What is the first year experience like?
Our first-year students study three core courses during the first semester (thermodynamics, mathematics, and transport) and do not have teaching/grading responsibilities during this semester. The most important decision that students have to make during their first semester is which research advisor to work for. The choice of a research advisor usually determines the field of research and the research project and the research supervisor will serve as the primary contact person for the student from then on. In the second semester, students usually take the fourth core course (kinetics) and spend a significant portion of their time working on their research project. Ph.D. students also usually serve as assistants to the course instructor (ACI) during the second semester. See the graduate student handbook for more detail on the ACI program. What is the ratio of Ph.D. to M.S. students Admissions are heavily weighted toward Ph.D. students over M.S. students.
