Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Graduate Programs

Graduate Degree Programs Overview

Graduate work in chemical engineering provides an opportunity for study and research at the cutting edge to contribute to shaping a new model of what chemical engineering is and what chemical engineers do. All faculty members in the Department are active in research and direction of graduate student projects. Additionally, students are provided with numerous professional development activities, including attendance at conferences, professional seminars, career services, teaching supervision for those interested in academic careers, etc.

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Program Highlights

Graduate Application Deadlines and Fees

Ph.D. Fall Admission

     Priority Deadline 

December 1, 2024

Application fees will be waived for students enrolled in, or who have graduated from, U.S. schools who apply by the above date. Fee waivers may also be available to applicants from non-U.S. institutions; see the application portal for eligible institutions.

Ph.D. Fall AdmissionDecember 15, 2024
M.S. and M.E. Fall AdmissionDeadline Extended: March 15, 2025
Fall Admission OffersEarly March 2025
Deadline to Accept AdmissionApril 15, 2025

Focus Areas


Focus Areas Include:

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Doctor of Philosophy

The Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering requires 72 semester hours of graduate work, at least 24 of which must be coursework.  The following Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering courses are required for the Ph.D. degree.

Course NumberCourse NameCredit Hours
ChBE 6100ChE Mathematics3
ChBE 6110Advanced ChE Thermodynamics3
ChBE 6120Applied Chemical Kinetics3
ChBE 6200Transport Phenomena3
ChBE 6250Special Topics: Professional Development1

In addition, all students are required to enroll and attend our seminar course (ChBE 8991) every semester in residence.

The schedule below outlines when our core required courses should generally be taken.  For highly qualified non-ChBE undergraduates with strong backgrounds in chemistry and mathematics, we also offer a program of courses that, over a two-year period, fills in the student’s knowledge in essential undergraduate chemical engineering courses as well as the core graduate courses. The schedule for students with and without Chemical Engineering undergraduate degrees is shown below.

 ChE BS degreeNon-ChE BS Degree
Fall Yr 1ChBE 6100ChBE 5300
 ChBE 6110ChBE 5200
 ChBE 6120ChBE 6100
Spring Yr 1ElectiveChBE 5250
 ElectiveChBE 6200
 ChBE 6200non-ChBE Elective
 ChBE 6250ChBE 6250
Fall Yr 2ElectiveChBE 6110
 non-ChBE ElectiveChBE 6120

For students with Chemical Engineering undergraduate degrees, a minimum of 12 hours of elective courses must be taken.  These elective courses should complement the student’s research interests.  For students without Chemical Engineering degrees, the courses in italics must be taken in lieu of 9 hours of electives.  These classes constitute the minimum courses needed for a non-chemical engineer to have sufficient background to be successful in the ChBE graduate program.

All courses are to be selected with the approval of the student’s dissertation advisor and Continuing Committee.  The course load is designed to allow students to spend the majority of their studies on original research; however, course work may extend beyond the 24 required hours on the recommendation of the student’s dissertation advisor and Continuing Committee.  Up to 24 hours of graduate course work with an equivalent A or B grade may be transferred to Vanderbilt and applied to the Ph.D.

After the first year in residence, students complete a written and oral departmental examination. Admission to candidacy in the Ph.D. program is based upon this examination, as well as the Ph.D. qualifying examination, which consists of written and oral presentation of a proposal for doctoral research.

Following the examinations and at least 72 semester hours of combined course and dissertation research hours, the student prepares and publicly defends a dissertation, which presents results of original research in chemical engineering.

Master of Science

Candidates for the Master of Science must complete 24 semester hours of graduate level courses (12 hours in chemical engineering core courses, 6 hours in a minor field complementary to the research, and 6 hours in chemical engineering and related areas). The candidate's course selection is approved by the thesis advisor. In addition to course work, each degree candidate conducts research under the supervision of a faculty advisor, prepares a written thesis, and presents it orally to the faculty. There is also a non-thesis M.S. option that requires 12 hours in core courses and at least 18 hours of graduate-level elective courses selected from courses in the major or from related areas of interest approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

The program does not typically provide financial assistance to M.S. students, so applicants will be responsible for providing the funds to support their tuition and living expenses. Graduates holding a B.S. in science, mathematics, and other engineering disciplines must demonstrate sufficient skill and knowledge in problem solving for placement into the core chemical engineering courses. Persons interested in this program should contact the Director of Graduate Studies in Chemical Engineering for more detailed information.

Students are not required to obtain a M.S. degree before applying to the PhD program. Persons interested in obtaining a Ph.D. should apply directly to the Ph.D. program instead.

