Graduate Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering

FAMU—FSU College of Engineering

Website: https://eng.famu.fsu.edu/cbe

Chair: Bruce Locke; Professors: Alamo, Kalu, Li, Locke, Grant, Ramakrishnan, Ramamoorthy, Siegrist, Yeboah; Associate Professors: Arnett, Chung, Guan, Hallinan, Mohammadigoushki; Assistant Professors: Ali, Driscoll, Holmes, Liu, Ricarte; Teaching Faculty I: Thourson, Wandell; Teaching Faculty II: Hunter; Teaching Faculty III: Arce; Professor Emeritus: Collier; Affiliate Faculty: Hsu, Sachdeva, Shanbhag, Zheng

Program Overview

The Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering offers the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Science (MS) in both biomedical and chemical engineering, as well as the Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees in biomedical and chemical engineering. The Department is strongly committed to building a graduate research program of national reputation in both applied and fundamental areas. The faculty believes that graduate programs must be diverse, interdisciplinary, and flexible to prepare biomedical and chemical engineers who can handle the challenging applications in modern research, industry, and society.

Major research areas include:

Biocondensation
Biomaterials
Cellular and Tissue Engineering
Imaging and Spectroscopy (NMR, MRI, Electron Microscopy)
Materials Science and Engineering: Superconductivity, Magnetism, and Solid-State Chemistry
Magnetic Field Assisted Separations
Nanoscale Science and Engineering
Plasma and Reaction Engineering
Polymers and Complex Fluids
Renewable and Advanced Power Production
Sustainable Materials – Minerals, Plastics Recycling, and 3D-printing

Many of these efforts are conducted in close cooperation with the High Performance Materials Institute (HPMI); Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics, and Energy (AME) Center; the Institute of Molecular Biophysics (IMB); the FSU Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Physics, and Scientific Computing; the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL); the FSU College of Medicine and Department of Biomedical Sciences; the Florida A&M University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; as well as with the Departments of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing, and Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering.

Please contact the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at Suite A131, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32310–6046; phone: (850) 410-6149 or (850) 410-6151; fax: (850) 410-6150; e-mail: chemical@eng.famu.fsu.edu; or website: https://eng.famu.fsu.edu/cbe.

Research Facilities

The Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering has extensive graduate research laboratory facilities located in the College of Engineering buildings and the university campus. Six undergraduate teaching laboratories, a design classroom, and 15 graduate research laboratories comprise the current physical resources. All laboratories are well equipped with modern experimental apparatus. These facilities include laboratories dedicated to polymer science and engineering; electrochemical engineering; plasma reaction engineering; nuclear magnetic resonance; and cell and tissue engineering.

Research facilities include extensive cell and tissue growth facilities; rheological apparatus; state-of-the-art 3D printers; pulsed and DC power supplies; analytical instruments (GC, UV-IR, spectrophotometers, FTIR, etc.); and analytical microscopes. Process equipment including various types of gas- and liquid-phase chemical reactors; controlled temperature fermenters; and polymer production reactors also are in these laboratories. Infrastructure includes autoclaves; controlled environment incubators; water polishing systems; refrigerated/heating circulating baths; isotherm ovens; high-purity gas production and mixing systems; refrigerated centrifuges; and additional support equipment.

Faculty and students have access to the FSU Research Computing Center's computing facilities including access to the High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster. Many faculty are closely affiliated with the world-class National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (https://nationalmaglab.org) and make extensive use of NHMFL resources and instrumentation. Additionally, faculty are affiliated with and maintain laboratories at the Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics, and Energy Design Center (https://ame.fsu.edu/); the High Performance Materials Institute (https://hpmi.research.fsu.edu/); and the NSF CREST Center for Complex Materials for Multidimensional Additive Processing (CoManD Center, (https://web1.eng.famu.fsu.edu/nsfscholars//crest.html).

Program in Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering (ChE) encompasses the development, application, and operation of the processes in which chemical and/or physical changes of material are involved. The work of a chemical engineer is to analyze, develop, design, control, construct, and/or supervise chemical processes in research and development, pilot-scale operations, and industrial production. Chemical engineers are employed in the manufacture of inorganic chemicals (i.e., acids, alkalis, pigments, and fertilizers); organic chemicals (i.e., petrochemicals, polymers, fuels, propellants, pharmaceuticals, and specialty chemicals); biological products (i.e., enzymes, vaccines, biochemicals, biofuels, etc.); foods; semiconductors; and paper.

Chemical engineers with graduate degrees work in a wide range of organizations where their technical skills are needed. These organizations may include local, state, and federal governments; private and public corporations; and education. Chemical engineers are involved in process and plant operation, technical services groups; research and development laboratories; plant design groups; occupational and safety programs; technical sales; technical training; and technical management. Graduate education can lead to careers in the medical sciences, chemical engineering, and other engineering and scientific disciplines, as well as business and law.

The thesis and non-thesis MS degrees require 30 semester hours for completion, while the PhD requires a total of 57 semester hours.

Master of Science (MS)

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Master of Science program requires:

A baccalaureate degree in chemical/biomedical engineering or an allied field from an accredited college or university. Depending on the student's academic background, certain undergraduate classes might have to be taken to prepare for the chemical/biomedical engineering graduate curriculum.
An undergraduate upper-division GPA or graduate GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher.
CV/Resume-Information should be current.
Statement of Purpose – Outlining your research and career goals. We want to know how your background and prior training make you the right candidate and why FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is a good fit for you.
Two Letters of Recommendation – Academics or professionals who can comment on the academic and research potential of the applicant.

Credit Requirements:

International Credit Requirements—International applicants or degrees earned from international institutions must submit official transcripts through a NACES approved evaluator. We recommend using SpanTran for your course-by-course evaluation. We are un-able to review applications with unofficial transcripts from international institutions. The University will not waive this requirement. For more information visit FSU Graduate School or FAMU Graduate School.
US Credit Requirements—Credits earned from US institutions can be reviewed with unofficial transcripts.

The GRE requirement has been waived (and extended) for all engineering master's applicants through Fall 2026.

