3 - Specific Information for M.S. Students

3.1 - Types of M.S. Degrees

There are two different M.S. degree programs in Chemical Engineering:

• A thesis-based M.S. degree
• A project-based M.S. degree

Both degrees require coursework and research, but there are different requirements as described below.

In addition, you can obtain an M.S. (either thesis-based or project-based) concurrent with a B.S. degree.

3.2 - Thesis M.S. Degree Requirements

3.2.1 - Course Requirements

The thesis M.S. requires 30 credit hours (24 credit hours of coursework and 6 credit hours of thesis). The specific program of study should be decided with the approval of your advisor and advisory committee. See 1.5 - Program of Study (Courses) for more details.

Required Courses

You must complete 12 credit hours consisting of the following courses:

Elective Courses

You must complete 12 credit hours of elective courses.

Thesis Credits

You must complete 6 hours of ChEn 699R - Thesis.

Undergraduate-Level Courses

• No courses numbered between 100-299 may be counted toward the 30 required hours.
• Up to 9 hrs of courses numbered between 300-499 may be counted toward the 30 required hours.

3.2.2 - Prospectus

You must complete and receive approval for an M.S Prospectus. See Section 3.6 for details.

3.2.3 - Thesis

You must complete and defend an M.S. thesis. See Section 3.7 for details.

3.2.4 - Other Requirements

Teaching Assistant

You must serve as a teaching assistant for the equivalent of 10 hrs/week for one semester

Residence

You must be a full-time student (6 credit hours per semester) on campus for at least two consecutive semesters.

Time Limit

You must complete the M.S. degree within 5 years of the first semester of enrollment.

3.2.5 - Minor

• You may declare a minor based on 9 hrs of coherently related courses.
• A minor may be from another department if approval is first obtained from the Graduate Program Coordinator and the chair of the minor department.
• No more than 3 hrs of 300-499 level course work may be used.

3.3 - Project M.S. Degree Requirements

3.3.1 - Course Requirements

The project M.S. requires 34 credit hours (28 credit hours of course work and 6 credit hours of project). The specific program of study should be decided with the approval of your advisor and advisory committee. See 1.5 - Program of Study (Courses) for more details.

Required Courses

You must complete 20 credit hours consisting of the following courses:

And two of the following:

Elective Courses

You must complete 8 credit hours of elective courses from the following list:

Elective courses not on this list require approval from the Graduate Program Coordinator.

Project Credits

You must complete 6 credit hours of Ch En 698R - Project.

Undergraduate-Level Courses

• No courses numbered between 100-299 may be counted toward the 30 required hours.
• Up to 9 hrs of courses numbered between 300-499 may be counted toward the 30 required hours.

3.3.2 - Prospectus

You must complete and receive approval for an M.S Prospectus. See Section 3.6 for details.

3.3.3 - Project

You must complete and defend an M.S. Project and Project Report. See Section 3.8 for details.

3.3.4 - Other Requirements

Teaching Assistant

You must serve as a teaching assistant for the equivalent of 10 hrs/week for one semester

Residence

You must be a full-time student (6 credit hours per semester) on campus for at least two consecutive semesters.

Time Limit

You must complete the M.S. degree within 5 years of the first semester of enrollment.

3.4 – Integrated B.S./M.S.

3.4.1 - Admission Requirements

• Minimum GPA:
  
  • 3.3 (overall)
  • 3.2 (chemical engineering)
• Completion of ChEn 374 - Fluid Mechanics
• Admission to undergraduate professional program
• At least 32 credits hours remaining before B.S. degree completion
• A committed graduate advisor
• A course plan approved by your graduate advisor, the Graduate Program Manager and the Undergraduate Advisor
• Approval from the Graduate Program Coordinator

3.4.2 - Procedures for Admission

1. Secure verbal agreement with a faculty member to be your primary advisor.
2. Discuss your intent with the Graduate Program Manager.
3. Create and obtain approval of a course plan.
4. Obtain approval from the Graduate Program Coordinator.
5. Complete the "Notification of Integrated or Joint Program Status" Form at https://gradstudies.byu.edu/academics/forms.
   

3.4.3 - Course Plan

Your course plan must fulfill the requirements of both the B.S degree and the M.S. degree. It should include:

• A list of courses that you will complete that will satisfy the B.S. requirements.
• A list of courses that you will complete that will satisfy the M.S. requirements.
• A semester-by-semester outline of when you plan to complete the required courses and other M.S. requirements (e.g., prospectus, thesis).
• When you will formally apply for admission to the graduate program.

The course plan requires approval from your advisor, the Undergraduate Advisor, and the Graduate Program Manager.

3.4.4 - Applying to the Graduate Program

Following admission to the integrated B.S./M.S. program, you will need to formally apply to become a graduate student at BYU. This will usually happen about two years before you graduate. There are several university policies that affect when you should apply.

• You must be admitted to the graduate program prior to completing the last 30 credit hours of your study plan.
• You must complete at least two semesters as a graduate student in order to receive an M.S. degree.

