The student also has the option of proceeding directly toward a Ph.D. without completing the master's thesis. This option will normally reduce the time required for a Ph.D. by about six months. Students who elect to proceed in this manner will receive a Master of Science degree, with thesis requirements waived, after two years of satisfactory full-time study and acceptance of the dissertation proposal. The degree is awarded on completion of 30 credits of course work. A feature of the M.E. program in chemical engineering is the opportunity to concentrate in one of the subspecialties of chemical engineering.
All graduate programs offer flexibility in course choices.
Students are advised to plan programs that use course choices and electives to obtain in-depth studies in one or more subspecialties of their degree majors. Cross-disciplinary studies using courses offered by other departments or schools at Rensselaer are encouraged. Courses Courses in chemical engineering are described in this catalog under the department designation CHME .