Requirements
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Degree Requirements
To earn your PhD, you must:
- Only for students who have not yet earned an MS before their time in our program: Earn satisfactory grades in the four core courses (CHEN E4010 MATH METHODS IN CHEMICAL ENGIN, CHEN E4110 MECHANISMS OF TRANSPORT, CHEN E4330 ADVANCED CHEMICAL KINETICS, CHEN E4130 ADV CHEM ENGI THERMODYNAMICS/CHAP E4120 STATISTICAL MECHANICS AND COMP METHODS);
- pass a Qualifying Examination;
- pass a Proposal Examination within 12 months of passing the Qualifying Examination;
- pass a Dissertation Defense; and
- satisfy course requirements beyond the four core courses.
Fresh from their win at the Millard Chan Tech Challenge, the team behind MilkShaker demonstrated a practical and science-backed solution to prevent mastitis, providing professional level care without sacrificing time or requiring special training. Another group of seniors in the Department of Mechanical Engineering showcased a prototype for the CareCruiser, a wheelchair-to-stroller attachment designed to give wheelchair-using parents and caregivers greater independence when navigating with strollers and carseats.
Several projects also tackled infrastructure design, including a civil engineering and engineering mechanics team that unveiled Rethinking Resilience. The project envisions a new sustainable, flood-resilient train station to replace the existing Ardsley-on-Hudson station along the MTA’s Metro-North Hudson Line.
And in the gaming arena, a team from the Department of Electrical Engineering demonstrated their physical tank game using modified remote-controlled cars. By reconfiguring the electronics of remote-controlled cars, the team enabled Bluetooth-based control of both the motors and onboard lasers. Players score by hitting opposing cars with laser pulses, while any car that gets hit is temporarily disabled with a five-second freeze penalty.
Dean Shih-Fu Chang greeted the students and commended them on their year-long efforts. “You all have started with an idea and brought it to life. That’s what engineers do! We bring ideas to life . . . Today’s showcase truly represents our Engineering for Humanity vision. This is a milestone in your Columbia experience and one I hope you remember for years to come.”
Each year, Columbia Engineering seniors work on a capstone project, aka Senior Design. They are challenged to solve real-world problems with innovative solutions, rooted in their foundational math, science and engineering courses.
Here’s a look at some of the students and their innovations at Senior Design Expo 2025.
Scenes from Senior Design Expo ‘25
Credit: Timothy Lee/Columbia Engineering
Masthead Caption: A student tries on LenScribe, a compact set of 3D-printed glasses designed for audio input, speech processing, and visual display
Masthead Credit: Timothy Lee/Columbia Engineering
Learn more about Sanat Kumar and his research
Sanat Kumar's work has reshaped the way researchers think about polymers, particularly in confined geometries. And, as both an engineer and an educator he's reshaping how to think about the problems we tackle and their impact on society.