A Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering is one of the most challenging degree programs, making distance learning for this program only partly feasible.
Some laboratory activities and classroom lectures require in-person attendance or requirements. However, students can enroll in a few schools that offer a hybrid format of learning in completing their Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering program.
While a completely online doctorate in Chemical Engineering is generally challenging for some individuals, there are a few U.S. schools that offer the option to complete online courses at their own flexibility and convenience while taking the on-campus requirements whenever possible.
In addition, earning a Ph.D. CE is one of the rarest forms of degree programs in the engineering sector. However, graduates who successfully complete this degree have one of the most rewarding experiences he or she can be proud of.
Chemical Engineers help improve the utilization of raw materials and turn them into more useful products that will benefit society. In addition, they provide solutions and discoveries to establish better engineering processes that include the use of chemicals.
If you are interested in pursuing an online PhD CE, there are several ways the school can help you in terms of scheduling. Some schools offer a part-time program for this particular degree which allows you to take evening and weekend classes. Never let your fear and discouragement hinder the way to getting a PhD CE.
Best Doctor of Chemical Engineering (PhD CE) Degree Programs
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, PH.D.
School Highlights: The University of North Dakota supplies an incredibly versatile and exciting Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering. It is a 90-credit program that can be completed in about four to five years. The coursework enhances students’ understanding of chemical engineering principles regarding the development of material and energy resources.
This outstanding university paves the way for careers that directly address global issues or those in academic research and education. Graduates from UND now work as project, process, or production managers, senior researchers, and master engineers at such national and international companies as Marathon Oil, Energizer Battery, Intel, Dow Chemical, and more. Others are now employed at prestigious institutions of higher education across the entire globe.
Coursework Sample:
- Advanced Transport Phenomena
- Metallic Corrosion and Polymer Degradation
- Combustion Theory and Modeling
Campus Location: Grand Forks, ND
Accreditation:
- Higher Learning Commission
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
Acceptance Rate: 83% Retention Rate: 81% Graduation Rate: 60%
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA’S CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, PH.D.
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
School Highlights: The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering supplies two master’s degrees and a doctor of philosophy program. The Ph.D. includes six distinctive specialization options, all of which are highly relevant to the field of Chemical Engineering. This doctoral program is intended for those who have already earned a master’s degree in the same or a related field.
However, an exciting Online Ph.D. Core Program allows undergraduate students with a background in science to complete a free, 8-week, 3-credit online summer course that prepares them for their future doctoral degree. Students learn from a team of highly qualified faculty members who bring an incredibly in-depth amount of information and experience to the classroom.
Concentration Options:
- Advanced & Nanostructured Materials
- Biorenewables
- Catalysis & Reaction Engineering
- Computational Fluid Dynamics
- Healthcare Technology & Biomedical Engineering
- Renewable Energy
Campus Location: Ames, IA
Accreditation:
- Higher Learning Commission
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
Acceptance Rate: 91% Retention Rate: 89% Graduation Rate: 74%
LEARN MORE ABOUT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY’S DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
FLORIDA INSTITUE OF TECHNOLOGY
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, PH.D.
School Highlights: The Florida Institute of Technology is an impressive school that supplies a well-respected Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, which is replete with state-of-the-art resources, laboratories, and facilities. It is also a highly acknowledged and accredited doctoral degree.
The curriculum includes the opportunity for students to focus their coursework in one of eight exciting areas, many of which are offered at very few if any, other colleges and universities.
Florida Tech is positioned in the “heart of Florida’s Space Coast,” which gives students access to more than 5,000 high-tech companies in America’s fourth-largest technology workforce. Graduates are now employed at IBM, NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, Intersil, and other such organizations and companies.
Concentration Options:
- Environmental Engineering
- Materials Synthesis
- Processing and Characterization
- Transport and Separation Processes
- Computer-aided Modeling
- Processing and Control
- Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology
- Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
Campus Location: Melbourne, FL
Accreditation:
- Higher Learning Commission
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers Student Chapter Committee
Acceptance Rate: 66% Retention Rate: 75% Graduation Rate: 60%
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY’S PH.D. IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
School Highlights: The University of California Systems is one of the most popular and prestigious in the country. The Berkeley campus, in particular, supplies outstanding degrees in healthcare, science, and technology, including this Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering.
