Chemical Engineering, MSCHE
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The Master of Science in Chemical Engineering is normally pursued by students with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering or closely allied fields. Students wishing to pursue the master’s degree but with undergraduate educational backgrounds other than chemical engineering may be required to complete supplementary undergraduate course work. These courses are in addition to the minimum course requirements. Students enrolled in the program are encouraged to seek guidance from their instructors and advisor regarding additional course work that may supplement the graduate curriculum.
Students originally admitted to the master’s degree program who wish to switch to the PhD program must petition the associate chair for graduate studies. If admission is granted, then the student must satisfy all the requirements of the doctoral degree program, including the requirements for doctoral candidacy.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 32 semester hours of academic work is required to qualify for the Master of Science degree in chemical engineering.
If pursuing a thesis option, at least 8 semester hours of thesis credit must be included as part of these 32 semester hours of credits. In addition, each student pursuing a thesis option must enroll in the department’s seminar course for each semester they are working toward their degree. Students enrolled in the department’s seminar course are encouraged to participate in the seminar by providing a research presentation regarding their research project under the guidance of their advisor. The faculty advisor and the student establish the sequence of courses that students take to pursue the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering.
If pursuing a nonthesis option, students must complete a minimum of 32 semester hours of course work and no enrollment in the seminar course is required. See required core courses and example elective courses for all graduate students.
| Degree Requirements | Thesis Option | Nonthesis Option |
|---|---|---|
| Required core courses | 16 SH | 16 SH |
| Master of Science proposal | Required | N/A |
| Master of Science thesis | 8 SH | N/A |
| Seminar | 0 SH | N/A |
| Elective courses 1 | 8 SH | 16 SH |
| Minimum semester hours required 2 | 32 SH | 32 SH |
| 1 | Students may complete a maximum of 8 semester hours (thesis option) or 12 semester hours (nonthesis options) of course work for credit outside the Department of Chemical Engineering under the guidance of their advisor and approval of the chemical engineering graduate program director. Exceptions to this policy are the Gordon Engineering Leadership program and the Engineering Business Certificate. Normally, no more than 9 semester hours (inclusive of transfer credits) may be taken outside the College of Engineering. |
| 2 | Exclusive of any preparatory undergraduate courses. |
Thesis Requirements
Students pursuing a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering with thesis must submit to the Graduate School of Engineering a written thesis that is approved by the thesis committee and department chair. For details, see the graduate school requirements and electronic submittal instructions. MS with thesis students must also complete an oral master’s thesis defense in order to successfully complete the program. The student will be expected to form a master’s thesis committee, composed of a minimum of three members—one who is the advisor, one other faculty member from the chemical engineering department, and one member from outside the department. The oral presentation will be open to the public, including students, faculty, and the candidate’s committee.
Part-time Students
Part-time students may progress according to their plans and time constraints but within the seven-year time limit. A minimum of 32 semester hours of academic course work is required for part-time students. The thesis and seminar course are not required for part-time students pursuing a master’s degree.
Master of Science students wishing to change their status from part-time to full-time must notify the chemical engineering department and make a formal petition to the Graduate School of Engineering. Refer to the regulations of the Graduate School of Engineering for further information on academic administrative policies.
Departure Prior to Thesis Completion
Occasionally, students must leave the chemical engineering department prior to completion of all degree requirements. In such instances, long time intervals have often elapsed before thesis or manuscript submission. Accordingly, the department has adopted the guideline that a student cannot submit a thesis for credit beyond three years after the student stops actively pursuing the research. Exceptions may be granted upon petition to the departmental graduate committee. Petitions must demonstrate extenuating circumstances and prove that the research is still of value to the profession.
Graduate Certificate Options
Students enrolled in a master's degree have the opportunity to also pursue one of the many engineering graduate certificate options in addition to or in combination with the MS degree. Students should consult their faculty advisor regarding these options.
Gordon Institute of Engineering Leadership
Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering with Graduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership
Students may complete a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering in addition to earning a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership. Students must apply and be admitted to the Gordon Engineering Leadership Program in order to pursue this option. The program requires fulfillment of the 16-semester-hour curriculum required to earn the Graduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership, which includes an industry-based challenge project with multiple mentors and 16 semester hours of required chemical engineering course work.
Engineering Business
Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering with Graduate Certificate in Engineering Business
Students may complete a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering in addition to earning a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Business. Students must apply and be admitted to the Galante Engineering Business Program in order to pursue this option. The program requires the applicant to have earned or be in a program to earn a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Northeastern University. The integrated 32-semester-hour degree and certificate will require 16 semester hours of the chemical engineering core courses and 16 semester hours from the outlined business-skill curriculum. The course work, along with participation in cocurricular professional development elements, earn the Graduate Certificate in Engineering Business.
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Core Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHME 7320 | Chemical Engineering Mathematics | 4 |
| CHME 7330 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (Statistical Thermodynamics can be substituted for Thermodynamics ) | 4 |
| or CHME 7235 | Introduction to Statistical Thermodynamics | |
| CHME 7340 | Chemical Engineering Kinetics | 4 |
| CHME 7350 | Transport Phenomena | 4 |
Options
Complete one of the following options:
Course Work Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 16 semester hours from the course list below. | 16 | |
Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Thesis | ||
| Complete 8 semester hours from the following (CHME 7990 is repeatable): | 8 | |
| Seminar | ||
| Thesis | ||
| Electives | ||
| Complete 8 semester hours from the course list below. | 8 | |
Course List
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHME 5101 | Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering Analysis | 4 |
| CHME 5105 | Materials Characterization Techniques | 4 |
| CHME 5137 | Computational Modeling in Chemical Engineering | 4 |
| CHME 5160 | Drug Delivery: Engineering Analysis | 4 |
| CHME 5185 | Design of Experiments and Ethical Research (DOEER) | 4 |
| CHME 5510 | Fundamentals in Process Safety Engineering | 4 |
| CHME 5520 | Process Safety Engineering—Chemical Reactivity, Reliefs, and Hazards Analysis | 4 |
| CHME 5621 | Electrochemical Engineering | 4 |
| CHME 5630 | Biochemical Engineering | 4 |
| CHME 5631 | Biomaterials Principles and Applications | 4 |
| CHME 5632 | Advanced Topics in Biomaterials | 4 |
| CHME 5683 | Introduction to Polymer Science | 4 |
| CHME 5699 | Special Topics in Chemical Engineering | 4 |
| CHME 6610 | Computational Programs in Process Safety for Relief and Scenario Modeling | 4 |
| CHME 7235 | Introduction to Statistical Thermodynamics | 4 |
| CHME 7240 | Polymer Science | 4 |
| CHME 7260 | Special Topics in Chemical Engineering | 4 |
| CHME 7262 | Special Topics in Process Safety | 4 |
| CHME 7978 | Independent Study | 1-4 |
| BIOE 5410 | Molecular Bioengineering | 4 |
| EMGT 5220 | Engineering Project Management | 4 |
| EMGT 6225 | Economic Decision Making | 4 |
| EMGT 6305 | Financial Management for Engineers | 4 |
| ENGR 5670 | Sustainable Energy: Materials, Conversion, Storage, and Usage | 4 |
| ME 5620 | Fundamentals of Advanced Materials | 4 |
| NNMD 5270 | Introduction to Nanomedicine | 3 |
| NNMD 5272 | Nanomedicine Seminar 1 | 1 |
| NNMD 5274 | Nanomedicine Seminar 2 | 1 |
| NNMD 5370 | Nanomedicine Research Techniques | 4 |
| NNMD 5470 | Nano/Biomedical Commercialization: Concept to Market | 3 |
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
32 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required