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Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

In order to be academically prepared for graduate-level coursework and research in Chemical Engineering, applicants should have successfully completed the following undergraduate courses when they apply:

• 4 semesters of math (calculus through differential equations)
• Kinetics
• Mass transport
• Thermodynamics

Applicants lacking in some area at the time of application may provide a plan to gain competence in these areas in their Statement of Purpose.

These items must be sent through the Graduate College online application.

• GRE scores are not required.
• Statement of purpose—indicating the academic and professional goals you hope to achieve in pursuit of this program of study. This is an essay where you describe your background, research interests and career goals, as well as your reasons for applying to our graduate program. See instructions in the online application that will help guide you as you write your essay.
• Unofficial electronic copies of transcripts from previous academic work. Official Transcripts will be required prior to matriculation. Applicants should have a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, chemistry, physics, materials science, petroleum engineering or other relevant/related major for admission into the program, with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0. Previous coursework should include math (calculus through differential equations), kinetics, mass transport and thermodynamics. Applicants lacking in some area at the time of application may provide a plan to gain competence in these areas in their Statement of Purpose.
• Resume - publications and time spent in a research lab make a much stronger application
• For international applicants, official scores from TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, CEFR or other accepted English Proficiency exam. See below for exemptions to this requirement.
• Minimum of three letters of recommendation
• Application processing fee: $85 for domestic applicants, $95 for international applicants. (If you have difficulty paying the application fee due to financial hardship, please contact Grace Fuller at gracefuller@arizona.edu)

Test Scores:

The institution code for the University of Arizona is 4832, which you choose when you register for tests like the TOEFL. Results are sent electronically to the university, typically within two weeks of the test date. After your application is submitted, our search/match system will attempt daily to match your test scores to your GradApp record. Please make sure the name on your tests matches the name on the application to avoid missing scores. The department code for Chemical Engineering (1001) is helpful but not necessary.

English Proficiency:

English proficiency is required for most applicants whose native language is not English (see exemptions list below). Applicants may submit scores from a number of accepted English proficiency tests. A comprehensive list, along with minimum accepted scores, can be found at https://grad.arizona.edu/admissions/requirements/international-applicants#english-proficiency. The Graduate College does not accept Duolingo for University of Arizona graduate applicants. Note that the Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering does not offer conditional admission for applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements of an English Proficiency test.

Exemptions

• Those exempt from submitting English proficiency scores are:
  • Applicants from countries where English is the official language.
  • Applicants who have completed a bachelors or graduate degree at a regionally accredited institution in the United States, or an approved institution in an official English speaking country. Students eligible for this exemption, who are awarded a graduate teaching assistantship from their department, must complete the mandatory English Speaking Proficiency Evaluation (ESPE.) Refer to the GA Manual for more information: http://grad.arizona.edu/funding/ga.
  • Applicants who have not yet completed a degree at a regionally accredited institution in the United States, or an approved institution in an official English speaking country, but have two years of full-time academic study but have taken 48 upper division, graded undergraduate semester units or 30 graded, graduate semester units. Units must not be older than two years from the term of enrollment. Students eligible for this exemption, who are awarded a graduate teaching assistantship from their department, must complete the mandatory English Speaking Proficiency Evaluation (ESPE.) Refer to the GA Manual for more information: http://grad.arizona.edu/funding/ga.

GRE:
The GRE exam is not required for Chemical Engineering MS applicants

Review Process

After the application deadline passes, the faculty will review all of the applications and make recommendations for admissions. If you are recommended for admission, the Graduate College will email you. At this time, the Graduate College may request original transcripts for verification. They will send you your actual admissions paperwork by post, or contact you by email if you are missing any items such as your degree certificate, original transcripts or financial guarantee. Applications for the fall semester application are reviewed in February, March and April.

NOTE: The Graduate College recommends a deadline for applicants; our department reserves the right to extend the deadline as listed above.

 

Standardized Tests

Required test(s): English Proficiency for applicants whose native language is not English. (see Admission Requirements above for details)

Minimum English Proficiency test scores: see https://grad.arizona.edu/admissions/requirements/international-applicants#english-proficiency

 

Funding Opportunities

Financial assistance, such as research or teaching assistantships, tuition waivers or hourly grader positions, is available according to merit and awarded on a competitive basis after review of the applicants admitted to our program. Note that such funding for MS students is not guaranteed and available funds are limited.

