In order to receive your degree, you must complete all your specific program degree requirements published in the GSPA Academic Calendar. Be aware of the important dates as posted in GSPA calendar and use the Engineering degree completion deadlines as guidance.
Visit the Engineering program Guidelines to find information about Engineering Degree requirements, Degree Completion deadlines and steps to graduate.
For graduate petitions and & student issues refer to the appropriate policy.
When student's have completed all their degree requirements they should Apply to Graduate through Quest. Student's will need to select the expected graduation term. Please select the term in which you expect all your degree requirements to be met.
Degree Requirements
For a complete list of your program's degree requirements, consult the GSPA Graduate Academic Calendar .
Degree Requirements and How to Satisfy Milestones/Degree Complete
MEng
Your MEng program's degree requirements are dependent upon the term in which you began your program. For a complete list of your degree requirements, consult the archived Graduate Studies Academic Calendar for the term in which you were admitted. If you began this term, consult the current calendar.
Specializations
Earn a Specialization by acquiring in-depth knowledge in one of four areas:
2. Polymer Science and Engineering
3. Process Systems Engineering
Each MEng Specialization requires a unique set of four graduate-level courses comprised of at least two compulsory courses and your choice from a list of possible elective courses. Courses taken towards your MEng Specialization will also be counted towards your degree requirements. You are required to register for the specialization you wish to complete during your first semester. Please complete the following form.
Courses
You can find the current term's course offerings on the Graduate Schedule of Classes and the Grad Chemical Engineering courses description.
A reading course is usually given to a research-based student to give them extra knowledge of their research topic. However, you may receive permission to take a reading course, if you have taken at least one graduate CHE course towards your degree and have a minimum average grade of 80%.
Seminars
You need to attend at least 12 seminars as part of your MEng degree requirements.
Our Seminar Attendance Milestone page provides information on eligible seminars and the methods used to track your attendance.
Degree Completion
The degree completion process takes time. It is recommended that you apply for graduation through Quest at least 1 month prior to the end of your final term. You can find the instruction of how to apply to graduate here. If you completed the necessary courses to obtain a specialization please complete the following form, which will alert the MEng coordinator to add this to your degree
Checklist of degree requirements
Check your degree requirements for MEng Chemical Engineering, MEng Chemical Engineering Co-op. and MEng Chemical Engineering Health Technologies Co-op.
- Ensure you have taken all courses required for your degree
- Ensure you have satisfied your seminar attendance milestone
- The degree completion process takes time-at least one month before you intend to degree complete, apply for graduation through Quest- before you do this please contact your advisor. If you completed the necessary courses to obtain a specialization please complete the following form, which will alert the MEng coordinator to add this to your degree.
MASc
MASc Degree Requirements
Your MASc program's degree requirements are dependent upon the term in which you began your program. For a complete list of your degree requirements, consult the archived Graduate Studies Academic Calendar for the term in which you were admitted. If you began this term, consult the current calendar.
If you are studying within Nanotechnology or Water programs, please view the program-specific MASc degree requirements in the appropriate calendar.
Courses
The Department provides tentative course scheduling for the two upcoming terms so you can plan your studies in advance. You can find the current term's course offerings on the Graduate Schedule of Classes.
To receive permission to take a reading course, you must have taken at least one graduate CHE course towards your degree and have a minimum average grade of 80%.
See the Graduate Schedule of Classes and program-specific pages of the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar for Nanotechnology and Water courses.
Seminar Attendance
You are required to attend at least 12 seminars as part of your MAsc degree requirements. If you are in a collaborative program, you may have additional requirements.
Our Seminar Attendance Milestone page provides information on eligible seminars and the methods used to track your attendance.
Thesis
MASc students are responsible for submitting and defending their thesis (oral exam) that presents the research they completed during their degree. You and your supervisor(s) will work together to determine the topic and scope of your MASc thesis.
Your written thesis should accomplish the following:
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Define a substantial research problem
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Provide a comprehensive review of the literature in the research problem area
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Describe the theoretical, analytical and/or experimental solution
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Provide a comprehensive set of conclusions and recommendations
For more information about the process of preparing for your defence (oral exam), formatting your thesis and submitting it to UWSpace for approval, visit the thesis page.