For international students, an English Proficiency Score Report is required if:

The applicant's country's official language is NOT English or
The applicant did NOT graduate from an accredited US institution with either a bachelor's or master's degree.

The following are the minimum scores required for admission to the University:

Internet based TOEFL (IBTOEFL): 80
Paper based TOEFL (TOEFL): 550
International English Language Testing System (Academic IELTS): 6.5
Pearson Test of English (PTE): 55
Duolingo: 120
Cambridge C1 Advanced Level: 180
Michigan Language Assessment: 55

Students who do not have a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering may be required to complete a department-designated sequence of undergraduate courses with grade of “B” or higher in each course. In all cases, an applicant must have taken a course in differential equations prior to their matriculation and have completed sequences in basic sciences (biology, chemistry, and physics). Typical preparatory undergraduate course-sequences for graduate courses may include, but are not limited to, the following courses:

ECH 3101 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (3)

ECH 3266 Transport Phenomena I (3)

ECH 3418 Separations Processes (3)

ECH 3854 Chemical Engineering Computations (3)

ECH 4267 Transport Phenomena II (3)

ECH 4504 Kinetics and Reactor Design (3)

If necessary, sophomore pre-requisite classes ECH 3023 (Mass and Energy Balances I), ECH 3024 (Mass and Energy Balances II), and ECH 3301 (Process Analysis and Design) may be required prior to taking the above listed classes.

Additional courses in subjects including mathematics, chemistry, physics, and general engineering may also be required. Departmental financial support may not be available for graduate students taking undergraduate courses. Transfer credit from another institution is limited to six credit hours with departmental approval provided that those courses were not already counted towards another degree. Acceptance of equivalent courses is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, following petition to the Graduate Committee.

Degree Requirements

The Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering offers both thesis-type and course-type (non-thesis) options leading to the Master of Science (MS) degree. Each semester, all graduate students are required to enroll in and attend ECH 5935 Chemical Engineering Seminar. In addition, all students are required to take safety training courses and annual refreshers. To prepare for any teaching assistant (TA) duties, graduate students are required to attend either the FSU TA training program, “Essential Policies & Practices for TAs” by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) or the College of Engineering Alternate TA training. For international graduate students, the SPEAK (Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit) is a test for evaluating the English-speaking ability of non-native speakers of English. At FSU, the SPEAK test is administered by the Center for Intensive English Studies to international students who have been appointed or will be appointed as teaching assistants in an academic department at Florida State University. The SPEAK exam requirement must be cleared (scores greater than 45 or 50 for graders or TAs, respectively) before students can serve as teaching assistants.

I. Thesis Option (30 Credit Hours)

The thesis-type master's degree is awarded upon successful completion of the following requirements:

Fifteen semester hours of chemical engineering core courses (see below),
Nine semester hours of approved electives,
Six semester hours of the repeatable course listed as ECH 5971 Thesis Research,
Registration and attendance at all departmental seminars, listed under the repeatable course ECH 5935 Chemical Engineering Seminar
Oral defense of the master's thesis listed as ECH 8976 Thesis Defense.

Required Core Courses (15 Credit Hours)

ECH 5052 Research Methods in Chemical Engineering (3)

ECH 5126 Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics I (3)

ECH 5261 Advanced Transport Phenomena I (3)

ECH 5840 Advanced Chemical Engineering Mathematics I (3)

ECH 5852 Advanced Chemical Engineering Computations (3)

Elective Courses (9 Credit Hours)

Minimum six semester hours are required to be in chemical engineering elective courses' list. Students should consult with the faculty advisor to determine the elective courses offered by the department.

Typical chemical engineering elective courses:

ECH 5262 Advanced Transport Phenomena II (3)

ECH 5526 Advanced Reactor Design (3)

ECH 5820 Polymer Physical Science and Engineering (3)

ECH 5828 Introduction to Polymer Science and Engineering (3)

ECH 5841 Advanced Chemical Engineering Mathematics II (3)

ECH 5934r Special Topics in Chemical Engineering (3)

Other elective courses may be found on the department's website.

Thesis Hours (6 Credit Hours)

ECH 5971 Thesis Research (1-12) (S/U grade only)

Thesis Defense (0 Credit Hours)

ECH 8976 Thesis Defense (0) (P/F grade only)

In addition to the 30 semester hours of coursework and thesis, an oral examination in defense of the thesis defense (ECH 8976) is required for the MS in the chemical engineering thesis option. At least two hours of thesis research, listed as repeatable course (ECH 5971) must be registered for concurrently during the term of the thesis defense.

II. Non-Thesis (Course) Option (30 Credit Hours)

The non-thesis master's degree is awarded upon successful completion of the following requirements:

Twelve semester hours of chemical engineering core courses (see below),
Eighteen semester hours of approved electives, and
Registration and attendance at all departmental seminars, listed under the repeatable course ECH 5935 Chemical Engineering Seminar.

Note: Departmental support is generally not available for students pursuing a non-thesis master's degree.

Required Core Courses (12 Credit Hours)

ECH 5126 Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics I (3)

ECH 5261 Advanced Transport Phenomena I (3)

ECH 5840 Advanced Chemical Engineering Mathematics I (3)

ECH 5852 Advanced Chemical Engineering Computations (3)

Elective Courses (18 Credit Hours)

Minimum six semester hours are required to be in chemical engineering elective courses' list. Students should consult with the graduate committee chair to determine the elective courses offered by the department.

