Chemical Engineering

Admission Requirements

Applicants apply for admission to the program via the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies.

Scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are not required for admission; if you already have the GRE scores and wish to provide it, then you can include the scores in your application.

Students should be a graduate of an accredited program in chemical engineering. Graduates with other accredited engineering, mathematics, or physical science majors may be admitted, though alternative program schedules may be required as students will be required to demonstrate graduate level competency in the core chemical engineering disciplines of thermodynamics, reaction and reactor kinetics, and transport. This may include making up of undergraduate deficiencies without graduate credit. Students with a 3.00 grade-point average or above (on a 4.00 scale) and with appropriate course backgrounds will be considered for admission.

Degree Requirements

Master of Science (M.S.)

Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-600 Research Degree Policies.

Two tracks are available in the Chemical Engineering M.S. program, a thesis and a non-thesis track. A minimum of 18 course credits (30 credits total) is required of the thesis track, which must also include completion of a research thesis and oral defense of the thesis. A minimum of 21 course credits (30 credits total) is required of the non-thesis track. This track also includes a 7-credit research project during the spring and summer that includes a culminating written paper and presentation.

All M.S. students complete a set of core courses in the fundamental chemical engineering disciplines of thermodynamics, reaction and reactor kinetics, and transport. There is no communication or language requirement. Continuous registration is required for all graduate students until the thesis or final paper is approved.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-600 Research Degree Policies.

A minimum of 30 graduate course credits is required and must include a minimum of 15 credits of 500-series Chemical Engineering courses taken at the University. There is no communication or language requirement. The comprehensive examination consists of a written research proposal or project defended orally after it has been accepted.

Continuous registration is required for all graduate students until the dissertation is approved.

Dual-Titles

Dual-title M.S. and Ph.D. and in Chemical Engineering and Operations Research

Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in GCAC-208 Dual-Title Graduate Degree Programs.

Admissions Requirements

Students must apply and be admitted to the graduate program in Chemical Engineering and The Graduate School before they can apply for admission to the dual-title degree program. After admission to their primary program, students must apply for admission to and meet the admissions requirements of the Operations Research dual-title program. Refer to the Admission Requirements section of the Operations Research Bulletin page. Doctoral students must be admitted into the dual-title degree program in Operations Research prior to taking the qualifying examination in their primary graduate program.

Degree Requirements

To qualify for the dual-title degree, students must satisfy the degree requirements for the degree they are enrolled in Chemical Engineering, listed on the Degree Requirements tab. In addition, students must complete the degree requirements for the dual-title in Operations Research, listed on the Operations Research Bulletin page. 

The qualifying examination committee for the dual-title Ph.D. degree will be composed of Graduate Faculty from Chemical Engineering and must include at least one Graduate Faculty member from the Operations Research program. Faculty members who hold appointments in both programs’ Graduate Faculty may serve in a combined role. There will be a single qualifying examination, containing elements of both Chemical Engineering and Operations Research. Dual-title graduate degree students may require an additional semester to fulfill requirements for both areas of study and, therefore, the qualifying examination may be delayed one semester beyond the normal period allowable.

In addition to the general Graduate Council requirements for Ph.D. committees, the Ph.D. committee of a Chemical Engineering and Operations Research dual-title Ph.D. student must include at least one member of the Operations Research Graduate Faculty. Faculty members who hold appointments in both programs’ Graduate Faculty may serve in a combined role. If the chair of the Ph.D. committee is not also a member of the Graduate Faculty in Operations Research, the member of the committee representing Operations Research must be appointed as co-chair. The Operations Research representative on the student’s Ph.D. committee will develop questions for and participate in the evaluation of the comprehensive examination.

Students in the dual-title program are required to write and orally defend a dissertation on a topic that is approved in advance by their Ph.D. committee and reflects their original research and education in Chemical Engineering and Operations Research. Upon completion of the doctoral dissertation, the candidate must pass a final oral examination (the dissertation defense) to earn the Ph.D. degree. The dissertation must be accepted by the Ph.D. committee, the head of the graduate program, and the Graduate School.

Minor

A graduate minor is available in any approved graduate major or dual-title program. The default requirements for a graduate minor are stated in Graduate Council policy GCAC-218 Minors.

Student Aid

Graduate assistantships available to students in this program and other forms of student aid are described in the Tuition & Funding section of the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School’s website. Students on graduate assistantships must adhere to the course load limits set by the Fox Graduate School.

Courses

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 699 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

Chemical Engineering (CHE) Course List