Degree Completion Process
As you pursue your MASc in the Department of Chemical Engineering, you may find the following resources helpful. Including our MASc Degree Completion Checklist
PHD
As you pursue your PhD in the Department of Chemical Engineering, you may find the following resources helpful.
PhD Degree Requirements
Your Doctorate program's degree requirements are dependent upon the term in which you began your program. For a complete list of your degree requirements, consult the archived Graduate Studies Academic Calendar for the term in which you were admitted. If you began this term, consult the current calendar.
Courses
The Department provides tentative course scheduling for the two upcoming terms so you can plan your studies in advance. You can find the current term's course offerings on the Graduate Schedule of Classes.
To receive permission to take a reading course, you must have taken at least one graduate CHE course towards your degree and have a minimum average grade of 80%.
See the Graduate Schedule of Classes and program-specific pages of the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar for Nanotechnology and Water courses.
Milestones:
1. Seminar Attendance
You are required to attend at least 24 seminars as part of your PhD degree requirements. If you are in a collaborative program, you may have additional requirements.
For more information on Seminar Attendance (link) please review.
2. PhD Comprehensive Examination
The PhD Comprehensive Exam Milestone is awarded after candidates have satisfied the Examining Committee that their thesis is a substantial original Comprehensive Exam.
- Students who have previously completed a Master's degree are required to satisfy this milestone before the end of TERM #4
- Students who have been admitted directly from a Bachelor's degree are required to satisfy this milestone before the end of TERM #7
This exam involves the discussion of a research proposal and focuses on:
- The suitability of your proposed thesis topic
- The adequacy of your preparation for completing the proposed research
- Your knowledge of the fundamental concepts of chemical engineering
In a process unique to the Department of Chemical Engineering, PhD candidates are responsible for coordinating the time and date of their own comprehensive exam. You will coordinate these exam details with your examining committee, including the committee Chair that has been assigned to your exam.
Your research proposal will consist of a double-spaced report of no more than fifty (50) pages including tables, diagrams, references and appendices. The PhD proposal guidelines apply to the final draft of the proposal that is shared with the PhD advisory committee in the Department of Chemical Engineering.
When scheduling your CHE PhD Comprehensive Exam, please follow our PhD Comprehensive Checklist. The steps you need to take are written in order.
More information from the FOE can be found here.
3. PhD Advisory Committee Meeting and Report:
Please utilize the PhD Advisory Committee Meeting/Report Checklist to help guide you in this process.
Students are required to engage in a 30-60 minute, in-person or remote, PhD Advisory Committee meeting, composed of a 15-minute presentation by the student to report research progress along with a written summary of courses and milestones completed.
- Students who have previously completed a Master's degree are required to satisfy this milestone before the end of TERM #7
- Students who have been admitted directly from a Bachelor's degree are required to satisfy this milestone before the end of TERM #4, AND AGAIN IN TERM #10
- The PhD Advisory Committee provides the student with a PhD Advisory Committee Report describing progress on coursework and milestones completed and an assessment by each committee member of the student’s progress (excellent, satisfactory, unsatisfactory) in the following areas:
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- Understanding of material
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- Ability to handle discussion
- Preparation, presentation, and organization
- Research progress
- Coursework progress
- Overall
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PhD Thesis and Defence
Please utilize the PhD Degree Completion Checklist to help guide you in this process.
For more information about the process of preparing for your defence, formatting your thesis and submitting it to UWSpace for approval, visit the thesis page.
In addition to the Faculty of Engineering’s administrative requirements, please register your PhD Defense with the Department.
Remote PhD Defence
Judy will create a Calendar Invite, invite all committee members to the event, with the expectation that Student/Supervisor will provide connectivity information for update.
Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs prepared the following resources to help you successfully complete your PhD defence remotely:
The thesis topic is decided by the student and supervisor(s), in consultation with an advisory committee. The proposed research program is also examined during the Comprehensive Examination. Be aware of the degree Completion Deadlines .
*Prior to your Phd Defence date, if you plan to do this remotely or hybrid, you are strongly encouraged to reach out to our IT personnel (dherman@uwaterloo.ca) to test your connection.