ADMISSION CRITERIA
Updated 9/19/23
For both the Master’s Degree program and the Certificate programs, you must apply to be admitted, and admission is not automatic. Admission generally requires an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering and a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. If you did not receive your undergraduate degree at an accredited U.S. school, you will be required to take the GRE and/or the TOEFL exams.
Students with an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering who are admitted into the M. S. Ch. E. degree program will need to complete 30 credits (10 courses) at the graduate level, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. To earn a degree, a student will be required to complete a curriculum that includes 3 required courses, 2 (of 5) elective courses, and 5 additional courses. Additional information on the curriculum distribution requirements is presented here.
If your undergraduate degree is not in Chemical Engineering, you will be considered for admission into the certificate programs, but admission is not automatic. Further, for admission into the Master’s Degree Program in Chemical Engineering, you will need to satisfy the Admission Criteria for applicants without a Chemical Engineering undergraduate degree:
Requirement 1: Undergraduate GPA
- Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, mathematics: ≥ 3.25 / 4.0
- Bachelor’s degree in civil or mechanical engineering from an ABET accredited institution: ≥ 3.0 / 4.0
- Bachelor’s degree in another biological or physical science or another engineering discipline: ≥ 3.25 / 4.0
Requirement 2: Completed Undergraduate courses (with a cumulative GPA ≥ 3.0 / 4.0)
- Calculus I, Calculus II, Differential Equations with Linear Algebra
- General Chemistry I, II; Physics I, II (An additional upper level science course can substitute for Physics II)
- 2 Upper level science courses appropriate to the student’s undergraduate major
Requirement 3: Undergraduate Chemical Engineering course content
To satisfy Requirement 3, select 1 of the 2 options below.
- Option 1: Villanova University undergraduate course
Complete 6 core undergraduate chemical engineering courses with a GPA ≥ 3.0 /4.0:
Fall semester, 3 courses:
CHE 2031 - Intro to Chemical Processes
CHE 3031 - Heat Transfer
CHE 3131 - CHE Thermodynamics II
Spring semester, 3 of 4 courses (to be selected based on student background, academic performance, and academic advisement):
CHE 2032 - CHE Thermodynamics I
CHE 2232 - Fluid Mechanics
CHE 3032 - Mass Transfer
CHE 3332 - ChemE Reactor Engineering I
Note: these courses will not earn the student credit toward the completion of the 36-credit MSChE degree, but will represent one of the prerequisite requirements for admission into the program.
(OR)
- Option 2: Michigan State bridging courses
Complete CHE 804, 805 Foundations of Chemical Engineering I, II; offered online by Michigan State University; complete each course with a GPA ≥ 3.5/4.0 (repeat if necessary until the required minimum grade is achieved.) Note: these courses will not earn the student credit toward the completion of the 36-credit MSChE degree, but will represent one of the prerequisite requirements for admission into the program.
Recommended GRE scores: GRE scores are not required, but recommended for applicants without a chemical engineering or related degree.
- Quantitative Reasoning: ≥ 700/800 (old scale) or ≥ 155/170 (new scale)
- Analytical writing: ≥ 4.0/6.0
- Slightly lower GRE scores will be allowed if the undergraduate GPA is higher than the minimum listed.
STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
“My Villanova Engineering research and courses prepared me for the technical challenges a process engineer faces daily, and taught me some incredibly valuable communications skills. My adviser was more than just a good professor—he and the entire department always had my personal development and best interests in mind.”
Chris Bongo, Process Engineer, Air Products