Admissions Information

Campus where offered

University of Arizona - Main - Tucson

 

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 or petroleum engineering for admission into the program, with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0. Previous coursework should include math 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: $90 for degree-seeking domestic and international students. (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 listed 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 University of Arizona 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 and 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.

 

Admissions Deadlines

Domestic Applicants:

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

International Applicants:

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

Note to applicants: In order to receive priority consideration for fall admission and full consideration for department funding, fall applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their completed applications by December 15. The final deadline for fall applications is typically January 15. Late applications will be considered if the applicant has the support of a CHEE faculty member. Final deadline for spring applications is June 30. Most of our PhD students start in the fall; spring admission is extremely rare (applications are not typically available for spring admission) and less likely to secure funding.

 

Standardized Tests

Required test(s): English Proficiency (for applicants whose native language is not English)

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

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

 

Funding Opportunities

Research and Teaching Assistantships

Most full-time ChE doctoral students in good academic standing are supported financially during their graduate studies. This includes an annual stipend, in-state tuition, out-of-state tuition (if applicable), and health insurance. Support is typically provided by the faculty adviser, using funds from the adviser's research grant or the department wide training grants (see following section), contingent upon the student's satisfactory academic progress and good standing in the ChE program. First-year support may be provided by the college in the form of a fellowship. Students can also apply for teaching assistantships which are offered each semester.

Detailed information about teaching and research assistantships is available in the UA Graduate College GA Manual.

Scholarships and Fellowships

The ChE graduate program encourages all students to seek fellowship and/or scholarship funding. The following resources 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

 

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

NRC Taxon(a) for this program: Chemical Engineering

Additional Information About this Program

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate	22.73%
Avg. Time-to-degree (years)	4.29
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male	62.5%
Enrollment Percent Female	37.5%
Enrollment Percent International	25%
Enrollment Percent URM	40.63%

---