Chemical Graduate Degrees Offered

The department offers a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering with either a Plan I (thesis) or Plan II (non-thesis) option, or Plan III (coursework only) option as well as a PhD in Engineering with a concentration in Chemical Engineering. General requirements for the degrees offered follow.

Information presented here provides a quick overview of the degree programs; consult the UNM Catalog for complete details.

Core Courses (MS, PhD)

Students in the chemical engineering MS program are required to take the core courses listed below. Students admitted to the chemical engineering doctoral program and not already possessing an MS in Chemical Engineering are generally required to complete the chemical engineering core courses.

  • CBE 501: Chemical & Biological Engineering Seminar – 1 hr
  • CBE 502: Chemical & Biological Engineering Research Practices - 3 hrs
  • CBE 521: Advanced Transport Phenomena I – 3 hrs
  • CBE 525: Methods of Analysis in Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Engineering – 3 hrs
  • CBE 542: Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics – 3 hrs
  • CBE 561: Kinetics of Chemical Processes - 3 hrs

MS Plan I (Thesis option)

  • 24 hrs of course work, including core courses, max of 3 hrs of CBE 551/552: Problems, and max 3 hrs of seminar
  • 6 hrs thesis
  • At least 50% of coursework must be completed after admission to the program
  • Significant milestones:
    • Thesis defense 
    • Submission of completed thesis

MS Plan II (Non-thesis option)

  • 30 hrs coursework, including core courses, max of 6 hrs of CBE 551/552: Problems, and max of 3 hrs of seminar
  • At least 50% of coursework must be completed after admission to the program
  • Completion of Master’s project under the direction of a faculty member (typically be done as part of a Problems course)
  • Significant milestones:
    • Master’s Examination, consisting of an oral presentation and defense of the student’s major project, as well as oral examination of the student’s discipline principles

MS Plan III (coursework only)

  • 30 hrs coursework, including core courses, max of 6 hrs of CBE 551/552: Problems, and max of 3 hrs of seminar
  • At least 50% of coursework must be completed after admission to the program

PhD

  • A minimum of 48 hrs of coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree (excluding dissertation hrs)
    • At least 24 hours of coursework applied to the degree must be completed at UNM
    • At least 18 hours must be completed after formal admission to the doctoral program
    • 24 hours maximum credit applied to a master’s degree, which may include up to 6 hours of thesis credit
    • No more than 50% of the required course credit hours at the University of New Mexico may be taken with a single faculty member. (Course work that has been completed for the master’s degree is included in this limit.)
    • Max of 6 hrs of seminar may be applied
    • Max of 6 hrs of CBE 551/552: Problems may be applied
  • 18 hours dissertation
  • Significant milestones:
    • Qualifying Exam: The qualifying exam in chemical engineering consists of an oral exam and is required for all students to proceed in the doctoral program. The Qualifying Exam is mandatory after successful completion of the core classes, which should be completed within the first two semesters of the program.  The Qualifying Examination must be passed before applying for Candidacy or proceeding to the Comprehensive Exam.
    • Comprehensive Exam
    • Dissertation Defense
    • Submission of completed dissertation

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