3.4.5 - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Why should I consider doing an integrated B.S./M.S.?
  If you are sure you want to do an M.S., you can begin to work on graduate coursework and research concurrently with undergraduate courses. The integrated nature of this program can provide scheduling flexibility and can sometimes shorten the time required to obtain an M.S. degree.
• When should I do an integrated B.S/M.S. instead of two degrees?
  The primary reason for doing an integrated B.S/M.S. is if you need to take more than 10 credit hours of graduate courses concurrently with undergraduate courses needed for the B.S.
• Will I have separate graduations for the B.S. and M.S.?
  No. Students in the integrated B.S./M.S. program receive their B.S. degree at the same time as their M.S. degree at the conclusion of the integrated program.
• Can some courses that I take during my time as an undergraduate count towards a graduate degree, even if I am not in the integrated program?
  Yes. You can count up to 10 credit hours taken while an undergraduate toward a subsequent graduate degree, as long as those credits were not counted toward the B.S. degree. Therefore if you plan on taking three or fewer graduate classes during your time as an undergraduate, it is likely preferable to not apply for the integrated B.S./M.S. program.
• Can I "double count" classes for my B.S. and M.S.?
  No. Classes cannot be counted towards both degrees.
• Will being admitted to the integrated B.S./M.S. program affect my scholarship?
  Your admission to the integrated program may affect your scholarship. Also, you will not be eligible for undergraduate scholarships after you are formally admitted as an M.S. student.

3.5 - M.S. Advisory Committee

The advisory committee for an M.S. student will consist of at least three members:

• The primary advisor (chair)
• A committee member selected by the department
• A committee member selected by the student

Additional committee members and special members can be included according to the policies described in Section 1.7.

3.6 - M.S. Prospectus Requirements

See Section 1.9 for an overview of the prospectus. This section provides specific details for the M.S. degree only. Note that the prospectus requirements are the same for both thesis-based and project-based degrees.

3.6.1 - Prospectus Document Requirements

• The prospectus may not exceed 15 pages, excluding front matter (e.g., title page, table of contents), references and appendices.
  
  • Appendices are permitted but discouraged. They may not include material that is essential for the advisory committee to read.
• Document formatting:
  
  • Double-spaced
  • Margins no less than 2 cm
  • Font greater than or equal to 11 pt
• Document organization and tone should be consistent with a technical proposal or technical report.

3.6.2 - Prospectus Approval Process

M.S. students require committee approval for the written document and do not require an oral defense.

Once the document is complete, the process for obtaining prospectus approval is as follows:

1. Obtain approval from your advisor to submit the prospectus.
2. Submit the prospectus through the "Graduate Progress" website.

3. Inform your advisory committee and the Graduate Program Manager (e.g., by email) that you are submitting your prospectus.

   • You should be prepared to provide an electronic or printed copy upon request as a courtesy to your committee or the GPM.
4. Committee members have two weeks to provide feedback.
   
   • This feedback may lead to necessary document revisions before approval is granted.
   • Such revisions may take more than the minimum two weeks to resolve.
5. The advisors and the committee members approval via the Graduate Progress website constitutes formal approval of the prospectus.

You must obtain approval by the end of the Spring term following the semester that you take Ch En 601. As such, we strongly encourage you to begin this process more than two weeks before the end of the term. Failure to obtain approval before the end of the term will result in a less than satisfactory progress evaluation.

3.7 - M.S. Thesis Requirements

3.7.1 - Thesis Contents and Approval

The M.S. thesis should contain, at a minimum, research results and analysis of similar quantity and quality to a first-author, peer-reviewed journal article. The thesis should consist primarily of research that you conducted during your time as an M.S. student.

Details of the thesis approval process are described in:

• Section 1.10 - Preparing for Graduation
• Section 1.12 - Defending the Thesis/Dissertation

3.7.2 - Thesis Document Requirements

The thesis must be less than 100 pages (excluding appendices).

Additional details related to the formatting of the thesis are described in Section 1.11 - Preparing the Thesis/Dissertation.

3.8 - M.S. Project Report Requirements

3.8.1 - Project Report Contents and Approval

The M.S. Project Report should contain a thorough description of the results completed during your project. The report should consist primarily of work that you conducted during your time as an M.S. student.

The approval process for the project report is the same as the process for the M.S. thesis, as described in:

• Section 1.10 - Preparing for Graduation
• Section 1.12 - Defending the Thesis/Dissertation

3.8.2 - Project Report Document Requirements

There is no length limit for the project report, but it is typically shorter than an M.S. thesis (which is limited to 100 pages).

The Project Report should abide by the formatting requirements described for the in Section 1.11 - Preparing the Thesis/Dissertation.

3.9 - M.S. Degree Progress Milestones

*Assumes Fall admission. For a non-Fall admission, program deadlines begin with the first Fall semester following admission.

3.10 – M.S. Financial Support

3.10.1 - Overview of Support

M.S. students are generally provided with student wages but not tuition support.

3.10.2 - First-Year Support

M.S. Students are supported by the department for 6 months of student wages during the first year of enrollment.

3.10.3 - Annual Stipend Amount