Degree Requirements Seventy-two hours of credit are required for the Ph.D. degree. At least 24 hours of formal coursework at Vanderbilt are required. Therefore, normally, a minimum of 48 hours of coursework is required, including a 12-hour minor. Upon entering the Ph.D. program, the candidate must declare a major and a minor. Proposed minors must be approved by the candidate's committee.
Typical minors are chemistry, chemical engineering, mathematics, computer science, and management.
Language Requirements With the increasing integration of the world economy and the increasing output of technical literature in other languages, literacy in other languages is highly desirable. Because English is now the international technical language, and there is a demand on students for greater technical competence and more understanding of technology-society impacts, there is no formal requirement for literacy in a language other than English. Each student, upon entering the Ph.D. program, shall meet with the Director of Graduate Studies, declare a tentative major and minor, and agree upon an academic advisor. The student shall meet with the advisor, and they shall prepare a tentative plan of study. The plan of study will list each course to be taken, grouped by major and minor, and other, and will include a schedule of when each course will be taken.