Stanford Chemical Engineering & MS&E Coterm

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I'm just wondering how possible is it at Stanford to pursue an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering (and possible MS&E) and also do an MS&E coterm? How's the workload? In terms of IB credits, I have 26-27 (Math HL, Chem HL, AP Physics C or Physics HL) and about 8 credits from my summer at Berkeley.</p>

<p>How many credits should I be taking each quarter? Will this be too much of a burden on myself? I mean I still want to enjoy my undergraduate experience and not work 24-7.</p>

<p>Also another question: how hard is it to get accepted into MS&E coterm program? I really want to do MS&E, but for undergrad, I feel that Chemical Engineering would provide me with a more solid background and that MS&E for undergrad is a little bit too lofty.</p>

<p>Last question: How's the workload compared to UPenn's M&T program?</p>

<p>Comments and suggestions would be most appreciated.
Thanks.</p>

<p>I am not sure I understand your question. Do you want to get a Coterminal Masters in Management Science and Engineering after a BS in Chemical Engineering?</p>

<p>If this is the case, you can not apply for the coterm Masters until your senior year at Stanford. You have to take the GRE and apply in basically the same manner you would for a regular masters degree. It makes no sense to take masters level classes until you find out if you would be accepted into the masters program. </p>

<p>If you want to do a dual major for your BS, that would be very difficult. You would not have much time for sleep or else plan on taking five years to graduate.</p>

<p>The biggest obstacle facing you is getting accepted into Stanford. Apply, get accepted, and then figure out what would work best for your career goals.</p>

<p>In my honest opinion MS&E for undergrad is not the way to go, which you seem to have already discerned which is impressive. the masters program is solid though. People come from all over the university to join the MS&E coterm since they have tracks that are very technical as well as a really REALLY fuzzy track about organizational behavior and stuff (that track really shouldn’t yield an engineering degree, at all). If you have a good GPA (aim 3.7ish) you’ll almost certainly get into the coterm. Getting into the coterm as a stanford undergrad will be WAY easier than applying externally (true across all coterm programs).</p>

<p>Cardfan: I already got accepted into Stanford, so that’s why I’m considering all the opportunities there. I have this thing with planning ahead. I remember reading a section on coterminal program, whcih says that you only need to have 120 credits towards your bachelor’s degree before applying. Could you please clarify?</p>

<p>BigMike3541: How’s the workload if I’m to finish BS Chemical Engineering and master’s in MS&E in four years?</p>

<p>Is anyone familiar with Financial Mathematics (master’s degree) at Stanford? What’s the difference between FM and MS&E (at the graduate level)? Looking at the statistics, FM seems the more competitive program to get into. Is this the case for stanford undergrads? Also, what’s the admission schedule with the coterm program? Can I apply for FM first and, if rejected, go for MS&E the next quarter?</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice!</p>

<p>You can apply to any coterm program after you complete 120 units. And you can start the quarter after you get in, so there are lots of seniors (and even some juniors) who are concurrently taking courses for a Masters and undergrad degrees. Therefore, it is possible to complete both a BA/BS and MA/MS at the same time - you don’t have to finish up your undergrad degree first. I got into the CS coterm in my junior year and started taking grad-level classes right away.</p>

<p>With that said, a BS in ChemE and an MS&E coterm will be tough to finish in four years. ChemE has a lot of requirements and is thought to be one of the most difficult and time consuming majors. MS&E is easier than most engineering majors, but can be time consuming as well. Unless you want to be studying all the time, I wouldn’t recommend trying to do this in four years.</p>

<p>As for Fin Math, it’s a program designed for students who want careers in quantitative finance. It’s MUCH more quantitatively intensive than MS&E. Don’t even think about this program unless you’re comfortable with advanced math (partial differential equations+), stats, and CS.</p>

<p>And finally, yes, you can apply for a coterm pretty much at any time. It depends on the department, but most let you apply at the end of any quarter and make decisions fairly quickly. You can only apply to one coterm per quarter, but you’re allowed to apply for multiple in successive quarters.</p>

<p>+1 for the above posts comments on fin math. I am a stats ms, and the fin math program is a part of my department. I’ve taken 2-3 of their classes and they are very intense mathematically. very intense. I think last year they had 2 americans in the progam, every one else was international.</p>

<p>Sorry for reviving a dead thread, but I was wondering if anyone could tell me how difficult it is to be admitted to financial mathematics as a coterminal? I’m debating going to stanford, and this program would be a big reason why, but if there is a reasonable chance I may not get in, it may change my mind.</p>

<p>Yeah, I would also like to know that too - whether or not stanford undergraduates stand a better chance at being admitted to M.S. Financial Math program as a coterm.</p>

<p>FinMath is one of the harder coterms to get into, mainly because it has a bunch of advanced math and stats prerequisites. But as long as you fulfill the prereqs and have a decent GPA (3.75+), it shouldn’t be too difficult. It’s much harder to get in as an external applicant - only about an 8% acceptance rate vs. 20%+ for a Stanford undergrad.</p>

<p>Hows the reputation of Stanford M.S. Fin Math compared to Stanford M.S. in MS&E?</p>

<p>+1 on above posts.</p>

<p>Stanford MS&E has a great reputation in the business world. When I discuss Stanford with professionals, their first question is whether I’m doing CS or MS&E…of course I’m doing neither. I’m not a representative of any company and I do not have personal experience, but this is just some anecdotal info.</p>

<p>Also, ChemE already has a large number of required courses. Finishing a Coterm with a ChemE in 4 years will require a large and difficult courseload, even with transfer credits. Even then, why would anyone want to spend just 4 years at Stanford when you can spend 5?!</p>

<p>[Undergraduate</a> Major Unit Requirements](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/dept/registrar/bulletin/4892.htm]Undergraduate”>Stanford University Bulletin) gives the unit requirements for each major in required classes. at least 120 units are just the required courses, not to mention PWR, IHUM, GERs</p>