Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Academic Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Chemical Engineering BS + MS



The Chemical Engineering Spartan Accelerated Graduate Education (SAGE) Scholars Program enables qualified students in the Chemical Engineering, BS   program to simultaneously complete the requirements for both the Chemical Engineering, BS  and Chemical Engineering, MS  degrees. Students will be able to complete BS and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering within 5 years. The Chemical Engineering SAGE Scholars program will allow students to be hired in better positions in leading Silicon Valley companies and to get into Ph.D. programs within 5 years of starting their Chemical Engineering, BS  degree.

Summary of Degree Units

Chemical Engineering, BS 114
Chemical Engineering, MS 30
Total 144

For more information, contact the SAGE Scholars Program Coordinator​ Liat Rosenfield.

Admissions Requirements

All SJSU Chemical Engineering, BS  undergraduates are eligible to apply for, and be admitted to, the Chemical Engineering SAGE Scholars program if they fulfill the following requirements:

  1. Successfully completed a minimum of 75 Chemical Engineering BS applicable units and not more than 123 undergraduate degree applicable units at the time of admission in the program;
  2. Completed CHE 110B , CHE 115 CHE 190  and ENGR 100W  with grades “B-” or better;
  3. Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA at time of admission; and,
  4. Have completed all lower-division work (including lower-division general education courses and American Institutions courses).

Students who have reached up to their first semester as classified seniors will remain eligible for entry into the SAGE program. Second semester, senior-level students enrolled in the term they expect to graduate from their baccalaureate degree are not eligible to enter into the SAGE program as these students will not gain the accelerated graduate-level benefit offered through the SAGE blended program option.

Academic Standing 

Requirements for program continuation and advancement to candidacy in the graduate program, include:

  • Meeting every semester with an academic advisor to plan and track coursework and graduate status. Once the BS degree is conferred, students meet every semester with their graduate advisor to plan a formal course of study;
  • Maintain GPA of 3.0 or higher with no individual grade below a C. Students not maintaining these standards will be placed on probation initially, followed by disqualification if the grades are not improved within two semesters; and, 
  • The proposed graduate program must be approved by the graduate coordinator before the student may be considered a candidate for the MS degree.
  • Students are converted to graduate status when they have completed 120 SAGE program-applicable units. The following University Requirements are waived or satisfied with required courses in the major: GE Areas A3, B, C2, and E, SJSU Studies Area R and Physical Education. Alternate courses that may satisfy these requirements are not counted in the calculation of the 120 SAGE program-applicable units.

Program Requirements (144 units)


Chemical Engineering, BS (114 units)


Students must satisfy all of the major and Undergraduate University Graduation Requirements , which includes unit, GPA, and residency requirements as well as the below identified General Education , American Institutions, Graduation Writing Assessment, and Physical Education requirements. Courses that meet Undergraduate University Graduation Requirements are noted with an area designation (see Course Abbreviations ).

Exceptions for University Graduation Requirements  apply to this major.

University Requirements (27 units)


The Lower and Upper Division General Education  requirements may be satisfied by coursework outlined below. To satisfy the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) , students must pass both the SJSU Writing Skills Test (WST) and ENGR 100W  with a grade of “C” or better (“C-” not accepted).

Major Preparation (31 units)


Major Requirements (56 units)


Chemical Engineering, MS (30 units)


Core Courses (15-17 units)


Approved Electives (12-14 units)


  • Approved chemistry elective. 3 unit(s)
  • Additional electives selected in consultation with SAGE advisor. 
    May include up to six (6) additional units of CHE 280 . A total of 10 units of CHE 280 are allowed as part of the 30 units required for the MS CHE degree. 9-11 unit(s)

Culminating Experience (1 unit)


Students in the MS, Chemical Engineering program may complete the program 1-unit Culminating Experience CHE 298  /  CHE 298I  or CHE 299  /  CHE 299I  through their choice of a graduate project or master’s thesis, respectively.

  • Plan A (Thesis): Students opting to complete a master’s thesis will take CHE 281 CHE 280 , and CHE 299  for a total of 6 units. An additional 6 units of CHE 280  may be taken for elective credit. The student is responsible for securing the commitment of a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member who agrees to serve as the thesis committee chair. The student must also secure the commitments of two additional committee members, one of whom must be a full or part-time SJSU faculty member, to serve as the student’s thesis committee. If the student is completing their thesis research off-site, then one person of their thesis committee must be at least a supervisor-level employee from that off-site facility. The student must write a thesis proposal and have it approved by the thesis committee in order to pass CHE 281 CHE 299 is taken in the semester the student expects to complete their final oral and written defense which will serve as their culminating experience. The MS candidate must successfully pass an oral defense and complete an approved thesis report in order to receive credit for CHE 299 . Students must be enrolled in courses every semester with the exception of an approved leave of absence for one semester. Students who have finished all their 30 units with the exception of an RP grade in CHE 299  are eligible for enrollment in CHE 1290R  for a reduced tuition fee. The thesis must meet university requirements as stipulated in this catalog and in the SJSU Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Guidelines. It will be written under the guidance of the candidate’s thesis committee chair with the assistance of the thesis committee.
     
  • Plan B (Project): Students opting to complete a graduate project will take CHE 281 CHE 280 , and CHE 298  for a total of 4 units. An additional 2-8 units of CHE 280  may be taken for elective credit. The student is responsible for securing the commitment of a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member who agrees to serve as the project committee chair. The student must also secure the commitments of an additional committee member to serve as the student’s project committee. If the student is completing their thesis project research off-site, then one person of their project committee must be at least a supervisor-level employee from that off-site facility. The student must write a project proposal and have it approved by the project committee in order to pass CHE 281 CHE 298  is taken in the semester the student expects to complete their final oral defense and written project report, which will serve as their culminating experience. The MS candidate must successfully pass an oral and defense and complete an approved written project report in order to receive credit for CHE 298 . Students must be enrolled in courses every semester with the exception of an approved leave of absence for one semester. Students who have finished all their 30 units with the exception of an RP grade in CHE 298  are eligible for enrollment in CHE 1290R  for a reduced tuition fee.

Total Units Required (144 units)


The standalone Chemical Engineering, BS   program requires the completion of 6 units of approved chemical engineering technical electives and 3 units of an ABET required chemistry elective. Students satisfy these courses in this SAGE Scholars Program by completing 9 units required within the Approved Electives for the MS Chemical Engineering; one 3-unit course must be an approved chemistry elective. These nine units are considered to count toward both the graduate and undergraduate degrees, thus allowing SAGE students to meet the minimum unit requirements for both degrees.