The UMass Lowell program in Chemical Engineering is designed to provide the opportunity for graduate students to study the fundamentals and applications of chemical engineering principles at an advanced level.

The Chemical Engineering Department considers students for enrollment in the graduate program who have a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering. Those with degrees in different areas, such as biology, chemistry and other sciences, also are admissible, but they will be required to take the undergraduate courses in which they are deficient. It is highly recommended that these students complete four years of mathematics through differential equations, one year of organic chemistry, and one semester of physical chemistry prior to enrolling in the graduate program. Generally, such students require two to three years to complete the program's requirements. Visit Graduate Admissions for information about the application process and requirements. 

Advisors and Advisory Committee

The Graduate Coordinator will be the academic advisor for each student, to help remedy deficiencies in prerequisites, select electives of most value and plan the overall program of study. For those completing a thesis, the thesis advisor will chair the advisory committee, which will guide the student in his or her research and supervise the completion of thesis requirements.

Plan of Study

Each student shall file an approved plan of study with the Department Graduate Coordinator. This form will contain a listing of the courses, which will comprise the student's program. Any changes must have the approval of the Department Graduate Coordinator.

Credit Requirements

The Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering requires the successful completion of 30 credit hours. Students may elect one of two options:

Option 1 - 24 credit hours of course work, plus at least 6 credit hours in preparation of an acceptable thesis. Students who receive a research assistantship will be required to submit an acceptable thesis. A thesis must be defended in an oral defense conducted by the student's thesis committee.

Option 2 - 30 credit hours of course work for the non-thesis option. 

All students must enroll in the graduate seminar (CHEN.6010/6020) during their period of study. (These are zero credit seminars.)

Core Requirements

The core requirements will consist of the following courses:

• CHEN.5200 Advanced Thermodynamics
• CHEN.5260 Advanced Kinetics and Reactor Design
• CHEN.5280 Advanced Transport Phenomena
• CHEN.5390 Mathematical Methods for Engineers

Thesis

Each student who chooses to complete a thesis will be required to complete six credits of thesis and must defend the thesis when completed according to University regulations. The research work for the thesis shall be conducted under the supervision of a department faculty advisor and a committee of two others for the thesis. The student must prepare and submit an acceptable proposal for the thesis prior to beginning the work.

During the period the student is enrolled in graduate thesis, he or she may be required to submit to the faculty of the department a brief monthly report, showing progress in his or her thesis or project and approval by his or her advisor.

Elective Requirements

The remainder of the course requirements are to be made up of elective courses. See the elective course listing under the Doctoral Program. The Elective course requirements are 12 credits beyond the core for thesis students and 18 credits beyond the core foe students in the coursework only option. 

See the elective course listing under the Doctoral Program.