Graduate Programs
Why Study Chemical Engineering at Lamar University?
Chemical and biomolecular engineering faculty work in all areas of chemical engineering, including chemical process systems, biochemicals, petrochemicals, renewable energy, and nanotechnology.
Lamar University is located in Beaumont, Texas, home to four refineries and many chemical plants. Beaumont is a short drive from Houston, a global hub of the chemical and oil and gas industries.
Graduate Degree Programs
Lamar University's College of Engineering offers three Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering graduate degrees:
Master of Engineering →
A non-thesis, 30-semester-hour program designed to suit the needs of the practicing engineer.
Master of Engineering Science →
A thesis option program that prepares students to independently develop a solution in their selected discipline.Ph.D. Program →
Preparing chemical engineers to advance research, development, and education that addresses national and global challenges.
Graduate Scholarship
We offer scholarships including in-state tuition to master's and doctoral graduate students with qualifying GRE scores and academic background.
The department supports doctoral students with assistantships (teaching and research) that provide a fee waiver. Assistantship support is awarded on a competitive basis based on funds available.
Most full-time MES and Ph.D. Chemical Engineering students receive research assistantships and tuition waivers.
FAQ
- What is the application process?
You can apply at https://applytexas.org.
- What are the graduate admission standards for the Dan F. Smith Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering?Visible Content
Students that meet the standards of the College of Graduate Studies (Link) will be considered for admission to this program. The student application will be reviewed holistically, and a determination of admission will be made based on possibility of successful completion and available student positions. For details on the required and optional applications items, please see the admission requirements for each program
ME: https://www.lamar.edu/engineering/chemical/degrees/graduate/master-of-engineering.htmlMES: https://www.lamar.edu/engineering/chemical/degrees/graduate/master-of-engineering-science.html
PhD: https://www.lamar.edu/engineering/chemical/degrees/graduate/phd-program.html
- Are there deadlines for applying to Lamar University?
All prospective graduate students should submit all admissions materials at least 30 days prior to the start of the semester in which they wish to begin studies. Upon receipt of all university-required documents, the Admissions Office will forward your file to your desired academic department for an admission decision.
International students have additional deadlines that can be found here (https://www.lamar.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/international/index.html)
NOTE: Incomplete applications will not be reviewed
- What are the differences between the degrees?
The Master of Engineering degree (ME) is a non-thesis master degree comprised of 30 semester-course hours to complete with a comprehensive exam as the final requirement. The ME degree takes approximately 18 months to complete. The Master of Engineering Science degree (MES) is a thesis master degree with directed research comprised of 24 semester-course hours and 6 research-course hours with a thesis and thesis defense as the final requirement. The MES degree takes approximately 18 to 24 months to complete. The PhD degree is a dissertation doctoral degree with directed research comprised of 36 semester-course hours, 4 seminar-course hours, and 30 research/dissertation-course hours with a dissertation and defenses as the final requirement. The PhD takes approximately 3.5 to 5 years to complete.
- Will the Lamar University accept credit from my current or previous institutions?
Upon formal request by the student, The University will evaluate graduate courses from other institutions and give credit for up to 6 hours of coursework that is equivalent to Lamar University courses.
- What is the tuition and fee cost?
Tuition and Fee information can be found here (https://www.lamar.edu/students/paying-for-school/graduate-tuition-fees.html)
- Can I apply for a PhD with only a bachelor's degree?
Yes, you can apply to the PhD program with only a BS degree.
- Do I need to contact individual faculty for admittance?
No, all admission decisions to the are made by the Department Graduate Admission Committee. Not individual research faculty.
- How do I choose a research advisor?
MES and PhD students choose their advisor in the first semester. Students are encouraged to read the faculty websites and any other information related to research provided by the department. After doing so, the students should make an appointment with the faculty members they are interested in studying under to determine if this agreeable for both parties. If a student can not or does not find a research advisor by the beginning of their second semester, they will be required to switch to the ME degree program.
- Is there financial assistance for the graduate programs?
Unfortunately, Lamar University does not offer tuition waivers. However, Lamar University does offer a $1,000 competitive scholarship for all admitted graduate students. This scholarship allows for in-state tuition. This is based on the availability of funds. Any additional funding to students (MES or PhD) will be based on research activities and depends on the availability. As such, these funds are highly competitive. Additionally, these will be awarded by the faculty members directly and are highly competitive.
- What are the standardized testing requirements (GRE, TOEFL, etc.) to apply?
The General GRE Exam scores are optional. There is no cutoff scores and admission is based on the entire application.
As for language testing requirements, you much contact the Office of International Education and Services for this information (https://www.lamar.edu/international-education/contact-us/index.html)
- Is It required to perform a WES evaluation for a transcript from an English-speaking country?
Students applying for admission who have attended a college or university outside the U.S. must have official foreign transcripts translated and evaluated for authentication from a recognized United States evaluation company. More information may be found here:
https://www.lamar.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/foreign-transcript-evaluation.html - Do you accept unofficial transcripts for application?
Students applying for admission who have attended a college or university outside the U.S. must have official foreign transcripts translated and evaluated for authentication from a recognized United States evaluation company.
- Do you accept non-ChE UG degrees?
Yes, we encourage prospective students with a wide range of UG degrees to apply to our program. The admissions committee prefers that applicants have some engineering background. Our core courses are fluids, reaction engineering, heat and mass transfer, thermodynamics and math courses up to ordinary differential equations. Applicants that deficient in these areas will be required to complete leveling courses during their graduate career. These will be determined during application review.
- I’m not sure I’ll make it for the first day of class, may I arrive late?
For Fall or Spring, you may, with permission, arrive and be in class up to one week late. If you will not be able to be in class by that date, you must defer your enrollment. For Summer, you must be there for the first day of class. Otherwise, you must defer your enrollment.