phd programs at university of houston

Doctor of Philosophy in Petroleum Engineering (Ph.D.)

Admission to the University of Houston Ph.D. Program in Petroleum Engineering will require the following:

• GRE — An acceptable score within the Cullen College of Engineering standard on the Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical portions of the Graduate Record Examination. 
• LETTERS — Three letters of recommendation from recognized academic or industyr professionals who can attest to the applicant’s capability for independent and creative thinking for the graduate level research in petroleum engineering.
• STATEMENT — A written statement of the applicant’s professional goals.
• APPROVAL — Approval by the Petroleum Engineering Graduate Committee.

In addition, students required to submit a valid TOEFL/IELTS score, must achieve the minimum Cullen College of Engineering requirement. Click here to learn more about the English Language Proficiency Requirements.

Degree Requirements

Paths to PhD — There are two Paths to the PhD Degree:

• B.S. to Ph.D. — Direct from B.S. to Ph.D., bypassing the M.S. degree, or by
• M.S. to Ph.D. — Obtaining an M.S. degree first at UH (or elsewhere).

Both B.S. and M.S. degrees must have been obtained from an accredited institution in Petroleum Engineering or a relevant engineering or scientific discipline. The applicants must maintain a Grade Point Average of 3.5/4.0.

The chart below demonstrates course requirements for either path to PhD.

Students without sufficient background for the required courses must complete leveling courses that will not count toward the degree. Each Ph.D. student must maintain a Grade Point Average (GPA) above 3.50 throughout the Ph.D. program.

Candidacy/Dissertation

The Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering will require a dissertation. 

• Ph.D. Dissertation Committee:  During the third semester after the student is enrolled in the Ph.D. program, a dissertation committee will be formed by the student and advisor with approval of the Chair of the Petroleum Engineering Department. The Chair of the Dissertation Committee will be a tenured, tenure-track or research faculty member associated with the Petroleum Engineering Department. The committee shall consist of at least five members including the Chair of the Committee. Among the committee members, a minimum of three members should be associated with Petroleum Engineering Department and two members can be from outside the Department. Members selected from industry should be actively involved in research and will require the approval of the Associate Dean of the College of Engineering to become a committee member.
• Drilling & Completion
• Production Engineering
• Reservoir Engineering
• Formation Evaluation & Reservoir Characterization
• Students will be asked to officially select their 3 exams and give notification by email approximately 3 months prior  to the QE.
• Authors of the exams will provide study guide materials to all exam takers as soon as the students commit to the QE for a certain date. There may be review sessions scheduled by the examiners.
• Students may not take all 4 exams
• If a student passes all 3 exams — they become a Candidate
• If a student passes 2 exams and receives Conditional for the 3rd exam — they do not become a Candidate until the stipulations of the QE Committee are completed. Official notice will be sent to each exam taker.
• If a student passes 2 out of 3 exams and fails one exam — they need only re-take one exam by either sitting for an oral exam 2 weeks after the original exam or taking the written exam at the next available QE testing date. Students may not switch subjects after failing a QE.
• If a student fails 2 exams out of 3 — they are considered to fail. They must take all 3 of the written exam at the next available QE testing date. Students may not switch subjects after failing a QE.
• If a student fails any one QE exam twice — they are subject to dismissal from the PHD program. Sometimes the option to become a Master Degree Student may be offered after dismissal from the PHD program — this is not a guaranteed offer.
• QE exams will be graded and reviewed by committee and results given to students by the first day of class  following the term the exam preceded.
• Exams will be archived by the department according to the UH Records and Retention Policy.
• Proposal Defense : is the ititial dissertation proposal defense/oral presentation given after the student passes the Qualifying Exam and becomes a candidate. The student is required to write a dissertation proposal of his/her proposed research to the dissertation committee members. After the submission of the dissertation proposal, the student must give a public oral presentation of the proposed research to the dissertation committee. Each committee member must indicate acceptance of the preliminary examination with “Satisfactory” or “Unsatisfactory”. Typically, it is held no later than two semesters before a students plan to graduate.  A unanimous “Satisfactory” by the committee members is required.
• Dissertation Defense:  The Ph.D. candidate must provide the committee members with the final version of the dissertation after the completion of his or her research. After consultation with the committee members, the Ph.D. candidate will defend his or her dissertation at a public oral defense.  The dissertation committee will make the final judgment of the acceptance of the dissertation defense and the contribution of the work to the existing knowledge base of petroleum engineering.

