Overview
The Master of Science in Chemical and Materials Engineering (MSc-ChME) degree program is a specialized degree program offered by the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences (former School of Engineering) at Nazarbayev University (NU). Students are required to complete 120 ECTS credits, in 4 semesters, which satisfies the requirements stipulated by the Bologna Process and the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) for Master’s Degrees. The program is research oriented and it is designed to provide the skills required to solve advanced technical problems in chemical and materials engineering through a combination of Thesis Research and advanced coursework.
All students in the MSc-ChME program are required to complete five advanced core courses (30 ECTS) in key fundamental chemical and materials engineering areas such as Applied Mathematics, Transport Phenomena, Thermodynamics and Chemical Reaction Engineering. Three more core courses, Research Methods and Ethics, Research Seminar and Technical Communication (18 ECTS), will be offered to provide students with the general knowledge that is necessary for them to design or present their research in an effective way. Students will also be able to select four elective courses (24 ECTS), from a list of possible options, based on their research interests. Students will be enrolled in MSc Thesis I (24 ECTS) and MSc Thesis II (24 ECTS) courses in the third and fourth semesters to carry out an independent research. A wide variety of research topics will be offered by the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering in areas as diverse as energy generation, conversion and storage; environmental protection, remediation and resource efficiency; process design and simulation; composite functional materials etc. Through its research-intensive nature, the program aims at providing its graduates with the skills required for engineering innovation, to translate research into production, and to foster the future technological development in the country.
It is foreseen that 20 students will be initially admitted. However, as the program is expected to become more attractive (in terms of number students), the School of Engineering will consider extending the optional track offer.
All students in the MSc-ChME program are required to complete five advanced core courses (30 ECTS) in key fundamental chemical and materials engineering areas such as Applied Mathematics, Transport Phenomena, Thermodynamics and Chemical Reaction Engineering. Three more core courses, Research Methods and Ethics, Research Seminar and Technical Communication (18 ECTS), will be offered to provide students with the general knowledge that is necessary for them to design or present their research in an effective way. Students will also be able to select four elective courses (24 ECTS), from a list of possible options, based on their research interests. Students will be enrolled in MSc Thesis I (24 ECTS) and MSc Thesis II (24 ECTS) courses in the third and fourth semesters to carry out an independent research. A wide variety of research topics will be offered by the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering in areas as diverse as energy generation, conversion and storage; environmental protection, remediation and resource efficiency; process design and simulation; composite functional materials etc. Through its research-intensive nature, the program aims at providing its graduates with the skills required for engineering innovation, to translate research into production, and to foster the future technological development in the country.
It is foreseen that 20 students will be initially admitted. However, as the program is expected to become more attractive (in terms of number students), the School of Engineering will consider extending the optional track offer.
General information
- Campus: Astana, Kazakhstan
- Language: English
- Delivery mode: Full time, on-campus
- Duration: 2 years
- Total ECTS credit: 120
Program Aims
- Educate graduate students with the advanced knowledge and skills required to solve research oriented technical problems in chemical and materials engineering.
- Provide graduate students with an advanced grasp of theories and the insight required for successful professional careers and/or in order to pursue further higher education and lifelong learning.
- Develop the ability to contribute towards the improvement of the nation’s technological level and to provide the necessary base for future technological developments in the country.
- Promote a sense of leadership with emphasis on scholarship and professional ethics.
What Will You Learn?
- Research methodology, research ethics, and scientific communication
- Advanced applied mathematics and engineering modelling
- Transport phenomena and conservation principles
- Chemical kinetics and reaction engineering
- Reactor modelling, design, and simulation
- Advanced materials processing and manufacturing
- Materials characterisation and analytical methods
- Process simulation and computational analysis
- Advanced chemical thermodynamics
- Heat and mass transfer
Key Advantages
- Integrated expertise in chemical and materials engineeringenabling students to address complex challenges related to chemical processes, materials production, energy, and environmental technologies.1
- Exposure to emerging technologiesincluding advanced materials manufacturing, energy-storage materials, polymer processing, functional composites, and computational materials engineering.2
- A strong focus on engineering innovationpreparing students to transform research findings into practical technologies, materials, processes, and production solutions.3
- Development of professional research skillsthrough Research Methods and Ethics, a Research Seminar, Technical Communication, scientific writing, presentations, and independent study.4
- Advanced theoretical and analytical preparationin applied mathematics, transport phenomena, thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, and chemical reaction engineering.5
- Hands-on laboratory and computational experienceusing modern experimental, characterisation, modelling, and process-simulation methods.6
- Flexible specialisation opportunitiesthrough four elective courses selected according to the student’s academic and research interests.7
- Research-oriented graduate educationcombining advanced coursework with an extensive independent thesis project.8
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the program students will be able to:
- Apply chemical and materials engineering concepts at an advanced level.