Typical chemical engineering elective courses:

ECH 5052 Research Methods in Chemical Engineering (3)

ECH 5262 Advanced Transport Phenomena II (3)

ECH 5526 Advanced Reactor Design (3)

ECH 5820 Polymer Physical Science and Engineering (3)

ECH 5828 Introduction to Polymer Science and Engineering (3)

ECH 5841 Advanced Chemical Engineering Mathematics II (3)

ECH 5934r Special Topics in Chemical Engineering (3)

Other elective courses may be found on the department's website.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Admission Requirements

Admission to the PhD program requires:

A baccalaureate degree in chemical/biomedical engineering or an allied field from an accredited college or university. Depending on the students' academic background certain undergraduate classes might have to be taken to prepare for the chemical/biomedical engineering graduate curriculum.
An undergraduate upper-division GPA or graduate GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher.
A recommended Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE) score of a minimum GRE percentile of at least 48% on the verbal portion and 75% on the quantitative portion of the test. However, the decision to admit will be based on a prospective student's entire application package. Note: The GRE percentiles of funded graduate students on assistantship are typically higher than these minima. GRE waiver request form.
CV/Resume - Information should be current.
Statement of Purpose – Outlining your research and career goals. We want to know how your background and prior training make you the right candidate and why FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is a good fit for you.
Two Letters of Recommendation – Two signed letters of recommendation on official letterheads, from academic or professionals who can comment on the academic and research potential of the applicant.

Credit Requirements:

International Credit Requirements—International applicants or degrees earned from international institutions must submit official transcripts through a NACES approved evaluator. We recommend using SpanTran for your course-by-course evaluation. We are unable to review applications with unofficial transcripts from international institutions. The University will not waive this requirement. For more information visit FSU Graduate School or FAMU Graduate School.
US Credit Requirements—Credits earned from US institutions can be reviewed with unofficial transcripts.

For International students, an English Proficiency Score Report is required if:

The applicant's country's official language is NOT English or
The applicant did NOT graduate from an accredited US institution with either a bachelor's or master's degree.

The following are the minimum scores required for admission to the University:

Internet based TOEFL (IBTOEFL): 80
Paper based TOEFL (TOEFL): 550
International English Language Testing System (Academic IELTS): 6.5
Pearson Test of English (PTE): 55
Duolingo: 120
Cambridge C1 Advanced Level: 180
Michigan Language Assessment: 55

ECH 3101 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (3)

ECH 3266 Transport Phenomena I (3)

ECH 3418 Separations Processes (3)

ECH 3854 Chemical Engineering Computations (3)

ECH 4267 Transport Phenomena II (3)

ECH 4504 Kinetics and Reactor Design (3)

Additional courses in subjects including mathematics, chemistry, physics, and general engineering may also be required. Departmental financial support may not be available for graduate students taking undergraduate courses. Transfer credit from another institution is limited to six semester hours with departmental approval provided that those courses were not already counted towards another degree. Acceptance of equivalent courses is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, following petition to the Graduate Committee.

Degree Requirements

Required Core Courses (15 Credit Hours)

ECH 5052 Research Methods in Chemical Engineering (3)

ECH 5126 Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics I (3)

ECH 5261 Advanced Transport Phenomena I (3)

ECH 5840 Advanced Chemical Engineering Mathematics I (3)

ECH 5852 Advanced Chemical Engineering Computations (3)

Elective Courses (15 Credit Hours)

A minimum of six semester hours are required to be in chemical engineering elective courses' list. Students should consult with their faculty advisor to determine the elective courses offered by the department.

Typical chemical engineering elective courses:

ECH 5262 Advanced Transport Phenomena II (3)

ECH 5526 Advanced Reactor Design (3)

ECH 5820 Polymer Physical Science and Engineering (3)

ECH 5828 Introduction to Polymer Science and Engineering (3)

ECH 5841 Advanced Chemical Engineering Mathematics II (3)

ECH 5934r Special Topics in Chemical Engineering (3)

Other elective courses may be found on department website.

Dissertation Hours (27 Credit Hours)

ECH 6980 Dissertation (1-24) (S/U grade only)

Dissertation Defense (0 semester hours)

ECH 8985 Thesis Defense (0) (P/F grade only)

Each semester, all graduate students are required to enroll in and attend ECH 5935 Chemical Engineering Seminar. Additionally, all students are required to take required safety training courses and annual refreshers. All PhD students are required to attend either the FSU TA training Program “Essential Policies & Practices for TAs” by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) or the College of Engineering Alternate TA training. This requirement is mandatory regardless of the student's classification as a teaching assistant or research assistant. For international graduate students, the SPEAK (Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit) is a test for evaluating the English-speaking ability of non-native speakers of English. At FSU, the SPEAK test is administered by the Center for Intensive English Studies to international students who have been appointed or will be appointed as teaching assistants in an academic department at Florida State University. The SPEAK exam requirement must be cleared (scores greater than 45 or 50 for graders or TAs, respectively) before students can serve as teaching assistants or progress to full PhD candidate status by completing the PhD Preliminary examination and PhD prospectus.

Fifty-seven semester hours and the following requirements must be completed successfully for the award of the PhD degree in Chemical Engineering

Passing ECH 8965 Doctoral Preliminary Examination within two consecutive exam attempts (see PhD Preliminary Examination requirements below for more details). Successful completion will result in an initial admission to PhD candidacy.
Completion of 30 semester hours of advanced coursework (including 15 semester hours of core graduate coursework and 15 hours electives).
Completion of at least 27 semester hours of dissertation research, listed under repeatable course ECHr 6980 Dissertation.
Registration and attendance at all departmental seminars listed under repeatable course ECH 5935 Chemical Engineering Seminar.
Selection of a research topic and faculty advisor(s).
Formation of a supervisory committee in consultation with the faculty advisor(s).
Submission and defense of a PhD prospectus on the dissertation topic to the supervisory committee.
One semester teaching assistantship in an undergraduate laboratory
Presentation of a research topic at one local, regional, national, or international professional meeting.
Submission or publication of scholarly articles (minimum of one) based on original dissertation research in peer-reviewed journals.
Satisfaction of the University Scholarly Engagement requirement.

Successful passage of ECH 8985 Dissertation Defense. At least two hours of dissertation (ECH 6980) must be registered for concurrently during the term of the dissertation defense (ECH 8985).

Program in Biomedical Engineering

Dramatic advances in health care and medical technology made possible by the merger of engineering and medicine have prompted the development of new graduate degree programs in biomedical engineering at many of the top institutions in the United States. The overall goal of this program is to implement education and research in biomedical engineering that will prepare graduates for industrial, governmental, and academic careers in clinical research, bioengineering, biotechnology, and related professions. Biomedical engineers analyze and design solutions to problems in medicine and biology, with the goal of improving the quality and effectiveness of patient care.

