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Master of Science in Chemical Engineering

Program Specifics

The program consists of at least 30 credits of course work (10 courses), of which a maximum of six credits may be replaced by an independent study project. This project, if elected, will be guided by a member of the department faculty. The type of project (e.g., experimental research, process design, theoretical analysis, literature survey) will be based on the student's interests and the recommendations of the department's graduate committee. All topics for independent study are subject to review and approval by the department's graduate committee. The student must prepare a formal written report covering the independent study. Full-time students receiving financial aid will be required to carry out an independent study project for six credits and prepare a thesis.

A minimum of 24 credits of the student's course work must be in chemical engineering. The courses selected must conform to the departmental guidelines and form a coordinated program. Students must successfully complete a comprehensive examination (administered at times designated by the department) designed to ascertain their facility in the application of chemical engineering principles.

Courses

All of our graduate courses are taught at night (3 hours one night per week) so that working professionals can easily attend and participate in the program. Ten courses are required for the Master's degree in Chemical Engineering. A minimum of six of these courses must be in chemical engineering fundamentals* while a maximum of four can be in the electives area**. Two courses may be outside the chemical engineering department with advisor approval. All courses are 3 credits.

Fundamentals Electives
CHE 8550 - Chem Reaction Engr I CHE 7002 - Quantitative Safety Tech
CHE 8551 - Chem Reaction Engr II CHE 7003 - Tox. & Health Eff. in Chem Ind
CHE 8555 - Proc Control Theory I CHE 7110 - Climate Change/Sustainability
CHE 8556 - Proc Control Theory II CHE 7520 - Electronic Instrumentation
CHE 8558 - Process Design I CHE 8561 - Air Pollution Control
CHE 8564 - Fluid Dynamics CHE 8570 - Polymer Science & Engineering
CHE 8565 - Heat Transfer CHE 8578 - Treatment of ChE Data
CHE 8571 - Separation Processes I CHE 8580 - ChE Economics
CHE 8572 - Separation Processes II CHE 8588 - Biochemical Engineering I
CHE 8575 - Thermodynamics CHE 8590 - Intro to Biotechnology
CHE 8579 - Applied Math for ChE CHE 8591 - Industrial Waste Management
CHE 8585 - Optimization CHE 8595 - Special Topics in CHE
CHE 8589 - Biochemical Engineering II  
CHE XXXX - Independent Study (can be taken twice)  

*Student may request to take general graduate engineering courses, subject to approval by the graduate student advisor.
**Electives: a maximum of two approved courses outside of chemical engineering.

Benefits

The departmental evening graduate program provides practicing professionals an opportunity to pursue advanced study on either a part-time or full-time basis. The program maintains a balance between theory and practice, stresses modern engineering methods for the solution of detailed and complex problems, and emphasizes the problem solving and critical thinking coupled with engineering judgment.

Master's Requirements to Apply

The following are required for application to the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering program:

  • Applicants for admission to the Masters of Science in Chemical Engineering program must ordinarily possess a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering or have met the standard requirements thereof.
  • Students who hold a bachelor's degree in a field other than chemical engineering may apply to the program but, if admitted, will be required to take certain undergraduate courses (which will be specified by the graduate committee of the Chemical Engineering department) in addition to the program requirements stated previously.
  • The ability to pursue graduate studies must be demonstrated by the applicant's undergraduate record and/or recommendations.