Chemicals, energy and manufacturing companies around the globe are racing to take advantage of the big data trends in what has become known as Industry 4.0. A key need in this sector is professionals with strong domain knowledge in chemical engineering who are skilled in the tools of data science and can lead data-driven efforts in their companies.
Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE), one of the world’s leading chemical engineering departments, launched a Graduate Certificate that will equip professional chemical engineers for this critical field. This program is available to both current on-campus ChBE graduate students and non-degree students, with core courses taught by Georgia Tech ChBE’s world-renowned faculty.
External students should visit this page for more information and application details. The DSCI student handbook contains more information for current ChBE graduate students.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a graduate certificate at Georgia Tech?
A graduate certificate requires 12 credit hours of coursework, typically 4 3-credit hour courses. For comparison, a Master's degree requires 36 credit hours of coursework. Credit from a graduate certificate can be used towards a future Master's degree at Georgia Tech.
What courses are offered in the Data Science for the Chemical Industry graduate certificate?
All students will complete two core courses (ChBE 6745 and ChBE 6746) that will focus on foundational data science methods with a strong emphasis on applications in the chemical process industry. Professional education students will then select two elective courses from a wide variety of courses that are already available within Georgia Tech’s highly successful online Master's degrees in Data Analytics and Cybersecurity. Current ChBE graduate students can explore a full list of on-campus elective courses that complement the two core courses, offering a flexible path to earning the certificate. Access the course list of electives here: Approved Electives List.
How long will the graduate certificate take to complete?
Most students will complete one course per semester, so the certificate will take 4 semesters to complete. Core courses will be offered in Georgia Tech’s fall and spring semesters, but elective courses may also be available in Georgia Tech’s summer semester.
Are these courses suitable for people who are working full-time?
Yes. The course delivery and structure are similar to Georgia Tech’s existing online MS programs, which currently serve thousands of working professionals.
For current ChBE graduate students, all courses are taken in-person and may count toward their degree requirements as an elective or minor courses.
Are the courses easier than regular college-level classes?
No. Each course is also part of Georgia Tech’s graduate curriculum and will require serious effort by students. But careful attention has been paid in developing the core courses to ensure that they are accessible to students who have an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering or a related discipline.
What will tuition be for this graduate certificate?
Tuition and fees for external students will be charged using Georgia Tech's standard rate for Professional Education courses. For the 2024-2025 academic year, the total tuition and fees for a 3-credit-hour course are $3,579. Although we note that these tuition rates are adjusted incrementally each year, with this cost the complete 12-credit-hour graduate certificate can be completed for less than $15,000.
How do Georgia Tech graduate students earn this certificate?
On-campus graduate students can earn the certificate by completing the required courses and submitting the Graduate Stand-Alone Certificate DocuSign Form. To receive the certificate, eligible students must also submit an Online Application for Graduation (OAG) for Graduate Students to the registrar’s office through https://registrar.gatech.edu/info/online-application-graduation-oag-graduate-students