in a public presentation.
- Completion of Responsible Conduct of Research training.
- Completion of Academic Ethics (EN.500.603 Graduate Academic Ethics)
- Application for Graduation submitted to Registrar’s office.
- Successful submission of a dissertation for publication through the electronic thesis dissertation system of (ETDS) the Johns Hopkins Library.
Ph.D. Course Work
Students must successfully complete six graduate-level courses including the four required core and elective courses listed below:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Students must successfully complete six graduate-level courses, including: | ||
| EN.540.630 | Thermodynamics & Statistical Mechanics | 3 |
| EN.540.652 | Advanced Transport Phenomena | 3 |
| In their first semester, students are also required to complete: | ||
| EN.500.601 | Research Laboratory Safety | 1 |
| In addition, students must choose to take at least two courses from the list of strongly recommended electives: | ||
| EN.540.460 | Polymer Physics | 3 |
| EN.540.602 | Metabolic Systems Biotechnology | 3 |
| EN.540.605 | Modern Data Analysis and Machine Learning for ChemBEs | 3 |
| EN.540.615 | Interfacial Science with Applications to Nanoscale Systems | 3 |
| EN.540.633 | Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics | 3 |
| EN.540.658 | Modeling and Design of Sustainable Chemical Processes | 3 |
| EN.540.673 | Advanced Chemical Reaction Engineering in Practice | 3 |
| EN.540.674 | Advanced Separation and Purification Processes in Practice | 3 |
| EN.540.681 | Molecular Kinetics and Catalysis | 3 |
Ph.D. Students are strongly encouraged to take the four required courses in the first fall semester. However, students who do not have an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering or a closely related field may need additional courses and should discuss an appropriate course plan with the Director of the Graduate Program at the start of their first semester.
The remaining two engineering or science courses are chosen with the help of the student’s advisor to design a curriculum appropriate for the student's research interest. These two courses cannot include seminars, independent study, graduate research or special studies. They must be a semester-long letter grade course.
Each of the six courses must be passed with a letter grade of B- or higher. In addition, the student must maintain an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better. If the student’s GPA falls below 3.0, the student must re-take one or more of the courses and earn a higher grade. All grades remain on graduate students transcripts. If a student receives a grade of C+ or lower in a required core course, the student will be allowed to re-take the course once to achieve a grade of B- or higher. Failure to receive a B- or better the second time may be cause for dismissal from the program. Receipt of grades of C+ or lower in two or more required courses may be cause for dismissal from the program without the opportunity to re-take those courses.
Ph.D. Thesis Criteria and Graduate Board Oral Exam
Candidates must write a dissertation conforming to university requirements that describes the students work and results in detail. A public defense of the dissertation is required. Starting Fall 2024, new incoming students will complete the Graduate Board Oral (GBO) towards the end of their second year. Current students (who matriculated before Fall 2024) will be given the option to either complete the GBO in the summer after their second year or in a closed examination session immediately following their public defense of the dissertation. Because the closed examination session fulfills the university GBO examination requirement, all procedures pertaining to GBOs as established by the University Graduate Board must be followed.
Additional information can be found in the department Graduate Handbook.