Chemical Engineering

Admission Criteria: For applicants with a chemical engineering undergraduate degree

For both the master’s degree program and the certificate programs, you must apply to be admitted, and admission is not automatic. Admission generally requires an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering and a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. If you did not receive your undergraduate degree at an accredited U.S. school, you will be required to take the TOEFL exams.

Students with an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering who are admitted into the M.S. Ch.E. degree program will need to complete 30 credits (10 courses) at the graduate level, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. To earn a degree, a student will be required to complete a curriculum that includes 3 required courses, 2 (of 5) elective courses, and 5 additional courses. Additional information on the curriculum distribution requirements can be found below..

Admission Criteria: For applicants without a chemical engineering undergraduate degree

If your undergraduate degree is not in Chemical Engineering, you will be considered for admission into the certificate programs, but admission is not automatic. Further, for admission into the Master’s Degree Program in Chemical Engineering, you will need to satisfy the Admission Criteria for applicants without a Chemical Engineering undergraduate degree:

Requirement 1: Undergraduate GPA

• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, mathematics: ≥ 3.25 / 4.0
• Bachelor’s degree in civil or mechanical engineering from an ABET accredited institution: ≥ 3.0 / 4.0
• Bachelor’s degree in another biological or physical science or another engineering discipline: ≥ 3.25 / 4.0

Requirement 2: Completed Undergraduate courses (with a cumulative GPA ≥ 3.0 / 4.0)

• Calculus I, Calculus II, Differential Equations with Linear Algebra
• General Chemistry I, II; Physics I, II (An additional upper level science course can substitute for Physics II)
• 2 Upper level science courses appropriate to the student’s undergraduate major 

Requirement 3: GRE scores

• Quantitative Reasoning: ≥ 155/170 (new scale)
• Analytical writing: ≥ 4.0/6.0
• Slightly lower GRE scores will be allowed if the undergraduate GPA is higher than the minimum listed.

Requirement 4: Undergraduate Chemical Engineering course content

To satisfy Requirement 4, select 1 of the 2 options below.

• Option 1: Villanova University undergraduate courses
  Complete 7 core undergraduate chemical engineering courses with a GPA ≥ 3.0 /4.0, usually completed over a 2-year period.
  • Fall semester, 4 courses:
    • CHE 2101 - Thermodynamics 1
    • CHE 2201 - Fluid Dynamics
    • CHE 3201 - Mass Transfer
    • CHE 3202 - Reactor Design
  • Spring semester, 3 of 4 courses (to be selected based on student background, academic performance, and academic advisement):
    • CHE 1102 - Material Balances
    • CHE 2102 - Thermodynamics 2
    • CHE 2202 - Heat Transfer
  • Note: these courses will not earn the student credit toward the completion of the MSChE degree but will represent one of the prerequisite requirements for admission into the program. However, upon successful completion of the 7 courses shown with Option 1, students without an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering who are admitted into the MSChE program will only need to complete 30 credits at the graduate level to complete the MSChE degree requirements.

(OR)

• Option 2: Michigan State bridging courses
  Complete CHE 804, 805 Foundations of Chemical Engineering I, II; offered online by Michigan State University; complete each course with a GPA ≥ 3.5/4.0 (repeating if necessary, until the required minimum grade is achieved.) 

Note: these courses will not earn the student credit toward the completion of the MSChE degree but will represent one of the prerequisite requirements for admission into the program. Upon successful completion of the 2 courses shown with Option 2, students without an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering who are admitted into the MSChE program will need to complete 36 credits at the graduate level to complete the MSChE degree requirements.

Please Note:  Successful completion of Requirements 1, 2, 3 and 4 will ensure admission into the MSChE program on a probationary basis, once a complete application has been submitted.