The curriculum is designed to challenge students’ preconceived notions and previous knowledge about chemical engineering and enhance their talents in productive, creative, and original work. Students complete research projects that align with one of the three areas below, and there is an enormous amount of variety when selecting elective courses that align with students’ theses.
The entire degree is completed in about five-and-a-half years on average but is flexible enough to accommodate any student’s needs.
Concentration Options:
- Biomolecular Engineering
- Energy Sustainability, Catalysis, & Electrochemical Engineering
- Theory, Computational Systems, & Machine Learning
Campus Location: Berkeley, CA
Accreditation:
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
Acceptance Rate: 11% Retention Rate: 96% Graduation Rate: 93%
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY’S DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
PH.D. IN CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING
School Highlights: Students at Johns Hopkins University enroll in a unique doctoral degree focused on both Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The curriculum is designed to empower postgraduate students to reach the forefront of research and educational endeavors in the field of engineering.
As such, graduates from JHU have obtained prominent positions of employment in government agencies such as the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health, as well as in privately-owned companies like Intel and Xerox.
Throughout the Ph.D., students work collaboratively with their cohort and professors in challenging research projects. Students work with state-of-the-art technologies in the Johns Hopkins research facilities, as well as government laboratories close to campus.
Coursework Sample:
- Thermodynamics & Statistical Mechanics
- Metabolic Systems Biotechnology
- Interfacial Science with Applications to Nanoscale Systems
Campus Location: Baltimore, MD
Accreditation:
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
Acceptance Rate: 8% Retention Rate: 96% Graduation Rate: 93%
LEARN MORE ABOUT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY’S PH.D. DEGREE PROGRAM IN CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING DEGREE
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER
PH.D. PROGRAM IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
School Highlights: This Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering is offered through the University of Colorado Boulder’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. There is a massive amount of attention concentrated on the doctoral degree. The department is quite well-funded and employs top faculty members in engineering from all across the globe.
Students join a widely diverse cohort of international and domestic students who take advantage of six state-of-the-art, interdisciplinary research centers. These facilities represent some of the most highly sophisticated in the country.
The concentration options listed below are the general areas of study supported by CU Boulder, and the flexible curriculum allows students to pursue personalized emphases, as well.
The campus is in close proximity to labs such as NOAA, NCAR, and NREL, and the school maintains collaborations with numerous research centers throughout the state. Graduates are well-connected experts in chemical engineering upon exiting the University of Colorado Boulder.
Concentration Options:
- Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
- Biosensing
- Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals
- Catalysis and Surface Science
- Computational Science and Engineering
- Energy
- Fluids and Flows
- Interfaces and Self-Assembly
- Membranes and Separations
- Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology
- Polymers and Soft materials
- Protein Engineering and Synthetic Biology
Campus Location: Boulder, CO
Accreditation:
- Higher Learning Commission
Acceptance Rate: 80% Retention Rate: 96% Graduation Rate: 69%
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER’S CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PH.D.
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
School Highlights: Oregon State University is an excellent school that provides a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering that includes eleven possible concentration options. While many other schools have areas of research in which students engage with their cohort and professors, OSU offers focused emphases that are individually tailored to match students’ professional goals.
There is a massive amount of collaboration between other engineering, science, and interdisciplinary departments to make such personalized programs possible, giving students an outstanding amount of access to school resources.
The School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering has 10-15 highly competitive assistantship placements available every year, which are hotly contested between students in the Ph.D. program.
Concentration Options:
- Biochemical Reactors
- Biotechnology
- Electrochemical Deposition
- Environmentally Benign Manufacturing
- Fluidization Engineering
- Materials Synthesis and Processing
- Micro Energy and Chemical Systems
- Polymer Rheology and Processing
- Process Control/Optimization
- Thin Film Processing
- Waste Minimization and Sustainable Processing.
Campus Location: Corvallis, OR
Accreditation:
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
Acceptance Rate: 90% Retention Rate: 87% Graduation Rate: 66%
LEARN MORE ABOUT OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY’S DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the requirements to earn a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering?
