Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering offers graduate programs leading to the master of science and the doctor of philosophy degrees. Those interested should write to the address above for application materials and a departmental brochure, which gives greater detail on programs, offerings, admission, degree requirements, and financial aid.

Admission

Candidates for advanced degrees in chemical engineering should have a background in chemistry and chemical engineering comparable to the training offered in the undergraduate chemical engineering curriculum at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Students whose prior training is deficient in one or more basic areas of chemistry or chemical engineering will be admitted with the understanding that their deficiencies will be removed to the extent prescribed by their advisers. Graduate College admission requirements also apply. In addition, applicants must submit results from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test.

International students whose native language is not English are required to have a minimum paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 590 (243 on the computer-based test). In addition, teaching is a requirement in the chemical engineering graduate program and there are special requirements for applicants whose native language is not English. The University requires a minimum Test of Spoken English (TSE) score of 50 for a contact teaching assistant appointment. It is desirable for applicants whose native language is not English to provide TSE scores in order to receive full consideration for admission and financial aid.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Experience in teaching is considered a vital part of the graduate program and is required as part of the academic work of all Ph.D. candidates in this program.

Master of Science

Requirements for the master of science include 32 graduate hours of graduate credit and a thesis. At least 20 of these graduate hours must be in courses other than thesis research with a minimum of 12 graduate hours in 500-level courses; 8 of the 500-level credits must be in chemical engineering courses. The requirement may be waived in special circumstances, and in such cases, no credit is given for registration in thesis research.

Doctor of Philosophy

Requirements include 96 graduate hours of graduate credit, satisfactory performance on qualifying and certification examinations, and a thesis. The credit requirement includes a minimum of graduate-level courses in chemical engineering and a coherent program of four additional graduate level courses. The qualifying examination is a written test usually taken during the first year of study. The certification examination is an individual oral examination taken after the student has satisfied the course requirements. It focuses on the student’s proposed thesis research.