Option Coordinator

Douglas M. Price
2068 Moser Hall
(330) 941-3019
dmprice@ysu.edu

Option Description

Chemical engineers apply scientific and engineering knowledge to design and produce a wide variety of consumer and industrial products, including food, fuels, plastics, pharmaceuticals, etc. Chemical engineers find exciting global career opportunities in the chemical, biomedical, nuclear, pharmaceutical, and energy fields. Graduate study in chemical engineering provides students with the scientific and professional knowledge necessary for their field of interest and develops student abilities to formulate solutions to new and complex problems in the context of current environmental, social, and economic considerations. These objectives are accomplished by flexible plans of study designed to meet the needs of the program’s graduate students. The program includes thesis, non-thesis, and engineering management plans.

Facilities for advanced study and research are located in Moser Hall, which houses a variety of well-equipped laboratories. These include the heat transfer lab, distillation lab, and biochemical engineering lab. In addition, the college computer lab provides access to a large number of modern PCs with high-speed internet connections.

Admission Requirements

DEGREE PROGRAMS

Applicants must meet all of the general requirements for admission to the College of Graduate Studies.  Admission to the program is selective and based on the qualifications of the applicant, the needs of the program, and the availability of funding. Applicants with lesser qualifications may be granted provisional graduate student status based on evaluation of their undergraduate records, standardized test (e.g. GRE) results, work experience, and other professional qualifications.

The Master of Science in Engineering may be characterized as being both career-oriented and flexible. Program plans and options are available to accommodate the needs of nearly every engineering graduate student. Graduate students enrolled in any of the engineering graduate programs must complete:

  • 30 semester hours for the thesis plan,
  • 33 semester hours for the nonthesis plan, or
  • 36 semester hours for the management plan.

The degree requirements consist of core courses, technical courses, and project courses. The management plan also requires a series of business courses. These degree programs are designed to provide graduate students with the knowledge and skills to excel in professional careers and/or pursue a PhD or doctorate degree in engineering. To obtain a list of core and technical course requirements for a particular engineering discipline, students should contact the option coordinator for the program of interest.

Program Plans

Thesis Plan

Graduate students choosing the thesis plan are required to complete 30 semester hours of gradu­ate coursework. This generally consists of:

  • six to nine semester hours of core courses,
  • 15-18 semester hours of technical concentration courses, and
  • six semester hours of thesis.

This plan is strongly recom­mended for all candidates who wish to continue their graduate studies beyond the master’s degree. The thesis provides firsthand experience with experimental design, literature searches, research methodol­ogy, technical report writing, and oral presentation of results. Additionally, the thesis option can lead the graduate student to a higher level of expertise in the chosen area of specialization.

Non-thesis Plan

The non-thesis plan is designed for students who wish to enhance their knowledge and skills to succeed in careers as practicing engineers, but are unlikely to pursue a PhD or doctorate degree. A total of 33 semester hours of coursework is required for this plan. In addition to 6-9 semester hours of core courses, every student enrolled in this option is required to complete 21-24 semester hours of technical courses related to their discipline, and a 3-semester-hour graduate project course. A graduate student enrolled in a graduate project course will be required to defend the results of his or her project by giving a presentation to the engineering faculty and students.

Management Plan

Students who have been in the work arena and are moving into an engineering management role may wish to choose the management plan. A total of 36 semester hours of coursework is required for this plan. This consists of:

  • 6-9 semester hours of core courses,
  • 9-12 semester hours of business courses,
  • 12-18 semester hours of technical courses, and
  • a 3-semester-hour graduate project.

A graduate student enrolled in a graduate project course will be required to defend the results of his or her project by giving a presentation to the engineering faculty and students.

Chemical Engineering Requirements

At the time of initial enrollment, the student will select a program plan (thesis, non-thesis, or management) and technical area of interest (e.g. chemical processes, biochemical, environmental, materials). The degree requirements for each program plan are listed in the general description of the Master of Science in Engineering program. A list of required courses and pos­sible electives for each plan may be obtained from the graduate program’s option coordinator.

In cooperation with an assigned faculty advisor, each student will establish a set of academic goals and desired outcomes, and a coursework plan to meet those objectives. Upon completion of the graduate program, all students will complete either a written or an oral assessment of the effectiveness of the program in meeting their established goals and outcomes.

Thesis students who have registered for all required thesis hours and have completed all course requirements but have not finished the thesis are required to maintain current student status if they expect to utilize any University service (e.g., parking, computers, library, advisors’ assistance, thesis defense, etc.). This can normally be accomplished by registering for at least one hour of thesis credit.

Learning Outcomes

  • an ability to formulate and solve advanced engineering problems;
  • an ability to apply advanced knowledge of chemistry, biology and/or material science in chemical engineering.
  • an ability to design and conduct research projects;
  • technical writing and oral communication skills.