Curriculum 

Of the Total Courses needed for degree, two can be selected outside of the Petroleum Engineering Department Course Offerings. Students will need their advisors consent.

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Ph.D. Degree Program

Doctor of philosophy (ph.d.) in industrial engineering — program requirements.

There are three paths to the PhD Degree in IE:

• BS to PhD — Directly from BS to PhD,
• MS in IE to PhD — For someone with a master’s degree in IE, or
• MS in non-IE to PhD — For someone with a master’s degree in a different discipline

Both BS and MS degrees must have been obtained from an accredited institution in Industrial Engineering or a relevant engineering or scientific discipline.

The chart below demonstrates course requirements for each path to PhD, in addition to a required one-credit seminar course:

• Students transferring from other institutions may petition up to 6 semester hours with a minimum grade of "B" to be transferred upon approval of the Graduate Program Director, IE Chair, and the Associate Dean of the Cullen College of Engineering.
• The course selection must be approved by the student’s dissertation advisor.
• Students whose primary language is not English are required to complete an engineering communications course (INDE 6359) if the GRE verbal score is below 150.
• Full time students are required to complete one year residency with full time enrollment.
• Full-time students must enroll a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester, and the enrollment requirement for part-time students is 3 credit hours per semester.
• Satisfactory performance on the Ph.D. screening examination and oral defense of proposal is required prior to the final defense of the Ph.D. dissertation.
• The Ph.D. degree will be awarded upon the successful defense of the dissertation followed by the submission of the approved copy of the dissertation to the UH Graduate School.

Screening Exam

The following rules apply to any graduate students who wish to pursue the Ph.D. degree in Industrial Engineering.

• Two mandatory subjects: Probability and Statistics for Engineers, Advanced Linear Optimization. (Students who scored B+ or lower in INDE 6333: Probability and Statistics and/or INDE 6372: Advanced Linear Optimization are encouraged to contact IE graduate program director for more information before taking the screening exam.)
• One subject of choice based on the research area.
• The in-depth exam is a week-long take-home exam to test the student’s ability to conduct research in the student’s research field.
• Students must receive a grade of "Pass" in each subject before he/she can be formally considered as a Ph.D. candidate.
• The exam must be taken on or before the completion of 18 graduate semester hours after entering the Ph.D. program.
• This exam is administered by the department twice annually: in early January and August.
• Students must register for the test no later than two weeks prior to the exam.
• The registration form can be obtained from the department or download here .
• The students will be notified of the exam results approximately two weeks after the completion of the exam. The results will also be sent to the Graduate Program Director and the IE Department Chair.
• Students shall not be given more than two opportunities to take the exam. For the second trial, students may take only the subject areas they failed in the first trial. The second trial must be taken as soon as the next exam is offered again after the first trial.

Dissertation Advisory Committee

The candidate must select a dissertation advisory committee, whose composition is subject to the approval of the IE Graduate Program Director and the IE Department Chair.

• The advisory committee must be composed of at least five faculty members, including at least three members from the IE department and two faculty members outside the department.
• The IE Graduate Program Director and the IE Department Chair must approve any subsequent changes to the composition of this committee.
• Students are not allowed to change committee members without the permission of the Ph.D. Program Director and the department chair. A formal petition must be submitted to the department for changing Ph.D. committee members.

