DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Reviewed June 1, 2021 by Dr. Vito Punzi, Director of Graduate Studies
For Admitted Students with an Undergraduate Degree in Chemical Engineering
For admitted students who completed an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering, the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering program requires at least 30 credits of course work (10 courses) chosen so as to satisfy the following curriculum distribution requirements:
- 3 Required courses:
- CHE 8575 Thermodynamics
- CHE 8563 Transport Phenomena
- CHE 8551 Chem Kinetics & Catalysis
- 2 of the following 6 elective courses:
- CHE 8571 Separation Processes I
- CHE 8572 Separation Processes II
- CHE 8558 Process Design I
- CHE 8550 Chem Eng Reactors
- CHE 8565 Heat Transfer
- CHE 8588 Biochemical Engineering I
- 5 additional courses generally selected from among all CHE offerings (maximum of 4 at the 7000-level) chosen as part of a plan of study developed in consultation with your academic advisor
- A minimum of 24 credits (8 courses) must be Chemical and Biological Engineering department course offerings, subject to the approval of the graduate student’s advisor; a maximum of 2 courses may be taken outside of the Chemical and Biological Engineering department (and will normally be “counted” as 7000-level electives when determining satisfaction of the program requirements)
- A maximum of 6 credits may be replaced by an independent study or thesis project, which, if elected, will be guided by a member of the department faculty. Projects may take the form of experimental research, process design, theoretical analysis or a literature survey, and the selected topic is subject to review and approval by the department's graduate committee. Full-time students receiving financial aid are required to complete the six credit research project and prepare a thesis.
BRIDGING PROGAM (Pre-requisites)
For Admitted Students without an Undergraduate Degree in Chemical Engineering:
Before earning credits toward your master’s degree in chemical engineering, students must first complete pre-requisites to bridge the gap in education. Bridging students can elect to take courses at Villanova, however we encourage taking online courses through Michigan State University to expedite completion. Through MSU, students meet the requirements by taking only two classes over the course of one spring and one summer and can start pursuing their graduate degree immediately after. If students choose to take the required coursework through Villanova, it requires six courses, offered during the day - none of which count toward a master’s degree.
Option 1
Courses at MSU:
- CHE 804 - Foundations of ChE I
- CHE 805 - Foundations of ChE II
Option 2
Courses at Villanova:
(3 of the following in Spring semester)
- CHE 1102 – Material Balances
- CHE 2202 – Heat Transfer
- CHE 2102 – ChE Thermo 2 (or) CHE3202 – CHE Reactor Design
(3 in Fall semester)
- CHE 2101 - Thermodynamics 1
- CHE 2201 – Fluid Dynamics
- CHE 3201 – Mass Transfer
For Admitted Students without an Undergraduate Degree in Chemical Engineering
For admitted students who did not complete an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering engineering and who successfully complete the CHE804/805 sequence (Option 1, above) (i.e., “bridging” students), the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering program requires at least 36 credits of course work (12 courses) chosen to satisfy the following curriculum distribution requirements:
- 3 Required courses:
- CHE 8575 Thermodynamics
- CHE 8563 Transport Phenomena
- CHE 8551 Chem Kinetics & Catalysis
- 3 of the following 6 elective courses:
- CHE 8571 Separation Processes I
- CHE 8572 Separation Processes II
- CHE 8558 Process Design I
- CHE 8550 Chem Eng Reactors
- CHE 8565 Heat Transfer
- CHE 8588 Biochemical Engineering I
- 6 additional courses generally selected from among all CHE offerings (maximum of 4 at the 7000-level) chosen as part of a plan of study developed based on consultation with their academic advisor.
- A minimum of 30 credits (10 courses) must be Chemical and Biological Engineering department course offerings; subject to the approval of the graduate student’s advisor, a maximum of 2 courses may be taken outside of the Chemical and Biological Engineering department (and will normally be “counted” as 7000-level electives when determining satisfaction of the program requirements)
- A maximum of 6 credits may be replaced by an independent study or thesis project, which, if elected, will be guided by a member of the department faculty. Projects may take the form of experimental research, process design, theoretical analysis or a literature survey, and the selected topic is subject to review and approval by the department's graduate committee. Full-time students receiving financial aid are required to complete the six-credit research project and prepare a thesis.
- For admitted students who did not complete an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering but who successfully complete the 6 courses shown as Option 2, above, the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering program will require 30 credits, distributed as shown above for admitted students who completed an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering.
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