- Plan and conduct research in their field of study using advanced research skills and appropriate methodology.
- Critically appraise their own research work and existing scientific literature.
- Communicate effectively about their research work to the general public as well as to experts.
- Collaborate in teams as well as assume leadership role when needed.
Curriculum
Year 1. Fall and Spring Semester (30 ECTS)
Year 2. Fall and Spring Semester (30 ECTS)
Elective Courses
MCHME 701 - Advanced Chemical Thermodynamics
MCHME 707 - Polymer Melt Fluid Mechanics and Processing
MCHME 713 - Advanced Energy Materials and Their Application
MCHME 714 - Computational Materials Engineering
MCHME 701 - Advanced Chemical Thermodynamics
MCHME 707 - Polymer Melt Fluid Mechanics and Processing
MCHME 713 - Advanced Energy Materials and Their Application
MCHME 714 - Computational Materials Engineering
Core modules
The list of core modules
The mathematical sub-discipline of differential equations is foundational in the study of applied mathematics for engineers. Differential equations arise in a variety of contexts, some more theoretical and some of practical interest. The qualitative and quantitative study of differential equations incorporates an elegant mixture of linear
algebra and advanced calculus. For this reason, it is expected that the student has already completed courses in (i) linear algebra; (ii) multivariable calculus; and (iii) introductory differential equations.
The course will cover advanced topics of first order and second order ODEs like initial and boundary value problem and stability of solutions and phase portrait of them. A classification will be provided of the various existing types of methods for exploring solutions in connection with the various types of scientific and technological mathematical models that utilize them. The content of the course includes power series techniques as well as the Laplace transformation method for acquiring solutions of ODEs.
Furthermore, PDEs will be studied to model problems involving functions of several variables, and are either solved by hand, or used to create a relevant computer model. PDEs categories will be connected with a wide variety of interesting and important phenomena such as sound, heat, electrostatics, electrodynamics, fluid dynamics, elasticity, or quantum mechanics. All these seemingly distinct physical phenomena can be formalized similarly in terms of PDEs. The content of the course will cover techniques that refer to Elliptic, Parabolic Partial Differential Equations and Hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations as well as Initial and Boundary Conditions. The course will be delivered with lectures that will deliver the necessary theoretical background. However, all the lectures and the tutorials will encapsulate many examples with a software capable to perform symbolical calculations in order to capture the interest and motivate engineers.
algebra and advanced calculus. For this reason, it is expected that the student has already completed courses in (i) linear algebra; (ii) multivariable calculus; and (iii) introductory differential equations.
The course will cover advanced topics of first order and second order ODEs like initial and boundary value problem and stability of solutions and phase portrait of them. A classification will be provided of the various existing types of methods for exploring solutions in connection with the various types of scientific and technological mathematical models that utilize them. The content of the course includes power series techniques as well as the Laplace transformation method for acquiring solutions of ODEs.
Furthermore, PDEs will be studied to model problems involving functions of several variables, and are either solved by hand, or used to create a relevant computer model. PDEs categories will be connected with a wide variety of interesting and important phenomena such as sound, heat, electrostatics, electrodynamics, fluid dynamics, elasticity, or quantum mechanics. All these seemingly distinct physical phenomena can be formalized similarly in terms of PDEs. The content of the course will cover techniques that refer to Elliptic, Parabolic Partial Differential Equations and Hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations as well as Initial and Boundary Conditions. The course will be delivered with lectures that will deliver the necessary theoretical background. However, all the lectures and the tutorials will encapsulate many examples with a software capable to perform symbolical calculations in order to capture the interest and motivate engineers.