The graduate program in biomedical engineering (BME) provides special emphasis in bioimaging, biomaterials, and cell and tissue engineering. Advanced engineering, medicine, chemistry, physics, and biology students will gain the necessary knowledge and skills that will allow them to contribute to improved technology in health and medical care and to solve real-world engineering problems in biology and medicine, both in research and industrial settings.

The thesis and non-thesis MS degrees require 30 semester hours for completion, while the PhD requires a total of 57 semester hours.

Master of Science (MS)

Admission Requirements

Admission to the MS program requires:

A baccalaureate degree in chemical/biomedical engineering or an allied field from an accredited college or university. Depending on the student's academic background, certain undergraduate classes might have to be taken to prepare for the chemical/biomedical engineering graduate curriculum.
An undergraduate upper-division GPA or graduate GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher
CV/Resume-Information should be current.
Statement of Purpose – Outlining your research and career goals. We want to know how your background and prior training make you the right candidate and why FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is a good fit for you.
Two Letters of Recommendation – Academics or professionals who can comment on the academic and research potential of the applicant

Credit Requirements:

International Credit Requirements — International applicants or degrees earned from international institutions must submit official transcripts through a NACES approved evaluator. We recommend using SpanTran for your course-by-course evaluation. We are unable to review applications with unofficial transcripts from international institutions. The University will not waive this requirement. For more information visit FSU Graduate School or FAMU Graduate School.
US Credit Requirements — Credits earned from US institutions can be reviewed with unofficial transcripts.

The GRE requirement has been waived (and extended) for all engineering master's applicants through Fall 2026.

For international students, an English Proficiency Score Report is required if:

The applicant's country's official language is NOT English or
The applicant did NOT graduate from an accredited US institution with either a bachelor's or master's degree

The following are the minimum scores required for admission to the University:

Internet based TOEFL (IBTOEFL): 80
Paper based TOEFL (TOEFL): 550
International English Language Testing System (Academic IELTS): 6.5
Pearson Test of English (PTE): 55
Duolingo: 120
Cambridge C1 Advanced Level: 180
Michigan Language Assessment: 55

Students who do not have a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering may be required to complete a department-designated sequence of undergraduate courses with grade of “B” or higher in each course. Additionally, depending upon the courses taken for the biomedical engineering undergraduate degree, students with undergraduate degrees in biomedical engineering may need to take such undergraduate courses as biotransport phenomena. The department will evaluate the undergraduate transcript and make appropriate recommendations. In all cases, an applicant must have taken a course in differential equations and have completed sequences in basic sciences (biology, chemistry, and physics) prior to their matriculation. Typical undergraduate course sequences (in preparation for graduate courses) may include, but are not limited to, the following courses:

BME 3100 Biomaterials (3)

BME 3266 Biotransport Phenomena (3)

BME 3622 Biothermodynamics (3)

BME 4226 Biomechanics (3)

BME 4403C Quantitative Anatomy and Systems Physiology I (3)

BME 4404C Quantitative Anatomy and Systems Physiology II (3)

BME 4503 Bioinstrumentation (3)

ECH 4504 Kinetics and Reactor Design (3)

In addition, students also should have taken Biological Sciences I (if not included in their degree program). Additional courses in subjects including mathematics, chemistry, physics, and general engineering may also be required. Departmental financial support may not be available for graduate students taking undergraduate courses. Transfer credit from another institution is limited to six semester hours with departmental approval provided that those courses were not already counted towards another degree. Acceptance of equivalent courses is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, following petition to Graduate Committee.

Degree Requirements

The Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering offers both thesis-type and course-type (non-thesis) options leading to the Master of Science degree. Each semester, all graduate students are required to enroll in and attend BME 5935 Biomedical Engineering Seminar. In addition, all students are required to take required safety training courses and annual refreshers. To prepare for teaching assistant (TA) duties, graduate students are required to attend either the FSU TA training Program, “Essential Policies & Practices for TAs” by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) or the College of Engineering Alternate TA training. This requirement is mandatory regardless of the student's classification as a teaching assistant or research assistant. For international graduate students, the SPEAK (Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit) is a test for evaluating the English-speaking ability of non-native speakers of English. At FSU, the SPEAK test is administered by the Center for Intensive English Studies to international students who have been appointed or will be appointed as teaching assistants in an academic department at Florida State University. The SPEAK exam requirement must be cleared (scores greater than 45 or 50 for graders or TAs, respectively) before students can serve as teaching assistants.

I. Thesis Option (30 Credit Hours)

This master's degree is awarded upon successful completion of the following requirements:

Fifteen semester hours of biomedical engineering core courses (see below).
Nine semester hours of approved electives.
Six semester hours of the repeatable course listed as BME 5971r Thesis Research.
Oral defense of the master's thesis, BME 8976 Thesis Defense.
Registration and attendance at all departmental seminars, listed as the repeatable course BME 5935 Biomedical Engineering Seminar.

No course with a grade below “C” will be counted toward fulfillment of degree requirements. No more than one course with a grade in the “C” range will be counted toward fulfillment of degree requirements. The candidate also must complete and defend an original thesis (BME 8976, Thesis Defense).

All BME graduate students must attend either the FSU TA training Program, “Essential Policies & Practices for TAs” by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) or the College of Engineering Alternate TA training. This requirement is mandatory regardless of the student's classification as a teaching assistant or research assistant. In addition, all students are required to take the required safety training courses as necessary.

Transfer credit from another institution is limited to six semester hours toward the MS degree and only with departmental approval.

