MChE Catalog Information

About the MChE degree...

The Master of Chemical Engineering (MChE) is a coursework-only degree signifying that the recipient has learned fundamental chemical engineering principles forming the foundation of analysis. The Master of Chemical Engineering program produces skilled engineers having a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of chemical engineering as well as a broader set of professional skills and/or exposure to other technical disciplines. This training is designed to meet the growing need of the process industries for chemical engineers with deeper technical backgrounds. Thus the MChE graduate makes use of a deeper and more flexible toolkit of knowledge when confronted with engineering problems. Students take four of the graduate core courses and one other graduate chemical engineering course toward this end. The degree requirements include electives that allow students to take several Breadth/Depth/Skill courses to complement the core knowledge. These electives are essentially free electives so the student can study alternative topics such as business, finance, entrepreneurship, or take more science or engineering.

Students entering with a BSChE can earn the MChE with one additional academic year of study. It is even possible to graduate with a BSChE and MChE at the same time for CMU undergraduates; it is arduous but has been done. It is likewise possible to enter the MChE program from another discipline and obtain the MChE degree after taking some basic courses as background for the four graduate core required courses. This path, however, typically requires an extra year.

Who might be interested in a MChE degree?

The Master of Chemical Engineering (MChE) is an attractive degree for students wanting to deepen their understanding of engineering fundamentals and obtain a graduate degree that gives them a competitive edge, but who do not want to spend two years doing coursework, research, and a thesis. Since only coursework is required, the MChE can be completed within nine months starting from a BSChE. The MChE is also an attractive degree for students who want to become chemical engineers but have an undergraduate degree in another discipline. Depending on the student's background, three or four academic semesters will be required to complete both background coursework and the MChE requirements.

Carnegie Mellon undergraduates find the MChE particularly attractive because it provides the highest quality preparation, the shortest time to completion, and the convenience of not having to move to another location. The degree is typically completed in a fifth year of residence; undergraduates become graduate students. Graduates with the MChE successfully compete for industrial positions and fellowships in graduate school. Recruiters place a premium on students having this additional education.

Application and Admission

All students applying for the MChE must follow the Online Application Procedures.

Admission of non-CMU students and CMU students not enrolled in chemical engineering is based on overall academic performance, recommendation letters and GRE scores. Applicants should have a B average or better in chemical engineering courses.

Students enrolled in chemical engineering Carnegie Mellon also use the Online Application process. A minimum overall QPA of 3.0 and three letters of recommendation from faculty of the Department of Chemical Engineering are required. Taking the GRE is not required for currently-enrolled CMU students in chemical engineering and the application fee is waived. The deadline for applications is January 15 for the fall semester, and October 15 for the spring semester.

Requirements

The MChE degree requires the completion of a minimum 96 units with a cumulative QPA of 3.0 or higher. This unit requirement typically translates into 8 -10 courses. (Note: Coursework used to satisfy the requirements of any other degree cannot be counted toward this requirement.)

a) Four core graduate chemical engineering courses (minimum 48 units)

Studens must take at least four out of the following six core graduate level (06-7xx) courses in Chemical Engineering:

• 06-703 Advanced Fluid Dynamics (12 units)
• 06-705 Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (12 units)
• *06-713 Mathematical Techniques (12 units)
• 06-702 Advanced Reaction Kinetics (12 units)
• 06-704 Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer (12 units)
• 06-720 Advanced Process Systems Engineering (12 units)

b) One technical elective (9 units)

Students must take at least one advanced level course in chemical engineering (06-600 level or higher) or a technical course outside the department (xx-Nxx where N is greater than or equal to 2).** This requirement also may be fulfilled by 9 or more units of individual research (06-600). Examples:

• 06-607 Physical Chemistry of Colloids and Surfaces
• 06-619 Semiconductor Processing Technology
• 06-606 Computational Methods for Large Scale Process Design and Analysis
• 07-716 Electrochemical Engineering
• 03-620 Techniques in Electron Microscopy
• 09-510 Intro to Green Chemistry
• 33-755 Quantum Mechanics I
• 21-660 Intro to Numerical Analysis I
• 47-834 Linear Programming
• 36-707 Regression Analysis

c) Breadth, Depth, and Skill coursework (minimum 36 units)

Students in the MChE program must take a minumum 36 units of elective courses (200 level or higher) in any other discipline. Individual research (06-600) also can be counted in this category up to an overall maximum of 24 research project units when summed with units used to satisfy the above technical course requirement. Examples:

• 18-220 Electrical Devices and Analog Circuits
• 03-232 Biochemistry I
• 09-441 Nuclear and Radiochemistry
• 33-348 Introduction to Solid State Physics
• 70-371 Production I
• 70-391 Finance
• 73-100 Principles of Economics
• 06-608 Safety

Students can consult the Graduate Advisor (Professor Sides) for help with course selection and timing of courses, especially if the student wants to start satisfying the degree requirements before graduating with the BS. Guidance is also provided formally at the Graduate Student Orientation usually held on the Wednesday before the beginning of the fall semester classes.

*It is strongly recommended to take 06-713 Mathematical Techniques in Chemical Engineering in the fall of the first year of starting the program.

**A "technical course" is defined as any course with significant mathematical, engineering, or scientific content. Please consult the Graduate Advisor, Paul Sides, to determine if courses meet these requirements.

How much does it cost?

Students should plan on two to three academic semesters of study depending on preparation. See Tuition and Fees for estimates of the current cost of study per semester at Carnegie Mellon.

Students derive financial support for this program either from their own resources, employer programs, foundations or governmental agency sources. The Department of Chemical Engineering does not offer fellowships to MChE students.

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