Degree Programs
Graduate Degree Options in ChE
The Department of Chemical Engineering offers graduate degrees at both the Master's and Doctoral levels. The following degrees are offered:
:: Master of Science (M.S.) in Chemical Engineering
Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) in Chemical Engineering
:: General M.S.E. in Chemical Engineering
:: M.S.E. in Chemical Engineering (SPM focus)
:: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Chemical Engineering
Master of Science Degree (MS) in Chemical Engineering (Thesis)
The required coursework for this degree is divided into the following categories:
Chemical Engineering Core Requirements: Students are required to take (15) semester hours of graduate level Chemical Engineering courses, exclusive of seminar (CHE 591), deficiency courses (CHE 501-505), Research/Thesis (CHE 592/599), and Reading and Conference (CHE 590). Of these (15) hours, a minimum of three courses (9 hours) must come from the following list:
- CHE 527 (3): Advanced Applied Mathematical Analysis in Chemical Engineering
- CHE 533 (3): Transport Processes I
- CHE 543 (3): Thermodynamics of Chemical Systems
- CHE 544 (3): Chemical Reactor Engineering
- CHE 598 (3): Research Methods
Technical Electives: Master’s candidates must select a minimum of (9) hours of graduate-level elective courses (beyond the required 15 hours of CHE core requirements) if they take (6) hours of thesis. (6) hours of technical electives are required if the student elects to take (9) hours of combined research and thesis (6 hours thesis, 3 hours research). At least one technical elective course (3 hours) must be taken from outside of Chemical Engineering.
- 400-level courses in departments outside of Chemical Engineering are considered appropriate technical electives unless the course content significantly matches that of 300-level or lower courses in Engineering. For instance, STP 420 does not qualify as a valid technical elective because it is similar to ECE 383. Any questions on course validity for the technical elective requirement should be addressed to the student’s committee chair and/or the Graduate Coordinator.
- CHE 590 (Reading and Conference) may be taken as a technical elective only once (for a maximum of 3 credits).
Research/Thesis: Each student must register for a combined total of either 6 or 9 semester hours of research (CHE 592) and/or thesis (CHE 599). This total must include at least 6 semester hours of thesis.
Seminar: All full-time Chemical Engineering graduate students are required to successfully complete the seminar course (CHE 591) during every semester of residence. Part-time students are required to complete CHE 591 at least 3 times. Only (3) hours of seminar apply toward the MS degree, regardless of how many times it is taken.
Total: 33 credits
Master of Science in Engineering Degree (General MSE)in Chemical Engineering (Non-Thesis)
The Master of Science in Engineering Degree, with a major in Chemical Engineering, is available for students who elect not to write a thesis. Usually these students are those who pursue their degree on a part-time basis while being employed full-time. Financial assistance is not available to students who elect this degree program.
Students who choose this option follow the requirements for the Master of Science Degree, but will replace the thesis/research credits with additional credit hours of coursework. In addition, MSE students must take (3) credit hours of seminar. This degree requires a total of 33 semester hours.
After completing the coursework, students must complete a report, typically 15-20 double spaced pages plus figures, on a topic of their choice (the topic needs to be approved by their committee). At the conclusion of the report, the student will make an oral presentation on the topic to his/her committee.
Master of Science in Engineering Degree (MSE) in Chemical Engineering with a specialization in
Semiconductor Processing and Manufacturing (Non-thesis)
The Master of Science in Engineering degree, with a major in Chemical Engineering and a specialization in Semiconductor Processing and Manufacturing, involves a total of 33 semester hours. After completing the coursework, students must complete a report, typically 15-20 double spaced pages plus figures, on a topic of their choice (the topic needs to be approved by their committee). At the conclusion of the report, the student will make an oral presentation on the topic to his/her committee. The following courses are required for this degree:
- CHE 458/598 (3) Semiconductor Material Processing
- CHE 598 (3) Deposition and Etching
- EEE 591 (3) Fundamentals of Solid State Devices
- IEE 570 or IEE 572 (3) Advanced Quality Control Design of Engineering Experiments
- MSE 598 (3) Materials Issues in Semiconductor Processing
(6) credits of chemical engineering electives at the 500 level or higher
(6) credits of technical electives at the 500 level or higher
(3) credits of a technical elective at the 400 level or higher
Seminar: In addition to the 30 credits listed above, (3) credits of the 1 unit graduate seminar (CHE 591) are required. Online students can substitute an additional technical elective (500 level or higher) for this requirement.
Total: 33 credits
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Chemical Engineering
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Chemical Engineering requires completion of 84 semester hours. These hours include core/elective coursework, research/dissertation and seminar credits. Below are the specific requirements:
1) Chemical Engineering Core: The Ph.D. program requires 15 semester hours of graduate-level Chemical Engineering courses. The following five courses (comprising these 15 hours) are required for all students:
- CHE 527 (3): Advanced Applied Mathematical Analysis in Chemical Engineering
- CHE 533 (3): Transport Processes I
- CHE 543 (3): Thermodynamics of Chemical Systems
- CHE 544 (3): Chemical Reactor Methods
- CHE 598 (3): Research Methods
2) Technical Electives: In addition to the 15 hours of core above, the Ph.D. program requires 12 semester hours of technical electives from within or outside the Department of Chemical Engineering. CHE courses meeting this requirement must be at the 520 level or higher. 400-level and 590 courses (from CHE or outside departments) may not be used to fulfill this requirement (although they may be used to satisfy #5 below). Students should consult with their supervisory committees in selecting appropriate technical elective courses.
3) Research/Dissertation: Students are required to take 12 hours of research (CHE 792) and 12 hours of dissertation (CHE 799), for a combined total of 24 hours. Note that no more than 12 hours of dissertation credit (CHE 799) may appear on a program of study. Moreover, students can only take CHE 799 once they have passed the comprehensive exam and been admitted to candidacy.
4) Seminar: Students must register for the one-credit hour seminar (CHE 591) during every semester in residence. However, only a maximum of 5 credit hours may apply to the program of study.
5) Additional Research/Elective hours: The additional 28 hours necessary to meet the 84-hour minimum may be fulfilled with any combination of additional research hours (CHE 792) and technical electives from the Department of Chemical Engineering or other departments. CHE 590 (Reading and Conference) hours may also be used to fulfill this area. Note that 400-level courses in departments outside Chemical Engineering may be used to fulfill this area unless the course content significantly matches that of 300-level or lower courses in engineering. For example, STP 420 does not qualify as a valid elective because it is similar to ECE 383. Elective courses used to meet this requirement must be approved as part of the student’s program of study.
Total: 84 credit hours (including 15-hrs. core, 12-hrs. technical electives, 24 hours research/dissertation, 5-hrs. seminar, and 28 hours additional research/electives)
If a student has earned a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering or in a similarly named program with equivalent course requirements (either from ASU or elsewhere), he/she may transfer up to 30 semester hours toward the Ph.D. degree with the approval of his/her supervisory committee (students without Master’s degrees can also transfer earned graduate-level hours). However, the specific requirements of the 84 credit hours of coursework described above must still be met. Hence, if a student transfers in 30 semester hours, but none of these credits fulfill the Chemical Engineering core requirements, that student will still need to take the appropriate coursework to fulfill these requirements. Students who transfer in 30 hours are required to complete a minimum of 54 hours after being admitted to the Ph.D. program at ASU. In some cases students transferring in 30 hours may need to take more than the minimum 54 to meet all of the requirements of the program.