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Polymer Specialty Certificate

The Polymer Specialty Certificate is designed to provide a strong interdisciplinary educational program for undergraduate/graduate engineering students and suitably prepared science students interested in pursuing a polymer career. The certificate will also reduce the training time required to turn Texas A&M University students into productive members of the industrial workforce. This program is the first of its kind offered in the state of Texas. Despite the significant role the polymer industry plays in the state's economy, no schools in Texas offer a formal polymer curriculum.

The Polymer Specialty Certificate consists of four (4) three-hour courses for a total of 12 credit hours. Students can choose from the following list of required courses: AERO 406, AERO 606, BMEN 482/682, CHEN 451, CHEN 641, MEEN 455, MEEN 458, MEEN 607, MEEN 635, CHEM 466. In addition, the remaining six hours are to be selected from a list of approved courses, of which three hours can be substituted with an approved individual research experience. Completion of the certificate will be recorded on the student's university transcript.

Guideline

Students should complete and submit certificate applications to msen-ug-advising@tamu.edu before registering for any of the certificate courses.

Requirements

  • Students must be in good academic standing within the major department.
  • Students must obtain a "C" or better in each course taken towards the certificate program.
  • Students must achieve an overall GPR of 3.0 in approved certificate program coursework.
  • Students must meet all requirements for admission to upper-division in the student's major department.
  • Students must submit the completed certificate worksheet to msen-ug-advising@tamu.edu upon registering for the final course(s) to complete certificate requirements.
  • It is recommended that students take 6 hours of coursework above what is required for their degree program.
  • Students must consult with an academic advisor prior to submitting an application for the certificate.

Course Requirement Summary

The official list of courses can be found on the Polymer Specialty Certificate Program Requirements catalog page.

Certificate Courses Accepted by Major

  • Some or all courses may be accepted as technical electives with approval from the respective department.
  • The civil and environmental engineering department will accept these courses as a technical elective for some majors.
  • The aerospace engineering department will accept 485/491 courses and/or ENGR 281 and 381 towards degree plans if they are honors. Students can petition for a 400-level or 600-level course in AERO or another department to count for an AERO technical elective.
  • The biological and agricultural engineering department has one 3-hour technical elective and one 3-hour engineering elective that could be fulfilled by appropriate courses used toward a certificate program.
  • The electrical and computer engineering department has several 400-level courses that could be used as technical electives for ELEN. Each is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
  • The engineering technology and industrial distribution department accepts most any upper-level (3xx or 4xx) engineering courses as a technical elective. Students should submit a written request explaining why and how it applies to the program.

Certificate Application and Worksheet 

Students may obtain a certificate application and worksheet by emailing MSEN undergraduate advising.