M.S. Degree Requirements
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Beakers of oxide solutions used in the productions of nanoparticle products. |
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A minimum of 30 credit hours of course work in technical areas relating directly to chemical engineering is required for the M.S. degree. Shortly after admission, the candidate, with the assistance of the Graduate Director, shall prepare a written plan of study which is consistent with the following additional requirements:
- General Course Requirements
- Minimum Requirements
- Time Limitations
- Transfer of Credit
- M.S. Thesis
- Selection of Advisor and Research Topic
- Typical Plans of Study
General Course Requirements
Before graduate courses in Chemical Engineering are attempted, the candidate must fulfill certain minimal course prerequisites either by previous experience or by taking selected undergraduate courses. These minimal prerequisites are descibed in the GPA and prerequisite policy page. Some of these prerequisites may be fulfilled by concurrent registration if necessary. No courses numbered below 400 may count towards the minimal 30 credits required for the degree. A maximum of 6 credits of 400 level courses may count towards the degree subject to prior approval by the Graduate Director.
Minimum Graduate Course Requirements
Please see the GPA and prerequisite policy page for GPA requirements.
TopTime Limitations
All requirements for the M.S. degree must be completed within a five year period. This time limit applies to any transfer work from other institutions to be included in a student's program. Students who fail to complete all requirements for the degree following the granting of a time extension by the department may seek an additional extension by petitioning the department. If the department supports the request, the Administrator of Graduate Admissions and Records may grant up to a one year additional extension.
Transfer of Credit
A maximum of 6 semester hours of graduate course work taken at other regionally accredited institutions prior to matriculation in the Graduate School, or afterward, may be applied toward the Master's degree. The course must have been taken within the time limits for completing the Master's degree; the Graduate Director must agree that the specific courses are appropriate to and acceptable in Chemical Engineering, and the student is responsible for providing an official transcript of this work to the Graduate School.
Due to academic and procedural differences between U.S. regionally accredited and foreign institutions, credit from foreign universities is not normally acceptable for transfer.
The grades on transfer work do not affect the grade point average of the work taken at the University of Maryland. A grade of A from another institution cannot balance a C in a course here.
Transfer work cannot be used to satisfy the requirements for upper level courses in a student's program. The required credits of 600 level or above must be part of the work taken at the University of Maryland.
No credit transfer will be allowed for any courses which have been used in fulfillment of the requirements of any other degree. No credit will be granted for correspondence courses.
The request for transfer credit shall be submitted to the Graduate School for approval at the earliest possible time. The candidate is subject to final examination by this institution in all work offered for the M.S. degree.
M.S. Thesis
For the M.S. Thesis, 6 of the required credit hours are devoted to Research (ENCH 799). While the student may elect to take more than 6 credits of ENCH 799, only 6 credits may be used to fulfill the credit hour requirements. Upon completion of the research, the student prepares a dissertation on his/her research and must pass a final oral examination. The M.S. examining committee must include at least two members of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Faculty Assembly other than the advisor or co-advisor.
Selection of Advisor and Research Topic
Please see the research advisor selection form.
Typical Plans of Study
In principle, a candidate fulfilling all of the General Course requirements can complete the requirements for the Master of Science degree in one year. However, it is unusual for students to complete their program in less than 3 semesters. For candidates having a previous degree in a non-Chemical Engineering technical area, a 2 to 2.5 year program is usually necessary. An example plan of study is given in the M.S. coursework worksheet. Individual plans of study will be developed upon request by the Departmental Graduate Director.
