FAQ
Admissions Questions
Financial Aid Questions
Questions About Our Program
Questions About Housing
Answers to "Admissions Questions"
How do I apply to the graduate
program in chemical engineering? You need to submit the
following to the Office of Admissions (not the
department):
- Application for admission
- Application fee if you are an international student. The
department will pay the application fee for all students who are
U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents and who apply to our
graduate program.
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities
attended.
- Three letters of recommendation from faculty members
(preferably) or other persons who can discuss your potential for
graduate work in chemical engineering (to be submitted
electronically).
- Personal statement of purpose (1 to 2 pages are sufficient; to
be submitted electronically).
- GRE scores: verbal, quantitative, and analytical. We do not
require a subject GRE test.
- If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. you
will also need to submit TOEFL scores (unless you received a degree
from a US institution or have a score above 400 in the verbal
portion of the GRE).
Official copies of these documents are required for admission.
However, photocopies can be used for the initial review process.
Once a complete application is received, the departmental graduate
admission and recruiting committee decides whether admission is
granted. Since admission is highly competitive, it serves the
applicant well to apply early.
What are the TAMU Institution Code
and Graduate Major Code for the Department of Chemical
Engineering? For reporting test scores, use code 6003.
How can I check my application
status? You may check to see if there are any missing
documents by logging into a site that will be given to you by the
graduate school by e-mail.
What is the deadline for applying
for admission and for financial aid? Application deadlines
for international applicants are established for each session. The
deadlines are:
- Fall Semester - January 1
- Spring Semester - August 1
Furthermore, these deadlines apply for all students applying for
financial aid from the department. Applications received after the
deadline can be considered for the next full semester.
How do I select my research
advisor? The usual procedure is for new students to first
become familiar with research activities in the Department of
Chemical Engineering by attending a series of seminars given by the
faculty during the first fall semester. All students selecting
research advisors are required to attend all seminars, even if they
already have a preferred research area. Students then submit a list
of research advisors they would like to work for to the department
head. The department head will decide in consultation with the
graduate advisor and the rest of the faculty which students are
assigned to which faculty member. Every effort is made to give the
students one of their top choices for research advisor.
How much do I get paid?
All of our Ph.D. students enjoy full competitive stipends ($2000
per month for students starting in Fall 2011) as well as full
medical benefits and tuition and fees. M.S. students are usually
not supported.
Can I defer the application fee
until I am admitted? All applicants who are US citizens or
US permanent residents do not need to pay the application fee as
the department will pay the fee for them (choose the pay-by-check
option for submitting the application). As far as all others are
concerned, the application fee cannot be deferred or waived. It is
the policy of the Graduate School that the fee be received along
with all other required documents before an application is
evaluated. Applications received without the fee are held in the
Office of Admissions.
On what basis are admissions
decisions made? Admissions decisions are based on
evaluation of your complete undergraduate (and graduate) record,
GRE scores, and letters of recommendation. Generally, a minimum GPR
of 3.3 is required to be considered for admission into the graduate
program. However, please note that the average GPR for admitted
students in previous years was 3.65. While there is no minimum GRE
score required, the average quantitative GRE score for students
accepted in previous years was around 770 and international
students usually are expected to score above 400 in the GRE verbal
section. Each candidate is evaluated individually by the
departmental graduate admission and recruiting committee that makes
admission recommendations to the graduate school. International
students should be in the top 10% of their class
Is it possible to tell me what my
chances are of being accepted before I apply? Regrettably
the department does not have the resources to offer pre-screening
of applications. It is recommended that you contact the advising
staff at your own undergraduate institution for an evaluation of
your current record and suggestions regarding where to apply for
graduate school. Your undergraduate record, performance on the GRE,
any undergraduate research experience, letters of recommendation,
and your personal statement are all considered in our decision
regarding admission.
Will you consider my application
without my final semesters transcripts? If you otherwise
meet the qualifications for the department, you will be accepted,
pending receipt of your final transcripts.
Is spring semester admission
possible? Spring admissions are possible. However, the
overwhelming majority of newly admitted graduate students will
enter the program in the fall semester.
What is the deadline for accepting
an offer of admission? The standard deadline for accepting
an offer of admission is April 15. However, we would appreciate
your letting us know of your acceptance decision as soon as
possible. This will enable us to equitably distribute our financial
aid to all qualified applicants.
What if I have a non-chemical
engineering undergraduate degree? The department offers a
science majors program that is available and is described in our
graduate handbook for those who have undergraduate degrees in
science or engineering, but not in chemical engineering. These
students may be required to take selected undergraduate courses in
the chemical engineering department, and possibly additional
chemistry courses depending on their background. Admission to the
department and the science major program is made on a case-by-case
basis.