Formal Dissertation Proposal

A formal written dissertation proposal must be submitted to the dissertation advisory committee in a timely manner after completing the Ph.D. screening examination. The student should provide committee members with a copy of the proposal approximately two weeks before the scheduled presentation.

List of the IE Graduate Courses and Research Areas

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Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Engineering

Students are admitted to the Ph.D. program as a Post M.S. student. Each Post M.S. student must choose a core faculty member as mentor who agrees to chair the student's dissertation research committee.

Generally, Ph.D. students are supported at initial salaries of $1,300-$1,700 in direct support for their research and teaching duties. Financial support includes medical insurance and qualifies the student for the lower, Texas-Resident Tuition, a tuition scholarship may also be awarded. This covers up to nine hours of tuition per semester.

The Ph.D. degree requires 52 credit hours of approved study beyond the M.S. degree. These requirements translate to a minimum of 24 credit hours of organized course work (eight 3-credit non-research courses) beyond the Master's Degree plus 28 hours of Ph.D. research and dissertation. It is also possible to obtain the Ph.D. degree without obtaining the M.S. degree. Consult program director for details. A maximum of 100 credit hours as a Ph.D. student also applies. After 100 hours, the student is no longer eligible for the lower, Texas-Resident Tuition.

A Post-M.S. student becomes a Ph.D. student after passing the qualifying examination , which is usually taken after three semesters in residence. The qualifying exam consists of a critical review of a manuscript published in the peer-reviewed literature, and related to the student's research area chosen by the chairman of the student's dissertation committee. The student has 10 calendar days to write a comprehensive critique of the article and then, approximately two weeks after submitting the written critique to the examination committee (consisting of the core faculty members) the student presents and defends the critique in front of the committee. The result is pass (excellent, good or fair) or fail (poor). The examination may be retaken once.

After the student has completed 1-2 years of course work and preliminary research, they prepare a formal research proposal as their Candidacy Exam and select a dissertation committee consisting of a chair, two program faculty members and two faculty members from outside the CEE Department. Members are chosen by agreement between the student, the chair, and the potential member. All committee appointments must be approved by the Program Director and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. A candidacy examination consists of a formal proposal presentation and defense in front of the dissertation committee. The result is pass or fail. If the result is pass, the Ph.D. student becomes a Ph.D. Candidate. Even with a pass, the committee may point out deficiencies in the proposed research and recommend additional course work or require that specific experiments be completed. The exam may be retaken once.

After completing the research and writing the dissertation, the candidate defends the dissertation in a public meeting of the committee, interested faculty, staff, and students. The result is pass or fail with a pass usually being accompanied by recommended changes to the final draft.

Full-time students receiving financial support must register for 12 credit hours each Fall and Spring semester until they pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam, then students register for 9 credit hours each Fall and Spring and 6 hours each summer semester.

Although all graduate students must maintain a "B" average (GPA 3.0), a Doctoral student should aim for a GPA of 3.5. Any graduate student who earns four "C" grades in graduate courses will be dropped from the Program. Doctoral students who fail to complete their dissertation within five years after completion of the comprehensive examination must retake the exam. For an example Ph.D. course of study click here .

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Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering

GOALS AND MISSION

Our main goal is to develop leadership in academia, government, and industry nationally and globally. The importance of global scientific, social, and cultural interaction and the demands of the dynamic, ever-changing global healthcare economy have been strongly emphasized in our undergraduate and graduate programs. The research in the graduate program focuses on three main areas, neural, cognitive, and rehabilitation engineering, biomedical imaging, and bionanoscience.

WHY UH BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING?

• Distinguished faculty that are focused on mentoring and developing leaders in the field of BME
• A member of the world's largest medical center
• Opportunities for multi-institutional collaboration and research
• 95% of current full-time Doctoral students are fully funded
• Located within a dynamic city , filled with culture, history, and activities for every passion

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Online ms in biomedical engineering.

UH BME now offers a completely online master's program through UH-Extend. Click here to learn more.

