Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering
Department Director: Dr. Bill Elmore
Graduate Co-Coordinators: Dr. Dong Meng and Dr. Amin Amirlatifi
330 Swalm Chemical Engineering Building
Box 9595
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Telephone: 662-325-2480
E-mail: gradstudies@che.msstate.edu
Graduate study is offered in the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering leading to the degree of Master of Science in Chemical Engineering. The School also cooperates in an interdisciplinary program leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering with a concentration in Chemical Engineering. Prospective students are encouraged to visit the department's website (https://www.che.msstate.edu) to learn about faculty research interests and the graduate program.
Admission decisions are made by the graduate affairs committee (GAC) based on the applicant’s academic transcripts, a personal essay (statement of purpose), research experience, letters of recommendation, and research interests. GRE scores are recommended but not required. International students must submit TOEFL/IELTS scores. Acceptable score ranges can be found in the Graduate Catalog. Applicants can find additional information on admission requirements and the admission procedure on the graduate school’s admissions webpage.
Graduate research assistantships are available. For additional information, contact Dr. Bill Elmore (elmore@che.msstate.edu) or Dr. Dong Meng (meng@che.msstate.edu)
For those applicants not possessing a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, admission will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If admitted, those students will be required to complete the required prerequisites and the Chemical Engineering undergraduate core curriculum:
| Prerequisites | ||
| Calculus sequence plus differential equations | ||
| Calculus-based physics (one semester) | ||
| Undergraduate Core Curriculum | ||
| CHE 2114 | Mass and Energy Balances | 4 |
| CHE 3113 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics I | 3 |
| CHE 3123 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics II | 3 |
| CHE 4113 | Chemical Reactor Design | 3 |
| CHE 4313 | Transport Phenomena | 3 |
**CHE 3113 can be replaced with an equivalent course in Physical Chemistry or Thermal Physics. In place of Transport Phenomena, students can take both Fluid Flow Operation (CHE 3203) and Heat Transfer Operation (CHE 3213). Equivalent courses in Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer will serve as a replacement for Transport Phenomena. The Graduate Affairs Committee can waive/add course prerequisites based on student background and preparation.
Admission Criteria
M.S. in Chemical Engineering; Ph.D. in Engineering with Chemical Engineering Concentration
Admission criteria differ based on the graduate degree sought.
Direct Admission to the Ph.D. Program
Cumulative GPA of 3.20 on the last 64 hours of undergraduate coursework
Post M.S. - Ph.D. Program
Cumulative GPA of 3.00
M.S. Program
Cumulative GPA of 3.00 on the last 64 hours of undergraduate coursework
International students must have a TOEFL score of 550 PBT (79 iBT) or 6.5 on the IELTS for admission to all degree programs.
Provisional Admission
Provisional admission is typically not available to students applying for graduate admission to the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering.
MS in Chemical Engineering
The program of study of a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering degree includes advanced courses in Chemical Engineering (12 hours), Mathematics & Statistics (6 hours), and elective courses selected based on student’s career goals and interests. The MS program includes thesis option and courses-only (non-thesis) option. Students develop their program of study in consultation with the major professor and graduate committee.
Engineering PhD in Engineering with Chemical Concentration
The program of study for a PhD in Engineering with Chemical Engineering concentration includes completion of 56 (post BS degree) or 33 (post MS degree) credit hours in advanced courses in Chemical Engineering (12 hours), Mathematics & Statistics (6 hours), elective courses based on student’s research interests (6 hours), and significant scholarly research (20 hours), presented in the dissertation. Students develop their program of study in consultation with the Major Professor and graduate committee. Direct PhD admits would have an option to earn at MS degree upon successfully completing course work (non-thesis) and thesis (thesis-option).
At least 50% of all courses must be at the 8000 (full graduate) level. Furthermore, 50% of courses must be taken at MSU and all thesis/dissertation hours must be taken at MSU.
Academic Performance
The Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering is committed to maintaining high standards for the graduate programs offered by the school. As a means to ensure satisfactory performance of all graduate students enrolled in the school, the guidelines for unsatisfactory performance are below:
- Failure to maintain an overall B average (3.00) in graduate courses attempted after admission to the program
- More than two grades of C in graduate level courses
- A grade of D or F in a graduate level course
- Failure of the qualifying exam
- Unsatisfactory evaluation of a thesis or a dissertation
- Failure to maintain an overall B average (3.00) in prerequisite undergraduate courses
- Official withdrawal from school due to academic difficulties
All students are expected to adhere to these standards. Failure to do so will result in the following actions by the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering.
