Chemical Engineering Major, PhD

Concentrations (Optional)

Energy Science and Engineering Concentration

Campus Code

Knoxville Campus

Admissions Standards/Procedures

• Students may apply directly to the PhD program either with or without having completed a master’s degree. Students proceeding directly to the PhD program from a baccalaureate degree should submit evidence of outstanding performance in a rigorous undergraduate program and the ability to perform independent research at the doctoral level.
• Graduate Record Examination scores and at least three letters of reference are required for admission.

Credit Hours Required

72 graduate credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree

Required Courses

A minimum of 36 graduate credit hours in courses (excluding CBE 600) in chemical and biomolecular engineering and related fields beyond the baccalaureate. Must include the 15 credit hours of core courses listed below, CBE 601, 6 credit hours at the 600-level from UTK, active participation in CBE 501, and 14 credit hours of technical elective courses (includes the 6 credit hours at 600-level and up to 6 credit hours of CBE 501).

• Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering core (15 credit hours)

• CBE 506 - Advanced Engineering Mathematics
• CBE 531 - Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
• CBE 547 - Advanced Transport Phenomena
• CBE 551 - Advanced Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Kinetics and Reactor Design
• CBE 579 - Advanced Biomolecular Engineering

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• CBE 601 - Development & Communication of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Research Opportunities (1 credit hour)
• At least 6 credit hours of courses at the 600-level from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
• CBE 501 - Graduate Seminar   Active participation in graduate seminars conducted by the department. Resident students must register for CBE 501 every semester offered.
• Technical elective courses (14 credit hours). Examples include courses from CBE, ME, BME, MSE, BSE, NE, CS, ENVR, CHEM, MATH, PHYS, BCMB, MICR, ESE). Courses are selected in consultation with the student’s advisor and/or committee. The required 14 credit hours include the 6 credit hours of 600-level courses and up to 6 credit hours of CBE 501 .

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• CBE 600 - Doctoral Research and Dissertation  (minimum 24 credit hours). Registration must be continuous from the time research begins. (See the Continuous Registration requirement in the Graduate School section of this catalog.)

Enery Science and Engineering Concentration

Required Courses (in addition to those above).

• ESE 511 - Introduction to Energy Science and Technology I
• ESE 512 - Introduction to Energy Science and Technology II
• Knowledge Breadth Curriculum (3 graduate credit hours): select one course from the following three areas
  • Political, social, legal, ethical, and security issues related to energy (e.g., POLS, PHYS, ESE)
  • Entrepreneurship, leadership, and management (e.g., IE, ME, MGT, ESE)
  • Additional courses may be selected in consultation with the Bredesen Center’s Director
  • Knowledge Specialization Curriculum (6 graduate credit hours): choose two courses from participating departments as defined in the Bredesen Center Graduate Student Handbook.
    • Bioenergy and biofuels (e.g., EEB, MICR, BCMB, CBE, LFSC, PLSC)
    • Cross-cutting energy sciences (e.g., MICR, ECE, CHEM, PHYS, MATH, STAT)
    • Distributed energy and grid management (e.g., ECE)
    • Energy conversion and storage (e.g., CBE, CHEM, ME, MSE, PHYS)
    • Energy materials (e.g., MSE, PHYS)
    • Environmental and climate sciences related to energy (e.g., GEOL, MICR, BCMB, EEB, ESS, FORS, GEOL, LFSC, MICR, PLSC, ENVE, FWF)
    • Nuclear energy (e.g., NE, CHEM, ME, PHYS)
    • Renewable energy (MATH, CBE, ENVE, ME, STAT)
    • Transportation sciences (e.g., CBE, CE, ECE,  ME)
    • Additional courses may be selected in consultation with the major professor or research advisor

Non-Course Requirements

• Completion of a minimum of two semesters of service as a teaching assistant in departmental courses.
• A qualifying exam that assesses the student’s competence in the core areas of chemical and biomolecular engineering, ability to think analytically and creatively, and potential to perform original research. This requirement includes successful completion of the associated course CBE 601.
• A written and oral comprehensive examination. This exam consists of a written dissertation research proposal and the oral defense of that proposal.
• Successful oral defense of the dissertation before the student’s dissertation committee.