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College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences    > Department of History    > History, PhD

The Department of History offers PhD degrees in United States, European, Latin American, Ancient, Modern Arab/Middle East, and Transnational history in all chronological periods.  Transnational scholarship may include America and the world; the Atlantic World; comparative history involving study of two or more countries, regions, or continents; energy and the environment; gender; immigration history; international relations; the Pacific Rim; and race and ethnicity.  Students may base their Transnational work in any of the regions where the department has faculty resources:  Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Modern Arab/Middle East, or the United States.

Admission Requirements

The University of Houston sets minimum standards for graduate admissions, but the Department of History has established supplemental requirements. All students seeking admission into the graduate program in History must complete an online application from the University Office of Admissions. The deadline for applications is January 1. All application materials must be received by that date. All applications are accepted to begin in the Fall semester only.  Please consult the History Department website:  http://www.uh.edu/class/history or contact the graduate advising assistant for detailed information on requirements and procedures .

• Overall 3.67 (A-) average on all graduate work attempted (for applicants to the MA to PhD track) or overall 3.67 (A-) average on the last sixty (60) hours of undergraduate course credit (for applicants to the BA to PhD track).
• A minimum of 18 hours in history or other relevant courses with a 3.67 (A-) average.
• Demonstrate a reading proficiency in at least one foreign language before or during the first semester of residence in the PhD program.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• A one- to two-page personal statement indicating the applicant’s academic interests is required.
• A writing sample.
• Official transcripts from every college and university attended.
• University of Houston online graduate application.
• A non-refundable application fee. 

Degree Options and Requirements

B.a. to ph.d. track:.

The Ph.D. Program provides the training necessary for careers in college teaching and historical research. Some students also may wish to pursue the Ph.D. for careers in a variety of public history or applied history fields. This track is intended for students who have earned a B.A. in history or a related discipline. Reading knowledge in at least one foreign language is required.  The degree requires a minimum of fifty-four (54) hours of credit in graduate-level (6000) courses, including coursework and nine (9) dissertation credit hours.

M.A. to Ph.D. Track:

The Department of History offers a separate curriculum plan for graduate students who have earned an M.A. in history or a related discipline. Reading knowledge in at least one foreign language is required.  The degree requires a minimum of forty-five (45) hours of credit in graduate-level (6000) courses, including coursework and nine (9) dissertation credit hours.

The Ph.D. degree is awarded on the completion of a dissertation that makes a significant contribution to knowledge. The dissertation should be based upon original, independent research drawing heavily from primary sources.  From the beginning of the doctoral program, the student should be investigating possible topics in conjunction with the faculty advisor.

Additional information concerning required courses in major and minor fields, examinations, residency requirements, and the like should be obtained from the Department of History’s website: http://www.uh.edu/class/history/ .

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The Marketing Ph.D. program is a research-intensive full-time course of study designed to place graduates in marketing faculty positions at research-oriented universities. The four to five-year Ph.D. program involves forty-two credit hours of coursework plus intensive research activity, including working on your dissertation and writing papers for publication in major refereed academic journals such as Journal of Marketing Research , Journal of Consumer Research , Journal of Marketing , Marketing Science , and Management Science .

The Marketing faculty ( click here for more information about our faculty and their publications ) is deeply involved in each stage of our doctoral students’ academic lives. Throughout the program, each student receives opportunities to present work at workshops or conferences, attend regular department seminar series, develop speaking and writing skills, and receive regular feedback from the faculty.

Qualifications for our program are (1) motivation to undertake social science research and (2) the ability to do so, as demonstrated by a high score on the GMAT or GRE, a strong academic record, and endorsement from former professors. We review every application and look at each applicant as an individual. Accepted doctoral students are hired as Research or Teaching Assistants for 20 hours a week and receive competitive year-round stipends . The Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship provides a laptop or desktop for new students and additional funding for students presenting papers at national conferences.