This graduate level course focuses on technical communication related to the stylistic conventions of writing in science and engineering disciplines, with a focus on clarity, conciseness, and coherence as well as integration of relevant graphics. Students will employ process writing to produce genre specific writing familiar to their academic disciplines, including research-related documents designed for specific audiences. This course also trains students to deliver effective and appealing professional and scientific presentations, with attention to best practices in the use of technical English and oral communication.
This course provides comprehensive coverage of the main technologies for the production of high-value materials from polymers and ceramics and the theory which underlies materials processing operations. Design and manufacturing of polymeric composites, ceramic matrix composites and ceramic thin films will also be discussed. The conventional and modern manufacturing technologies such as extrusion, molding, sintering, 3D printing, chemical vapor deposition, tape casting and chemical vapor infiltration will be covered in this course
This course provides an introduction to the latest developments and breakthroughs in the area of advanced characterization techniques available to examine common types of materials, for example, electron microscopy, diffraction, spectroscopy, thermal analysis. Also, the course explains the principles that control each technique and how they operate.
The course is addressed to graduate students and aims at reinforcing and enhancing the knowledge they have on chemical reaction engineering, focusing on problem solving techniques and on connecting the principles presented with relevant applications, especially in the production of materials. At the introductory part of the course, the fundamentals of reaction kinetics and isothermal ideal reactor design are reviewed. Then, the main cases of heterogeneous reacting systems are analyzed including both non-catalytic and catalytic reactions. Advanced topics will be covered, like chemical vapor deposition reactors and applications, providing students with a broader appreciation of the applications of reaction engineering principles and methods in materials production.
This course addresses the primary need for graduate students to undertake formal training that will help them in understanding how to conduct their research. The course will develop students’ understanding of research planning and engender skills enhancement for reading, interpreting, writing about and presenting key ideas. The course will also instill an understanding of a variety of research methods and ethics, as well as implementation of appropriate strategies in lecture and workshop settings.
This course enables students to gain and apply basic research knowledge and skills to select their research projects in Chemical and Materials Engineering. The course develops the following knowledge and skills:
1. Identifying the area of research interest;
2. Surveying of state of the art for the area of interest;
3. Identifying the research topic and associated issues;
4. Understanding of the social, cultural, global and environmental issues associated with chosen research topic;
5. Writing a research paper based on the literature survey under the supervision of a faculty member;
6. Presentation of a seminar and being assessed by a panel.
1. Identifying the area of research interest;
2. Surveying of state of the art for the area of interest;
3. Identifying the research topic and associated issues;
4. Understanding of the social, cultural, global and environmental issues associated with chosen research topic;
5. Writing a research paper based on the literature survey under the supervision of a faculty member;
6. Presentation of a seminar and being assessed by a panel.
This course will introduce the general conservation equations (conservation of mass, conservation of momentum, and conservation of energy) for studying the flow, heat and mass transfer processes inside different types of systems and geometries. Modeling different types of heat and mass transfer processes for various systems, exposed to different types of boundary conditions, is an integral part of this course. Many classic techniques to solve the simplified version of the modeled equations will be introduced. Numerical techniques will be applied to solve multi-dimensional complex problems. Applications of heat and mass transfer analyses to different fields of engineering will be introduced. Case studies will be selected from different application areas. Step by step techniques will be shown to model and analyze problems selected from particular application area.
This course intends to give students the opportunity to develop the research proposal. The course develops the following knowledge and skills:
1. Preparation of a thorough and comprehensive literature review to support the research proposal;
2. Formulation of the research hypothesis;
3. Developing and justifying the methods to conduct the research.
By the 4th week of the semester, the student must submit his/her MSc thesis proposal which will be evaluated by an academic panel, comprising your two supervisors and a third faculty from the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering appointed by the MSc ChME Committee and approved by the Head of Department. This panel will decide on the appropriateness of your proposed thesis topic and the scientific concreteness of the methodologies you are aiming to apply.
1. Preparation of a thorough and comprehensive literature review to support the research proposal;
2. Formulation of the research hypothesis;
3. Developing and justifying the methods to conduct the research.
By the 4th week of the semester, the student must submit his/her MSc thesis proposal which will be evaluated by an academic panel, comprising your two supervisors and a third faculty from the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering appointed by the MSc ChME Committee and approved by the Head of Department. This panel will decide on the appropriateness of your proposed thesis topic and the scientific concreteness of the methodologies you are aiming to apply.
