Graduate Degree

Chemical Engineering M.S.

Introduction

For the semiconductor manufacturing field, the program requires that students have advanced knowledge, assessed in a comprehensive examination, of processing semiconductor devices on the nanoscale.

Course Requirements

The requirements for an M.S. degree are a thesis, nine courses (36 units), and a 3.0 grade-point average in the graduate courses.

Chemical Engineering 200, 210, and 220 are required for all M.S. degree candidates. Two courses must be taken from offerings in the Chemical Engineering Department, while two Chemical Engineering 598 courses involving work on the thesis may also be selected. The remaining two courses may be taken from those offered by the department or any other field in life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, or engineering. At least 24 units must be in letter-graded 200-level courses.

All M.S. degree candidates must enroll in the seminar, Chemical Engineering 299, during each quarter in residence.

A program of study which encompasses these requirements must be submitted to the departmental Student Affairs Office for approval before the end of the students second quarter in residence.

Undergraduate Courses

No lower division courses may be applied toward graduate degrees. In addition, the following upper division courses are not applicable toward graduate degrees:

Chemical Engineering M105A, 199; Civil and Environmental Engineering 106A, 108, 199; Computer Science M152A, M152B, M171L, 199; Electrical Engineering 100, 101, 102, 103, 110L, M116D, M116L, M171L, 199; Materials Science and Engineering 110, 120, 130, 131, 131L, 132, 150, 160, 161L, 190, 191L, 199; Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 102, 103, M105A, 105D, 199./p>

Semiconductor Manufacturing

The requirements for the M.S. degree in the field of semiconductor manufacturing are 10 courses (44 units) and a minimum 3.0 grade-point average overall and in the graduate courses. Students are required to take Chemical Engineering 104C, C216, 270, 270R, Electrical Engineering 123A, Materials Science and Engineering 121. In addition, two departmental elective courses and two electrical engineering or materials science and engineering electives must be selected, with a minimum of two at the 200 level. A total of at least five graduate (200-level) courses is required. Approved elective courses include Chemical Engineering C214, C218, C219, 223, 234, C240, Electrical Engineering 124, 221B, 223, 224, Materials Science and Engineering 221, 223, 245C.

Courses taken by students who are not enrolled in the semiconductor manufacturing field may not be applied toward the 10-course requirement for the degree. A program of study encompassing the course requirements and/or substitutions must be submitted to the graduate adviser for approval before the end of the first quarter in residence.

Field Experience

Students may take Chemical Engineering 270R in the field, working at an industrial semiconductor fabrication facility. This option must meet all course requirements and must be approved by the graduate adviser and the industrial sponsor of the research.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

The comprehensive examination plan is not available for fields other than semiconductor manufacturing.

For the semiconductor manufacturing field, when all coursework is completed, students should enroll in Chemical Engineering 597A to prepare for the comprehensive examination, which tests their knowledge of the engineering principles of semiconductor manufacturing. In case of failure, the examination may be repeated once with the consent of the graduate adviser.

Thesis Plan Consult the graduate adviser. The thesis plan is not available for the semiconductor manufacturing field.

Course Requirements

All Ph.D. students must take six courses (24 units), including Chemical Engineering 200, 210, and 220. Two additional courses must be taken from those offered by the Chemical Engineering Department. The third course can be selected from offerings in life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, or engineering. All of these units must be in letter-graded 200-level courses. Students are encouraged to take more courses in their field of specialization. The minor field courses should be selected in consultation with the research adviser. A 3.33 grade-point average in graduate courses is required. A program of study to fulfill the course requirements must be submitted for approval to the departmental Student Affairs Office no later than one quarter after successful completion of the preliminary oral examination.

All Ph.D. students are required to enroll in the Chemical Engineering Departments graduate seminar during each quarter in residence.

For information on completing the Engineer degree, see Engineering Schoolwide Programs.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

All Ph.D. students must take a preliminary oral examination that tests their understanding of chemical engineering fundamentals in the areas of thermodynamics, transport phenomena, chemical kinetics, and reactor design. Students are provided problems in writing and are then asked to solve them orally in front of a faculty committee. They are required to take Chemical Engineering 200, 210, and 220 in preparation for the examination. Students whose first degree is in chemical engineering take the examination at the end of the second quarter in residence. Students whose first degree is not in chemical engineering (for example, chemistry) may petition to postpone the examination to the following year. Any student failing the Ph.D. preliminary examination may petition to reenter the Ph.D. program after successfully completing the masters thesis. If the petition is granted, the student takes the preliminary examination concurrently with the masters thesis defense.

After successfully completing the required courses and the preliminary oral examination, students must pass the written and oral qualifying examinations. The examinations focus on the dissertation research and are conducted by a doctoral committee consisting of at least four faculty members nominated by the Department of Chemical Engineering, in accordance with University regulations.

The written qualifying examination consists of a dissertation research proposal that provides a clear description of the problem considered, a literature review of the current state of the art, and a detailed explanation of the approach to be followed to solve the problem. Students first present their ideas for the dissertation research at a precandidacy seminar administered by departmental faculty members of the doctoral committee. The seminar is held during the early part of the Winter Quarter of the second year in residence. Following the seminar, students submit the dissertation research proposal to the doctoral committee. The written examination is due in the seventh week of the Winter Quarter.

The University Oral Qualifying Examination consists of an oral defense of the dissertation research proposal and is administered by the doctoral committee. The oral examination is held within two weeks of submitting the written examination.

Note:

Doctoral Committees

A doctoral committee consists of a minimum of four members. Three members, including the chair, are "inside" members and must hold appointments at UCLA in the students major department in HSSEAS. The "outside" member must be a UCLA faculty member outside the students major department.

* Information obtained from The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, Office of Academic and Student Affairs.