|
A full size flier is here |
NEW: The Department is taking Master's Students for Fall 2017The Chemical Engineering department is excited to announce the launch of a new research-intensive Master’s Degree program at UMass-Amherst. This program includes advanced coursework, track-specific electives, and thesis research work with a faculty member in the department. Although paths will be catered to individual students, coursework is likely to be completed within the first year of the program, to allow for a research-focused master’s degree to help prepare students for research and development positions in industry or more graduate work. Currently, students in our MS program are responsible for all costs. Degrees are conferred upon the successful defense of a thesis, but fees to students are guaranteed not to extend beyond May of their 2nd year in the program. |
How to Apply
The Department welcomes applications from prospective graduate students for Fall admission only. The deadline for both MS and PhD applications is January 15. Please specify which program you are applying for when you submit your application (MS or PhD).
New: The graduate school at UMass Amherst is waiving the application fee for any Master's Program applicants from all undergraduate students from the Five College Consortium (including UMass students).
An online application form can be found by visiting the website of the Graduate School: http://www.umass.edu/gradschool/
All additional materials should be sent to the Admissions Office at the Graduate School, NOT the Department. No exceptions.
Graduate Admissions Office
Mailing Address:
534 Goodell Building
University of Massachusetts
140 Hicks Way
Amherst, MA 01003-9333
Phone:
(413)-545-0722 (8:30 AM-5:00PM M-F)
Fax for Application Materials:
(413)-577-0010
EMail for Admissions:
gradadm@grad.umass.edu
Graduate School’s FAQ section: http://www.umass.edu/gradschool/admissions/faq
Chemical Engineering FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
How do I apply to your Graduate Program and when is the deadline to apply?
The application for admission the UMass Graduate Program can be found online at our University’s Graduate School Website (http://www.umass.edu/gradschool/) and our deadline for Fall 2017 application submission is January 15th, 2017.
When can I expect to hear from the Department with a decision on my admission to either the MS or PhD Program?
We typically send out 2 to 4 rounds of admittance letters, the first of which normally happens in the beginning of February with additional rounds throughout the months of February, March, and often April. All decisions will be finalized by April 15th, at the latest. All applicants will receive an email version of their admittance or rejection letter from the Department. The email will be sent to the email address used on your application. All applicants who are sent an offer letter will also receive a hard copy of the same offer letter in the mail, delivered by the USPS at the address indicated on the application.
How many students are admitted to the Chemical Engineering Graduate Program each year?
Our program is highly competitive as we often have over 300 applicants each year and our typical class size ranges from 10-15 students.
If I am not a Chemical Engineering Major, can I still apply?
Yes, we accept students from all majors into our program as all of our students must register for our 4 core Chemical Engineering Courses during their first semester of study.
Do I need a MS Degree before I may apply for your Ph.D. Program?
No.
What are the courses I will need to take during my first semester?
- ChE 621 Thermodynamics I
- ChE 625 Chemical Reactor Design
- ChE 633 Transport Processes
- ChE 661 Advanced Analysis I
- ChE 691 Departmental Seminar (1 credit)
- ENV HL one-time seminars (typically 3 training sessions)
What are the average GRE scores for students who have been admitted to the Chemical Engineering Graduate Program?
The average GRE scores for students who have been accepted in the past year are Verbal 155, Quant 165, and Analytical 4. Please note that the provided scores are averages and some students have been accepted with lower scores and students with higher scores have not been admitted. Many criteria go into the admission decision.
What is the average GPA for students who have been admitted to the Chemical Engineering Graduate Program?
The average GPA for past students has been 3.51 with a minimum typically no lower than 3.0. Please note that the provided GPA is an average and some students have been accepted with lower and GPA’s, and not admitted with higher GPAs. All of our students must also maintain a GPA above a 3.0 to remain in the program.
What is the average TOEFL score for students who have been admitted to the Chemical Engineering Graduate Program? Is there a minimum acceptable TOEFL score? Can the TOEFL be waived?
