Chemical Engineering Master’s Degree Program

Traditional chemical engineering uses instruments to do what chemistry alone cannot do.  Modern chemical engineering is highly interdisciplinary, and impacts many industries.  A degree in chemical engineering gives you career flexibility, and an M.S. degree can offer more career opportunities.

The M.S. Program is intended to extend and broaden an undergraduate education with fundamental knowledge in different fields. The degree may be terminal, or obtained on the way to the Ph.D. The degree is offered under both the Thesis Plan I and the Comprehensive Examination Plan II.

M.S. Time Limit Policy: Full-time M.S. students are permitted seven (academic) quarters in which to complete all requirements. While there is no written time limit for part-time students, the department has the right to intervene and set individual deadlines if it becomes necessary.

Chemical Engineering MS - Program and Course Requirements

Plan I: Thesis Plan

The M.S. Thesis Plan is designed for those students with an interest in research and requires the student to be accepted by a CENG/NANO faculty member stating they will be the thesis research advisor. This plan involves coursework leading to the completion and defense of a Master's thesis. The thesis defense is the final examination for students enrolled in the M.S. Thesis Plan and must be conducted after completion of all the coursework.

Coursework Requirements

1. All students must complete a total of thirty-six (36) units

  • Five (5) required core courses (CENG 210A, CENG 221A, CENG 221B, CENG 251, CENG 252 - 20 units))
  • One (1) elective, 4 units, that is either CENG or STEM graduate or upper division courses (limited to a total maximum of 12 units upper division courses)
  • 12 units of CENG 299 (Graduate Research). Students will continue to enroll in CENG 299 as long as they are doing research

2. Students must enroll in CENG 205 every quarter. CENG 205 units do not count toward the total unit requirement for the degree.

3. Thesis Plan students must secure a thesis faculty advisor before enrolling in 299 courses. They must also pass a thesis examination presented to a Thesis Committee

4. Students must meet M.S. requirements established by the University and the Department

Thesis Defense Requirements

1. The M.S. Thesis Committee must be constituted and approved by GEPA before a student can defend their Thesis. The committee should have three (3) members: the thesis faculty advisor should be the committee chair, and 2 members must be from the CENG/NANO department (committee chair and another member)

2. Students must submit the M.S. Thesis Plan Form and notify Graduate Advising (NE-GradInfo@ucsd.edu), by the second week of the quarter if they plan to advance to M.S. candidacy. If a student has already advanced to M.S. candidacy and will be defending their M.S. Thesis, they must submit the M.S. Thesis Plan Form at least 4-5 weeks prior to the Thesis Exam date.

  • This is to ensure all necessary arrangements can be made (review requirements, resolve any issues, submit the committee for constitution approval, submit forms for advancement to candidacy, etc.). Not notifying the department of your M.S. Thesis Advancement or Exam details in time may result in a delay of the exam

3. Master’s thesis procedures can be found here. It is advised for Thesis students to plan ahead and make their preliminary and final review appointments with GEPA on the calendar as soon as they can for the quarter they want to graduate (these appointments are required by GEPA). Students do not have to wait until their paper is complete (at least 90%).

  • The Thesis Defense must be held in person with the majority of the committee able to attend in person as well. If a member is unable to attend in-person, a request for exception and how/when that member will attend the defense, must be submitted to the Graduate Advisor for GAC approval.

4. Dissertation & Thesis Submission

First Year Sample Enrollment: Thesis Plan
FALL WINTER SPRING
CENG 205 CENG 205 CENG 205
CENG 210A - Core CENG 221B - Core CENG 299 (12 units)
CENG 221A - Core CENG 251 - Core  
Elective CENG 252 - Core  

Second Year Sample Enrollment: Thesis Plan (if needed)
The Thesis Track Plan typically takes about 1.5 - 2 years depending on how soon a student is able to complete their research, thesis, and defense.
FALL WINTER (as needed) SPRING (as needed)
CENG 205 CENG 205 CENG 205
CENG 299 (12 units) CENG 299 (12 units) CENG 299 (12 units)
Plan II: Comprehensive Exam Plan

The M.S. Comprehensive Exam Plan involves coursework only and culminates in a written comprehensive examination based on topics selected from the five (5) core courses

1. All students must complete a total of thirty-six (36) units

  • Five (5) required core courses (CENG 210A, CENG 221A, CENG 221B, CENG 251, CENG 252 - 20 units)
  • Four (4) electives, 16 units, that are either CENG or STEM graduate or upper division courses (limited to a total maximum of 12 units of upper division courses)
    • 299 does not meet this requirement
    • No more than a total of eight units of CENG 297 may be applied toward the coursework requirement

2. Students must enroll in CENG 205 every quarter. CENG 205 units do not count toward the total unit requirement for the degree.

3. The Comprehensive Exam format will be implemented directly into the core courses. Instructors will have some flexibility in terms of how students are tested on the comprehensive exam component

  1. The Comprehensive Exam exam may only be retaken ONCE. 
    1. Failure to pass the retest exam component will result in termination from the program.
    2. Transfer to the Thesis Plan is not permitted after failing the retest exam.
  2. If a student fails a core course, they will need to retake the course the next time it is offered, which may be the following year. The student will take the comprehensive exam when they retake the course.
  3. If a student passes a core course, but does not pass the comprehensive exam for that course, the student will retake the comprehensive exam component in the Spring quarter.
  4. M.S. students must score at least 60% in each component in order to pass the comprehensive exam. Ph.D. students (including M.S. to Ph.D. students) must receive a grade of at least 70% in each component to pass the comprehensive exam.
  5. Students must pass ALL 5 core courses and their respective comprehensive exam components for their degree.
First Year Sample Enrollment: Comprehensive Exam Plan
FALL WINTER SPRING
CENG 205 CENG 205 CENG 205
CENG 210A - Core CENG 221B - Core Elective    
CENG 221A - Core CENG 251 - Core Elective
Elective CENG 252 - Core Elective             

Students must submit the M.S. Comprehensive Exam Plan Form and notify Graduate Advising (NE-Gradinfo@ucsd.edu), by the second week of the quarter if they plan to advance to M.S. candidacy. If a student is requesting the M.S. degree, they must have already advanced to M.S. candidacy, and, must notify the Graduate Coordinator 4-5 weeks prior to the end of the completion quarter via the M.S. Comprehensive Exam Plan Form.
Change of Degree

Upon completion of the M.S. degree requirements, students are not automatically eligible for admission to the Chemical Engineering Ph.D. Program. Students who wish to pursue a doctorate must find a faculty advisor who will serve as the student’s Ph.D. advisor and provide financial support, and notify the Graduate Coordinator. The faculty advisor needs to be a faculty member from the department. If you have a faculty advisor from another department, a co-advisor from the Department is still needed. The Graduate Coordinator will verify the advisor’s role, financial support, and effective quarter and year of the degree aim change, and submit the request to the Graduate Affairs Committee for approval. Once approved, the Graduate Coordinator will submit a Degree Aim Change request for Department Approval. **Note: Students must pass the Comprehensive Exam with at least 70%, in each course component, to be eligible for the transition process.