Required Core Courses (15 Credit Hours)

ECH 5052 Research Methods in Chemical Engineering (3)

ECH 5261 Advanced Transport Phenomena I (3)

ECH 5840 Advanced Chemical Engineering Mathematics I (3)

ECH 5852 Advanced Chemical Engineering Computations (3)

XXX XXXX Approved course in physiology or cell biology (3)

An approved course in Physiology or Cell Biology is required for completion of the graduate BME degree. Approved courses include: PCB 5746 Mammalian Physiology I; PCB 5747 Mammalian Physiology II; PCB 5796 Sensory Physiology; PCB 5835 Neurophysiology; PCB 5137 Advanced Cell Biology; PCB 5525 Molecular Biology; PCB 5845 Cell and Molecular Neuroscience; and BCH 5405 Molecular Biology. Additional courses may satisfy the physiology/biology requirement but require a petition to the Graduate Committee for approval as a core substitute.

Elective Courses (9 Credit Hours)

Minimum six semester hours are required to be in biomedical engineering elective courses' list. Students should consult with their faculty advisor to determine the elective courses offered by the department.

Typical biomedical engineering elective courses:

BME 5362 Neural Engineering (3)

BME 5937r Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering (3)

BME 6530 NMR and MRI Methods in Biology and Medicine (3)

Other elective courses may be found on the department website.

Thesis Hours (6 Credit Hours)

BME 5971 Thesis Research (1- 12) (S/U grade only)

Thesis Defense (0 Credit Hours)

BME 8976 Thesis Defense (0) (P/F grade only)

In addition to the 30 semester hours of coursework and thesis, an oral examination in defense of the thesis (BME 8976) is required for the MS in the biomedical engineering thesis option. At least two hours of thesis research (BME 5971) must be completed during the term of the thesis defense (BME 8976).

II. Non-Thesis (Course) Option (30 Credit Hours)

The non-thesis master's degree is awarded upon successful completion of the following requirements:

Twelve semester hours of biomedical engineering core courses (see below).
Eighteen semester hours of approved electives.
Registration and attendance at all departmental seminars listed under the repeatable course BME 5935 Biomedical Engineering Seminar.

Transfer credit from another institution is limited to six (6) semester hours toward the MS degree and only with departmental approval.

Note: Departmental support is generally not available for students pursuing a non-thesis master's degree.

Required Core Courses (12 Credit Hours)

ECH 5261 Advanced Transport Phenomena I (3)

ECH 5840 Advanced Chemical Engineering Mathematics I (3)

ECH 5852 Advanced Chemical Engineering Computations (3)

XXX XXXX Approved course in physiology or cell biology (3)

Elective Courses (18 Credit Hours)

Minimum 6 semester hours are required to be in biomedical engineering elective courses' list. Students should consult with graduate committee chair to determine the elective courses offered by the department.

Typical biomedical engineering elective courses:

BME 5937r Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering (3)

BME 6530 NMR and MRI Methods in Biology and Medicine (3)

ECH 5052 Research Methods in Chemical Engineering (3)

Other elective courses may be found on department website.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Admission Requirements

Admission to the PhD program requires:

A baccalaureate degree in chemical/biomedical engineering or an allied field from an accredited college or university. Depending on the students' academic background certain undergraduate classes might have to be taken to prepare for the chemical/biomedical engineering graduate curriculum.
An undergraduate upper-division GPA or graduate GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher.
A recommended Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE) score of a minimum GRE percentile of at least 48% on the verbal portion and 75% on the quantitative portion of the test. However, the decision to admit will be based on a prospective student's entire application package. Note: The GRE percentiles of funded graduate students on assistantship are typically higher than these minima. GRE waiver request form.
CV/Resume-Information should be current.
Statement of Purpose – Outlining your research and career goals. We want to know how your background and prior training make you the right candidate and why FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is a good fit for you.
Two Letters of Recommendation – Academics or professionals who can comment on the academic and research potential of the applicant.

Credit Requirements:

International Credit Requirements — International applicants or degrees earned from international institutions must submit official transcripts through a NACES approved evaluator. We recommend using SpanTran for your course-by-course evaluation. We are unable to review applications with unofficial transcripts from international institutions. The University will not waive this requirement. For more information visit FSU Graduate School or FAMU Graduate School.
US Credit Requirements — Credits earned from US institutions can be reviewed with unofficial transcripts.

For International students, an English Proficiency Score Report is required if:

The applicant's country's official language is NOT English or
The applicant did NOT graduate from an accredited US institution with either a bachelor's or master's degree.

The following are the minimum scores required for admission to the University:

Internet based TOEFL (IBTOEFL): 80
Paper based TOEFL (TOEFL): 550
International English Language Testing System (Academic IELTS): 6.5
Pearson Test of English (PTE): 55
Duolingo: 120
Cambridge C1 Advanced Level: 180
Michigan Language Assessment: 55

BME 3100 Biomaterials (3)

BME 3266 Biotransport Phenomena (3)

BME 3622 Biothermodynamics (3)

BME 4226 Biomechanics (3)

BME 4403C Quantitative Anatomy and Systems Physiology I (3)

BME 4404C Quantitative Anatomy and Systems Physiology II (3)

BME 4503 Bioinstrumentation (3)

ECH 3266 Transport Phenomena (3)

ECH 4504 Kinetics and Reactor Design (3)

Degree Requirements

Each semester, all graduate students are required to enroll in and attend the departmental seminar listed as repeatable course BME 5935 Biomedical Engineering Seminar. In addition, all students are required to take required safety training courses. All graduate students are required to attend either the FSU TA training Program, “Essential Policies & Practices for TAs” by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) or the College of Engineering Alternate TA training to prepare for teaching assistant (TA) duties. This requirement is mandatory regardless of the student's classification as a teaching assistant or research assistant. For international graduate students, the SPEAK (Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit) is a test for evaluating the English-speaking ability of non-native speakers of English. At FSU, the SPEAK test is administered by the Center for Intensive English Studies to international students who have been appointed or will be appointed as teaching assistants in an academic department at Florida State University. The SPEAK exam requirement must be cleared (scores greater than 45 or 50 for graders or TAs, respectively) before students can serve as teaching assistants or progress to full PhD candidate status by completing the PhD qualifying examination and PhD prospectus.