- A student who fails to maintain an overall B average in graduate courses will be given one semester to bring up her/his overall GPA in graduate level courses. If the student currently holds an assistantship from the school, said assistantship may be terminated. The student will be placed on probation for one semester. The graduate level courses taken during this probationary semester must be part of the graduate student's program of study and should constitute a full load. Failure to attain an overall B average in graduate courses at the end of this probationary semester will result in dismissal from the graduate program.
- A student who earns more than two grades below a B, or earns a D or F in any graduate level course will be dismissed from the graduate program of the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering.
- A student who officially withdraws from school during the semester due to academic difficulties will be dismissed from the graduate program of the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering.
Appeals Process
A student who is dismissed on the basis of academic performance from a graduate program offered by the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering may appeal the decision. The appeals procedure is as follows:
- A student may appeal his/her dismissal from a graduate program by submitting a letter of appeal to the Appeals Committee. This letter should contain a detailed explanation of the circumstances leading to his/her dismissal (identified as one of seven points listed in academic performance policy) and should explain any extenuating circumstances leading to failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress.
- The Appeals Committee shall be composed of the following five members:
- Director of the Swalm School of Chemical Engineering
- Graduate Coordinator of Chemical Engineering
- Major professor for the student
- A professor from another department within the College of Engineering (asked to serve by the Director and/or Graduate Coordinator of Chemical Engineering)
- Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies for the College of Engineering
- The Appeals Committee will review the provided documentation and reach a consensus decision on whether to uphold or overturn the dismissal. If the appeal at the program level is unsuccessful, the student may then appeal to the college dean. If the appeal at the college level is unsuccessful, the student may then appeal to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Accelerated Program
Highly qualified chemical engineering undergraduates (minimum grade point average of 3.5 or higher) in the Swalm School of Chemical Engineering are encouraged to apply to the Accelerated Program. This program permits students to earn up to 15 semester credit hours of graduate-level coursework during their final year of undergraduate studies (or, in exceptional cases, in the junior year, where the student has an exemplary academic record and meets all course prerequisites--e.g. in split-level 4000/6000 graduate courses). When completed successfully, the student will earn both undergraduate and graduate credit simultaneously. Students must meet with a potential graduate advisor to ensure graduate credit could be applied to a program of study for the graduate degree. See Accelerated Programs for complete information.
In addition to University requirements, Chemical Engineering also requires the following:
- A minimum of 60 hours toward the completion of the chemical engineering degree
- A statement of professional interests and goals
In exceptional cases, where the above criteria are met mid-way through the junior year, the student may take split-level (i.e. 4000/6000) courses in the second semester of the junior year. 8000-level courses are reserved for students in the senior year after completing the equivalent undergraduate course (e.g. CHE 4134 Chemical Reactor Design taken in a fall semester followed by CHE 8123 Chemical Kinetics and Dynamics taken in the last semester of the senior year).
Students interested in applying to the Accelerated Chemical Engineering Program should contact either the School Director, Dr. Bill B. Elmore or Dr. Dong Meng for more details.
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering with Chemical Engineering Concentration - Direct Admission
| CHE XXXX | Graduate-level coursework | 36 |
| Dissertation esearch/dissertation | 20 | |
| Total Hours | 56 | |
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering - Post Master's
| CHE XXXX | Graduate-level coursework | 12 |
| Dissertation esearch/dissertation | 20 | |
| Total Hours | 32 | |
A student entering with an M.S. from another institution must demonstrate that he/she has satisfied the Chemical Engineering graduate core courses; if not, all or a portion of the 12 hours of core coursework may be required.
Master of Science in Chemical Engineering - Thesis
| CHE 8011 | Chemical Engineering Seminar | 1 |
| Chemical Engineering Core | ||
| CHE 8113 | Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (Fall) | 3 |
| CHE 8123 | Chemical Kinetics and Dynamics (Spring) | 3 |
| CHE 8223 | Advanced Process Computations (Fall) | 3 |
| CHE 8523 | Advanced Transport Phenomena (Spring) | 3 |
| Mathematics/Statistics at the 6000/8000-level | 6 | |
| Technical electives at the 6000/8000 level 1 | 6 | |
| CHE 8000 | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 31 | |
- 1
Technical electives are chosen in conjunction with the research advisor.
