The Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program in Chemical Engineering at URI satisfies both the B.S. and M.S. requirements in full and allows for undergraduate courses to be applied and count for up to one-third of the total credits required in the master’s program. Students may also transfer up to one-fifth of the required master’s credits of advanced standing credits not counted towards the B.S. For example, in a 30-credit program, 10 credits can be counted from the B.S. degree requirements and an additional 6 advanced standing credits can be transferred. Only 500 and 600-level courses, as well as 400-level courses designated for graduate credit, can be applied towards a M.S. degree. Students must complete the requirements for their M.S. by the end of their additional year – failure to do so will negate the option to apply one-third of the credits taken during a B.S. The URI Chemical Engineering ABM program is governed by “Appendix K” of the URI Graduate School Manual.
Graduate Program
- Total Graduate M.S. Program: 30 credits above undergraduate.
- For 12 thesis credits, no special problems or graduate seminar credit is permitted.
- CHE 513 and CHE 541 must be successfully completed.
| Thesis Option | Non-Thesis Option |
|---|---|
| Required courses (9 credits) • CHE 503: Dynamics of Chemical Engineering Applications • CHE 513: Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics • CHE 541: Advanced Transport Phenomena | Required courses (12-15 credits) • CHE 503: Dynamics of Chemical Engineering Applications • CHE 513: Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics • CHE 541: Advanced Transport Phenomena • CHE 591 or 592: Special Problems (3-6 credits culminating in a comprehensive report with oral examination) |
| Elective courses (9-15 credits) • Up to 6 credits of 400-level courses designed “for graduate credit” • Remainder of credits must be 500-level or 600-level courses | Elective courses (15-18 credits) • Up to 6 credits of 400-level courses designed “for graduate credit” • Remainder of credits must be 500-level or 600-level courses |
| Required but not for program credit • CHE 501: Graduate Seminar (fall) • CHE 502: Graduate Seminar (spring) | Required but not for program credit • CHE 501: Graduate Seminar (fall) • CHE 502: Graduate Seminar (spring) |
| MS Thesis Research (6-12 credits) |
(Optional, ABM Specific) Applying (“Double-counting”) one-third from advanced B.S. credits
- Up to 10 credits of elective courses designated “for graduate credit”
- CHE 491/492 are not allowed
(Optional) Transferring one-fifth from advanced B.S. credits
- Up to 6 credits of elective courses designated “for graduate credit”
- CHE 491/492 are not allowed
Sample Timeline 1: Thesis Option
- Years 1 – 4, undergraduate program – follow curriculum sheets, incorporate 6 credits of CHE 491/492 to begin research
- Take 4 graduate-level elective courses during years 3 and 4.
- 3 graduate-level elective courses (9 credits) count towards the M.S.
Year 4-5 Summer
- CHE 599: M.S. Thesis Research (3 Credits; recommended but not required)
Year 5, Fall Semester
- CHE 503: Dynamics of Chemical Engineering Applications (3 credits)
- CHE 513: Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (3 Credits)
- Graduate-Level Elective (3 Credits)
- CHE 599: Thesis Research (3 Credits)
- CHE 501: Graduate Seminar (1 Credit)
*13 total credits; 12 credits count towards program
Year 5, Spring Semester
- CHE 541: Advanced Transport Phenomena (3 Credits)
- CHE 599: Thesis research (6 Credits)
- CHE 502: CHE seminar (1 Credit)
*10 total credits; 9 credits count towards program
Year 5, Spring or Summer
- MS defense
Sample Timeline 2: Non-Thesis Option
- Years 1 – 4, undergraduate program – follow curriculum sheets, take 4 graduate-level elective courses during years 3 and 4.
- 3 graduate-level elective courses (9 credits) count towards the M.S.
Year 5, Fall Semester
- CHE 503: Dynamics of Chemical Engineering Applications (3 credits)
- CHE 513: Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (3 Credits)
- Graduate-level Elective Course (3 Credits)
- Graduate-level Elective Course (3 Credits)
- CHE 591: Special Problems (2 Credits)
- CHE 501: Graduate Seminar (1 Credit)
*15 total credits; 14 credits count towards program
Year 5, Spring Semester
- CHE 541: Advanced Transport Phenomena (3 Credits)
- Graduate-level Elective Course (3 Credits)
- CHE 592: Special Problems (4 Credits)
- CHE 502 CHE seminar (1 Credit)
*11 total credits; 10 credits count towards program
- Comprehensive report based on CHE 591/592 work with oral examination.
Guidance for Completing Courses and Applying
To achieve completion of the ABM program within a 5th year, it may be necessary to shift some credits earlier to stay within the maximum (12 credits per semester) of a full-time graduate student. This can be accomplished in one or more of the following ways:
- Choose graduate-level electives that will count towards a M.S. degree.
- Take extra graduate-level electives during the 4 years of the undergraduate program. These would count as “advanced standing credits.” CHE 491/492 are not allowed to be transferred or double-counted from B.S.
- Research credits can be taken during the summer preceding and following the master’s year (3 per summer). For the Thesis Option, this would allow students to conduct research that could be used in their M.S. Thesis. Research credits from a B.S. program would only count as “advanced standing credits.” This may entail extra out-of-pocket tuition costs.
For the Thesis Option, students are encouraged to begin undergraduate research by the junior year. This ensures that a student’s research skills and abilities on a project reach a sufficiently advanced stage for research and results during year 5 to progress enough to satisfy the needs for a master’s thesis. Research skills are not enough; continuing on the same project is typical in order to bring in enough context knowledge. Satisfying 6 of the 12 graduate-level elective credits in the undergraduate program is a good way to receive this research experience while simultaneously enabling graduate-level elective courses to move forward into the graduate program.