Wood and Paper Science

Degrees Offered:
 Program Title 

 Ph.D. 

 Ed.D. 

 M.S. 

 M.A. 

Master 
of 

 M.Ed. 

 MFA 
Wood and Paper Science 

 Y 

   

 Y 

   

 Y 

   

   

GRADUATE FACULTY

S. S. Kelley, Department Head

Director of Graduate Programs:
R. A. Venditti, Box 8001, 515-6185, richard_venditti@ncsu.edu, Wood and Paper Science

Alcoa Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering:  S. A. Khan
Buckman Professor:  M. A. Hubbe
Elis and Signe Olsson Professorship:  H. Jameel
Jordan Family Distinguished Professorship for Natural Resources Innovation:  V. C. Chiang

Professors: D. S. Argyropoulos, J. Denig, J. A. Heitmann, S. S. Kelley, M. W. Kelly, A. G. Kirkman, M. J. Kocurek, R. A. Venditti; Research Professors: R. L. Lemaster; Adjunct Professors: L. L. Edwards, R. B. Phillips; Emeritus Professors: H. Chang, E. B. Cowling, E. L. Deal, E. L. Ellwood, I. S. Goldstein, C. Hart, L. G. Jahn, H. G. Olf, R. G. Pearson, R. J. Thomas, E. A. Wheeler; Associate Professors: L. A. Lucia, P. H. Mitchell, J. J. Pawlak, P. N. Peralta, I. M. Peszlen, O. J. Rojas, E. O. Sills, D. C. Tilotta; Adjunct Associate Professors: P. W. Hart; Assistant Professors: S. Dasmohapatra, S. Park, D. E. Saloni; Teaching Associate Professors: S. D. Jackson; Teaching Assistant Professors: M. V. Byrd

Fields of Graduate Instruction - Wood and Paper Science

Course offerings and research facilities are available in the following areas: wood chemistry, biopolymer chemistry, bio-materials, bio-energy, pulping chemistry, process analysis, polymer chemistry, paper physics, paper recycling, wood physics (especially wood liquid relations), wood anatomy, wood biology, wood mechanics and engineering, wood machining, manufacturing processes, wood-based industry economics and marketing, and forest-based life cycle analysis.

Admission Requirements: Requirements listed here are in addition to graduate school requirements stated elsewhere. To be admitted, a student should have earned a B.S. degree with a major in wood and paper science or another suitable science or engineering degree. Students with a 3.0 GPA and with appropriate course backgrounds will be considered for admission. The GRE test scores are required except for the Master's of Wood and Paper Science offered through Distance Education.

Master of Science Degree Requirements: The M.S. degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours.  In addition, there are WPS core course requirements, which vary depending on the field of study.  Six hours of research (WPS 695) must be taken.  Two hours of Seminar (WPS 591) must be passed.  A qualifying exam must be passed.

Master of Wood and Paper Science Degree Requirements: The Master of Wood and Paper Science is a non-thesis, professional degree for students not interested in research.  The Master of Wood and Paper Science Degree is offered both on campus and through Distance Education.  For the on-campus program a minimum of 36 course credits is required.  The regulations regarding credits are the same as for the M.S. degree except that no credit for WPS 695 is required or given and up to six credits of 400-level courses in the major field may be included. A technical report, which demonstrates the student's ability to gather, analyze and report information is required.

In addition to Graduate School requirements, the Distance Education program requires that the student be employed professionally in a wood or paper science or allied field, have one year of professional experience, and take required WPS core courses, which vary depending on the field of study.  A minimum of 30 course credits is required of students who have relevant professional experience, including one hour of Seminar (WPS 591) and an independent project (WPS 625). For distance students without relevant professional experience, 36 hours is required.

Doctoral Degree Requirements: In addition to Graduate School requirements, Ph.D. candidates must present two departmental seminars (WPS 791) before their final oral examination which will be arranged. Candidates must also write and defend a research proposal on their intended research (first proposition) and a research proposal on an area outside of their dissertation/thesis research (termed a second proposition) and pass qualifying exams.

Student Financial Support: A number of research assistantships and fellowships are available.

Other Relevant Information: Graduate students should select a chairman and other advisory committee members and submit a plan of graduate work by the end of their first semester of residence. They are also required to take the qualifying examination(s) after one semester of residence. These examinations are to ensure that the student has the basic abilities to think independently as a scientist within the context of the forest biomaterials literature. The department believes M.S. and Ph.D. students should select a research topic and begin their dissertation or thesis research as early as possible.

As the field of wood and paper science is a derived science, students are urged to develop a strong secondary area of excellence in one or more of the supporting disciplines such as organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, chemical engineering, mathematics, statistics, biology, engineering mechanics, mechanical engineering, physics, and economics or business administration.

Click on Graduate Courses for current course information.

NCSU Graduate Catalog