Master of Science in Chemical Engineering - Non-Thesis
| CHE 8011 | Chemical Engineering Seminar | 1 |
| Chemical Engineering Core | ||
| CHE 8113 | Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (Fall) | 3 |
| CHE 8123 | Chemical Kinetics and Dynamics (Spring) | 3 |
| CHE 8223 | Advanced Process Computations (Fall) | 3 |
| CHE 8523 | Advanced Transport Phenomena (Spring) | 3 |
| Mathematics/Statistics at the 6000/8000-level | 6 | |
| Technical electives at the 6000/8000 level 1 | 6 | |
| Additional graduate-level coursework | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 31 | |
- 1
Technical electives are chosen in conjunction with the research advisor.
Completion Requirements for M.S. Students
All M.S. thesis students must prepare and successfully defend his/her thesis before a committee composed of faculty members of the University. All M.S. thesis students will be required to prepare and submit a manuscript for publication as first author. This must occur prior to the thesis defense. All non-thesis MS students must satisfactorily complete a comprehensive examination.
Completion Requirements for Ph.D. Students
Qualifying Examination
The qualifying exam will consist of two stages: 1) a written comprehensive exam; and 2) an oral comprehensive exam.
- Written Comprehensive Examination: Students will write a research proposal on the topic of their dissertation research. The deadline for proposal submission with be middle of the third semester (mid-October for Fall admits or mid-March for Spring admits). This will be read and approved by the research Advisor. Once approved by the Advisor, the student will present the proposed research topic to his/her dissertation committee. This constitutes the Oral Comprehensive.
- Oral Comprehensive Examination: Upon passing the written exam with Advisor approval, the student will orally defend the proposal wither at the end of the 3rd semester or the beginning of the 4th semester. A vote by the dissertation committee will indicate passage of the comprehensive exam.
Successful completion of the comprehensive exam will result in the Ph.D. student being admitted to Ph.D. candidacy.
Publication requirement
Doctoral students will be required to prepare and submit a minimum of two publications prior to the dissertation defense, for which they are first author. One publication must be for a peer-reviewed journal while the other may be for a published conference proceeding.
Dissertation Defense
All PhD students must prepare and successfully defend the dissertation before a committee composed of faculty members of the University.
CHE 6113 Chemical Reactor Design: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in CHE 3123 and MA 3253 ). Three hours lecture. The fundamentals of chemical reaction kinetics with applications
CHE 6134 Process Design: 4 hours.
(Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in CHE 3123, CHE 3213 and CHE 3223).Three hours lecture. Two hours laboratory. Design and analysis of chemical and environmental engineering processes utilizing momentum, energy, and mass transport principles
CHE 6143 Advanced Polymeric and Multicomponent: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Junior standing; CHE 3413, ME 3403, EM 4133 or equivalent materials course.) Three hours lecture. Nomenclature, synthesis, characterization, processing, and properties of state-of-the-art polymeric and multicomponent materials
CHE 6153 Introduction to Particle and Crystallization: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Junior standing, C or better in CHE 2114, MA 1723, PH 2213, and/or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. Fundamentals of particle and crystallization technology including theory and practical applications that emphasize unit operations and their interaction with solids
CHE 6163 Nanotechnology in Chemical Applications: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Junior standing, C or better in CH 1223, PH 2213, MA 1723, and/or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. Fundamental concepts, applications, and preparation and synthesis of colloidal systems. Includes characterization methods and applications in nanotechnology
CHE 6173 Polymer Science & Technology: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: C or better in CH 4513 and MA 1723). Three hours lecture. Introduction to societally important polymeric materials and issues with a broad exposure to topics in polymer chemistry, properties, and processing
CHE 6193 Automotive Engineering: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. Fundamentals of automotive engineering, including power units, mechanical systems, electrical systems, and industrial and systems engineering aspects. (Same as ECE 4193/6193,IE 4193/6193 and ME 4193/6193)
CHE 6223 Process Instrumentation and Control: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: CHE 4113 and C or better in CHE 3223). Three hours lecture. Measurement of process variables; characteristics of control elements; automatic control instruments; dynamic behavior of process equipment; process control systems
CHE 6233 Chemical Plant Design: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites:CHE 4134 and CHE 4113 ) Three hours lecture. Application of scientific and engineering principles to the design and economic evaluation of industrial chemical plants
CHE 6313 Transport Phenomena: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in CHE 3213 , MA 3253 and either CHE 3203 or EM 3313 ). Three hours lecture.Fundamental principles of momentum, heat and mass transport. Relationships between transport processes and the physical property distributions in fluids and solids
CHE 6423 Fundamentals of Industrial Corrosion: 3 hours.