What is the English Language
Proficiency Exam? If you are an international student and
score below 400 on the verbal section of the GRE and below 550 on
the TOEFL then you are required to pass an English Language
Proficiency Exam (ELPE) before beginning your coursework. Should
you fail the exam, you will be required to take an English language
course.
I have read all the information on
your web pages but I still have questions. Whom do I
contact? If you still have questions about admission to
the program or the program itself, then please contact admissions@mail.che.tamu.edu.
Please refrain from contacting individual faculty members prior to
being admitted and starting your first semester of graduate school.
Students who are admitted to the graduate program are invited to
visit the department, meet with faculty and current graduate
students, and tour labs and facilities at the department's expense
in the early spring. During those visits, faculty and graduate
students make every effort to clear their schedules of the many
obligations and appointments which may make them unavailable at
other times. It is highly recommended to plan to visit the
department during the scheduled "recruiting weekend". The dates and
details will be included in the offer of admission letter.
Answers to "Financial Aid Questions"
Is it necessary to submit a
separate application for financial aid? No. All students
who indicate a need for financial aid on the application for
admission to graduate school will automatically be considered.
As an M.S. student, can I receive
a stipend? M.S. students do usually not receive a
stipend.
As a Ph.D. student, can I receive
a stipend? As a general rule, students who are accepted to
the Ph.D. program receive a stipend. In addition, tuition, fees,
and health insurance is provided. For exceptional students, a bonus
may be added. Support for Ph.D. students is provided by the
department until a research advisor is chosen during the first
semester and the support is then continued by the research advisor.
Some students may receive financial support from government,
industry, or foundations. For these students, their monthly stipend
depends upon their funding source. In most cases this support is
comparable to the regular stipend, however, if the funding source
is low, then the department and/or the advisor can provide
supplemental funds on a case-by-case basis.
Is financial aid possible without
a degree in chemical engineering? All requests for
financial aid are evaluated on an individual basis. We expect that
a large majority of students offered financial aid beginning in
their first year of graduate study will be those with B.S. or M.S.
degrees in chemical engineering. However, outstanding students with
B.S. or M.S. degrees in other disciplines may also qualify for
financial aid in their first year of graduate study.
Answers to "Questions About Our Program"
What is the first year experience like?
Our first-year students study three core courses
during the first semester (thermodynamics, mathematics, and
transport) and do not have teaching/grading responsibilities during
this semester. The most important decision that students have to
make during their first semester is which research advisor to work
for. The choice of a research advisor usually determines the field
of research and the research project and the research supervisor
will serve as the primary contact person for the student from then
on. In the second semester, students usually take the fourth core
course (kinetics) and spend a significant portion of their time
working on their research project. Ph.D. and MS students also
usually participate in the graduate mentoring seminar (CHEN 695)
during the second semester.
What is the ratio of Ph.D. to M.S.
students Admissions are heavily weighted toward Ph.D.
students over M.S. students.
To get a Ph.D., must I first get
an M.S. degree? No, the M.S. degree is not a prerequisite
for the Ph.D. degree. In fact, there are more students that enter
the Ph.D. program with a B.S. than with a M.S.
Can I do a part-time graduate
degree? Part-time programs are possible but rare. A number
of graduate courses are scheduled throughout the day.
How long does it take to get a
graduate degree? The answer depends primarily upon the
student. An M.S. degree typically requires 1.5 to 2.5 years, with 2
years being the average. A Ph.D. degree typically requires 3 to 6
years beyond the B.S. with 4 years being the average.
Answers to "Questions About Housing"
What housing accommodations are
available to me? Texas A&M University does not have
dormitory housing for the fall or spring semester for graduate
students. The University maintains a limited number of apartments
for married students or single graduate students who have
roommates. For information, contact: University Apartments Office
Texas A&M University 3365 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-3365
The Office of Student Life Programs provides listings of apartments
and houses available in the community. For more information
contact: Off-Campus Student Services Texas A&M University 1257
TAMU College Station, TX 77843-1257 Please visit the website at
studentlife.tamu.edu for additional information. Also, the
following link is a housing locator service: http://studentlife.tamu.edu/agoss/offcampussearch. There
is a wide choice of housing and prices are relatively inexpensive
compared to prices at other universities.
How do I commute to the campus if
I live off-campus? Transit provides a convenient and
economical shuttle servicing the Bryan/College Station community.
Service is provided between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday
through Friday. Please visit the website for additional information
and schedules: http://transport.tamu.edu/transit/offcampus.aspx