Required Core Courses (15 Credit Hours)

ECH 5052 Research Methods in Chemical Engineering (3)

ECH 5261 Advanced Transport Phenomena I (3)

ECH 5840 Advanced Chemical Engineering Mathematics I (3)

ECH 5852 Advanced Chemical Engineering Computations (3)

XXX XXXX Approved course in physiology or cell biology (3)

Elective Courses (15 Credit Hours)

Typical biomedical engineering elective courses:

BME 5362 Neural Engineering (3)

BME 5937r Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering (3)

BME 6530 NMR and MRI Methods in Biology and Medicine (3)

Other elective courses may be found in this Graduate Bulletin.

Dissertation Hours (27 Credit Hours)

BME 6980 Dissertation (1- 9) (S/U grade only)

Dissertation Defense (0 Credit Hours)

BME 8985 Dissertation Defense (0) (P/F grade only)

Fifty-seven semester hours and the following requirements must be completed successfully for the award of the PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering, as follows:

Passing BME 8965: BME Doctoral Preliminary Examination within two consecutive exam attempts (see PhD qualifying examination requirements below for more details). Successful completion will result in an initial admission to PhD candidacy.
Completion of a minimum of 30 semester hours of advanced coursework (including 15 semester hours of core coursework and 15 semester hours of electives).
Completion of at least twenty-seven semester hours of dissertation research listed as repeatable course BME 6980r Dissertation.
Registration and attendance at all departmental seminars listed as repeatable course BME 5935 Biomedical Engineering Seminar.
Selection of a research topic and faculty advisor(s).
Formation of a supervisory committee in consultation with the faculty advisor(s).
Submission and defense of a prospectus on the dissertation topic to the supervisory committee. Successful completion will result in formal admission to candidacy for the PhD degree.
One semester teaching assistantship in an undergraduate laboratory.
Presentation of a research topic at one local, regional, national, or international professional meeting.
Submission or publication of scholarly articles (minimum of one) based on original dissertation research in peer-reviewed journals.
Satisfaction of the University Scholarly Engagement requirement.
Passing BME 8985 Dissertation Defense. At least two hours of dissertation (BME 6980r) must be completed during the term of the dissertation defense (BME 8985).

Academic Regulations and Procedures for Graduate Students

Selection of Course Plan

Selection of courses for the first semester should be done in consultation with the departmental Graduate Committee Chair. All students must also register for the departmental seminar listed as repeatable course BME/ECH 5935 Biomedical/Chemical Engineering Seminar every semester. After the first semester in the graduate program, the supervising faculty advisor will develop a course plan for MS-thesis and PhD candidates. For course-based MS students, the departmental Graduate Committee Chair will assist in developing the course plan, acting as the de facto supervisor.

Selection of Faculty Advisor

All full-time graduate students following the MS thesis or PhD options are required to select a research topic and faculty advisor by the end of the first term in which they enter the Department. A form for this purpose is available online at the departmental website. The completed form should be submitted to the departmental Graduate Coordinator.

The faculty advisor is responsible for directing the student's research and progress toward a degree. Once a faculty advisor has been approved, a supervisory committee should be established, and a program of study prepared in consultation with the major professor before the end of the second semester of enrollment in the graduate program.

Supervisory Committee

The supervisory committee for a master's degree candidate must consist of a minimum of three faculty members with graduate faculty status. The faculty advisor is the chair of the supervisory committee and must be a faculty member from the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering. At least one other member of the committee must be from the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering; the third member of the committee can be from outside the department. Additional members may be appointed to the committee if deemed desirable by the faculty advisor.

The supervisory committee for a doctoral candidate must have at least four members (including faculty advisor) with graduate faculty status. The faculty advisor is the chair of the supervisory committee and must be a faculty member from the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering. Two of the remaining members of the committee must be from the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, and the fourth member must be from outside the Department and eligible to serve as the University Representative (i.e., tenured faculty with graduate faculty status). Additional members may be appointed if deemed desirable. Members of the supervisory committee must be approved by the Department Chair.

Program of Study

A program of study should be prepared by the student in conjunction with the faculty advisor and submitted to the supervisory and graduate committees. For graduate students working toward a thesis-based MS or PhD, the program of study should be defined based on the student's background and research objectives, in consultation with the major professor and supervisory committee. For graduate students working toward a course-based MS, the program of study should be defined in consultation with the Graduate Committee. The program of study is a complete plan of courses to be taken and research objectives to be achieved. On approval of the program of study, this form will also be placed in the student's permanent file. If changes to the initially approved program of study become necessary, a new program of study form must be submitted for approval.

PhD Preliminary Examination and Prospectus

All students admitted to the PhD program will be required to take the PhD Preliminary examination after completion of the core course ECH 5052 Research Methods in Chemical Engineering. A research topic will be assigned by the graduate qualifying examination committee. The student must write a research proposal and defend it orally in front of the graduate qualifying-examination committee by the end of the first Spring semester, unless otherwise approved by the Graduate Committee. This examination must be passed within two consecutive attempts, or the individual will not be allowed to continue as a doctoral student. For additional details, see PhD Preliminary Examination Requirements on the departmental website.

Upon successful completion of the qualifying examination, the student may continue work toward the PhD degree. Within five semesters of admission to the graduate program (within the three semesters following the PhD qualifying examination), students are expected to present a prospectus detailing their program of study for PhD dissertation work. If this timeframe cannot be met, the student must petition the graduate program chair for special dispensation, stating specific reasons for the delay. The PhD prospectus will consist of a written plan of research that must be orally defended in a formal presentation before the student's major professor and supervisory committee. After the successful completion of the PhD prospectus, the student will be admitted formally to the PhD candidacy and their research program. The doctoral committee should provide continual feedback to the PhD candidate throughout the progression of the student's research. As such, it is important to maintain regular and at minimum annual meetings of the student and doctoral committee so that updates on research can be presented and feedback can be received by the student. For additional details, see Academic Regulations and Procedures for Graduate Students at https://eng.famu.fsu.edu/cbe/graduate-resources.

