What should a chemistry undergrad do to move toward an Engineering MS

[ehchandler]

Hello - I am a student at the University of Richmond. I went to the university in order to get a chemistry degree to provide a solid pure science foundation for a later graduate engineering degree. I am realizing now that that might have been a mistake, as I was looking at Georgia Tech's Chemical Engineering undergraduate degree as well as their Materials Science undergraduate degree, and there would be at least 13 or 14 classes that I would not be able to take at Richmond. I am interested in Materials, Mining, Metallurgical, and Mineral, and to a certain degree Chemical Engineering, and I thought I had three years to figure out what I wanted to do in Graduate school, but now it seems a little dire. Is there anyway aside from transferring schools to not have to take, as it seems right now, a minimum of 2 years in remedial classes if I want an engineering degree of the types mentioned above in Graduate School?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ModusPwnd]

I can only say I had the same predicament going from physics to EE. I had so many EE pre-reqs to take that a BS in EE was a better choice than an MS in EE.

Hopefully you find a better way. Talk to your adviser, the adviser for the MS program you want and your professors/classmates about it.

 

[ehchandler]

Thanks Modus. I have talked to my advisers, but I should add that Richmond is a Liberal Arts school with only Law, Buisiness, and Education Graduate degrees, and no engineering Undergrad or Grad, so I guess it would be worthwhile to email the faculty at a engineering school?

 

[ModusPwnd]

Yes, email the adviser at the engineering school you wish to attend. If you don't have a particular one in mind, that's even better because with geographic flexibility you can see which schools would make you take many pre-reqs and which would not.

At this point I would ask your adviser at your current school (hopefully a chemistry adviser, not a general adviser) about MS in chemical engineering. Ask if they know any schools that previous grads have gone too, ask if they know about pre-reqs for a non-engineering student, etc. You should also email the chemical engineering advisers at prospective graduate schools, tell them where you are from, what kind of courses you expect to have completed by graduation and ask them what you would need to do or take to get into their chemical engineering grad program. Let me reiterate that you should be talking with the chemistry/chemical engineering advisers specifically, not the general advisers.

It seems you are early in your current undergrad program, right? So consider this to be a sort of information gathering stage. Gather as much information as you can on graduate programs at prospective schools. Then, after you have accumulated this info you can parse through it in your mind and on paper and develop an plan of attack for getting into a grad program you want.

 

[Matrix0]

As a scientist with experience in both chemistry and engineering, I can offer some advice on how to move towards an Engineering MS from a chemistry undergraduate degree.

First, I would recommend exploring the specific requirements for the graduate programs you are interested in at Georgia Tech. This will give you a better understanding of the courses you need to take in order to meet their admission criteria. You may find that some of the courses you have already taken in your chemistry degree can be counted towards engineering prerequisites.

Additionally, you can consider taking some courses in engineering or related fields as electives during your undergraduate studies. This will not only give you a taste of the subject matter, but also show your interest and dedication to pursuing an engineering degree.

If you find that there are still significant gaps in your coursework, you may want to consider taking some additional courses at a community college or online to fulfill the necessary requirements. This can also save you time and money compared to transferring schools.

Furthermore, I would recommend seeking out research opportunities or internships in the engineering field to gain hands-on experience and make connections with professionals in the industry. This can also strengthen your graduate school application.

Overall, my advice would be to carefully plan out your remaining undergraduate coursework and take advantage of any opportunities to gain experience in engineering. With dedication and hard work, you can definitely bridge the gap between your chemistry degree and an engineering MS program. Best of luck to you in your academic pursuits!