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Master of Engineering

Candidates for the non-thesis Master of Engineering must complete 30 semester hours of graduate level courses (12 hours in chemical engineering core courses, 12 hours of elective coursework, and 6 hours of project work). The program does not require a research thesis. Students who enter with a Chemical Engineering undergraduate degree can typically finish the Master’s program in 2 semesters + 1 summer of full-time study.

Candidates for the Master of Engineering degree must self-fund their tuition and living expenses. Graduates holding a B.S. in science, mathematics, or other engineering disciplines must demonstrate sufficient skill and knowledge in problem solving for placement into the core chemical engineering courses. Persons interested in this program should contact us for more detailed information.

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Policies & Forms

Graduate students at Vanderbilt University are governed by the rules and regulations set by the Vanderbilt University Graduate School. These are documented in the Graduate School catalog. The honor code is in effect for all degree candidates in the Graduate Program. All homework and examinations are to be accomplished under the Honor Code rules, unless otherwise specified by the instructor. Violation of the Honor Code will be referred to the Honor Council and can result in the termination of degree candidacy. For a brief overview of student and program expectations, please see Guidelines for Graduate Study in ChBE.

The ChBE Graduate Student Handbook defines the requirements and guidelines for the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering graduate program. Course requirements are defined as well as some of the procedures you will need to follow to successfully complete your program here at Vanderbilt. In special circumstances the faculty may waive a requirement defined in this handbook. To request a waiver, submit a letter to the Director of the Graduate Program (Jamey D. Young). The letter must clearly indicate what you are requesting to be waived and the reasons for your request.

While we will make every effort to inform students of impending deadlines, it is ultimately each student’s responsibility to see that they submit needed documents as required by the Department and the Graduate School. Students will be responsible for payment of late fees if they miss registration deadlines.

Forms

  • Academic Forms

    SACS Evaluation Forms: This form is completed for all of the following: Departmental Exam, Qualifying Exam, Dissertation Defense, and Master's Thesis/Project.

    You can complete many program processes using the Graduate School's Academic Workflows on Kuali, found at this link.

    Many processes are found within the Doctoral Actions Workflow:
    1. Appoint or modify the Ph.D. committee
    2. Schedule or modify the qualifying exam
    3. Schedule or modify the dissertation defense
    4. Extend Ph.D. candidacy
    5. Submit the results of the qualifying exam
    6. Submit the results of the dissertation defense

    Please review the Doctoral Actions Workflow User Guide if you have questions or contact Carrie Coursey, Graduate Program Coordinator.

  • Qualifying Exam

    Schedule or modify the qualifying exam: This form on the Kuali Doctoral Actions Workflow must be completed at least three weeks prior to exam date or else a justification letter will need to be provided to the Graduate School.

    Submit the results of the qualifying exam:

    1. Bring the QE Results Form (paper copy) to your qualifying exam and have all committee members sign once the result is determined.
    2. Submit the signed QE Results Form to the Director of Graduate Studies, Jamey Young, in-person or digitally.
    3. You will also have to submit the QE Results to the Graduate School through the Kuali Doctoral Actions Workflow.

    Qualifying Exam SACS Evaluation Form: This digital form must be submitted at the end of the qualifying exam by the student's committee. QE Results will not be fully processed until this step is completed.

  • Dissertation Defense

    Schedule or modify the dissertation defense: This form on the Kuali Doctoral Actions Workflow must be completed at least three weeks prior to exam date or else a justification letter will need to be provided to the Graduate School. You must also provide the following to Carrie Coursey, Graduate Program Coordinator, once defense details are finalized:

    1. Headshot
    2. Title & Abstract
    3. Date/Time/Location
    4. Zoom link, if applicable

    Submit the results of the dissertation defense:

    1. Bring the Disseration Defense Results Form (paper copy) to your defense and have all committee members sign once the result is determined.
    2. Submit the signed Dissertation Defense Results Form to the Director of Graduate Studies, Jamey Young, in-person or digitally.
    3. You will also have to submit the Defense Results to the Graduate School through the Kuali Doctoral Actions Workflow.

    Dissertation Defense SACS Evaluation Form: This digital form must be submitted at the end of the defense by the student's committee. Results will not be fully processed until this step is completed.

    Additional instructions, required approvals, and deadlines for the dissertation defense process can be found on the Graduate School website.

  • Completion of Master's Degree

    Submit completion of master's degree: This form must be completed and signed by the student's adviser and a second reader.  Return to Carrie Coursey, Graduate Program Coordinator, to obtain the Dean of the Graduate School's signature and submit to the Graduate School.

    Master's Degree SACS Evaluation Form: This digital form must be submitted at the end of the master's program by the student's adviser. Results will not be fully processed until this step is completed.

Contact Us

Jamey Young
Director of Graduate Studies
Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Engineering
Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
(615) 343-4253
PMB 351604
2301 Vanderbilt Place
Nashville, TN 37235-1604

j.d.young@vanderbilt.edu