Chemical and Biomedical Engineering

Degree Requirements

Prior to satisfactory completion of the entire preparatory program, no course may be taken toward the fulfillment of the graduate degree program without prior written permission of the student's advisor.

The graduate program consists of 30 credit hours of approved courses. These credits are distributed as follows:

  • Core courses (12 credits):
    • CHE 502: Advanced Thermodynamics (4 credits)
    • CHE 506: Advanced Transport Phenomena (4 credits)
      and one of the following:
    • CHE 504: Advanced Reactor Design (4 credits)
      or
    • CHE 508: Advanced Separation Processes (4 credits)
  • A minimum of nine (9) credits of graduate elective courses, subject to advisor approval. One of these courses may be in a technical discipline outside of chemical engineering. This course may also be at the 400 level. No courses required in the undergraduate chemical engineering program may be applied for graduate credit. All students are required to present a seminar on their research.
  • All students are required to present a seminar on their research.
  • Students must select either a thesis option or a project option. The requirements for each of the options, in addition to those described above, are as follows:
    • Thesis option (9 credits) The student plans and completes a research project, which may lead to scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, under the direction of a faculty advisor. The student must enroll in at least nine (9) credits of CHE 699 (Master's Thesis). This option is designed for the student who wants extensive research experience and a focus within a particular field.
    • Project option (3 + 6 credits) The student completes a research project under the direction of a faculty advisor. The student must enroll in three (3) credits of CHE 698 (Master's Project) and six (6) credits of chemical engineering graduate electives. This option is designed to provide the student with a broader education in chemical engineering, as well as to give some experience in research techniques.

Students must achieve at least a 3.00 grade-point average to graduate. Thesis students must submit a thesis to their graduate committee following the Thesis and Dissertation Format Guidelines available from the Graduate College Office, Fenn Tower, Room 1111. Acceptance of the thesis by the graduate committee and passing an oral defense of the thesis are required. Non-thesis students must prepare and present a formal report of their research.