School of Engineering - Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

Alan J. Russell, PhD, Chair

Web site: http://www.engrng.pitt.edu/~chewww/grad.html

The Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, the Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering, and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees are offered by the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. Within the chemical engineering curriculum, the student may specialize in transport phenomena, kinetics and catalysis, reactor engineering, control, thermodynamics and phase behavior, solids processing, petroleum reservoir engineering, bioengineering, polymer engineering, multiphase processes, surface phenomena, energy and environmental processes, and computational chemical engineering. The Department's new state-of-the-art Frank Mosier Learning Center, located on the 12th floor of Benedum Hall, provides, through a revised classroom design with PCs carefully integrated into the facility, a forum for improved learning. Departmental laboratory facilities include a multiphase laboratory, catalysis laboratories, solids processing laboratories, thermodynamics laboratories, bioengineering laboratories, and the laboratory for modeling and molecular simulation. Special equipment includes a solid state NMR, image analysis, high-pressure equilibrium view cells, DNA sequencing apparatus, specialized rheometers, gas chromatography, and mass and atomic adsorption spectrometers.

Contact Information

Further information can be obtained by contacting:

Graduate Coordinator

Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department

1249 Benedum Engineering Hall

University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA 15261

Phone: (412) 624-9630

Web site: http://www.engrng.pitt.edu/~chewww/grad.html

Master of Science in Chemical Engineering (Research-Oriented Program)

The candidate for the Master of Science degree must demonstrate proficiency in basic chemical engineering subjects by successfully taking the following required three-credit courses:

CHE 2101 Fundamentals of Thermodynamics

CHE 2201 Fundamentals of Reaction Processes

CHE 2302 Fundamentals of Transport Processes

CHE 2410 Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering

CHE 2982 Issues in Chemical Engineering

In addition to these 15 credits, the student must satisfactorily complete the following courses:

A full-time student will normally take 33 credits.

Full-time students are required to register each term for Research Methodology, a one credit course. In Research Methodology, a letter grade will be given each term based upon the student's research performance. Full-time students are also required to attend the graduate seminar during the Fall and Spring terms. It should be emphasized that the preceding course requirements are minimum requirements, and additional work may be necessary for an individual student, especially if the student's undergraduate degree is not in chemical engineering.

A student who does not maintain a B (3.00 QPA) average in all MS-level courses or obtain a B or better in the five required courses is put on academic probation. The graduate faculty of the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering will review all cases of probation each term and determine whether the student will be permitted to continue to pursue graduate study. Should a student receive a C grade or lower in a required MS course, the student will be required to repeat that course and earn a B or better grade before being permitted to graduate.

A student with full-time status should discuss possible thesis topics with at least three members of the departmental faculty and then submit a written request to the faculty for assignment of a thesis advisor. After the faculty assigns an advisor, the student can begin the thesis. The MS thesis oral examination is given at the completion of the thesis. All full-time master's students must participate in teaching a course during one term as a master's student.

Students wishing to continue into the PhD program after the MS degree should take the oral qualifying examination during their second term of study. Failure to do so will forfeit one of two opportunities to pass this examination.

Master of Science in Chemical Engineering (Professional Engineer Program)

Engineers working full-time outside the University who wish to continue advanced study in chemical engineering may apply for admission to the Professional Engineer Program. It differs from the regular MS program in two important respects:

1. Admission to the program is limited to engineers working full-time outside the University in chemical engineering or a related area.
2. Course work replaces the MS thesis requirement.

A minimum of 30 credit hours of course work is required. These must include the five required courses of the regular program:

CHE 2101 Fundamentals of Thermodynamics

CHE 2201 Fundamentals of Reaction Processes

CHE 2302 Fundamentals of Transport Processes

CHE 2410 Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering

CHE 2982 Issues in Chemical Engineering

The remainder of the course work should be selected from graduate offerings in chemical engineering. Up to six credit hours may be elected in approved graduate course offerings outside the department. Students who wish to enter this program should first apply for admission to graduate study in chemical engineering. Once admitted students can then request admission to the Professional Engineering Program.

Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering

The candidate for the degree of Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering must demonstrate proficiency in petroleum engineering by passing the following courses:

In addition to these courses, the student must satisfactorily complete six additional graduate-level credits in engineering or science.

