Graduate Programs: Degree Requirements
Doctor of Philosophy
The Ph.D. degree is awarded for original research performed under the guidance of a thesis advisor. There are four formal requirements for this degree.
The student must take at least six graduate-level courses and are expected to attend seminars throughout their years in the program. They must enroll in a minimum of two semesters of graduate seminars. There are three required core courses in thermodynamics, transport phenomena, and reaction kinetics. The student selects additional courses with the help of the graduate advisor to design a curriculum suitable for the student's interests.
The student must pass a departmental candidacy exam for the Ph.D. program. This oral exam focuses on material covered in an undergraduate chemical engineering curriculum, including transport phenomena, thermodynamics, and reaction kinetics. Graduate students normally take this exam during the first year of graduate study.
The student must also pass the University's Graduate Board Oral (GBO) exam. This exam is administered by a committee of five faculty members consisting of the research advisor, another member of the Department of Chemical Engineering, and three faculty from other science or engineering departments. The GBO is a comprehensive examination in the candidate's field of specialization and requires proficiency on the graduate level in areas outside the major field. The exam is usually taken by the fifth semester.
The student must write a thesis based on original research and defend it before three faculty (at least two of whom are from the Department of Chemical Engineering).
There is no foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree. A student with a strong undergraduate background usually earns the Ph.D. degree in four to five years.
Master of Science in Engineering
Students have two options in pursuing an M.S.E. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
1. Master’s of Science in Engineering (requiring an essay)
There are two formal requirements for this degree. The student must take six graduate-level courses, and is expected to attend seminars throughout his or her years in residence in the program. The student must enroll in at least two semesters of graduate seminars (540.600/601) throughout his or her tenure in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. There are four required core courses: Thermodynamics & Statistical Mechanics for Chemical & Biomolecular Systems, Fundamentals of Biotransport Phenomena, Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology of Mammalian Systems, and Interfacial Phenomena in Nanostructured Materials. The student selects additional engineering or science courses with the help of the graduate advisor to design a curriculum appropriate for the student's engineering interest. Students must maintain a B average in coursework and satisfactory progress in research. In addition all first year students must enroll in 540.490 Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Safety during their first semester. Each year thereafter students must attend a departmental safety refresher course.
The student must write an essay based on original research and literature review and present his or her results at an open seminar attended by the faculty and students. The essay must be approved by the departmental graduate committee which consists of the graduate research advisor and at least one more faculty member from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
2. Master’s of Science in Engineering (coursework only)
The student must take ten graduate level courses and is expected to attend seminars throughout his or her years in residence in the program. The student must enroll in at least two semesters of graduate seminars (540.600/601) throughout his or her tenure in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. There are four required core courses: Thermodynamics & Statistical Mechanics for Chemical & Biomolecular Systems, Fundamentals of Biotransport Phenomena, Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology of Mammalian Systems, and Interfacial Phenomena in Nanostructured Materials. The student selects additional engineering or science courses with the help of the Director of the graduate program to design a curriculum appropriate for the student's engineering interest. Students must maintain a B average in coursework to complete this degree.
Important Notes for all M.S.E. candidates:
1. All non-ChemBE engineering undergraduate students, who wish to get an M.S.E. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, will have to not only take the relevant graduate level coursework but also complete five key undergraduate courses:
a. 540.303 Transport Phenomena I
b. 540.304 Transport Phenomena II
c. 540.301 Kinetics
d. 540.203 Engineering Thermo
e. 540.204 Applied Physical Chemistry
2. Whiting School graduate policies on double-counting courses: http://engineering.jhu.edu/graduate-double-counting/