We encourage our students to seek placements as professors at research-oriented universities, and they do. See here for recent placements and here for achievements.

We want our program to be stimulating, enjoyable, and a bonding experience with other Ph.D. students. New students get a great deal of help from those who have been in the program, and are expected to offer similar help to other new students down the road.

As faculty members, we treat our Ph.D. students like colleagues. And you are.

I encourage you to carefully go through our extensive FAQs page , which should help answer most frequently asked questions about our program and the application process.

Professor Seshadri Tirunillai Marketing Ph.D. Program Coordinator Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship Bauer College of Business University of Houston

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• 2024 GCSW’s Trauma Education Program Celebrates 13 Years

GCSW’s Trauma Education Program Celebrates 13 Years

Celebrating its 13th year, the Trauma Education Program (TEP) continues to be a leader in trauma education with a local and national impact.  

Led by Faculty Advisor Donna Amtsberg, the TEP is dedicated to preparing diverse leaders in trauma-informed practice through education, research, and collaborations with community organizations. With a focus on social justice, the program aims to develop trauma-informed clinical social work practitioners, guiding them from initial assessment to treatment planning. 

In 2011, Clinical Professor Sandra Lopez, LCSW-S, spearheaded the Trauma Program at the GCSW, initially known as the Child Trauma Program, with a primary focus on educating students interested in working with traumatized children and adolescents. At that time, dedicating an entire program to trauma work was uncommon in social work education. The GCSW, in 2011, was among the nine social work colleges invited to partake in a national research project led by the National Institute for Trauma Education and Workforce Development (NITEWD), formalizing trauma education.  

In 2013, under Donna's guidance, the program underwent a transformative expansion, broadening its focus to encompass traumatized individuals of all ages. This pivotal shift led to the renaming of the program as the Trauma Education Program (TEP). Students now engage in coursework addressing trauma across the lifespan, providing them with extensive career opportunities post-graduation. Former Trauma Fellows have found success in various fields, including hospitals, school districts, private practice, counseling centers, and non-profit organizations.  

In 2023, the TEP received another prestigious invitation to participate in trauma education research, once again through the NITEWD.   

Donna expressed pride in the program's growth, both in student interest (currently 64 students) and its overall expansion in impact and influence and state that “it is not uncommon for GCSW students to state that they chose the GCSW for their master's program due in large part to the TEP, and many of them are willing to relocate to Houston in order to achieve their personal goals of trauma education.”      

This ongoing commitment to research underscores the program's dedication to advancing trauma education and its recognition on a national level.  

Learn more about the Trauma Educations Program here .

Natural Sciences & Mathematics    > Department of Physics    > Physics, PhD

The Doctor of Philosophy in Physics degree signifies that the recipient has acquired a broad and in-depth knowledge of the discipline and has demonstrated research competence meeting the national standards. Students accepted for the program typically possess a four-year bachelor’s degree in physics or related fields. Physicists are recognized for their ability to investigate secrets of the natural world through careful experimentation, theoretical modelling or computer simulations or a combination of these, the final goal being uncovering/validating/extending laws of nature. These skills acquired during the degree are highly valued not only in academia and research labs but also by a variety of industries. Our graduates have gained employment in academia as well as in research labs, industries and businesses in a wide range of areas including oil & gas, renewable energy, medical research, semiconductors (example: Intel Corporation), financial analysis, software/hardware development and data science.

For more information, please visit the Physics Graduate Programs website: http://www.uh.edu/nsm/physics/graduate/ .

Admission Requirements

Applicants are expected to have completed, or be in their last term of completing, a bachelor’s in physics or a related field, or a master’s degree, and have acquired a working knowledge of the basic areas of physics including mechanics, thermodynamics, and electromagnetism. The applicants holding a three-year bachelor’s degree must have received or be in the final semester of finishing a master’s degree in physics. Both general and subject GRE taken in the last 5 years are recommended, but optional. International applicants have further documentation requirements, including proof of English language proficiency, which are described on the International Graduate Students web page: http://www.uh.edu/graduate-school/international-students/ .

