Programs of Study

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBe) offers programs leading to the MS and PhD degrees in chemical engineering.

PhD If you qualify, you can enter the PhD program in chemical engineering directly after completing your BS degree or after your first semester in the MS program. You will be required to complete at least 36 hours of approved course work beyond the BS, at least 12 of which must be taken at Clemson. These courses must satisfy the MS requirements of Clemson, include at least 12 hours in fields other than chemical engineering and include at least six additional credit hours of research. There is no language requirement.

As a PhD student, you will need to take written and oral qualifying exams. The written exam is taken January of the first year. If you are entering the PhD program with an MS degree from another institution, you must take this exam at the completion of your first semester at Clemson or sooner. The oral comprehensive exam consists of a presentation based on your research project. Normally this exam is scheduled within six months after you successfully complete the written comprehensive exam. The final requirement is an oral defense of your dissertation.

MS To earn the MS degree, you must complete 30 credit hours of graduate-level work and a thesis based on a successfully completed research project. This includes three required core courses (nine credit hours): Advanced Transport Phenomena II, Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics and Chemical Engineering Kinetics. You must also take 15 credit hours of technical elective courses – at least nine of which must be in chemical engineering – and at least six credit hours of research. The normal time required to earn an MS degree in chemical engineering is three semesters and a summer.

The Industrial Residency Program is an excellent way to gain industrial expereince while pursuing a graduate degree, whether your ultimate intent is to continue on to a PhD program or to enter industry full

time after earning your MS. The program is a special arrangement involving Clemson University, graduate students and a sponsoring company that offers an attractive stipend and an opportunity to gain industrial experience. You will engage in two semesters of full-time study, which involve 24 hours of course work and approximately 10 months of full-time research at the sponsoring company’s site. The program is restricted to US citizens and permanent residents.

Research

The department offers strong research programs in biotechnology, advanced materials, energy and chemical processing. The research activities of these groups encompass the traditional branches of chemical engineering as well as several of the newer areas in chemical and biomolecular engineering.

Biotechnology: Within biotechnology, a variety of more specific areas can be studied including bioelectronics, biosensors and biochips, biopolymers, use of renewable resources, drug delivery, bone and tissue regeneration and bioseparations. Multiple faculty members conduct research in this area including professors Guiseppi-Elie, Hirt, Husson and Kilbey.

Advanced Materials: Advanced materials is a very active area of research in the chemical and biomolecular engineering department at Clemson University. Major areas of research within advanced materials are polymer fibers, films and composites, nanoscale design of catalysts, membranes, directed assembly, interfacial engineering, molecular modeling and simulation, nanomaterials and biomaterials. Dean Gulari and professors Bruce, Edie, Goodwin, Guiseppi-Elie, Harrison, Hirt, Husson, Kilbey, Kitchens, Ogale and Thies all study advanced materials.

Energy: As energy becomes a global issue, a number of ChBE faculty are focusing their research on improving current energy sources while also looking to alternative energy sources. Hydrogen production and storage, biofuels synthesis, sustainable engineering, quantum and molecular modeling, nanotechnology and reaction engineering are of particular interest. Energy is a large portion of research conducted by professors Bruce, edie, Gooding, Goodwin, Kitchens, Ogale and Thies.

Chemical Processing: Although a more traditional area of chemical engineering, chemical processing is an essential part of much of the research that takes place in the department. The main areas of interest are separations, kinetics and catalysis, process design and analysis and product design. Professors Bruce, Gooding, Goodwin, Husson and Thies all utilize chemical processing in their daily research.

Student Group

The graduate student body in the department consists of approximately 42 PhD students and five MS students. In addition to US students, there are students from Asia, Africa and South America, which helps create an excellent, diverse learning environment.

Financial Aid

If you are accepted into the graduate program, you will receive financial support. In addition to earning a competitive stipend as a graduate assistant, you will also have numerous opportunities at the University level for supplemental fellowships. If you have a graduate research assistantship, you will work on funded research projects related to your thesis work. Assistantships offered to new students are set at competitive rates each year and are paid on a 12-month basis. Receipt of a graduate assistantships qualifies you for reduced tuition rates. Offers of financial aid for each academic year start by the end of February and continue as long as funds are available. You should apply by early January to ensure full consideration in the awards process.

Applying

You may apply on the web at www.ces.clemson.edu/chemeng/prospectivegraduate/applyonline.html. To apply for Clemson’s graduate programs in chemical and biomolecular engineering, you must submit an application, at least two letters of recommendation from faculty members and official transcripts of all college work. You must also have satisfactory GRE scores, and if you are not an American citizen, satisfactory TOEFL scores. Applicants are accepted at any time, but to be considered for all financial aid possibilities, you should apply by early January for the fall semester or early September for the spring semester.

Faculty

• David A. Bruce, Associate Professor; PhD, Georgia Tech. Catalysis, kinetics and molecular modeling.

• Dan D. Edie, Dow Chemical Professor; PhD, Virginia. High-performance fibers, composite materials, polymer processing and rheology.

• Charles H. Gooding, Professor; PhD, North Carolina State. Chemical process design, analysis, optimization and control.

• James G. Goodwin, Professor and Chair; PhD, Michigan. Heterogeneous catalysis and kinetics.

• Anthony Guiseppi-Elie, Dow Chemical Professor; PhD, MIT. Biotechnical polymers, biosensors and biochips.

• Esin Gulari, Dean of the College of Engineering and Science; PhD, California Tech. Materials processing, supercritical fluids and polymer nanocomposition.

• Graham M. Harrison, Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator; PhD, California-Santa Barbara. Non-Newtonian fluid mechanics and renewable resources.

• Douglas E. Hirt, Associate Professor and Director of CAEFF; PhD, Princeton. Polymer films.

• Scott M. Husson, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator; PhD, Berkeley. Bioseparations and separation materials synthesis.

• S. Michael Kilbey, Associate Professor; PhD, Minnesota. Polymer surface engineering.

• Chris L. Kitchens, Assistant Professor; PhD, Auburn. Nanotechnology, surface science and renewable resources.

• Edgar Lotero-Alegria, Research Professor; PhD, Nebraska–Lincoln. Synthesis of alternative fuels from biomass and fischer tropsch synthesis.

• Stephen S. Melsheimer, Professor and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies; PhD, Tulane. Automatic control of process systems.

• Amod A. Ogale, Professor; PhD, Delaware. Polymer fibers, films and composites.

• Richard W. Rice, Associate Professor; PhD, Yale. Catalysis, kinetics and chemical reactors.

• Mark C. Thies, Professor; PhD, Delaware. Thermodynamics, separations and supercritical fluids.

• Walter H. Torres, Research Professor; PhD, Texas–Austin. Biosensor design and characterization.

For More Information

Graham M. Harrison
Graduate Program Coordinator
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
127 Earle Hall
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina 29634
United States
Telephone: 864-656-3055
Fax: 864-656-0784
Email: che@ces.clemson.edu