Graduate Program

Baton Rouge is the state capitol and home of the major state institution for higher education -- LSU. Situated in the Acadian region, Baton Rouge blends the Old South and Cajun Cultures. Baton Rouge is one of the nation's busiest ports and the city's economy rests heavily on the chemical, oil, plastics, and agricultural industries. The great outdoors provide excellent recreational activities year-round, especially fishing, hunting, and water sports. The proximity of New Orleans provides for superb nightlife, especially during Mardi Gras. The city is also only two hours away form the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and four hours from either Gulf Shores or Houston.

LSU offers the Ph.D. and both thesis and non-thesis M.S. programs in Chemical Engineering. Students should have either a bachelor's degree from an accredited Chemical Engineering Department or equivalent preparation in a Department whose curriculum closely corresponds to Chemical Engineering (e.g., Chemical Technology, Polymer Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, etc.). Special programs can be developed for those with degrees from other disciplines.

Chemical Engineering Crab Boil

The Department is recognized as a strong educational and research unit, both regionally and nationally. During the past 10 years, the Department has averaged 5 Ph.D. graduates per year and 10 M.S. graduates per year. Enrollment increased from 43 in 2001 to 57 in 2003; and the overall quality of our entering students is the highest of any department at LSU. We are consistently among the top 20 in the nation in sponsored research. Current areas of concentration include Environmental Engineering as related to both remediation and transport modeling, Catalysis and Reaction Engineering, Thermodynamics, Materials Science, Process Control, and Biochemical Engineering. In 2000-2002, the department averaged $1.3 million in funded research grants with an average of 30 active grants each year. This does not include >$2 million brought in through LSU’s EPA-funded Hazardous Substance Research Center, which includes three of our faculty as researchers and director. In 2003, the Center’s support by EPA was renewed through 2006; this year also marked the 25th year of continuous funding by EPA, giving LSU a unique distinction among U.S. institutions. This Center complements the LSU Hazardous Waste Research Center, an EPA Center of Excellence.

Part-time students are welcome. For the convenience of those working in near-by industry, key graduate courses are offered in the early evening. Students are encouraged to develop programs to meet their particular interests. With the conviction that chemical engineering training equips one to work in many fields, the faculty endorses and participates in interdisciplinary studies.

At a more personal level, countless graduates and faculty have attained distinction in our profession, as exemplified by the more than 50 LSU graduates in faculty positions around the world, the four who have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the two doctoral and three baccalaureate graduates who were recently recognized by AIChE as preeminent chemical engineers, and the five current faculty who are Fellows of AIChE.

Finally, concerning the intimate level at which you, the graduate student, must operate in order to be successful, we can say the following. No student will leave our Department who has not had the opportunity to interact both personally and intellectually with the Faculty, Staff and research associates. There is no research group so large that it is isolated, and joint research projects are common. Cross-disciplinary interaction with our colleagues in Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Microbiology, the Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices, Wetland Biogeochemistry and many others will add to your experience. Your classes will be taught by Faculty who understand their role in graduate education. Finally, LSU is among the most beautiful of college campuses and Baton Rouge a pleasant and comparatively inexpensive place to live.

Research information on any particular faculty member can be found on their webpage.

 

Graduate Coordinator
Cain Department of Chemical Engineering South Stadium Drive, Rm. 110 Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Telephone:	(225) 578-1426 or toll-free: (800)-256-2084
FAX:	(225) 578-1476
E-Mail:	gradcoor@lsu.edu

This page was last modified on July 17, 2006