Master of Science in Chemical Engineering
Note: This page pertains to students admitted in the Fall 2009 semester
and later. For those students admitted prior to the Fall 2009 semester, please refer to
the old program requirements.
Department:
Chemical Engineering
Transcript Designation:
Master of Science in Chemical Engineering
Program Advisor:
Academic Questions: e-mail advisor@cvn.columbia.edu
Administrative Questions: e-mail cvn@cvn.columbia.edu
About the MS Program in Chemical Engineering:
Chemical engineering is a highly interdisciplinary field concerned with materials and processes at the heart of
a broad range of technologies. Practicing chemical engineers are the experts in charge of the development and
production of diverse products in traditional chemical industries as well as many emerging new technologies.
The chemical engineer guides the passage of the product from the laboratory to the marketplace, from ideas and
prototypes to functioning articles and processes, from theory to reality. This requires a remarkable depth and
breadth of understanding of physical and chemical aspects of materials and their production.
The expertise of chemical engineers is essential to production, marketing, and application in such areas as
pharmaceuticals, high-performance materials in the aerospace and automotive industries, biotechnologies,
semiconductors in the electronics industry, paints and plastics, petroleum refining, synthetic fibers, artificial
organs, biocompatible implants and prosthetics and numerous others. Increasingly, chemical engineers are involved
in new technologies employing highly novel materials whose unusual response at the molecular level endows them
with unique properties. Examples include environmental technologies, emerging biotechnologies of major medical
importance employing DNA- or protein-based chemical sensors, controlled-release drugs, new agricultural products,
and many others.
Admission Requirements:
Degree required for admission: Students admitted to the program must possess an undergraduate degree
in engineering, science, mathematics, physics, biochemistry, pharmacy or other related field (subject to
the approval of the Chemical Engineering Program) from an accredited academic institution. Applicants should
have a strong undergraduate record to be competitive for admission.
GPA required: Minimum of 3.0
GRE requirements: General test required
Other application requirements: Two recommendation letters, transcripts, resume, and a personal-professional
statement are required. TOEFL test scores are required of all students who received their bachelor's degree
in a country where English is not the official and spoken language. All application requirements in the Graduate
Application must be completed as specified in the application.
Degree Requirements:
Students must complete all core courses (described below) and selected electives (described below) for a total
of 30 graduate points of academic work with an academic average of 2.5 or better. All degree requirements must
be completed within 5 years of the beginning of the first course credited toward the degree. This includes courses
taken in the non-degree program.
Core Courses (12 credits):
The core courses provide a student with a foundation in the fundamentals of Chemical Engineering.
The core courses contribute 12 points of graduate credit toward the degree. Students must complete the
following:
1. CHAP E4120: Statistical Mechanics
2. CHEN E4010: Mathematical Problems in Chemical Engineering
(formerly Chemical Process Analysis)
Or
2. APMA E4200: Partial Differential Equations, I
3. CHEN E4110: Transport Phenomena, III
4. CHEN E4330: Advanced Chemical Kinetics
Elective Courses (9 credits):
In addition to the required four core Chemical Engineering courses listed above, students will need to complete
three additional courses from the courses listed below for a total of 9 credits in Chemical Engineering or related
fields such as Materials Science and Earth & Environmental Engineering. Approved courses that will fulfill this
category of course requirements include (but are not limited to) the following classes. Additional courses not
listed below can be applicable towards this requirement, subject to the approval of the faculty advisor.
APPH E4090: Nanotechnology
APPH E4200: Physics of Fluids
APPH E4300: Applied Electrodynamics
APPH E4301: Introduction to Plasma Physics
BMCH E4810: Artificial Organs
CHEE E4050: Principles of Industrial & Environmental Electrochemistry
CHEE E4252: Introduction to Surface and Colloid Chemistry
CHEE E4530: Corrosion of Metals
CHEE E6252: Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry
CHEN E4520: Biocolloid Engineering Design
CHEN E4620: Introduction to Polymers and Soft Materials
CHEN E4800: Protein Engineering
EAEE E4003: Aquatic Chemistry
EAEE E4200: Production of Inorganic Materials
EAEE E4550: Catalysis of Emissions Control
EAEE E4901: Environmental Microbiology
EAEE E6208: Combustion Chemistry and Processes
ECIA E4100: Management and Development of Water Systems
MSAE E4132: Fundamentals of Polymers and Ceramics
OR
MSAE E4250: Ceramics and Composites
MSAE E4202: Thermodynamics and Reactions in Solids
MSAE E4206: Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Solids
MSAE E4215: Mechanical Behavior of Structural Materials
BMEN E4501: Tissue Engineering, I
BMEN E4502: Tissue Engineering, II
Free Electives (9 credits):
A student must select three elective courses for a total of 9 points of graduate credit.
These elective courses allow the student to pick subjects from a variety of areas within the Engineering
School to complement the core program. The determination of which courses are applicable towards the elective
requirements is subject to the approval of the faculty advisor.
Thesis:
No thesis or project is required. Students may take up to a maximum of six points of Master’s Research
(CHEN E9400) for credit. Those students that pursue this Master’s Research typically do so after completion
of the Core Course requirements.
Transfer of credit:
Up to 6 credit hours (points) of acceptable graduate-level academic work from an accredited academic institution
earned prior to enrolling at Columbia may be transferred to Columbia, subject to departmental approval. Students
must request the transfer of credit while applying to the MS program. Credit will only be
considered for transfer if the grades earned were at least 3.0 on the 4.0 scale. An official college transcript
and copy of the class syllabus and/or course description from the school's bulletin must accompany the "Transfer
of Credit Request" form. Please note that courses already used towards completion of another degree program cannot
be re-used for transfer credit.