Frequently Asked Questions

New graduate students register for courses during the first two weeks of the semester in which they first enroll, after meeting with and/or discussing by email their course selections with the appropriate academic advisor (for all PhD candidates and CHE MS candidates: ChBE Graduate Program Chair, Prof. Panzer; for all BIOE MS candidates: BIOE Program Director, Professor Nair.)

Current graduate students register in mid-April for the following Fall semester, and in mid-November for the following Spring semester (log in to SIS to see your registration appointment). If you forget to register during the assigned period, you will need to wait to register during the first 2 weeks of the semester of interest. Current thesis program students must have their course selections approved by their primary research advisor before registering.

A maximum of 2 courses can be transferred, subject to approval according to Tufts policy. Students who have completed one or more equivalent graduate level courses prior to their matriculation at Tufts and have earned a grade of B or higher in those courses may petition to transfer the course credit into the Tufts program. Students should request credit transfer in SIS. Please note that transfer credits will not be approved for courses that have been previously completed as a requirement of a previously earned degree (e.g. Master's or Bachelor's).

Yes; however, if you are a PhD student, you must first discuss this possibility with your primary research advisor because this may present a conflict with the agency or entity that is sponsoring your research project. If you are an international student, you must also contact the International Center to understand any restrictions on your employment due to your visa status.

Yes; graduate students may apply in SIS for a parental leave for one semester (Fall or Spring) for the birth or adoption of a child. The parent must be the primary caregiver of the child during the leave of absence. Please note, however, that a student is not required to take a parental leave. No stipend will be paid during parental leave, and it is possible that student loan repayment may be initiated during a leave in some circumstances. International students should discuss any planned parental leave with the International Center staff, in order to ensure that they maintain valid immigration status. Please see the School of Engineering Graduate Student Handbook for additional details.

For academic program or course-related issues, please contact your academic advisor (for all PhD candidates and CHE MS candidates: ChBE Graduate Program Chair, Professor Panzer; for all BIOE MS candidates: BIOE Program Director, Professor Nair).

For a list of other campus resources (e.g. counseling services, academic resource center, dean of student affairs office), please see the School of Engineering Graduate Student Handbook, or visit the Student Life website.

New students who matriculate in the Fall are not assigned to research groups or specific projects before their arrival at Tufts. However, incoming students are encouraged to contact potential faculty advisors as early as they wish, after declaring their intent to enroll at Tufts. All incoming PhD students must discuss potential thesis project topics with their prospective faculty advisors of interest. Approximately three weeks into the Fall semester, all new PhD students will be required to submit to the Department the names of at least two different potential faculty advisors with whom they have discussed possible thesis topics, in ranked order of preference. The Graduate Program Committee will then make research advisor assignments for all new PhD students upon careful examination of student preferences and the availability of research projects; the Department's best efforts will be made to give students their first choice of advisor, whenever possible. New PhD student-advisor pairings will be announced by late September/early October.

If a student has completed one or more of the required PhD core courses as part of their Master's degree program, then he or she may petition the ChBE Graduate Program Committee to obtain a waiver from completing the course at Tufts. However, a maximum of 2 core course waivers may be allowed; a grade of A- or better is required for consideration. Please also note the following important details: (i) the minimum core course GPA of 3.25 required to take the PhD qualifying exam (see ChBE Graduate Student Handbook) will be calculated based only on the core courses actually completed at Tufts; (ii) for each core course waived, another graduate-level ChBE elective course must be completed in its place (i.e. the total number of required courses does not change).

Please see the PhD Student Registration Guidelines document.

Six, if you entered the PhD program with an engineering Bachelor's degree;
Four, if you entered the PhD program with an engineering Master's degree.

Generally speaking, no (not for credit); your doctoral tuition scholarship covers only those courses that are required for completing your degree requirements. It may be possible to audit a course, however, with advance permission from both the instructor and your primary research advisor.

Twenty-four (24) thesis credits (ChBE 297 or 298) are required for the PhD degree, which you will generally register for during the third and fourth years (see also the "PhD Student Registration Guidelines" document).

Yes; all full-time graduate students must register for ChBE 291 or 292 each semester of study.

