Master of Applied Science (MASc) in Chemical Engineering

The program information below was valid for the fall 2017 term (September 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017). This is the archived version; the most up-to-date program information is available through the current Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

The Graduate Studies Academic Calendar is updated 3 times per year, at the start of each academic term (January 1, May 1, September 1). Graduate Studies Academic Calendars from previous terms can be found in the archives.

• Admit term(s) 
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Spring
• Delivery mode 
  • On-campus
• Program type 
  • Master's
  • Research
• Registration option(s) 
  • Full-time
  • Part-time
• Study option(s) 
  • Thesis

• Minimum requirements 
  • A 75% overall standing in the last two years, or equivalent, in a four-year Honours Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• Application materials 
  • Résumé
  • Supplementary information form
  • Transcript(s)
• References 
  • Number of references:  2
  • Type of references: 

    at least 1 academic

• English language proficiency (ELP) (if applicable)

Thesis option:

Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM)

Courses 

• Students with a Chemical Engineering background must complete 4 graduate courses (0.50 unit weight per course). Within these courses:
  • At least 2 must be core CHE courses, as listed below.
  • No more than 1 may be a 500 level or held with course.
  • No more than 2 may be taught by supervisor(s).
  • No more than 1 may be a reading course.
• Students with a Non-Chemical Engineering background must complete 4 graduate courses (0.50 unit weight per course). Within these courses:
  • At least 3 must be core CHE courses, as listed below.
  • No more than 1 may be a 500 level or held with course.
  • No more than 2 may be taught by supervisor(s).
  • No more than 1 may be a reading course.
• At least half of the courses for degree requirements must be Chemical Engineering graduate courses.
• Core CHE courses:
  • CHE 610 Transport Phenomena
  • CHE 612 Interfacial Phenomena
  • CHE 620 Applied Engineering Mathematics
  • CHE 622 Statistics in Engineering
  • CHE 630 Chemical Reactor Analysis
  • CHE 640 Principles of Polymer Science
  • CHE 660 Principles of Biochemical Engineering
  • NANO 701 Fundamentals of Nanotechnology (two 0.25 credit NANO 701 modules)
  • NANO 702 Nanotechnology Tools (two 0.25 credit NANO 702 modules)
• The courses to be taken will be selected in consultation with the student's research supervisor. The normal full load is at least two 0.50 unit weight courses per term while concurrently maintaining acceptable progress in the research project.
• Graduate courses offered by the Faculty of Engineering are numbered as 600 or 700 series courses and are assigned a unit weight of 0.50, which means that they are one-term courses as defined in the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.
• 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 student’s supervisor(s). In the case of co-supervision in small research groups, it may be necessary to relax this rule: in such cases, the student's file must contain a statement of formal approval from the Chemical Engineering Department and endorsement from the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research of Engineering.
• Only courses taken within five years prior to the completion of the MASc degree may be counted for credit towards a degree, unless a request for revalidation is granted.
• Students must achieve a:
  • Minimum cumulative average of 70%.
  • Minimum grade of 65% in each non-core course.
  • Minimum grade of 70% in each core course.
  • Note: Probationary students may have specific grade requirements, which will be specified in their admission letters.
• Each student is responsible for monitoring their own academic records and must immediately notify the Graduate Coordinator of any inadequate grade or average.
• At least 50% of the final grade in core courses will be determined by a final written exam.

Link(s) to courses

• Chemical Engineering (CHE) courses

Master's Seminar

• Over the course of their degree program, all students must attend 12 seminars from departments and research institutions where Chemical Engineering faculty members have a membership. The Chemical Engineering seminars are documented in the Events section of the Chemical Engineering Department website.  
• Note: At Chemical Engineering seminars, attendance is documented. At other approved seminars, students must complete an attendance form and get it signed by the seminar organizer. Full instructions are available on the Department website.

Graduate Studies Seminar

• The graduate studies seminar helps to develop students’ ability to communicate the results of a research investigation concisely and informatively. Each student must present a seminar about their thesis project at the appropriate Annual Research Seminar held by the Chemical Engineering Department. The seminar is not an oral examination of the thesis.

Master’s Thesis

• Each student must submit a thesis that reports the results of original research and discusses the significance of the work. The thesis must be acceptable to the student’s supervisor(s) and two additional faculty readers. Any of the readers may request that the student complete an oral examination.
• The topic and scope of a thesis are arranged by the student and their supervisor. A MASc thesis should 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.
• Each student must prepare a thesis in accordance with the current guidelines issued by Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs and the Faculty of Engineering.
• Thesis submission: The student must distribute copies of their thesis to the readers designated by the Chemical Engineering Department’s Associate Chair for Graduate Studies. The readers will include the supervisor(s) plus at least two other faculty members. They will acknowledge receipt of the thesis from the student by initialing a Department Certification of MASc Thesis Submission and Acceptance form. The student must also submit one copy of their completed MASc thesis, along with their initialed Department Certification of MASc Thesis Submission and Acceptance form, to the Engineering Graduate Studies Office. A representative of the office will confirm acceptance of the thesis by initialing the Department Certification of MASc Thesis Submission and Acceptance form and then email notice of the thesis deposit to the Chemical Engineering department. The thesis will be put on display in the Engineering Graduate Studies Office, and therefore made available to members of the University community, for three weeks. Once the student’s Department Certification of MASc Thesis Submission and Acceptance form has been signed by a representative of the Engineering Graduate Studies Office, the student must return the form to the Chemical Engineering Department’s Graduate Coordinator.
• Thesis evaluation: Within three weeks of their receipt of the thesis, each reader will return the thesis with their comments to the student and, upon acceptance of the thesis, sign the student’s Department Certification of MASc Thesis Submission and Acceptance form. The student will return this form to the Chemical Engineering Department’s Graduate Coordinator. Once the student’s readers have accepted the thesis and the supervisor is satisfied that the student has completed all of the changes requested by the readers, the supervisor will sign the form to indicate their acceptance. The Chemical Engineering Department’s Associate Chair of Graduate Studies will sign the form and forward it to the Engineering Graduate Studies Office. It will prepare a MASc Thesis Acceptance form and forward it to the student, the Chemical Engineering Department’s Graduate Studies Office and the University of Waterloo’s Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
• Restricted circulation of theses: Occasionally a research program may produce findings that 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 the student and their supervisor(s) judge 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 and 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 Vice-President, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs 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 Vice-President, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
• Critical times: If their thesis is accepted on or before the last day of the term, a student is exempt from registering for the following term. Therefore, to avoid paying regular registration fees, the student should submit their thesis at least four weeks before the registration day of the following term. If the thesis requires major revisions that extend completion beyond the registration deadline, the student must register and pay fees for the pending term. Refunds may be made available under certain circumstances.