Admission to the program is competitive within the applicant pool. The admissions committee and the department chair will evaluate the credentials of each applicant for the PhD program, considering a broad range of criteria, including:

• Content of the undergraduate program and, if applicable, graduate program and grades earned, particularly in the areas of physics and mathematics.
• A cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better in the last 60 hours.
• Letters of recommendation from three (3) individuals (preferably faculty members), who are able to judge the candidate’s academic abilities and potential for scholarly research.
• GRE scores (optional).
• Fulfilling the university’s English Language Proficiency Requirement   .
• Scientific, professional, technical publications and Master’s Thesis (if applicable).

Degree Requirements

Credit hours required for this degree: 54.0

To receive a Ph.D. in Physics, a student must satisfy the following three requirements:

1. Course Requirements

Successful completion of a minimum of 54 credit hours for which graduate credit is accepted by the department. These 54 hours must include courses that satisfy Basic Core and Advanced Core requirements; and successful completion of a minimum of 3 and no more than 12 letter-graded credit hours of doctoral dissertation. Courses taken outside the department of Physics will require prior approval from the graduate faculty advisor.

Basic Core Requirements (total credit hours: 18.0)

 The doctoral students must enroll in 6 Basic Core courses or be exempt from taking one or more of them in the first year. In order to qualify for doctoral candidacy, students must pass each Basic Core course with a grade of B or higher. Students who have successfully completed equivalent graduate courses at another institution will be allowed to qualify for the doctoral program if they appear for a qualifying examination for each of those courses and earn a B or higher grade. The qualifying examinations will be offered before the start of the semester. Nonetheless, this will be counted as one of the two attempts for completing the qualifying exam (see Requirement 2 below for number of attempts criterion).

Basic Core Courses:

• PHYS 6303 - Methods of Mathematical Physics I Credit Hours: 3.0
• PHYS 6309 - Advanced Mechanics I Credit Hours: 3.0
• PHYS 6315 - Quantum Mechanics I Credit Hours: 3.0
• PHYS 6316 - Quantum Mechanics II Credit Hours: 3.0
• PHYS 6321 - Electrodynamics Credit Hours: 3.0
• PHYS 6327 - Statistical Physics Credit Hours: 3.0

Advanced Core/Elective Requirements(total credit hours: 12.0)

Four courses with a minimum of two from the Advanced Core course list below must be successfully completed. At most one of the remaining courses can be taken from outside of the Department with permission from the Chair of the Dissertation Committee and the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee.

Advanced Core courses:

• PHYS 6354 - Methods of Mathematical Physics II Credit Hours: 3
• PHYS 6363 - Graduate Laboratory Credit Hours: 3
• PHYS 6328 - Advanced Statistical Mechanics Credit Hours: 3
• PHYS 6350 - Computational Physics Credit Hours: 3.0
• PHYS 6365 - Quantum Many-Body Theory Credit Hours: 3
• PHYS 6366 - Quantum Field Theory Credit Hours: 3
• PHYS 6387 - Solid State Physics I Credit Hours: 3

Advanced Electives

Advanced Elective courses will be offered at regular intervals. These are typically expositions of topics of current interest. The student body will be polled to find their choices at least a semester before an Advanced Elective is offered; the department will attempt to fulfill the students’ wishes. Some Electives offered in recent years include:

• General Relativity and Gravitation
• Solid State Physics II
• Atmospheric Physics
• Particle Physics
• Biological Physics
• Scattering Theory
• Seismic Physics I and II
• Physics and Applications of Semiconductors

2. Qualification for PhD Candidacy

Full-time students must advance to candidacy no later than 2 years after entry into the PhD program (within the first 36 hours of graduate coursework for part-time students). To advance to candidacy for the doctoral program, a student must pass all six Basic Core courses with a grade of B or higher. A student must also receive a grade of B or higher in the first attempt in at least four (4) of the six Basic Core courses. The student receiving a grade of B- or below is offered a second attempt to obtain a grade of B or higher in the remaining Basic Core courses; however, this opportunity will not be available for those who have taken the pre-semester exams as indicated in Requirement 1. A student who earns less than a B grade in three (3) or more Basic Core courses at the first attempt will be dismissed from the program due to failure to advance to candidacy. If the failure is due to extenuating circumstances, the student can appeal the decision to the Graduate Studies Committee.

