Information for Current Graduate Students
Graduate Handbook
The graduate handbook contains all of the information you’ll need to ensure that you are making timely progress toward your degree. It is very important that you familiarize yourself with its contents.
Required Forms
Required forms and associated links are summarized below. Please pay close attention to form deadlines. Failure to submit forms by the deadline may delay graduation. Forms must be submitted by the deadline indicated in the table. Please contact Wanda Brown if you have any questions regarding these forms or our academic program in general.
- Supervisory committee form – due within 6 months of passing the qualiyfing exam. If you need to make changes to your committee, complete this form.
- Research proposal defense form – must be completed by your committee upon successful defense of the research proposal. Your research proposal must be completed at least 6 months before your dissertation defense.
- PhD Program of Study – Due at least two months preceding the semester of your graduation.
- PhD Final Exam – must be completed by your committee upon successful defense of your dissertation. You must be registered for at least 3 hours of research in the semester you defend.
- Milestone MS application
- MS Supervisory Committee Form – due by the end of the second semester of the graduate program.
- ChE MS Program of Study – due at least two months preceding the semester of your graduation.
- MS Final Exam Form – You must be registered for at least 3 hours of research in the semester you defend.
| Form | Due | PhD | MS (coursework) | MS (Thesis & Project) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Request for MS supervisory committee | End of second semester | ✓ | ||
| Request for PhD supervisory committee | Within 6 months of passing qualifying exam | ✓ | ||
| Program of study | End of second year | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Research proposal | End of second year | ✓ | ||
| Milestone Masters Application (optional) | When requirements are met, but by semester prior to graduation. | ✓ | ||
| Application for graduation | Semester prior to graduation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Final Exam (dissertation/thesis defense) | With approval of dissertation/thesis | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Supervisory committee approval of dissertation/thesis | With approval of dissertation/thesis | ✓ | ||
| Final dissertation/thesis reading approval | After approval of dissertation/thesis | ✓ |
Coursework
All students pursuing a graduate degree in Chemical Engineering must take the following core courses:
- CH EN 6353 Graduate Fluid Mechanics (fall)
- CH EN 6603 Mulitcomponent Mass Transfer (spring)
Students whose undergraduate degree is not in Chemical Engineering must also take the following core courses. (These courses can be taken as electives for students with a previous degree in Chemical Engineering.)
- CH EN 6853 Graduate Thermodynamics (fall)
- CH EN 6553 Graduate Chemical Reaction Engineering (spring)
Students should take these core courses during the first year they are in the graduate program.
In addition to the core courses, students must take several elective courses. (See the Graduate Handbook for information about the number of elective credit hours you must take, which depends on the degree you are pursuing and your previous degrees.) Graduate electives must be 6000 level or higher. Several graduate electives are offered by the Department of Chemical Engineering:
Fall Semester
- CH EN 6153 Fundamentals of Combustion
- CH EN 6158 Energy and Society
- CH EN 6230 Bio Devices & Sensors
- CH EN 6310 Renewable Energy
- CH EN 6400 Advanced Engineering Analysis
- CH EN 6555 Catalytic Engineering & Science
- CH EN 6703 Advanced Numerical Methods
- CH EN 6853 Graduate Thermodynamics (for those not required to take this as a core course)
- CH EN 6960 Applied Atmospheric Modeling
- CH EN 7703 Modeling/Validation UQ
Spring Semester
- CH EN 6103 Biochemical Engineering
- CH EN 6203 State Space Control
- CH EN 6205 Smart Systems
- CH EN 6305 Air Pollution Control
- CH EN 6553 Graduate Chemical Reaction Engineering (for those not required to take this as a core coure)
- CH EN 6810 Nanoscience
- Other 6000- or 7000-level Engineering Courses (see below)
In addition to graduate-level courses offered through the Department of Chemical Engineering, graduate students can consider taking 6000- or 7000-level courses offered through other engineering departments and programs, as well as classes in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics. See the course catalog for further information.
Students planning to take non-Chemical Engineering graduate courses for elective credit must have approval from their faculty advisor or supervisory committee.
Other Resources for Graduate Students
- University Student Code
- University of Utah Graduate School
- Thesis Office
- Tuition Benefit Program
- Information to help with preparing your thesis/dissertation. This includes important deadlines, style guides, templates, etc. to help you get your thesis completed on time.
- Graduate catalog – contains information on degree requirements, etc.
- Application for graduation – must be completed at the beginning of the semester you wish to graduate in.
- Application to transfer credit from another institution. If you have completed some graduate classes at another institution, you should talk with our graduate advisor before you complete this form.
Graduate Advising
Feel free to reach out to our graduate advisors if you have questions about your graduate education. We encourage you to meet with Wanda Brown regularly to ensure that you are making progress toward your degree.
Wanda Brown
Academic Advisor (Graduate)
- Phone: 801-585-1181
- Email: wanda.brown@utah.edu
- Office: 3290 F MEB
Kerry Kelly
Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Studies
- Email: kerry.kelly@utah.edu
- Office: 2288 MEB
- Website: https://kairlab.che.utah.edu/