(PCHEN)
The Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering (ChE) from LSU requires 24 hours of credit in dissertation research and a minimum of 30 hours of credit at the graduate level. A minimum of 18 hours of credit in ChE courses at the 7000 level or above are required, exclusive of any type of independent studies credit except for special project credit earned. The remaining 12 hours of coursework can include graduate level courses in any department and may constitute a formal minor or an informal collection of courses of interest. Completion of the chemical engineering graduate core program, CHE 7110 Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering (3) , CHE 7120 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (3) , CHE 7130 Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transport (3) , and CHE 7140 Chemical Reactor Design Methods (3) , or equivalents, is required.
Students in the PhD program must pass a written qualifying examination within one year of their enrollment. Within one year of successfully passing the qualifying examination, the student forms an examining committee and takes the general examination, which is an oral defense of a written plan for doctoral research. A final examination must also be passed. The final examination is an oral defense of the doctoral dissertation.
The departmental-level academic course plan for each student will be developed in consultation with and approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee. The committee will include the student’s major advisor and at least two additional members of the graduate faculty such that the LSU Graduate School’s requirements for graduate committees are satisfied.
Students already holding a master’s degree in chemical engineering can transfer up to nine hours of coursework, with a maximum of two core courses eligible for transfer. Every credit transfer is at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies. A minimum of six hours of coursework numbered 7300 or greater must be taken at LSU, regardless of the transferred credit.