3. Original Research Requirements

An acceptable dissertation based on original research in Physics must be presented and defended orally before the student’s doctoral dissertation committee.

Academic Policies

• University of Houston Academic Policies    
• Academic Policies: College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics    
• Students must assemble their doctoral committee within the first term after they pass all the Ph.D. core courses listed above, or before the end of their third academic year whichever comes first. The dissertation committee must consist of the research advisor, at least two (normally three) additional graduate faculty members from the Department of Physics, and at least one UH faculty member from outside the department. A dissertation committee must be on file with the College no later than the term prior to the anticipated graduating term. More details on committee composition can be found on the Graduate Degree Requirements: College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics   .
• Annual Progress Evaluation (APE): Before the end of the student’s third academic year, AND IN EACH SUBSEQUENT ACADEMIC YEAR, the student must make an oral presentation to their doctoral dissertation committee. The committee must certify that the student is making adequate progress toward completion of his/her Ph.D. in a timely manner.  If the grade of overall performance, based on the averaging  of all item scores from all committee members is lower than 3, then the student is given an opportunity for a follow-up examination by the committee, at a time to be determined by the committee. If the re-evaluation score is 3 or above, the student can proceed with his/her research and prepare for the next APE or dissertation defense. If the score in the re-evaluation is less than 3 then the student has failed the APE, and will be terminated from the PhD program.
• All graduate students are required to attend the weekly Department of Physics Colloquium. Failure to do so without an approved proper excuse may result in a loss of financial support.

Scholastic Requirements: Graduate students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00 in all course work to be considered in good standing. Students not in good standing cannot receive a graduate degree and can be declared ineligible for support with a graduate assistantship (IA, TA, RA/TE or RA).

Junichiro Kono named director of the Smalley-Curl Institute

By Prasi Desai     4/16/24 10:14pm

Junichiro Kono succeeded Naomi Halas as director of the Smalley-Curl Institute on Feb. 1. Kono currently also serves as director of the applied physics graduate program, housed in SCI. He is also the Karl F. Hasselmann Chair in Engineering. 

“The opportunity to build upon the incredible legacy of Rick Smalley and Bob Curl is both a privilege and a challenge, which I embrace wholeheartedly,” Kono wrote in an email to the Thresher. “I am really looking forward to working with the talented researchers and students at Rice University.”

Halas, the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, said she supports Kono’s appointment. 

“I was director for ten years, and in that time the Institute has changed a lot,” Halas wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Jun is not only an outstanding scientist, but a very hard-working and organized, impactful individual who gets things done.”

Douglas Natelson, professor of physics and astronomy, is a member of the SCI steering committee. Natelson and Kono have both worked at Rice since 2000 and currently have an ongoing scientific collaboration. 

“[Kono] is energetic and creative, with a long track record of collaboration and education-related activities,” Natelson wrote in an email to the Thresher. “His scientific experience touches on all the elements that make up the SCI, from carbon nanomaterials to quantum information.”

According to Executive Vice President for Research Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Kono has long-standing ties with Rice, both as a professor for over 20 years and as a father to two Rice graduates.

“Professor Kono is a person who is profoundly passionate about applied physics and about Rice,” Ramesh wrote. “He knows our community inside and out, so I couldn’t be happier knowing that he’ll be helming such an important and pioneering institute as the SCI.”

Kono said the research opportunities and personnel at SCI have provided him with mentorship, collaboration and unique research opportunities, such as his work on carbon nanomaterials. 