Maintenance of Good Standing

To maintain good standing in the department, the student must maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.0, with no more than two grades in the “C” range. No more than one course in the “C” range will be counted toward fulfilling the degree requirements. No grades below “C” will be counted toward degree requirements. Students without an undergraduate degree in biomedical or chemical engineering should obtain a grade of “B” or better in all required undergraduate courses.

Master's and doctoral degree students must submit a brief written annual report on research progress, goals, and completed courses during the Spring semester for evaluation by the graduate and supervisory committees. A form for this purpose is available on the departmental website. An assessment of the progress of the student in research and courses by the student's supervisory committee will be placed in the student's permanent file. Continuance of assistantships and/or tuition waivers is contingent upon satisfactory evaluations.

Time to Degree Completion

Students with undergraduate degrees in biomedical or chemical engineering normally complete the thesis-type master's program in four to five semesters, including one summer semester. Although the availability of departmental support ultimately is subject to budgetary constraints, the Graduate Committee will not normally recommend continuation of assistantships and tuition waivers beyond a period of two years after the student's admission to the master's program. Students without an undergraduate degree in biomedical or chemical engineering will be given one additional year for completion. However, these students are normally not supported financially during their first year, when they are primarily taking preparatory undergraduate chemical/biomedical engineering courses.

Students with undergraduate degrees in biomedical or chemical engineering normally complete the doctoral program within five years of their admission to graduate school, with reduced time expected if the student enters the program with a master's degree. Although the availability of departmental support ultimately is subject to budgetary constraints, departmental/college commitments, and research grant availability, doctoral candidates will be recommended for departmental support only for a period of three years after being admitted initially to candidacy for the doctoral program following the successful completion of the PhD Preliminary Examination. PhD students should submit and defend a prospectus on the dissertation topic to the supervisory committee within five semesters from admission to the graduate program.

Assistantship Duties

Graduate student support is generally in the form of research or teaching assistantships (Graduate Research Assistant, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Graduate Assistant in Teaching https://hr.fsu.edu/sites/g/files/upcbnu2186/files/PDF/OPSJobCodes.pdf). University and College fellowships are also available on a highly competitive basis. Graduate Research Assistantships supported by contracts and grants focus mainly on the performance of research leading to their degree. However, graduate research assistants who receive departmental support for tuition waivers may be required to grade or run recitation sections for lecture courses in addition to research responsibilities. Doctoral candidates will also need to satisfy the teaching requirements of the degree by performing teaching assistantship duties for one laboratory course. The duties of graduate assistants in teaching include grading homework and projects, conducting problem-solving recitation sections, and having office hours for answering student questions in support of a faculty member responsible for the class. There may be opportunities for graduate students to be Graduate Teaching Assistants where they have instructor of record responsibilities for an entire class and these are restricted to eligible graduate students who have completed the necessary number of graduate level courses.

Definition of Prefixes

BME—Biomedical Engineering

ECH—Engineering: Chemical

Graduate Courses

Biomedical Engineering

BME 5362. Neural Engineering (3). This course addresses the application of engineering principles and techniques to the understanding and repairing of the injured, diseased, or degenerated human nervous system.

BME 5905r. Directed Individual Study (1–3). Prerequisite: Instructor permission. This course allows students to do a detailed examination of some topic in biomedical engineering. Conducted on a personal basis with the instructor. A maximum of only three (3) credit hours can be used toward the MS or PhD. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 credit hours as topics change; may be repeated within the same term.

BME 5910r. Supervised Research (1-6). (S/U grade only). Prerequisites: Graduate standing in Biomedical Engineering and instructor permission. In this course, students perform a research project required for graduate students. May be repeated up to a maximum of six credit hours.

BME 5935. Biomedical Engineering Seminar (0). (S/U grade only). Prerequisite: Graduate standing in Biomedical Engineering. This seminar consists of presentations by faculty, students, and visiting scientists. Full-time graduate students must enroll each term.

BME 5937r. Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering (3). Prerequisite: Instructor permission. This course is a detailed study of some topic of special interest to biomedical engineers. May be repeated to a maximum of six (6) credit hours; may be repeated within the same semester.

BME 5971r. Master's Thesis Research (1–12). (S/U grade only). This course provides a means of registering for thesis research work and recording progress towards its completion. Student must consult with the academic department for appropriate registration of course credit hours. May be repeated to a maximum of forty-five credit hours; may be repeated within the same term.

BME 6530. NMR and MRI Methods in Biology and Medicine (3). Prerequisite: Doctoral candidate status in Biomedical Engineering. This course investigates MR imaging methods, spin echo methods, Bloch equations, proton diffusion, imaging, and microimaging NMR spectrometers in research.

BME 6980r. Dissertation (1–9). Prerequisite: Admission to doctoral candidacy. This course consists of research on the dissertation topic. May be repeated as often as approved by the supervisory committee to a maximum of twenty-four semester hours; may be repeated within the same semester.

BME 8965r. Doctoral Preliminary Exam (0). (P/F grade only.) Prerequisite: Doctoral candidate status in Biomedical Engineering. All doctoral students must enroll in this course the semester they intend to take the qualifying exam. May be repeated within the same term.

BME 8976. Thesis Defense (0). (P/F grade only.) Prerequisite: Instructor permission. All students must register for this course for the term during which they intend to defend their thesis.

BME 8985. Dissertation Defense (0). (P/F grade only.) Prerequisites: Doctoral candidate status in Biomedical Engineering and instructor permission. This course must be included in the final semester schedule for all doctoral students.

Chemical Engineering

ECH 5000. Graduate Transition for Non-Majors (3). This course provides fundamental connect for student from majors outside of biomedical or chemical engineering prior to enrollment in graduate core courses. The course introduces concepts in mass and energy balances, transport and thermodynamics, with application to relevant problems, to provide this background.

ECH 5052. Research Methods in Chemical Engineering (3). This course for first-term graduate students includes instruction in the performance of scientific research, including problem definition, literature review, project proposal development, laboratory and computational research, oral presentations, technical report writing, and professional conduct.

ECH 5126. Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics I (3). Prerequisite: ECH 3101 or equivalent. This course presents the fundamental aspects of classical thermodynamics, and its application to multicomponent, multiphase, and chemically reacting systems. Introduction to the thermodynamics of irreversible processes and statistical mechanics.