Currently the University's minimum TOEFL score is 80 with an average of 99 for our Graduate Students. Yes, the TOEFL may be waived if one of these conditions exists:
- Citizenship of Australia, Botswana, Canada, Caribbean English speaking countries, Dominica, Gambia, Ghana, Great Britain, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Scotland, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
- The student has earned a college or university degree in the United States or in one of the countries listed above.
- A degree earned from the American University in Beirut, American University in Bulgaria, American College of Greece, or from Bogazici University in Turkey.
- Current enrollment as a full-time student who will have completed two academic years of college/university work in the United States prior to the date of anticipated entrance at the University of Massachusetts.
- An Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate has been obtained (prior to June 2005 only.)
Does the Chemical Engineering Ph.D. Program offer an Assistantship package?
Yes, students who are accepted into the Chemical Engineering Departments’ Ph.D. Program at the University of Massachusetts are offered a full graduate research assistantship and therefore you will not need to have your own financial assistance.
For Fall 2017, we project the package will include a $33,532 living expenses stipend plus tuition, and health care coverage. The stipend would be paid bi-weekly with a total of $33,532 for the year. You would be responsible for other miscellaneous University fees, which currently total approximately $1,260/year plus a one-time entering fee of $357. We would pay for 95% of your individual health care coverage, a benefit with a current value of $2,710. [If you should need family coverage, we would pay 90% of the fee.] Please note that many graduate-school offers expect you to pay for full health care coverage and fees from your stipend. The tuition for graduate students in good standing and on full financial aid is waived. The value of this waiver is $27,023 per year. The assistantship is contingent on your official admission by the Graduate School and requires no work above or beyond that required for your regular thesis and degree program. It is our intention that this assistantship will be continued to the completion of your degree program upon your satisfactory academic and research progress.
For the Masters Program, there is no Assistance provided.
Will I be able to interview with Faculty during the application process? How will my Ph.D. Advisor be assigned?
There is no interview associated with the application process. If you are accepted, there will be time to speak with faculty about your interests during our new student orientation. Each Fall we hold faculty presentations with the new students so that the available projects can be discussed. Each student will be asked to rank the available projects and then we strive to place each student in a project that is one of their first 3 choices (occasionally this is not possible). The full list of projects available is typically not complete until that Fall. Most faculty members typically fund one or more projects each year, but funding is unpredictable. Some years, faculty may take on no new students. You may look through our full list of Faculty Members and see their areas of research on their websites through this Website (http://che.umass.edu/).
How can I submit application materials manually?
Admissions materials not submitted electronically can be mailed, emailed, or faxed to the Graduate Student Service Center. Please note that the Graduate School handles application inquiries from applicants across campus and they may be slow to respond, especially during busy times.
Graduate Research
Current areas of Ph.D. research in the Department of Chemical Engineering receive support at a level of over $4 million per year through external research grants. Examples of research areas include, but are not limited to, the following:
Bioengineering: cellular engineering; metabolic engineering ; targeted bacteriolytic cancer therapy; assembly of biochemical pathways for synthesis of small molecules; systems biology; genetic circuit design...
Biofuels and Sustainable Energy: catalysis, catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass; catalytic microwave engineering; fuel cells; energy engineering.
Fluid Mechanics and Transport Phenomena: biofluid dynamics and blood flow; hydrodynamics of microencapsulation; mechanics of cells, capsules, and suspensions; modeling microscale flows and transport phenomena; hydrodynamic stability and pattern formation; interfacial flows; gas-particle flows.
Materials Science and Engineering: design and characterization of new catalytic materials; thin film and nanostructured materials for microelectronics and photonics; colloids and biomaterials; rheology and phase behavior of associative polymer solutions; polymeric materials processing; coatings; adhesives; polymer controlled delivery; controlled architecture oligomers and polymers; microemulsions; emulsions and liposomes; hybrid materials.
Molecular and Multi-scale Modeling & Simulation: computational quantum chemistry and kinetics; molecular modeling for nanotechnology; molecular- level behavior of fluids confined in porous materials; molecular-to-reactor scale modeling of transport and reaction processes in materials synthesis; atomistic-to-continuum scale modeling of thin films and nanostructured materials; systems-level analysis using deterministic and stochastic atomic-scale simulators; modeling and control of biochemical reactors; nonlinear process control theory.
Facilities