CHEN 5805    Principles of Biomedical Engineering    3 s.h.

Application of engineering principles and methods of analysis to processes in the human body. Rheological, physical and chemical properties of body fluids. Dynamics of the circulatory system. The human thermal system. Transport through cell membranes. Analysis and design of artificial organs.
Prereq.: CHEN 2684 or consent of instructor.

CHEN 5811    Advanced Transport Phenomena    3 s.h.

Development of basic differential balance equations for mass, momentum and energy. Analytical and approximate solutions to the equation of change with application to the analysis of common engineering problems.
Prereq.: CHEN 3786.

CHEN 5820    Industrial Pollution Control    3 s.h.

Types, sources and effects of industrial and hazardous waste; principles of industrial and hazardous waste control; discussion and design of biological, physical, and chemical treatment processes.
Prereq.: CHEN 2684 or consent of instructor.

CHEN 5821    Fundamentals of Polymer Science    3 s.h.

The survey of polymerization mechanisms, polymer structure-property relationships, transport properties, flammability-related plasticizers and solvents as well as design applications.
Prereq.: CHEN 2684 or consent of instructor.

CHEN 5830    Nuclear Reactors    3 s.h.

Neutron interactions and scattering; moderation ratio, the steady state reactor core and four factor equation, the diffusion equation for various reactor geometries and the reflected reactor core.
Prereq.: CHEN 3726 or consent of instructor.

CHEN 5835    Introduction to Nuclear Fusion    3 s.h.

Fusion reactors; the kinetics of fusion reactions. Plasma confinement technology.
Prereq.: CHEN 3726.

CHEN 5845    Corrosion Engineering    3 s.h.

Introduction to causes and forms of corrosion, corrosion rate calculations, electrode potentials, electrochemistry, corrosion testing, and effects of corrosion on mechanical properties. Theory and use of corrosion inhibition methods.
Prereq.: CHEN 2684.

CHEN 5850    Industrial Processes    3 s.h.

A fundamental approach to the design of industrial chemical processes. Emphasis upon flow-charting, chemical reactions, separations involved, thermodynamics, and economic considerations. Food and pharmaceutical processing is a major focus.
Prereq.: CHEN 2684 or consent of instructor.

CHEN 5854    Corrosion Engineering    3 s.h.

Introduction to causes and forms of corrosion, corrosion rate calculations, electrode potentials, electro-chemistry, corrosion testing, and effects of corrosion on mechanical properties. Theory and use of corrosion inhibition methods.
Prereq.: Junior or Senior Standing or Approval of the Instructor.

CHEN 5883    Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering    3 s.h.

The applications of advanced mathematics to the solution of chemical engineering problems. Topics covered include treatment and interpretation of engineering data, modeling of chemical engineering systems and formulation of ordinary and partial differential equations governing chemical engineering operations and their solutions by use of numerical and analytical techniques.
Prereq.: CHEN 3786.

CHEN 5886    Nuclear Reactor Design    3 s.h.

The steady state reactor core; four-factor equation, resonance escape probability, neutron flux distribution in various geometrics, two-group and multigroup theories. Transient reactor behavior and control; effect of delayed neutrons, fission product poisoning, nuclear fuels, nuclear heat transfer and burnout problems, reactor economy; fuel burnup and power cost. Thermal breeder and fast reactors. Neutron flux distribution measurements. Radiation detection and monitoring.
Prereq.: CHEN 3726 or consent of instructor.

CHEN 6981    Advanced Chemical Reaction Engineering    3 s.h.

Advances topics in chemical reaction engineering including non-elementary reaction kinetics, reactor design for autocatalytic reactions, temperature and energy effects in chemical reactions, heterogeneous catalysis, catalyst preparation, fabrication and activation.
Prereq.: CHEN 4880.

CHEN 6983    Modern Power Sources    3 s.h.

Analytical and descriptive study of modern power plants. Combustion and environmental problems with fossil-fueled power plants. Electromagnetic circuits and devices with emphasis on the principles of electromechanical energy conversions.

CHEN 6984    Nuclear Fission and Fusion Power Sources    3 s.h.

Energy available from fission and fusion nuclear reactions, on setting and maintaining chain reaction. Mechanical and electromagnetic confinement techniques. Reactor design, heat removal, and safety problems.

CHEN 6985    Electromechanical Motion Devices    3 s.h.

Thermodynamics of batteries, and electric and fuel cells. Power from nuclear isotopes. Features common to rotating electromagnetic fields. Analysis and design of electromechanical power components.

CHEN 6990    Thesis    1-9 s.h.

Research selected and supervised by departmental advisor. May be repeated for a maximum of nine semester hours.
Prereq.: Acceptance by departmental committee.