Doctor of Philosophy (Chemical and Materials Engineering)

The Department offers PhD degrees with specializations in Chemical Engineering, Process Control, and Materials Engineering.

Program Requirements

Students must successfully complete seven courses (20.0 units) and a thesis.

Coursework (20.0 units)

Six 3-unit courses which must be approved by the Associate Dean Graduate Students.
- At least three courses must be 600-level or higher courses in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering. See the following list for courses considered to be equivalent to 600-level CME courses.
- The remaining three courses must be at the 500-level or higher in the Faculty of Engineering, or be at the 400-level or higher in a Science department. Science courses at the 400-level must be approved by the Associate Dean Graduate Students. See the following list for courses considered to be equivalent to 500-level Engineering courses.
- Students specializing in Materials Engineering should also refer to the appropriate section below.
- Reading courses will not count towards the total course requirements.
- Students may be eligible for a Department course exemption if they have previously completed a recognized graduate degree program at an accredited university

CME 600 - Introduction to Research Methods
This course must be completed in the first year in the doctoral program.

Courses Considered Equivalent to 600-level CME Courses

Courses Considered Equivalent to 500-level Engineering Courses

Students Specializing in Materials Engineering

Students must take two courses out of the following four courses as two of their three 600-level courses:

Students Specializing in Chemical Engineering

Students must take two courses out of the following ten courses as two of their three 600-level courses:

Thesis

Registration in 900-level THES. Students are required to complete a thesis which embodies the results of independent research. All PhD students are required to deliver one public presentation on their research.

Candidacy Exam

The Candidacy exam must be held within 16 months of the initial registration in the program for full-time students. The research proposal must be submitted within 13 months of the initial registration in the program.

Seminar

Students are required to attend a minimum of six seminars of the D.B. Robinson Distinguished Seminar Series per academic year throughout the duration of their program. Students starting their program in January must attend at least three of these seminars in their first term. Students who miss the attendance requirement for the D.B. Robinson series will be assigned additional work.

Ethics Requirement

Engineering students must complete GPS ethics requirements based on their programs.

Professional Development Requirement

Engineering students must complete GPS’s professional development requirement.

Residence Requirement

The minimum period of residence is two academic years of full-time attendance at the University of Alberta.

Academic Standing Requirement

Any graduate student who has gone directly into a PhD program after their BSc program is required to maintain a first-class standing (cumulative gpa of 3.5 out of 4.0).

Length of Program

The maximum time to complete the PhD program as set by the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies is six years.