(Co-requisite: CHE 3413). Three hours lecture. Identifying and eliminating the different types of corrosion that lead to the failure of engineering structures
CHE 6513 Pulp and Paper Manufacturing Processes: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: CHE 2113 and consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. A study of pulping and paper making processes with emphasis on application of basic engineering techniques to special problems of the pulp and paper industry
CHE 6523 Soft Materials: Theory and Characterization: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: Junior standing or greater, CHE 3413 or equivalent, ChE 3113, ChE 3203, and/or instructor consent). Three hours lecture. Theory and characterization of various soft materials such as polymer melts and solutions, elastomers, gels and biological networks, biofluids, and colloids/suspensions
CHE 6613 Air Pollution Control Design: Theory and Practice: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. A study of the unit operations of air pollution control systems with a specific emphasis on air pollution dynamics, equipment design, and equipment operation
CHE 6624 Experimental Methods in Materials Research: 4 hours.
(Prerequisites: CHE 3413 or ABE 3813 or ME 3403 or permission of instructors).Three hours lecture.Three hours laboratory. An introduction to research methodologies commonly used in the evaluation of treatments, and mechanical testing.(Same as ABE 4624/6624 and ME 4624/6624)
CHE 6633 Chemical Process Safety: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: C or better in CHE 2114, CHE 3203, and MA 1723). Three hours lecture. Fundamentals of chemical process safety, including toxicology, industrial hygiene, source modeling, dispersion modeling, fires & explosion and the design of reliefs
CHE 6673 Industrial Microbiology: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. Introduction to microbial anatomy, physiology, and genetics. Use of microorganisms and their by-products. Identification and control of biofouling, biocorrosion,and biodegradation of products and processes. (Same as BIO 4673/6673)
CHE 6683 Fundamentals of Biofuels Production: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. Engineering and economic analysis of the chemical processes applied to produce biofuels
CHE 6693 Fundamentals of Integrated Biorefineries: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Junior standing or Instructor Permission). Three hours lecture. An introduction to Biorefineries, renewable feedstocks supplies and conversion, downstream processing, process evaluation and process improvements
CHE 6793 Practical Application of Chemical Engineering Principles Equipment: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: C or better in CHE 3113, CHE 3213 and CHE 3223) Three hours lecture. Introduction to practical application of chemical engineering principles and how this applies to the equipment used in the field of chemical engineering
CHE 6990 Special Topics in Chemical Engineering: 1-9 hours.
Credit and title to be arranged. This course is to be used on a limited basis to offer developing subject matter areas not covered in existing courses. (Courses limited to two offerings under one title within two academic years)
CHE 7000 Directed Individual Study in Chemical Engineering: 1-6 hours.
Hours and credits to be arranged
CHE 8011 Chemical Engineering Seminar: 1 hour.
(Prerequisite: Graduate standing). Library assignments and reports on the current chemical engineering literature
CHE 8113 Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: CHE 3123 and CHE 4113 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. Advanced study of fundamental laws of thermodynamics as applied to unit operations, nonideal fluids and solutions, chemical equilibria, electrochemistry and similar topics
CHE 8123 Chemical Kinetics and Dynamics: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. Theory and interrelations of phenomemological chemical kinetics and molecular reaction dynamics
CHE 8223 Advanced Process Computations: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: CHE 3223). Three hours lecture. Numerical methods. Numerical solution of ordinary and partial differential equations for process applications. Use of algebraic and matrix methods. Digital computer applications
CHE 8523 Advanced Transport Phenomena: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing). Fundamental principles in momentum, heat, and mass transport. Conservation equations. Continuity, motion, energy equations, and multicomponent mass equation of change
CHE 8713 Scientific Proposal Instruction and Development: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: CHE graduate student or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. Detailed instruction in scientific research proposal preparation and review including, article and proposal reviewing, literature searches, broader impact statements, and full proposal development and defense. Introduce responsible conduct of research
CHE 8990 Special Topics in Chemical Engineering: 1-9 hours.
Credit and title to be arranged. This course is to be used on a limited basis to offer developing subject matter areas not covered in existing courses. (Courses limited to two offerings under one title within two academic years)
CHE 9000 Research in Chemical Engineering: 1-13 hours.
Hours and credits to be arranged