PhD Degree Requirements

Students who want to become a professional who can design and perform independent research at a high level choose this degree.  An MS degree is not a requirement to pursue this degree.  Completion of the degree typically takes 4 – 6 years in engineering disciplines.

The PhD in Engineering with a concentration in Chemical Engineering requires 48 credit hours of coursework and 18 hrs of dissertation as outlined below.

CBE Core Courses (15 hrs) - Must be completed in the first year

  • CBE 502: Chemical and Biological Engineering Research Methods Seminar (3) - Offered Spring Only
  • CBE 521: Advanced Transport Phenomena (3) - Offered Fall Only
  • CBE 525: Methods of Analysis in Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Engineering (3) - Offered Fall Only
  • CBE 542: Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (3) - Offered Spring Only
  • CBE 561: Kinetics of Chemical Processes (3) - Offered Spring Only

CBE 501: Chemical & Biological Engineering Seminar (6 hrs)

  • All CBE Graduate students are required to register for CBE 501: Chemical & Biological Engineering Seminar each semester that they are in the program unless otherwise approved by the CBE Director of Graduate Programs.
  • 6 hrs are automatically applied toward the 48 hrs of coursework but an additional 12 hrs could be taken as electives for a total of 18 hrs maximum that could be applied toward required coursework.

Technical Electives (15 hrs)

Technical electives should be chosen in consultation with the CBE Director of Graduate Programs.  They may include the following:

  • Any graduate level course taught by the School of Engineering (BME, CBE, CE, CS, ECE, ME, NE, ENG, NSME)
  • Any graduate level course taught by the departments of Chemistry & Chemical Biology (CHEM), Mathematics & Statistics (MATH, STAT), or Physics & Astronomy (PHYS, ASTR)
  • Students interested in business management may also choose from: MGMT 501, 502, 504, 508, 511, 520, 526, 560, 564, 598, or 600.
  • No more than 6 hrs beyond the MS degree of Problems/Independent Study/Research Courses may be applied toward the PhD.  Using them toward technical electives requires permission of the CBE Director of Graduate Programs. A petition outlining the work completed, the number of credit hours earned, and the number of hours committed per week toward the course along with signatures from both the student and the instructor should be submitted to the CBE Director of Graduate Programs (with cc to CBE Senior Academic Advisor) for consideration for use toward technical electives prior to taking the course. 
  • Students may not apply seminar or lab group meeting credit toward technical electives.

Electives (12 hrs)

Electives should be chosen in consultation with the CBE Director of Graduate Programs.  They may include the following:

  • Any graduate level course taught by the School of Engineering (BME, CBE, CE, CS, ECE, ME, NE, ENG, NSME)
  • Any graduate level course taught by the departments of Chemistry & Chemical Biology (CHEM), Mathematics & Statistics (MATH, STAT), or Physics & Astronomy (PHYS, ASTR)
  • Students interested in business management may also choose from: MGMT 501, 502, 504, 508, 511, 520, 526, 560, 564, 598, or 600.
  • No more than 6 hrs beyond the MS degree of Problems/Independent Study/Research Courses may be applied toward the PhD.  No petition is required to use this type of course as an elective.
  • Students may apply seminar or lab group meeting credit toward electives. This can include extra CBE 501 credit.

CBE 699: Dissertation (18 hrs)

  • Must maintain continuous enrollment, excluding summer terms, from the first semester of registering in dissertatoin hours through the semester of graduation
  • Enrollment in CBE 699 should not begin prior to the semester in which the student takes the doctoral comprehensive examination.
  • Only those credit hours gained in the semester during which the comprehensive examination is passed and in succeeding semesters can be counted toward the 18 credit hours required.
  • A student who fails the comprehensive exam cannot apply any CBE 699 credit hours toward their program of studies until the semester in which the comprehensive examination is retaken and passed.
  • May be taken for 3-12 hrs at a time
  • No limit on how many times it may be taken
NOTE: Graduate level course is defined as any 500-level course or higher OR any 300- or 400-level course that has a “*” or any 300- or 400-level, non-CBE course with a “**” in the UNM Catalog course descriptions.