Departmental Overview

The Master of Science degree program in the Department of Chemical Engineering is available to individuals who have completed a BS degree in Chemical Engineering or a closely allied field.

The MS program's technical content and research component prepares the individual to enter the profession with advanced engineering skills.

Graduate students pursuing the MS degree develop a program of study tailored to their objectives and complete a master's thesis. Research topics in the areas of electric field-based processes and systems, biological engineering processes and systems, molecularly based engineered materials and interfacial systems, and computational mathematics are among those available.

The departmental faculty and graduate students work cooperatively with the three State funded Centers of Excellence: two within the College of Engineering and one under the Office of Research & Economic Development.

Master's Degree Options

The MS-CHE program of study with non-thesis option requires a minimum of 34-credit hours of course work and the thesis option include 30 credit hours or coursework and research work.

Departmental Admission Requirements

An applicant for admission to the College of Engineering is expected to have earned a BS degree from an approved program, or its equivalent.

Admission is decided based on a multi-parameter criterion that can include the following items to be evaluated by the department: *undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale,

*GRE® General Test (GRE) scores with Quantitative greater than or equal to 50%; Verbal greater than or equal to 33%; Analytical Writing greater than or equal to 33%. Students with BS degrees in related fields from TTU are not required to take the GRE.

*Three (3) letters of recommendation that demonstrate strong evidence for success in the graduate program.

*Availability of appropriate faculty to serve as research advisor(s).

*Participation in undergraduate research.

*Post-BS degree professional experience relevant to planned degree of study.

*Publications in peer reviewed journals and/or award-winning presentations in technical conferences.

International students must score at least 550 (213 computer-based or 79 internet-based) on the TOEFL or a minimum base score of 6.0 on the IELTS.

Based on the level of satisfaction of the above criterion, the department will either recommend admission to Full Standing, Provisional Standing, or Special Standing, or deny admission.

Standing status may be changed to Full Standing after the student satisfies the requirements specified by the department at the time of admission.

Note: The program is designed for graduates of approved undergraduate programs. Thus, a baccalaureate degree in chemical engineering is required for full standing. Applicants that have an undergraduate degree in a closely related field will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may be admitted to full standing upon completion of identified background courses.

BS/MS Fast Track -Chemical Engineering

The Chemical Engineering Fast-track Master of Science (MS) program is designed to enable Tennessee Technological University ChE undergraduates to take up to six (6) hours of graduate coursework during the students junior/senior year which can be used to satisfy both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. ChE Fast-track MS students receiving their bachelor's degrees at the end of the Spring semester will be expected to complete the MS by the end of the summer term of the following year.

The minimum requirements for acceptance into the Fast-track program are:

Be enrolled as an undergraduate ChE student at TTU with at least Junior standing

  • Have at least an overall GPA of 3.25 and have at least a 3.25 GPA in ChE

  • The student must earn a minimum grade of B in the graduate courses in order to apply them to their M.S. program of study and to continue in the Fast Track program. Students who do not succeed in their first graduate course during their senior year (B grade or better) will be advised to withdraw from the Fast Track program and complete their B.S. degree in a normal manner.

  • In addition to the requirements for admission to the ChE Fast-track MS program, all requirements for admission to the ChE graduate program must also be met upon graduation. Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the graduate program.

Fulfilling the above minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the Fast Track program. Students who meet the above minimum admission requirements must apply to the Department for admission to the Fast Track program. The departments graduate committee will review the application and make a decision for approval.

Participation in the ChE Fast-track MS program does not change the requirements for either the undergraduate or graduate degree. All students in the MS program take 30 credit hours: 24 hours of coursework and 6 hours of research and thesis.