Dual Master's Degree

A program of study is available in which a student may pursue a dual degree between either chemical engineering and petroleum engineering, petroleum engineering and mathematics, or chemical engineering and mathematics. In general, 42 credits are required, including the fundamental courses in the two areas. Both thesis and non-thesis options are possible. The required chemical engineering courses are:

CHE 2101, 2201, 2302, 2410, 2982

and the required petroleum engineering courses are:

PETE 2201, 2202, 2204, 2205*, 2207*, 2210, 2214; GEOL 1413; and two advanced math courses.

*optional or by appointment.

The required courses in the mathematics area will vary with the student's interest. Courses in the following areas are suggested:

Partial differential equations

Advanced calculus

Numerical analysis

Real analysis

Complex analysis

Matrices and linear operations

Applied math

Ordinary differential equations

The remainder of the courses may be taken from graduate offerings in the various fields. All other departmental regulations listed previously apply to the Master of Science dual-degree program.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The following special regulations pertain to the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. For additional requirements, review the school-wide information in the Doctor of Philosophy Programs section as well as the Regulations Pertaining to Doctoral Degrees.

Entry to the PhD Program

In order to enter the PhD program, a student must have completed an MS degree and passed the PhD oral qualifying preliminary examination. Especially well-prepared students may petition the department faculty, in writing, for permission to obtain the PhD degree directly without obtaining an MS degree. This eliminates the required completion of the MS thesis. All MS-level course work is still required.

During the second term as a graduate student in the department, the student wishing to continue into the PhD program must take the oral preliminary examination. Failure to take this examination at this time will forfeit one of two opportunities to pass this examination. The structure and content of the PhD oral qualifying examination is subject to change in order to meet the requirements of the faculty and PhD program.

PhD Course Requirements

A student's course series will be designed by the student and his thesis advisor, approved by the PhD committee, and signed off by the Graduate Coordinator. This sequence should include courses in the student's research area as well as courses not related to his research area. Forty-two credits beyond the MS degree are required and must include the following courses:

CHE 3301 Advanced Transport Phenomena

CHE 3xxx CHE Elective

CHE 2/3xxx CHE Elective

Xx 2/3xxx Elective

CHE 2982 Issues in Chemical Engineering (if not taken at MS level)

CHE 3990 Advanced Graduate Projects, 6 credits (minimum)

CHE 3999 PhD Dissertation (taken after PhD proposal defense), 12 credits (minimum)

Additional course requirements may include the following, if the student has not previously completed courses in these areas at the master's level:

CHE 2101 Fundamentals of Thermodynamics

CHE 2201 Fundamentals of Reaction Processes

CHE 2301 Fundamentals of Transport Processes

CHE 2410 Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering

Students must also register for one credit in PhD Research methodology each term. A minimum of 72 graduate credit hours, including MS courses and thesis credits, are required. All full-time students must fulfill a two-term teaching requirement during their course of study and attend the departmental graduate seminar series during the Fall and Spring semesters.

Dissertation Requirement

A dissertation topic should be selected after passing the PhD oral qualifying examination. This is done by submitting a formal request in writing to the departmental Graduate Faculty for appointment of a faculty advisor (or advisors). Preliminary work can be done on the dissertation by registering for CHE 3990. After being admitted to PhD candidacy, the student should concentrate on the dissertation, registering for CHE 3999. Eighteen credits of these two courses are required with at least 12 of these 18 being in CHE 3999. Most students complete more than 18 credits of these courses.

PhD Comprehensive Examination and Proposal Conference

This is an oral examination covering chemical engineering at the PhD level and is based upon a written dissertation proposal. If this examination is passed, a doctoral committee will be officially appointed. This exam should be taken at least 18 months before completion of the dissertation and preferably within the first year beyond the MS.

PhD Final Oral Examination

A final review (defense) of the thesis must be conducted by the dissertation committee in order to determine the acceptability of the dissertation.

Off-campus Research

Occasionally, a research program can be conducted at a government or industrial site. In those situations the student should submit a proposal for such research to the graduate coordinator for approval by the faculty. The faculty advisor must be actively involved in the research.