PhD Degree Requirements

Thesis Requirement

A research thesis of no more than 200 pages, which involves an original contribution to knowledge, written and defended in an acceptable manner. The PhD candidate must defend their thesis through the Final Oral Examination.

Throughout the PhD program, oral examinations and committee meetings are held.  For the types of meetings and when they are to be held, visit the PhD Timeline page.

Course Requirements

Student entering the PhD program after completion of a Master’s degree (including Flexible-Time PhD)

CHE3001H – Seminar in Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, each Fall and Winter in Years 1, 2, 3, and 4 of study

CHE3010H – PhD Research, every year following their PhD qualification exam.

If not previously completed in the MASc Program

    • CHE1102H – Research Methods and Project Execution, typically in the second session of study
    • CHE2222H – Safety Training Workshop, in the first session of study, prior to entering the lab
    • JDE1000H – Ethics in Research, typically in the first year of study

Electives – 1.5 full-course equivalents [FCE’s] (three graduate half courses) as follows:

    • CHE1100H – Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering(0.5 FCE) for those who do not have an Engineering background
    • at least one (0.5 FCE) course must be taken in a secondary area of study
    • 500-level courses cannotbe counted towards the PhD program
    • CHE1430H, CHE1431H, CHE1432H, CHE1433H, CHE1434H, CHE1436H do not counttowards PhD requirements
    • A maximum of 1 APS/TEP (ELITE) courses can count towards the PhD course requirements, unless the student’s supervisor’s primary research interest is in leadership education.

Students transferring into the PhD from the MASc (Transfer) OR after completing a Bachelor’s degree (Direct-Entry)

CHE2222H – Safety Training Workshop, in the first session of study, prior to entering the lab

CHE3001H – Seminar in Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, each Fall and Winter in Years 1, 2, 3, and 4 of study

CHE3010H – PhD Research, every year following their PhD qualification exam.

JDE1000H – Ethics in Research, typically in the first year of study

CHE1102H – Research Methods and Project Execution (0.5 FCE), typically completed in the second session of study.

Electives – full-course equivalents [FCE’s] (three graduate half courses) as follows:

    • CHE1100H – Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering (0.5 FCE) for those who do not have an Engineering background
    • at least one (0.5 FCE) course must be taken in a secondary area of study
    • a maximum of one (0.5 FCE) 500-level course can count towards Transfer or Direct-Entry PhD requirements
    • CHE1430H, CHE1431H, CHE1432H, CHE1433H, CHE1434H, CHE1436H do not count towards PhD requirements
    • A maximum of 1 APS/TEP (ELITE) courses can count towards the PhD course requirements, unless the student’s supervisor’s primary research interest is in leadership education.