Master's students may also be supported by a variety of fellowships and scholarships. The following resources can simplify finding, applying for and managing fellowships and scholarships: 

• Graduate College search for funding
• UA graduate diversity programs
• Scholarship Universe, UA scholarship database and search tool
• UA Office of Fellowships support for finding external funding
• UA Engineering’s deadline-driven list

 

Admissions Deadlines

Domestic Applicants:

• Fall: January 15
• Spring: June 30 (note that spring applications are rarely accepted - if the application portal is not open it is because no applications are being accepted)

International Applicants:

• Fall: January 15
• Spring: June 30 (note that spring applications are rarely accepted - if the application portal is not open it is because no application are being accepted)

 

International Conditional Admission

International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.

Other Information

The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

ETS Major Field Code(s) for this program: 1001 - CHE

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

30 

Core Coursework Requirements

Minimum credits to complete program: 30
Core coursework: 12 units of required courses:

• CHEE 502—Advanced Engineering Analysis (3 units)
• CHEE 505—Advanced Chemical Engineering Transport Phenomena (3 units)
• CHEE 506—Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (3 units)
• CHEE 530—Advanced Chemical Reaction Engineering (3 units)

Language requirements: none
Other requirements:

Thesis MS:
9 units of elective courses in chemical engineering or related fields (See list below)
4+ units of Graduate Seminar (CHEE 696A) - all CHEE graduate students must enroll in seminar each semester they are in the program
5 units of MS Thesis (CHEE 910). The thesis must be successfully defended before a committee.

Non-thesis MS:
9 units of elective courses in chemical engineering or related fields (See list below)
2+ units of seminar (CHEE 696A) - all CHEE graduate students must enroll in seminar each semester they are in the program
4 units of Research (CHEE 900)
3 units of CHEE 909 (Masters report) or 2 units of CHEE 594 (Practicum) + 1 unit of CHEE 909

Minimum GPA in all coursework is 3.0/4.0.

 

Elective Coursework

Nine (9) units of electives are required to complete the program. Elective courses are determined at the discretion of the individual student and the student's faculty advisor, usually relevant to the student's research. CHEE courses from which students may choose are:

• CHEE 500R—Water Chemistry for Engineers (3 units)
• CHEE 512—Electrochemical Engineering (4 units)
• CHEE 514—Sustainable Water Supplies for Remote Communities (4 units)
• CHEE 520—Chemical Reaction Engineering (3 units)
• CHEE 525—Emerging Issues in Water Quality (3 units)
• CHEE 537—Surface Science (3 units)
• CHEE 542—Bioremediation on Inorganic Contaminants (2 units)
• CHEE/ATMO 569A—Air Pollution I: Gases (3 units)
• CHEE/ATMO 569B—Air Pollution II: Aerosols (3 units)
• CHEE 572—Interfacial Chemistry of Biomolecules in Environmental Systems (3 units)
• CHEE 574—Fate and Transport Processes in Environmental Engineering (3 units)
• CHEE 575—Water Treatment System Design (3 units)
• CHEE 576—Wastewater Treatment System Design (3 units)
• CHEE 577R—Microbiology for Engineers (3 units)
• CHEE 578—Introduction to Hazardous Waste Management (3 units)
• CHEE 581A—Engineering of Biological Processes (3 units)
• CHEE 581B—Cell and Tissue Engineering (3 units)
• CHEE 582—Analysis of Emerging Environmental Contaminants (3 units)
• CHEE 583—Intro to Polymeric Materials (3 units)
• CHEE 587—Topics in Transport Phenomena (3 units)
• CHEE 589—Trends in Nanomedicine Engineering: Fundamentals of Therapeutics and Drug Delivery Systems (3 units)

 

Additional Requirements

All CHEE graduate students are required to register and attend CHEE 696A, the CHEE Graduate Seminar (1 unit), each semester that they are in the program.

 

Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate	45.95%
Avg. Time-to-degree (years)	1.46
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male	62.5%
Enrollment Percent Female	37.5%
Enrollment Percent International	25%
Enrollment Percent URM	40.63%

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