During the first year, register for Grad TA (ChBE 405) in your first semester, and Grad RA (ChBE 406) in your second semester. Starting in Year 2, you can register for either one, as appropriate to your role that semester. Be sure to register for either ChBE 405 or 406 every semester, as long as you are getting paid a stipend.

Registering for at least 6 credits in a semester plus either RA or TA (ChBE 405 / 406) will maintain your full-time status; this could include 2+ core and/or elective courses, or Doctoral thesis credits (ChBE 297 / 298). If you are taking fewer than 6 credits + RA/TA in any semester, then you must also register for ChBE 502 (Doctoral Continuation Full-time, 0 credits) in order to maintain full-time student status. Please also check with the International Center staff if you have any question about your specific situation, as applicable.

All full-time PhD students who are financially supported by the Department for their first semester of study are required to serve as a TA a minimum of three (3) times during their residency in the program. In some circumstances, students may be asked to perform additional TA assignments beyond this minimum.

Generally, TA duties will be completed during the first three years of study, whenever possible. All full-time PhD students should expect to serve as a TA at least once during their first year. The Graduate Program Committee will make TA assignments at the start of each semester, and will notify TAs as soon as possible.

See the ChBE Graduate Student Handbook for further details.

You should consult with your primary research advisor to form your thesis committee shortly after passing all parts of the doctoral qualifying procedure (within 6 months).

The thesis proposal must submitted to your thesis committee members at least one week before you present it to them. The thesis proposal presentation to your committee should typically be given within one year of completing all qualifying procedures; however, this milestone must be completed no later than the end of the sixth semester after you enter the doctoral program.

A minimum of two thesis committee meetings, held after the thesis proposal defense but before the final thesis defense, are required.

Yes, but only with the explicit permission of your research advisor. If you are an international student, you must also contact the International Center and check the requirements of your visa.

The process for selecting a thesis advisor is the same as for the PhD students (please see answer to FAQ #1 above, under PhD Students).

Yes; all full-time graduate students must register for ChBE 291 or 292 during each semester of study.

No; MS students are not allowed to serve as teaching assistants, per SOE guidelines.

No; there is generally no financial support provided for MS students.

Nine thesis credits total are required (some combination of ChBE 295/296).

Yes, with the consent/supervision of a faculty member (ChBE or otherwise). It may be possible to also do this for 1 elective course credit toward your degree (ChBE 299), with a ChBE research supervisor's approval.

With the support and approval of a potential ChBE faculty research supervisor (or co-supervisor, if your proposed research will be primarily conducted in a non-ChBE faculty member's laboratory), you may apply to switch into the MS with thesis track by submitting a written request to the Graduate Program Committee for review.

With the support and approval of a potential ChBE faculty research advisor, you may apply for admission into either the Chemical Engineering or Biotechnology Engineering PhD program by completing a new official Tufts online graduate application. A recommendation letter from your proposed faculty research advisor is required. Please see Prof. Panzer for additional information.

The process for selecting a thesis advisor is the same as for the PhD and CHE MS students (please see answer to FAQ #1 above, under PhD Students).

No; BIOE MS students should register for the program-specific seminar, BIOE 291 in the Fall and BIOE 292 in the Spring. Each of these seminar courses carries a credit of 0.5 units, and is graded on the standard letter grade scale.

No; MS students are not allowed to serve as teaching assistants, per SOE guidelines.

No; there is generally no financial support provided for MS students.

The breadth requirement is fulfilled by taking one 3.0 credit course from another track in the Bioengineering MS Program. Course descriptions can be found on SIS.

With the support and approval of a potential faculty research supervisor, then you may apply to switch into the MS with thesis track by submitting a written request to the program director for review. The program director will then seek approval from the program's academic committee whose members are the track advisors.

Yes; you will need the approval of the track to which you would like to transfer. Submit your request in writing to the appropriate track advisor (see answer to FAQ #8 below) and the program director (Associate Professor Nik Nair).

You can contact the track advisors:
Biomaterials — Assistant Professor Srivalleesha (Valli) Mallidi
Signals and Systems — Associate Professor Shuchin Aeron
Biomechanical Devices and Systems — Assistant Teaching Professor Hoda Koushyar
Bioinformatics — Professor Donna Slonim
Environmental Biotechnology — Professor Andrew Ramsburg