Department of Chemical Engineering

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The Chemical Engineering Department offers both master’s (Master’s of Science in Engineering and Master’s of Engineering) and Ph.D. degrees, as described below. The objective of the master’s programs is to prepare the student for professional work in chemical engineering at a more advanced level than the B.S. or for further study leading to the Ph.D. degree. The principal objectives of the Ph.D. program are to provide students with an opportunity to reach a critical understanding of basic scientific and engineering principles underlying their fields of interest and to cultivate their ability to apply these principles creatively through advanced methods of analysis, research, and synthesis. The Ph.D. is awarded primarily on the basis of research.

Learning Objectives

Master of Science in Engineering. Graduates of the thesis-based (Master of Science) program should be able to:

• Demonstrate a more advanced understanding in chemical engineering fundamentals compared to the B.S. degree holders.
• Display the ability to conduct research in a field of specialization within Chemical Engineering, and effectively communicated their findings orally and in writing to a technically literate audience.
• Illustrate ethical awareness of responsible conduct of research.

Master of Engineering. Graduates of the non-thesis (Master of Engineering) should be able to:

• Demonstrate a more advanced understanding in chemical engineering fundamentals compared to the B.S. degree holders.
• Display the ability to perform and communicate an independent study in a field of specialization within Chemical Engineering.
• Illustrate ethical awareness.

Doctor of Philosophy. Graduates from the Ph.D. program should be able to:

• Demonstrate a critical understanding of scientific and engineering principles underlying their fields of interest.
• Apply scientific and engineering principles creatively through advanced methods of analysis, research, and synthesis, and effectively communicated their findings orally and in writing to a technically literate audience.
• Illustrate ethical awareness of responsible conduct of research.

Master’s Programs

Study at the master’s level includes a range of fundamental courses in chemical engineering and allied areas, and independent study or research in an area of specialization. Both thesis and non-thesis options are available.

Admission. Applicants must have a B.S. degree in chemical engineering or a closely related field and satisfy the general admission requirements of the Graduate School and specific requirements of the discipline as follows:

• Either a 3.0 minimum overall grade point average in an ABET-accredited chemical engineering program, or
• Successful Master’s program applicants typically have GRE subscores greater than 150 for Verbal Reasoning and 151 for Quantitative Reasoning.

Non-Thesis Master’s Program. A non-thesis program in chemical engineering is available and is particularly suited for non-chemical engineers, non-engineers, part-time students, and students not interested in research work.

Students enrolled in the Non-Thesis Master’s Program are not considered for departmental teaching assistantships on entry to the University and are not eligible for research assistantships. Admissions requirements are:

• A B.S. degree in chemical engineering, an engineering discipline other than chemical engineering or in one of the physical sciences.
• A 3.0 minimum overall GPA in undergraduate study, and approval by the discipline graduate coordinator and Graduate Dean.

Successful non-thesis master’s program applicants typically have GRE subscores greater than 150 for Verbal Reasoning and 148 for the Quantitative Reasoning.

Requirements for Thesis and Non-Thesis Master’s Degrees. All applicants from non-English speaking countries who have not received a degree from a U.S. university must have a minimum TOEFL score of 85 on the internet-based exam, or 563 on the paper exam. Applicants from non-English speaking countries may submit a minimum score of 6.5 on the IELTS exam in place of the TOEFL.

Applicants are selected for admission on or about February 1 and October 1. Applicants should designate their major fields of research interest. Admission may be denied to maintain the desired balance of students in various interest fields.

Students may be asked to take a number of remedial courses at the undergraduate level to make up for deficiencies in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and/or engineering. The student’s advisor will select elective courses to strengthen the student in areas not stressed at the undergraduate level.

A 3.0 grade point average is the minimum normal for the master’s degree program. Students must maintain a 3.0 overall grade point average and at least a 3.0 average in their major field of study.

Not more than six hours of C grades in course work can be applied to a master’s degree. Thesis grades are recorded on a pass-fail basis and are not computed in grade point averages. A passing grade in all thesis hours is required.

Initial advisement of all master’s program students is done by the Graduate Program Advisor. All courses taken for graduate credit in these programs shall be selected from those listed in this Bulletin, subject to the approval of the advisor. Independent study must be approved by the Graduate Program Advisor.

Programs

• Chemical Engineering, M.E.
• Chemical Engineering, M.S.E.

• Chemical Engineering, Ph.D.

• Chemical Engineering, B.S./M.E.

Courses

• CHE 6123 Health, Safety, and Environment in Chemical Processes
• CHE 6133 Industrial Catalysis
• CHE 6153 Risk Management and Optimization in the Chemical Process Industry
• CHE 6423 Natural Gas Plant Design
• CHE 6463 Chemical Reactor Design
• CHE 6483 Chemical Engineering Plant Design
• CHE 6504 Process Component Design
• CHE 6513 Process Control
• CHE 6563 Environmental Engineering
• CHE 6583 Petroleum Refinery Design
• CHE 7003 Fluid Mechanics
• CHE 7023 Thermodynamics
• CHE 7033 Reaction Kinetics
• CHE 7043 Heat and Mass Transfer
• CHE 7103 Catalysis
• CHE 7213 Problem-Solving in Chemical Engineering
• CHE 7863-9 Special Topics in Chemical Engineering
• CHE 7913 Master’s Project
• CHE 7961 Residency
• CHE 7971-3 Seminar
• CHE 7981-6 Research and Thesis
• CHE 7991-6 Independent Study
• CHE 9981-9 Research and Dissertation
• CHE 9991-9 Independent Study

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