ECH 5261. Advanced Transport Phenomena I (3). Prerequisite: ECH 5842 or instructor permission. This course examines the development of the fundamental aspects of continuum mechanics in order to describe the transport of momentum, energy, and mass. The basic equations of fluid mechanics are developed, and a number of applications to chemical engineering problems are considered. Also emphasizes boundary conditions at phase interfaces, and derivation of the point and macroscopic balance equations for these transport processes.

ECH 5262. Advanced Transport Phenomena II (3). Prerequisite: ECH 5261. This course is a rigorous analysis of transport phenomena at the micro- and macroscopic scales in systems with mixtures of several components and featuring more than one phase. Boundary layer flows, mixing effects, transport in porous and structured media, transport processes at interfaces.

ECH 5526. Advanced Reactor Design (3). Prerequisite: ECH 4504. This course is a study of catalytic and noncatalytic reactor design for homogeneous and heterogeneous systems. Includes non-ideal flow and mixing, including distribution functions and modeling.

ECH 5706. Electrochemical Engineering Science (3). Prerequisite: Instructor permission. In this course, students learn about electrochemistry and electrochemical engineering science and their applications in batteries and fuel cells. Quantitative analysis and the role of transport and kinetics are emphasized.

ECH 5806. Petroleum Science and Technology (3). Prerequisites: Senior standing in Chemical Engineering or instructor permission. In this course, students learn about petroleum, the most important resource of energy and materials in modern days. This course emphasizes historical developments, technologies and processes used in the petroleum industry (upstream, midstream and downstream).

ECH 5820. Advanced Polymer Physical Science and Engineering (3). Prerequisites: PHY 2048C, and at least one semester of a general physics course or instructor permission. This course is a graduate introduction to static and dynamic polymer physics, including models of chains and macroscopic properties.

ECH 5828. Introduction to Polymer Science and Engineering (3). Prerequisites: Graduate standing and instructor permission. This course explores the classification and characterization of polymeric systems. Topics include the introduction to the physical chemistry, synthesis and reaction kinetics, reaction engineering, characterization, and the processing and properties of polymeric systems.

ECH 5834. Chemical Engineering Materials (3). Prerequisite: Instructor permission. This course introduces engineering materials with emphasis on understanding the relation between structure, processing, and properties.

ECH 5838. X-Ray Structural Characterization of Materials (3). Prerequisite: ECH 4824 or equivalent. This course is an introduction to the structural characterization of materials using X-ray diffraction techniques. It covers crystallographic concepts to describe structures (symmetry, CIF) and discuss diffraction using the reciprocal lattice. It provides hands-on activities in powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. Open-source programs are used to analyze the data.

ECH 5840. Advanced Chemical Engineering Mathematics I (3). Prerequisite: ECH 4403 and MAP 3305. This course is an introduction at the graduate level to the mathematical formulation and solution of chemical engineering problems involving transport phenomena and reaction. Course includes dimensional analysis and scaling, linear algebraic, ordinary, and partial differential equations, vector and tensor analysis, Fourier series, Integral (Fourier and Laplace) transforms, boundary value problems.

ECH 5841. Advanced Chemical Engineering Mathematics II (3). Prerequisite: ECH 5840. This course presents advanced mathematical techniques for chemical engineering applications within a unified framework of operator-theoretic methods. Green's functions solution of partial differential equations, regular and singular perturbation techniques, boundary value problems, and boundary-element and finite-element techniques.

ECH 5852. Advanced Chemical Engineering Computations (3). Prerequisites: ECH 5841. This course presents the central concepts of practical numerical analysis techniques and their application to chemical engineering problems. The course includes interpolation and approximation theory, solution of linear and nonlinear systems, solution of ordinary differential and partial differential equations, single step and multi-step methods, stiff systems, and two-point boundary problems.

ECH 5905r. Directed Individual Study (1–3). Prerequisite: Instructor permission. This course is a detailed examination of some topic in chemical engineering. Conducted on a personal basis with the instructor. May be repeated with different topics. Only three semester hours may be used toward the MS degree. May be repeated within the same semester.

ECH 5910. Supervised Research (1–6). (S/U grade only). In this course, students perform a research project required for the non-thesis MS degree.

ECH 5934r. Special Topics in Chemical Engineering (3). Prerequisite: Instructor permission. This course is a detailed study of some topic of special interest to chemical engineers. Typical topics might include: aerosol mechanics, polymer processing, combustion, bioseparations, fluidization. May be repeated to a maximum of six semester hours with different topics. May be repeated in the same semester.

ECH 5935r. Chemical Engineering Seminar (0). (S/U grade only). This seminar consists of presentations by faculty, students, and visiting scientists. Full-time graduate students must enroll each term.

ECH 5971r. Master's Thesis Research (1–12). This course provides a means of registering for thesis research work and recording progress towards its completion. Students must consult with the academic department for appropriate registration of course credit hours. May be repeated to a maximum of forty-five (45) credit hours; repeatable within the same term.

ECH 6980r. Dissertation (1–24). (S/U grade only). Prerequisite: Admission to doctoral candidacy. This course is for research on the dissertation topic. May be repeated as often as approved by the supervisory committee. A maximum of 24 hours can be applied to the doctoral degree. May be repeated within the same semester.

ECH 8965r. Doctoral Preliminary Exam (0). (P/F grade only.) Prerequisite: Doctoral candidate status in Biomedical Engineering. All doctoral students must enroll in this course the semester they intend to take the qualifying exam. May be repeated within the same term.

ECH 8976. Thesis Defense (0). (P/F grade only.) Prerequisites: ECH 5126, ECH 5261, and ECH 5842. Corequisite: ECH 5971r. All students must register for this course for the term in which they intend to defend their thesis.

ECH 8985. Dissertation Defense (0). (P/F grade only.) Corequisite: ECH 6980r. Must be included in the final semester schedule for all doctoral students.

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2024-2025 GRADUATE BULLETIN