<p>Thanks dugmel. I’ll just try to remain patient for the time being. :)</p>
<p>Lydia: The requirements for acceptance and entrance into a PhD program are very specific to the school and the type of program applying to. For instance at CU Boulder in ChemE, if you plan on pursuing a PhD they recommend applying directly to that program and they also don’t require obtaining a master’s along the way (you can if you want though). Somewhat contrasting at UWashington in ChemE they also suggest applying directly to the PhD but they award a non-thesis master’s degree after the second year. Not sure if that helps, but that’s my input, understanding, and perspective.</p>