Chemical Engineering

The Department of Chemical Engineering offers a Master of Engineering Degree (coursework option) and a Master of Applied Science (thesis option) degree, which may both be pursued with either full-time or part-time attendance.

Admission Categories

Students may be admitted to the Master of Applied Science (MASc) and Master of Engineering (MEng) in Chemical Engineering under one of the following categories of admission:

• Regular Student
• Qualifying Student
• Probationary Student
• Transitional Student

Other MASc or MEng Categories in Chemical Engineering

• Non-Degree Students
• Part-Time Students

Information on University of Waterloo general admission requirements is available in the Academic Regulations section of this calendar. Note: in the Department of Chemical Engineering, three (3) academic references in sealed envelopes are required for application to all graduate programs offered (MEng, MASc and PhD)

Applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit evidence of adequate English language skills, usually in the form of a written test. A minimum score of 550 (213 on the computerized version) is required on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and a minimum of 4.0 on the TWE. The TOEFL score is valid for two years past the test date indicated on the TOEFL certificate. (See the Graduate Studies Calendar- Academic Regulations - English Language Proficiency Certification for other acceptable tests of English.)

Application Deadlines

Applications for the MASc and MEng programs will be considered for all three terms (Fall/Winter/Spring).
Application deadlines are as follows:

Canadian Citizens
Fall: July 1
Winter: November 1
Spring: March 1

International Students and Permanent Residents
Fall: May 15
Winter: September 15
Spring: January 15

Degree Requirements

ALL full-time graduate students in the Chemical Engineering department (including MEng students) must attend a minimum of six Chemical Engineering seminars per year.  Attendance will be taken.

1.  Students WITH a background in Chemical Engineering (one or more degrees):

MASc (Thesis degree)

A total of four graduate level courses where:

• At least 2 core courses (see list)
• 1 MASc research seminar
• 1 thesis

MEng (Course work degree):  8 courses in total where:

• At least 2 core courses (see list)

MASc and MEng students must satisfactorily complete the required two core courses during the first year of the degree with a passing grade of at least 70% in each grade. At least 50% of the final grade in the core courses will be determined by a final written examination.

CORE COURSES:

1 - Transport Phenomena (CHE 610)
2 - Statistics in Engineering (CHE 622)
3 - Chemical Reactor Analysis (CHE 630)
4 - Fundamentals of Nanotechnology* (NANO 701) 
5 - Principles of Polymer Science (CHE 640)
6 - Principles of Biochemical Engineering (CHE 660)
7 - Interfacial Phenomena (CHE 612)
8 - Nanotechnology Tools* (NANO 702)

*Students must complete any two modules to get a full credit (0.5 unit weight) for the course.

2.  Students applying to the Chemical Engineering graduate program from other disciplines

MASc (Thesis degree)

Same degree requirements (4 courses, research seminar, thesis) with the exception that

• course requirements include:
  three (3) core courses taken during the first year of the degree with a passing grade of at least 70% in each grade.  At least 50% of the final grade in the core courses will be determined by a final written examination.  Students will be advised to audit 3 or more undergraduate courses in preparation towards the successful completion of the core courses.  Audit requirements will be determined at the time of admission
• Research seminar
• Thesis

MEng (Course work degree)

Course requirements include:  8 graduate level courses in total including

• three (3) core courses taken during the first year of the degree with a passing grade of at least 70% in each course.  At least 50% of the final grade in the core courses will be determined by a final written examination.  Students will be advised to audit 3 or more undergraduate courses in preparation towards the successful completion of the core courses.  Audit requirements will be determined at the time of admission

The Department of Chemical Engineering requires 4 courses (0.5 unit weight) in the MASc thesis option and 8 courses (0.5 unit weight) in the MEng degree program. Students must adhere to the core course requirements as described above.

Students enrolled in the thesis option must also present a research seminar as part of their degree requirements. The constraints applying to the types of courses that may be taken for graduate credit, and other departmental requirements, may be obtained from the departmental Graduate Office.

MEng

The MEng degree program is intended to provide the student with a fuller understanding of fundamentals and greater mastery of the application of these principles to the solution of complex, realistic problems.

This option requires completion of eight one-term courses (0.5 unit weight) accepted for credit by the Department. Normally, at least five Chemical Engineering graduate courses (0.5 unit weight) will be taken; the remaining required courses (0.5 unit weight) may be chosen from other Engineering courses (0.5 unit weight) or from those of other departments as approved by the Chemical Engineering Department.

Because no research is completed with the Master of Engineering degree, graduates of this program are not eligible for continuation in the doctoral program in this department.

MASc

The MASc degree program offers advanced training in not only fundamentals but also research methods and is, therefore, the more suitable option for those whose primary interest is research.