Prospective graduates of the Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering degree must comply with the school’s specified requirements for admission. The majority of schools or universities require a bachelor’s degree from an accredited educational institution.
Additionally, a few schools require the completion of a master’s degree program in the related field. Students must submit a written qualifying examination before they proceed to the second academic year of the program. Moreover, they must submit an actual research paper within two years after passing the required written examination.
A doctoral dissertation is also required. This dissertation requires extensive research work on the different specializations in the field such as:
- biopharmaceutical engineering,
- complex fluids,
- metabolic engineering,
- nanostructured films and devices,
- and other related fields of study.
A dissertation defense in the form of a final oral examination may be required from the students by some educational institutions. In addition, some schools or universities need a residency requirement or even a graduate seminar for a PhD CE degree.
How long can a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering be earned?
Chemical Engineering degree programs cover a variety of topics and areas of study such as biomedicine and health technologies; alternative energy and sustainable renewable energy; food production; and nuclear technologies.
This online doctorate chemical engineering degree program is composed of extensive research, hands-on laboratory work or processes, set of examinations, and dissertation assignments. With this being said, this program comes with several specializations and minor requirements.
The Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering can be completed at an average of four to five years depending on the students’ time frame of learning.
What are the possible career pathways for a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering graduate?
Chemical Engineering is an extensive field of study, with several opportunities that match the professional’s interests. Chemical Engineers with doctorate degrees can work in several industries either in private, academic, or government settings.
As an academic pinnacle of organic chemistry, it paved the way for several professions that can help provide innovation and solutions through research work and advanced expertise. They can work as professors or researchers in the field of the academic sectors.
Career opportunities await graduates of the chemical engineering degree program in nanotechnology, biomedicine, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, sustainability, and many other fields.
With the shift towards adapting digital solutions and technological innovations, PhD CE holders, chemical engineers with engineering and chemistry expertise, certainly have an edge over their counterparts. Graduates can work as chemical equipment operators, chemical plant and system operators, industrial engineering technologists, chemists, food scientists, and manufacturing production technicians.
In addition, other rewarding professions related to the chemical engineering field include biomedical engineer which has a median salary worth $99,550 per year, chemical engineering manager with a median salary of $159,840 and material scientist which earns $110,690 per year median salary.
What is the set of coursework in an online Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering?
An online Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering degree program typically consists of a core curriculum that includes a variety of topics such as:
- mathematical principles,
- chemical reaction engineering,
- biotechnology,
- nuclear technology,
- sustainable and renewal energy,
- and kinetics.
Students have the opportunity to customize their learning and maximize their expertise in specific concentrations including materials synthesis, transport and separation processes, environmental engineering, processing and control, or biomaterials and tissue engineering to name a few of the specializations that can be taken by students under the chemical engineering doctorate degree.
This online doctorate degree has coursework including:
- Principles of Biochemical Engineering,
- Applied Engineering Mathematics,
- Interfacial Phenomena,
- Principles of Polymer Science,
- Advanced Chemical Engineering Kinetics,
- and Combustion Theory and Modeling among others.
What schools offer a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering degree programs?
Luckily, there are a few schools that offer a completely online Doctor of Chemical Engineering degree program that does not require an on-campus activity from the students. With this setup, students are able to pursue their online doctorate degrees without compromising their professional and personal obligations.
The schools offering a 100% completely online format include the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
However, there are schools that offer a combination of on-campus and distance learning formats in their Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering programs such as Florida Institute of Technology, University of California Berkeley, Johns Hopkins University, University of Colorado Boulder, and Oregon State University. All of these institutions require the completion of on-campus laboratory activities and residency requirements. In addition, some courses can be taken completely online during the semester.
With the vast innovation and rapid change of the world, chemical engineers readily adapt to new methodologies and discoveries that will provide benefits to modern society. The medical field has several milestones through advanced biomedicines and nanotechnological discoveries in the evolution of medicines.
Are you interested in earning a Nobel Prize Award? Do you want to discover the cure for cancer? Pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering, and who knows you’ll be the next big name in the field of medicine.
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