Chemical Engineering, MS

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the master of science program must hold a bachelor’s degree from a program that is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology at the time of graduation, or provide evidence of an equivalent academic background to the Dean of the College of Engineering and Polymer Science and the appropriate department chair.

Applicants must submit a completed graduate application, official undergraduate transcripts, undergraduate grade point average, three letters of recommendation, resume, and a statement of purpose. Personal statements or descriptions of post-baccalaureate experience that provide a rationale for proposed graduate study may also be submitted.

Applicants with a bachelor’s degree must have an overall grade point average of 2.75 or better or 3.00 for the last two years (64 semester credits or equivalent).

Applicants whose native language is not English must have a TOEFL score of at least 79 on the internet-based TOEFL or an IELTS score of at least 6.5. 

Admission Requirements for Students from Other Disciplines

Applicants with a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than engineering shall have completed coursework in calculus, differential equations, have one year of classical physics, and must complete coursework equivalent to CHEE 200 Material & Energy Balances and one or more of the 300-level courses below.  The specific coursework varies with the intended area of study within chemical engineering; consult the department. An overall GPA of 3.0 is expected for these courses.

BS/MS Combined Degree Pathway in Chemical Engineering

The BS/MS Combined Degree Pathway program in Chemical Engineering provides superior undergraduate students with the opportunity to complete an M.S. in Chemical Engineering with one additional year of study beyond their BS Chemical Engineering degree at The University of Akron. The program is only available to BS Chemical Engineering students at The University of Akron. Applications are accepted in the Spring of the junior year.

Degree Requirements

The University’s Academic Requirements (See Academic Requirements in this Graduate Bulletin), the following college requirements and the department’s academic requirements must all be satisfied for the Master of Science degrees in the College of Engineering and Polymer Science.

Thesis Option

Students in the thesis option must:

• Attend and participate in departmental seminars.
• Identify a three-member Advisory Committee including a major advisor before completion of nine credit hours of coursework.
• Complete a formal Plan of Study that is acceptable to the Advisory Committee before completion of twelve credit hours of coursework. The formal Plan of Study may be revised upon approval of the Advisory Committee.
• Successfully (no “fail” votes) defend the thesis before the Advisory Committee and complete the thesis.

¹

CHEE 631 Chemical Engineering Analysis is considered to complete the three-credit Approved Mathematics requirement.

²

Students without a BS in Chemical Engineering or Corrosion Engineering are required to take CHEE 541 Process Design I, which can be counted towards Chemical Engineering Elective requirement.

Non-thesis Option

Students in the non-thesis option must:

• Attend and participate in departmental seminars.
• Identify a three-member Advisory Committee including a major advisor before completion of nine credit hours of coursework.
• Complete a formal Plan of Study that is acceptable to the Advisory Committee before completion of 12 credit hours of coursework. The formal Plan of Study may be revised upon approval of the Advisory Committee.
• Successfully complete an Engineering Report approved by the Advisory Committee and give an oral presentation.

¹

CHEE 631 Chemical Engineering Analysis is considered to complete the three-credit Approved Mathematics requirement.

²

Students without a BS in Chemical Engineering or Corrosion Engineering are required to take CHEE 541 Process Design I, which can be counted towards towards the Chemical Engineering Elective requirement.