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 deep 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 Carnegie Mellon 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.