Graduate Program Information
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Curriculum program plans shown reflect current degree requirements. Previous academic year requirements can be accessed from the catalog page by choosing the appropriate academic year.
Master of Science in Chemical Engineering
| Major Code: | 8033 | Degree Awarded: | Master of Science |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery Mode(s): | Classroom | Location(s): | Main Campus - Melbourne |
| Admission Status: | Graduate | Age Restriction: | No |
The objective of the master of science program is to study the basic principles of chemical engineering in greater depth, including transport phenomena, thermodynamics, reactor design and process control. Electives in other areas to broaden the student’s exposure are also required. The program’s emphasis is research and the writing of a thesis on a current problem. The results of the thesis must be publishable in a technical journal. A nonthesis option is also offered, which requires the completion of a special project in lieu of a thesis. Students are advised to see members of the faculty to determine compatibility of interests before selecting a research area. Program policies are available in the program office.
Admission Requirements
The applicant must have a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering or its equivalent. Applicants with degrees in other fields of engineering, or in science or mathematics, are ordinarily required to take preparatory undergraduate courses before starting the master of science program. These courses are established by the faculty adviser and the department head when the student obtains admission to the program.
General admission requirements and the application process are detailed in the Academic Overview section of the university catalog.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Science in Chemical Engineering requires satisfactory completion of 30 credit hours, including six credit hours of thesis research for the thesis option and at least three credit hours of a faculty-supervised graduate project for the nonthesis option, as shown below. Required courses include the zero-credit Chemical Engineering Seminar (CHE 5100) that all graduate students are required to register for and attend every semester. The elective credits may be satisfied by taking chemical engineering graduate courses or other courses approved by the graduate adviser The thesis option requires completion and successful defense of a thesis, while the nonthesis option requires a passing score on the final program examination based on both a written report and an oral presentation on the graduate project before the student’s faculty committee. A thesis or graduate project proposal must be approved in advance by the faculty committee. All graduate students partly or fully supported by teaching or research assistantships are required to enroll in the thesis option.
Curriculum
Prior to the completion of nine credit hours of graduate study each student establishes an appropriate program of study with the guidance of a graduate committee, subject to final approval by the department head.
Thesis Option
| CREDITS | ||
| CHE 5100 | Chemical Engineering Seminar | 0 |
| CHE 5101 | Transport Phenomena 1 | 3 |
| CHE 5110 | Equilibrium Thermodynamics | 3 |
| CHE 5120 | Process Control | 3 |
| CHE 5150 | Chemical Reactor Design | 3 |
| CHE 5999 | M.S. Thesis in Chemical Engineering | 6 |
| Electives | 12 | |
| TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED | 30 | |
Nonthesis Option
In the nonthesis option, the six credit hours of Thesis (CHE 5999) are replaced by three credit hours of Graduate Project in Chemical Engineering (CHE 5998) and three credit hours of an approved elective, which may be CHE 5998.
Areas of Specialization
The student may select electives and the thesis or graduate project topic to provide an emphasis in any of the following areas that include environmental engineering; materials synthesis, processing and characterization; transport and separation processes; computer-aided modeling, processing and control; or biomedical engineering.
Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical engineering applies engineering and science methodologies to the analysis of biological and physiological problems and the delivery of healthcare. The biomedical engineer serves as an interface between traditional engineering disciplines and living systems, and may focus on either, applying the patterns of living organisms to engineering design or engineering new approaches to human health. A biomedical engineer may use his/her knowledge of engineering to create new equipment or environments for such purposes as maximizing human performance or providing noninvasive diagnostic tools. Students can choose elective courses in their area of interest offered by other engineering disciplines.
The minimum requirements include those outlined above and 15 credit hours (five courses) as outlined below:
| Required Courses | ||
| BIO 5210 | Applied Physiology | |
| BME 5103 | Transport Processes in Bioengineering* | |
| BME 5702 | Biomedical Applications in Physiology | |
| Two courses from the following: | ||
| BME 5259 | Medical Imaging | |
| BME 5569 | Biomaterials and Tissue Regeneration | |
| BME 5710 | Orthopedic Biomechanics | |
| BME 5720 | Biomedical Instumentation | |
*Equivalent to CHE 5101 Transport Phenomena 1