Master of Science in Chemical Engineering
By following the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering you’ll learn how to implement a chemical reaction at the large scale. Circularity, sustainability, safety and the environment, e.g., the optimal usage of the required energy in a chemical production process, are key aspects. Graduates find jobs in the chemical industry which is extremely well represented in Belgium, as well as in scientific research and public services.
What
Starting from a fundamental understanding of the reaction itself, the transport phenomena and physico-chemical properties, production processes are designed, constructed and optimized. The program covers aspects from the micro-scale of the chemical reaction, over the meso-scale of the reactor and separation units to the macro scale of the entire process. Via elective courses, master students have the possibility to personalize the scope of their program by either broadening or deepening it. Courses are either taught by recognized researchers in their field or by guest professors from industry, bringing in the necessary practical insights, particular in chemical process design and process safety.
Remarks
For whom
The admission requirements vary. Depending on your preliminary training, you are either able to enrol directly, or there are additional requirements.
Structure
The Master of Science in Chemical Engineering program comprises 2 years (120 ECTS). General compulsory courses (72 ECTS) focus on the key aspects of the program, such as:
- Chemical Reactors
- Chemical Kinetics
- Unit Operations
- Chemical Process Design
- Polymer Reaction Engineering
- Process Safety and Control
- …
Elective courses (24 ECTS) allow the student to personalize the program. A list with clusters of elective course (Economy, Chemistry, Fundamental Techniques, Materials, Technology) is available and also internships (both research and industrial ones) can be valorised as an elective course. Pending approval of the program committee, any course available in the UGent course catalogue can be taken as an elective course. The master thesis (24 ECTS) concludes the program and exposes the student to the research and innovation that is ongoing within Ghent University.
Labour Market
Quality Assurance
At Ghent University, we strive to educate people who dare to think about the challenges of tomorrow. For that purpose, we provide education that is embedded in six strategic objectives: Think Broadly, Keep Researching, Cultivate Talent, Contribute, Extend Horizons, Opt for Quality.
Ghent University continuously focuses on quality assurance and quality culture. The Ghent University's quality assurance system offers information on each study programme’s unique selling points, and on its strengths and weaknesses with regard to quality assurance.
More information:
Unique Selling Points
The Education Quality Board has recognized that the view of the work field, the alumni and international peers is firmly and structurally embedded in the program. Through a range of recurrent initiatives and processes, the program succeeds in involving external stakeholders in education (policy) and educational quality assurance.
Among others, the above is based on the following points highlighted by the programme committee:
- Program: a wide range of opportunities to build knowledge and/or skills in different fields according to the student's interests and needs.
- Good contacts with industry: company visits, professors with industrial background, company project and master's theses.
- Well-equipped infrastructure: a variety of bench and pilot-scale labs for steam cracking, catalysis, polymers and analytical techniques and a strong computing infrastructure (both in-house and access to supercomputer).
- Multidisciplinarity: around a core carried by professors from the MaTCh department, there is an input of expertise from other fields by professors from other departments.
- Final competencies: strong fundamental mathematical and scientific basis to problem-solve thinking, making the students highly desired in both industry and research institutes.
Strengths
The Education Quality Board recognized:
- the commitment to acquiring high-level scientific and academic knowledge, skills and attitudes;
- the input of the working field into the educational programme
- the focus on sustainability and addressing social challenges in the renewed program
In line with the above, the programme committee highlights the following points:
- Assessment: students appreciate being well-informed about the form and content of assessments so they know clearly what to expect while studying.
- Subject experts: classes are taught by internationally renowned professors in their respective fields.
- Student-teacher interaction: connection with students through representation of student association MaChT on the program committee, providing additional contact opportunities between students and those who support the program. This provides initial, faster feedback on top of formal teaching evaluations.
- Master thesis supervision: each master thesis student is provided with all the necessary experimental and computational infrastructure and a personal supervisor who is a specialist in the subject.
- Room for project work and practical experience: the program alternates between lectures, project work, exercise classes and lab work.
Weaknesses
The Education Quality Board mainly confirmed the working points as identified by the programme committee, e.g.,:
- Internationalization: increase visibility to potential foreign students for the English-language master's program, further optimization of the procedure for incoming and outgoing students.
- Continuity of practical courses: A point of attention are the practical courses taught by professors with main activity in industry, with a maximum appointment for three years.
- Balance between industry and research: maintain the balance between expansion of industry practice-oriented topics (e.g., increased focus on process safety and design) and research techniques necessary for academic careers.
This study programme is accredited by the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders (Dutch: NVAO). Accreditation was extended following the positive outcome of the institutional review in 2022. Programme quality was validated by a quality review, i.e. a screening of the Education Monitor by the Education Quality Board. The Quality Assurance Resolution (in Dutch) can be found here.
This information was last updated on 14/02/2023.
In case of questions or suggestions with regard to the publicly available information, please contact the study programme.