This course intends to give students the opportunity to fully implement the research proposal and bring it to a conclusion. The course develops the following knowledge and skills:
1. Planning and conducting, independently, research at an advanced level.
2. Critically analyzing research results.
3. Effectively presenting their results to a wide audience.
4. Effectively compiling their results in the form of an authoritative thesis.
1. Planning and conducting, independently, research at an advanced level.
2. Critically analyzing research results.
3. Effectively presenting their results to a wide audience.
4. Effectively compiling their results in the form of an authoritative thesis.
Elective Courses
The course covers phase equilibrium problems and modeling, the concepts of chemical potential and fugacity, interpretation of experimental data and selection of appropriate models to describe thermodynamics of mixtures with multiple phases and chemical reaction equilibrium. Furthermore, this course shows application of chemical engineering thermodynamics to real world problems using process simulation software.
This course will cover the use of non-Newtonian fluid mechanics and simulation in the analysis of processing operations for polymeric materials. We present a theoretical analysis of the typical flows used for the derivation of the flow curve of polymer melts (simple shear, cone-and-plate, parallel plate, Couette, Poiseuille, slit flow), derive the models on which rheometry is based and illustrate the limitations of each technique. The role of linear and nonlinear viscoelasticity will be discussed. In the last part of the course we present the molecular rheology of polymer melts and applications of the lubrication approximation to derive workable models for polymer processing operations. More advanced model will include use of Hele-Shaw and other lubrication flows to model injection molding and extrusion. During the last segment of the course the students undertake an individual research project of computational (simulation and analysis of some polymer processing operation, possibly outside those covered in the class), experimental (measurement of an important property of a polymer system, such as viscosity or glass transition temperature) or bibliographical (critical review and exposition of a novel polymeric product or processing technology) nature.
The purpose of the course is to give an understanding of principles energy material science. This course includes lectures on the fundamentals, characterizations, preparation and evaluation methods of advanced and currently used materials for energy applications. Energy generation, conversion and storage in solar cells, fuel cells and particularly Li-ion batteries are going to be presented. Additionally, some unique properties of materials will be considered for designing of batteries for particular applications. Other advanced energy related technologies as fuel cell and photovoltaics will be introduced and the mainly applied materials will be discussed. Students will be engaged in the experimental works involving preparation of electrodes and electrolytes, and also assembly of coin cells. Fabrication and studying of nanomaterials will be also taken into account in the laboratory works, as well as their physical properties characterization through the techniques of XRD, BET etc. Finally, assembled batteries will undergo evaluation by its electrochemical measurement. Students will be trained to design the experimental work, characterization/evaluation of the physical/electrochemical properties and interpret the overall obtained results.
Computational Materials Science and Engineering (CMSE) is the computer-based employment of modeling and simulation to understand/predict materials behavior and to design next generation material systems. While the complexity of the physics and multi-scale nature of materials makes computational modeling challenging, modern methods of CMSE are beginning to produce widespread impact in the design and development of new materials. A number of computational methods and tools targeted to different spatio-temporal scales have been well established, ranging from electronic structure calculations based on density functional theory, atomic molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo techniques, mesoscale dynamics, phase-field method, to continuum-level macroscopic approaches. The basic theoretical background and applications of these computational methods in chemical and materials research will be introduced, but the course will also emphasize hands-on training through computational exercises.
Where do our graduates work?
- Career opportunities
- Senior Chemical Engineer
- Senior Materials Engineer
- Process Development Engineer
- Process Modelling and Simulation Engineer
- Advanced Materials Processing Engineer
- Polymer or Composite Materials Engineer
- Energy Materials Engineer
- Environmental or Remediation Engineer
- Materials Characterisation Specialist
- Laboratory or Research Engineer
- Product Development Engineer
- Research and Development Engineer
- Research Scientist or Research Associate
- Research and Consulting Engineer
- Engineering Technology Consultant
- University Lecturer or PhD Researcher
- Industries
- KMG Engineering
- Tengizchevroil (TCO)
- SLB
- North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC)
- Kazatomprom
- Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries Inc. (KPI),
- Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V. (KPO),
- Baker Hughes, PSI Group,
- and other companies in the chemical, energy, materials, manufacturing, and environmental sectors.
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