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This archived information is dated to the 2009-10 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Master of Science in Chemical Engineering

A range of M.S. programs comprising appropriate course work is available to accommodate students wishing to obtain further academic preparation after receiving a B.S. degree and before pursuing a professional chemical engineering career. This degree is a terminal M.S. degree. It is not a prerequisite for nor does it lead directly into the department's Ph.D. program. For conferral of an M.S. degree, a formal thesis is not required, but the following departmental requirements must be met.

Unit and Course Requirements—For students terminating their graduate work with the M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering, a graduate-level, thematic program consisting of a minimum of 45 completed units of academic work is required, including (1) four Chemical Engineering lecture courses selected from the 300 series—not including 320 in 09-10; (2) 3 units of 699 Colloquia; (3) an additional 30 units, selected from graduate-level science or engineering lecture courses in any department and, by petition to the Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering, from upper-division undergraduate lecture courses in science and engineering. Alternatively, up to 6 units of research may be used in lieu of up to 6 units of the additional 30 lecture units to partially satisfy the 45 unit minimum requirement. Another option is an up-to-six-unit combination of research units and 1, 2, or 3 units of 459 or other similar 1- or 2-unit graduate seminar courses, with faculty developed curricula, used in lieu of up to 6 units of the required additional 30 lecture units. Credit toward the M.S. degree is not given for Chemical Engineering special topics courses numbered in the 500 series nor for similar courses in other departments.

To ensure that an appropriate Chemical Engineering graduate program is pursued by all M.S. candidates, students who first matriculate at Stanford at the graduate level must (a) submit during the first quarter, no later than the eighth week, a M.S. adviser-approved Program Proposal for a Master's Degree form to departmental student services, for review by the department chair, and (b) obtain approval from the M.S. adviser and the department chair for any subsequent program change or changes. Stanford undergraduates admitted to the coterminal master's program must (a) submit an adviser-approved Program Proposal for a Master's Degree (a graduate degree progress form) either during their first quarter of graduate standing or upon the completion of 15 units of graduate work (whichever occurs first), and (b) document with student services their M.S. adviser's review and approval of their graduate program when they have accrued 30 units toward the degree in Chemical Engineering. Each M.S. candidate must obtain approvals for the final M.S. program no later than the eighth week of the quarter preceding the quarter of degree conferral, in order to permit amendment of the final quarter's study list if the faculty deem this necessary. Students with questions should contact student services.

Minimum Grade Requirement—Any course used to satisfy the 45-unit minimum for the M.S. degree must be taken for a letter grade, if offered. An overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 must be maintained for these courses.

Research Experience—Students in the M.S. program wishing to obtain research experience should work with the M.S. adviser on the choice of research adviser as early as feasible and in advance of the anticipated quarter(s) of research. Once arrangements are mutually agreed upon, including the number of units, students enroll in the appropriate section of CHEMENG 600. A written report describing the results of the research undertaken must be submitted to and approved by the research adviser. CHEMENG 600 may not be taken in lieu of any of the required four 300-level lecture courses.

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