The M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering (Thesis) is a research-oriented program that focuses on advanced materials and polymers, biomedical engineering and biotechnology, environmental engineering, energy, plasma science and artificial intelligence-assisted design and optimization.
This program offers advanced training in fundamentals as well as research methods, laboratory safety and research ethics and is, therefore, the more relevant program for those whose primary interest is research as well as a suitable preparation for a career in industry.
In general, this program requires the completion of an intensive research project performed under the direction of an academic staff member. The research is summarized in a formal thesis submitted at the end of the program. Also required are a research proposal, presentation of a seminar, and twelve (12) credits of graduate-level courses.
Most students complete the Master's thesis option requirements in 20 months, earning a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree.
To learn more about the courses offered in the M.Sc., research focus program, please click on the link below. Chemical Engineering (Thesis) (M.Sc.) (45 credits)
Offered by: Chemical Engineering (Faculty of Engineering)
Degree: Master of Science
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
The M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering (Thesis) is a research-oriented program that focuses on advanced materials and polymers, biomedical engineering and biotechnology, environmental engineering, energy, plasma science and artificial intelligence-assisted design and optimization. This program offers advanced training in fundamentals as well as research methods, laboratory safety and research ethics and is, therefore, the more relevant program for those whose primary interest is research as well as a suitable preparation for a career in industry.
Thesis Courses (31 credits)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| CHEE 697 | Thesis Proposal. | 6 |
Thesis Proposal. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Independent work under the supervision of the thesis advisor(s) leading to a thesis proposal. See course page for more information |
| CHEE 698 | Thesis Research 1. | 12 |
|
| CHEE 699 | Thesis Research 2. | 13 |
|
Required Courses (4 credits)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| CHEE 681 | Laboratory Safety 1. | 1 |
Laboratory Safety 1. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 The basics of laboratory safety in a chemical engineering laboratory. Mandatory safety orientation (administration, contacts, fire, waste, emergency procedures) and official WHIMIS training. See course page for more information |
| CHEE 682 | Laboratory Safety 2. | 1 |
Laboratory Safety 2. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Demonstration of the safety of students' thesis experiments to the departmental safety committee. See course page for more information |
| CHEE 687 | Research Skills and Ethics. | 2 |
Research Skills and Ethics. Terms offered: Winter 2026 The course provides a foundation in three areas: (i) integrity and ethical conduct, (ii) knowledge dissemination and translation, and (iii) research management. Ethical considerations in situations involving conflict of interest, authorship, and intellectual property attributions are discussed. Students will gain experience in identifying and selecting key information for different situations. Best practices in data reporting, maintenance of research notebooks and legal aspects of data ownership and rights are discussed. See course page for more information |
Complementary Courses (10 credits)
4 credits from the following:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| CHEE 611 | Heat and Mass Transfer. | 4 |
Heat and Mass Transfer. Terms offered: Winter 2026 General conservation equations for volumes and interfaces; scaling analysis and approximate solutions to diffusion problems; reaction-diffusion processes; phase changes; convective heat and mass transfer; selected advanced topics. See course page for more information |
| CHEE 621 | Thermodynamics. | 4 |
Thermodynamics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Theory and application of phase and chemical equilibria in multicomponent systems. See course page for more information |
| CHEE 631 | Foundations of Fluid Mechanics. | 4 |
Foundations of Fluid Mechanics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Rigorous derivation of equations of motion; creeping flow inviscid flow; boundary layer theory; hydrodynamic stability; turbulent flow, separated flows, drag on submerged bodies. See course page for more information |
| CHEE 641 | Chemical Reaction Engineering. | 4 |
Chemical Reaction Engineering. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Interpretation of chemical reaction data, especially for heterogeneous systems. Residence time, complete segregation, maximum mixedness, other advanced concepts. Reactor design. See course page for more information |
| CHEE 651 | Advanced Biochemical Engineering. | 4 |
Advanced Biochemical Engineering. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The use of chemical engineering and biological principles in the study, design, use and creation of biologically-based processes and products. Topics: biochemical thermodynamics, protein engineering, manipulation of gene expression, transport phenomena and bioreactor design. See course page for more information |
| CHEE 662 | Computational Methods. | 4 |
Computational Methods. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Methods of weighted residuals; solution to non-linear algebraic equations; stability in nonlinear equations; bifurcations; mesh refinement strategies; convection dominated transport; hyperbolic equations, particle simulation methods. See course page for more information |
| CHEE 672 | Process Dynamics and Control. | 4 |
Process Dynamics and Control. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Process representation and identification and simulation; sensor stability; sensitivity of feedback control systems; feedward control; discrete representation of continuous systems; controller tuning; adaptive control. See course page for more information |
| CHEE 688 | Advanced Materials in Chemical Engineering. | 4 |
Advanced Materials in Chemical Engineering. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Fundamentals of materials science and engineering for chemical engineers,applying thermodynamic, transport, reaction kinetics principles to thesynthesis, characterization and performance of advanced nano-, micro- and meso-structured materials, polymer solutions, gels, colloidal dispersions, emulsions, natural materials, bio-inspired materials, and composites. Applications of advanced materials in chemical engineering, including design for sustainability, and environmental/health considerations. Critical analysis of contemporary advanced-materials research literature. See course page for more information |
A minimum of 3 credits of Chemical Engineering courses at the 500, 600, or 700 level.
Any remaining complementary course credit requirements may be fulfilled by completing Chemical Engineering or other Engineering or Science courses at the 500, 600, or 700 level.
The "Project Option" Master's degree is designed for students who want to focus on coursework.
A total of forty-five (45) course credits must be completed. Students are free to choose the courses, but approximately 20% of the courses chosen must form a coherent "area of concentration" that enables the student to specialize in a desired area.
Exposure to independent research is achieved through a research project. While this work must be carried out under the supervision of an academic staff member, no formal thesis is required.
Similarly to the M.Eng. thesis option, students usually complete the degree requirements in 20 months, earning a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degree.
To learn more about the courses offered in the M.Eng. coursework focus program, please click on the link below: Chemical Engineering (Non-Thesis) (M.Eng.) (45 credits)
Offered by: Chemical Engineering (Faculty of Engineering)
Degree: Master of Engineering
Program credit weight: 45
Research Project (6-12 credits)
Project (design or research): 6-12 credits.
6 credits must include the following course:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| CHEE 695 | Project in Chemical Engineering. | 6 |
Project in Chemical Engineering. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Independent work under the general direction of a full-time staff member, on a problem of industrially-oriented design or research leading to a comprehensive report. See course page for more information |
Complementary Courses (33-39 credits)
A minimum of 18 credits in Chemical Engineering at the 500, 600, or 700 level.
9 credits must be in an area of concentration.
12 additional courses at the 500, 600, or 700 level.
Graduate Student Handbook 2024-2025