“I immediately fell in love with the community represented by these highly multidisciplinary groups of researchers,” Kono said. 

According to Natelson, continued support for the applied physics graduate program and growth of postdoctoral positions within the SCI would benefit research at the institute. 

“I’m excited to see how the institute grows and evolves under his leadership as the university has restructured the support and expectations for institutes,” Natelson wrote. 

According to Halas, the SCI is endeavoring to support a National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. 

“It will be SCI’s goal to work well with [the Rice Advanced Materials Institute] in establishing larger center proposals such as a MRSEC and other funding mechanisms,” Halas said. 

Ramesh said he hopes to see further merging of the main research themes within SCI—quantum information science, nanoscience, and quantum materials — during Kono’s tenure. 

“The sky's the limit in terms of the work they’re able to produce,” Ramesh wrote.

Kono said he hopes to further encourage multidisciplinary collaborations both within and outside of SCI. As director, Kono also intends to support international collaborations through workshops and a visiting scientist program. 

“We are building a tightly-knit community around these three intertwined scientific pillars to create a stimulating international venue for interdisciplinary scholarship,” Kono said. 

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University of Houston Lands 18 Programs in Latest QS World University Rankings

By Shawn Lindsey — 713-743-5725

• University and Campus

The University of Houston is, once again, demonstrating its strength as a global leader. UH has 18 programs ranked among the top in the world according to the 2024 edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject , released today by QS Quacquarelli Symonds.

UH’s hospitality programs in the Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership led the way with a world rank of No. 35. The petroleum engineering program in the Cullen College of Engineering also ranked in the top 100 worldwide (51-100).

In its annual list, QS evaluated 55 narrow academic disciplines and five broad faculty areas by analyzing the reputation and research output of almost 5,000 institutions worldwide. In total, it provides independent comparative analysis on the performance of more than 16,400 individual university programs in 96 locations around the world.

“We are pleased to have yet one more accolade confirming the quality of our programs. Our faculty members are at the forefront of groundbreaking research spanning various fields, positioning UH as a global leader in advancing societal progress and fostering innovation,” said Diane Z. Chase, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.

In addition to the 18 individual subjects that were ranked, UH’s earned an overall world ranking in three of the five broad disciplines: engineering and technology, natural sciences, and social sciences and management.

Using five key metrics— academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations, research impact and cross-border research collaboration. Of the almost 5,000 institutions evaluated, fewer than a third of the institutions earned a published world ranking. The U.S. led the rankings with 213 institutions, followed by the United Kingdom (103) and China (101).

“QS’ analysis of performance trends across nearly 16,000 university departments worldwide continues to illuminate factors influencing the quality of higher education institutions globally,” said QS senior vice president Ben Sowter. “An international outlook remains paramount, manifested through diversity of students, faculty body and research relationships. Additionally, universities experiencing upward mobility have benefited from sustained, targeted investment, highlighting the importance of government support. Meanwhile, the development of partnerships with industry correlates with improved performance in employment and research.”

UH Programs in the QS World Rankings by Subject:

Arts & Humanities

   - English Language & Literature                        

Social Sciences and Management (Overall Ranking)

   - Hospitality & Leisure Management                  

   - Accounting & Finance                                    

   - Economics & Econometrics                            

   - Education                                                    

   - Business & Management Studies

Engineering and Technology (Overall Ranking)

   - Petroleum Engineering                                  

   - Engineering – Chemical                                 

   - Engineering - Electrical & Electronic                

   - Engineering - Mechanical, Aeronautical & Ma.  

   - Computer Science & Information Systems       

Life Sciences and Medicine

   - Psychology                                                   

   - Medicine                                                      

   - Biological Sciences                                        

Natural Sciences (Overall Ranking)

   - Chemistry                                                    

   - Materials Science                                          

   - Mathematics

   - Physics & Astronomy

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