The graduate program in chemical and biochemical engineering has
three major elements: engineering science, applied chemistry, and
biochemical engineering. Engineering science includes the transport
processes, with an emphasis on mass transfer, thermodynamics, and
applied mathematics. Applied chemistry encompasses surface chemistry,
applied chemical kinetics, catalysis, synthesis, and properties of
polymers, semipermeable membranes, and electrochemistry. Biochemical
engineering deals with microbial and enzyme technology, fermentations,
applied biochemical kinetics and catalysis, biological separations, and
applied molecular biology.
The program combines academic
instruction with practical application by stressing student projects.
It encourages students to be creative and to show originality in
applying basic and advanced chemical and biochemical engineering
principles to solve research and design problems. Program participants
develop practical applications for industrial processing and for
improving environmental quality. At the same time, they gain a better
understanding of chemical and biochemical reactions. Research efforts
focus on advancing basic scientific theories and developing useful
applications.
Master's degree candidates may elect a thesis or
nonthesis option. The thesis option consists of a minimum of 30
credits- 24 course credits and 6 credits for a thesis on a research or
design problem. In the nonthesis option, a candidate must complete 30
course credits and submit a critical essay. The nonthesis option is
suited to the student who has extensive research experience or
full-time professional responsibilities in industry. The program for
the Ph.D. normally consists of a minimum of 30 credits of course work
and 24 to 42 credits of research beyond the B.S. degree. The total
number of credits required is 72. The course work for the Ph.D. and
M.S. degrees includes the following core courses: chemical engineering
analysis; advanced transport phenomena I and II; advanced chemical
engineering thermodynamics; and kinetics, catalysis, and reactor
design. The master of philosophy degree is available to doctoral
candidates. The doctoral qualifying examination, given each year,
stresses fundamentals of chemical engineering and advancements in the
profession as reflected in the current graduate instructional program.
Before they complete the program, all students must give an oral
presentation on their research or area of interest. There is no
language or residency requirement.
Faculty and students in the
program are involved in a broad range of research areas. Research in
biochemical engineering includes such topics as enzyme and microbial
engineering, biomembrane transport theory, plant and insect cell
culture, imaging and biosensing, mammalian cell culture, and biomedical
engineering. Chemical environmental efforts involve the use of basic
chemical engineering principles such as mass, momentum, and energy
balances; reactor theory; and system simulation to solve problems of
surface water and groundwater quality; advanced biological and
physiochemical treatment systems; solid-waste management; incineration;
and hazardous substance evaluation and disposal. Pharmaceutical
engineering research focuses on such topics as solids mixing, granular
materials and particulate suspensions, powder processing, and
crystallization. Alternate fuels research includes enhanced alcohol
fermentation and electrochemical engineering, with an emphasis on
battery failure analysis. Liquid-liquid extraction, supercritical
extraction processes, and flow simulation in mixing processes are
examples of mass transfer applications. Work in statistical
thermodynamics is an option.
Graduate assistantships and
fellowships are available for both first-year and advanced graduate
students. Students participating in the research program on a sponsored
basis receive a stipend for either a 10-month or a 12-month period and
have their tuition remitted. Support usually is associated with
sponsoring grants or contracts, and specific information on available
projects is provided by the graduate director. It is common for an
exchange of information on assistantships or fellowships to occur
during consideration of admission when program officials try to
identify students` interests.
