PhD in Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering (EECE)

The doctoral degree requires a total of 72 credits beyond the bachelor's degree. Of these, a minimum of 36 credits must be graduate course work, and a minimum of 30 credits must be doctoral thesis research units. To be admitted to candidacy, students must have completed at least 18 credits at Washington University, have an overall grade-point average of at least 3.25, and pass the qualifying examination. Note that, to be eligible to take the qualifying exam, students must maintain a 3.25 GPA as described in the EECE PhD handbook. All students are required to enroll in the department seminar every semester to receive passing grades. The first-year students must complete the core curriculum, perform two research rotations, and find a permanent research advisor. Then, within 18 months after the qualifying exam (generally in their third year), students should defend their thesis proposal.

After successful proposal defense, students should provide their research updates through annual meetings or reports with their thesis committee until their graduation. While conducting doctoral research, students should perform in a professional manner in their research lab and/or office setting and be in compliance with all safety and regulatory requirements for their research projects. During the doctoral program, students must satisfy their fundamental and advanced teaching requirements by participating in mentored teaching experiences in the department for two or three semesters, by attending professional development workshops from the Teaching Center, and by presenting at least two formal presentations at the local level or at national or international conferences. Upon completion of their dissertation, students must present their dissertation research in a public forum and successfully defend the dissertation before their thesis committee.

For more detailed guidelines, please refer to the EECE doctoral studies handbook available on the EECE Graduate Degree Programs webpage.

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