Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Advising

Tag: accelerated masters

What is graduate school?

Published
By

After your Bachelors degree you can continue going to school to get an advanced degree. In engineering this would be a Masters or PhD.

In our program you can get a coursework Masters, thesis Masters, or PhD. The coursework Masters is just like it sounds. It’s where you take additional advanced engineering classes. You can complete a coursework Masters in a year.

The thesis Masters and PhD are both research degrees. There is a coursework component to them, but you will also work on a research project with a faculty member. A thesis Masters usually takes 1.5-2 years to complete. A PhD takes several years to complete.

If you’d like to work at a university, national lab, or in research and development for a company then you will likely need a PhD.

You can change disciplines. Your graduate degree can be in a different or more specialized discipline than your undergraduate degree.

Continue Reading →

What can I do to prepare myself for graduate school in engineering?

Published
By

There are things you can do now to prepare for graduate school.

Participate in undergraduate research

This is important. A PhD or thesis masters is a research degree, and doing research as an undergraduate can open many doors. This is true even if you eventually decide to do a coursework masters. We recommend looking for opportunities at Michigan Tech, and off-campus at another university, business, or research lab.

Take additional math classes

Graduate engineering classes are very math intensive and so additional math courses work can help prepare you. Statistics is useful in almost all areas. Dr. Morrison also has some recommendations.

Practice your writing and presenting skills

You need these skills to be successful in graduate school and your career. If you participate in undergraduate research there are opportunities to present a poster of your research during department events, campus events, and professional conferences.

Keep your books

Your books and notes will be useful for reviewing core engineering topics when you’re taking the more advanced graduate courses.

Attend research seminars and graduate defenses

These events happen on campus throughout the year and are open to the public. Look for posters and emails announcing them. Seek out presentations in areas that interest you, even if they are in other departments. Research is interdisciplinary and the things you learn and people you meet could help you in the future.

Continue Reading →

How do I get permission to enroll in graduate-level courses?

Published
By

You will need to have earned a C or better at the undergraduate-level for permission to enroll in the graduate-level course. Contact the academic advisor to request permission.

  • CM 5100 (Grad Math): C or better in MA 3160 (Multivariable Calc) and MA 3520 or MA 3521 (Diff Eq)
  • CM 5200 (Grad Thermo): C or better in CM 3230 (Thermo)
  • CM 5300 (Grad Transport): C or better in CM 3120 (Transport & UO II) and a B or better in CM 5100 (Grad Math)
  • CM 5400 (Grad Kinetics): C or better in CM 3510 (ChE Rxn Engineering)

The following classes are typically available only to graduate students.

  • CM 5310 (Lab Safety): Requires special permission
  • CM 5500 (Theory and Methods of Research): Requires special permission

Continue Reading →