Skip To Main Content
Jack E. Brown Building
Jack E. Brown Chemical Engineering Building
Chemical Engineering Building

Master of Science

The Master of Science requires a minimum of 32 semester credit hours of approved courses and research. Of those hours, a minimum of 25 credit hours must be formal course work (required courses and electives) and at least one credit hour of CHEN 691: Research needs to be included in the degree plan.

The following are the required 15 hours of courses that all MS students must complete:

  • CHEN 601: Chemical Engineering Laboratory Safety and Health (1)
  • CHEN 604: Chemical Engineering Process Analysis (3)
  • CHEN 623: Applications of Thermodynamics to Chemical Engineering (3)
  • CHEN 624: Chemical Engineering Kinetics and Reactor Design (3)
  • CHEN 629: Transport Phenomena (3)
  • CHEN 681: Seminar (2)
  • CHEN 696: Graduate Mentoring Seminar (1)
  • Total Credits: 15 “core” credits

The remaining 9 credit hours of formal course work (typically three courses) are subject to the following restrictions:

  • The electives must be formal graduate-level courses and should be approved by the Graduate Program Director. Only technical (science or engineering) courses can satisfy these requirements. In special cases, up to three credit hours of advanced undergraduate level courses may be included.
  • At least six hours of credit must be for courses taken within the Department of Chemical Engineering.
  • Graduate courses completed at other institutions and passed with a grade of B or better may be used towards satisfying the departmental electives. With the approval of the Graduate Program Director, up to nine credit hours may be transferred from other institutions. These courses cannot have been used towards another degree.
  • Students must register for CHEN 681 Seminar in all the semesters they are on campus. However, only two credits will be counted towards their degree plan.
  • Graduate courses cannot be retaken for credit.

The seven remaining credit hours normally are CHEN 691: Research, but other options may be chosen, subject to the approval of the Graduate Program Director and the student's Advisory Committee. At least one credit hour of CHEN 691: Research must be included in the degree plan.

MS candidates must present the results of their research in a seminar open to the public, as part of their Final Examination. The Final Examination cannot be waived.

Steps for Completing an MS Degree in Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University.

Students must follow these steps for completing an MS Degree:

  1. Select a research advisor by the end of the student’s first term at Texas A&M.
  2. File the degree plan by the end of the student’s second semester (two terms) at Texas A&M.
  3. Complete the Thesis Proposal by the end of the first Academic Year
  4. Finish the thesis, and pass the final examination. File the thesis and follow the check-out procedure (see the Graduate Program Coordinator for a check-out form).

Continuation into the PhD program

A student who wishes to continue into the PhD program after completing a MS must submit all required documents by October 1st (Spring Admission) or December 1st (Fall Admission) prior to graduation. Required documents are: Letter of Intent, Personal statement, and 3 Letters of Recommendation. Note that MS students cannot transfer into the PhD program and must complete their current degree program prior to entering the PhD program.

Students who complete the MS degree and continue on into the PhD program must take at least one graded CHEN graduate elective. This is per the requirements of the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies, and is required to have an official GPA for their PhD work, Note that the PhD advisor and dissertation committee can suggest additional classes for the student based on the PhD project and the student’s background. In addition, the student must complete other degree requirements for the PhD program (CHEN 695, presentation and publication requirement).

How to Apply