This option requires completion of four one-term courses (0.5 unit weight) acceptable for graduate credit and at least two of these must be selected from the 600 or 700 series courses. The courses to be taken will be selected in consultation with the student's research supervisor.  Students must adhere to the core course requirements as described above. The normal full load is a minimum of two courses per term (0.5 unit weight) while concurrently maintaining acceptable progress in the research project.

In addition to the courses required for the MASc degree, the student must submit a thesis reporting the results of original research and discussing the significance of the work. The thesis must be acceptable to two faculty readers in addition to the student's supervisor(s).

MASc students also are required to give an oral presentation on their thesis project at the appropriate annual research seminar held by the Chemical Engineering Department. The purpose of this seminar is to develop the student's ability to communicate the results of a research investigation in a concise but informative manner; the seminar is not an oral examination of the thesis.

Graduate Courses

Graduate courses offered by the Faculty of Engineering are numbered as 600 or 700 series courses and are assigned a unit weight of 0.5, which means that they are one-term courses as defined in the Graduate Studies Calendar. MASc or MEng students may be permitted to take a limited number of 500 series courses, where 500 series courses are senior undergraduate courses. The Faculty of Engineering normally requires that at least one-half of the courses used for credit towards a MASc or MEng degree be taken from 600 and 700 series courses. Departments may have more restrictive policies on the types of courses that may be used for credit towards a degree.

Regular students must maintain a minimum cumulative average of 70% in order to remain in the MASc or MEng program (except in the "probationary" category, where a higher average is stipulated by the Department). A grade of less than 65% in any course counts as a failure.

The Faculty of Engineering requires that no more than one-half of the courses used for credit towards a graduate degree may be taught by a candidate's supervisor. In the case of co-supervision in small research groups, it may be necessary to relax this rule, but the student's file must contain a statement of formal approval from the Department and endorsement from the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research of Engineering. At least half of the courses for the minimum degree requirements must normally be Faculty of Engineering graduate courses. Only courses taken within five years prior to the completion of the MASc or MEng degree may be counted for credit towards a degree, unless a request for revalidation is granted.

MASc Thesis

The topic and scope of a thesis are arranged by a student and a supervisor. A MASc thesis is expected to define a substantial research problem, provide a comprehensive review of the literature in the research problem area, describe the theoretical, analytical and/or experimental solution, and provide a comprehensive set of conclusions and recommendations.

Theses must be prepared in accordance with the current guidelines issued by the Graduate Studies Office.

Thesis Submission

One copy of a completed MASc thesis must be deposited with the Engineering Graduate Studies Office where it will be available to members of the University community for a period of three weeks. Notices of thesis deposit will be circulated to Engineering departments and to members of the Engineering Graduate Studies Committee. At the same time, the candidate will distribute copies of the thesis to the readers designated by the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies of the Department in which a candidate is registered. The designated thesis readers will acknowledge receipt of the thesis from the candidate by initialing a copy of a Department Certification of MASc Thesis Acceptance (Form B) prepared by a candidate's department. This form will be returned to the Department Graduate Studies Office within five days. The readers will consist of the supervisor(s) plus a minimum of two other faculty members.

Restricted Circulation of Theses

Occasionally a research program may result in findings which warrant restrictions on the circulation of the thesis. This may result from constraints imposed by research sponsors, or a belief that the work may produce patentable processes or devices. If a candidate and the supervisor(s) expect that some restrictions should be placed on a thesis, they should write to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies as early as possible in the research program, describing the nature of the restrictions they are seeking and the reasons for these restrictions. If the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies concurs, then the approval of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research of Engineering and the Associate Provost, Graduate Studies will be sought. The restriction is limited to one year, with a possible extension to a second year if an acceptable case can be made to the Associate Provost, Graduate Studies.

Evaluation

The readers will return the thesis, their comments and the signed copy of Form B to the Associate Chair Graduate Studies within three weeks of the receipt of the thesis. Any of the readers may request an oral examination before a decision is reached. The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that all of the changes requested by the readers are completed before Form B is signed by the supervisor and submitted to the Engineering Graduate Studies Office. The Engineering Graduate Studies Office will prepare an MASc Thesis Acceptance (Form C) and forward copies of Form C to the University and departmental Graduate Studies Offices. A MASc thesis must be on display in the Engineering Graduate Studies Office for three weeks.

Critical Times

A thesis or research paper must be submitted for reading at least four weeks prior to the registration day of the following term in order to avoid paying regular registration fees. If the thesis or research paper requires major revision, the student will be required to register and pay fees for the pending term. Refunds may apply under certain circumstances. If a thesis or research paper is accepted on or before the last day of the term, a student is not required to register for the following term.