Welcome

By deciding to go to graduate school, you have already made a statement. You are saying that you want more than a good job. You want to increase your understanding and competence in chemical engineering. You also want to learn about research and to make a contribution in this area. The right graduate school will help you attain this goal.

A website such as this cannot reflect the personality of a department, but perhaps we can touch on some of the unique features of graduate study in chemical engineering at Penn State.

We have small, intimate research groups. We have an average of only four graduate students per faculty member. Many of the students also have co-advisors, so that they are exposed to different points of view. In the research areas themselves, we have great diversity - as you will see on the following pages. Our department prides itself on maintaining an informal atmosphere and close cooperation among faculty and students. Our graduate students are active participants in the activities of the department, and serve as representatives on many department committees. In addition to an active social and sports program, the graduate students conduct their own weekly seminar series that complements the department's seminar program.

Penn State has a long history of support and cooperative research with industry. More than forty industrial companies and several industrial consortiums currently support our program. This reflects their interest in both our research and our graduate students. For more information visit the Industrial Sponsors Web page.

Ours is a department undergoing dynamic changes. Several new faculty members have joined the rest of the department in its dedication to enhancing our graduate program. On the national level, several of our faculty and student body members have in recent years received recognition for their teaching and research contributions.

As you can see, we are a department on the move. We invite you to join us, so that we can help each other grow and attain our full potential.

Top