Master's Degree (MS) in Chemical Engineering

2 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Kentucky

Program Overview

The Master’s in Chemical Engineering at the University of Kentucky is designed for students who want to advance their expertise in chemical process design, systems engineering, materials development, and sustainable engineering, with applications across energy, pharmaceuticals, food processing, and environmental technology. Students build advanced knowledge in areas such as reaction kinetics, transport phenomena, thermodynamics, and materials innovation while developing the expertise needed for careers in process engineering, research, product development, and related technical fields.

Curriculum Structure:

Unlike a traditional undergraduate degree, this MS does not follow a fixed Year 1/Year 2 curriculum on the official program page. Instead, students choose between Plan A and Plan B. Plan A combines 24 credit hours of coursework with 6 research-credit hours and a research-based thesis and defense, while Plan B consists of 30 credit hours of coursework followed by a comprehensive oral examination.

The core curriculum gives students a strong advanced foundation through CME 505 – Analysis of Chemical Engineering Problems, CME 620 – Equilibrium Thermodynamics, CME 630 – Transport I, and CME 650 – Advanced Reactor Design, alongside an approved graduate-level mathematics course. Students then select additional graduate electives with their major professor, allowing them to develop expertise aligned with their academic and professional interests; Plan A students can also undertake research through courses such as CME 768, CME 780, and CME 790.

Focus Areas:

Biomaterials; Drug Delivery; Energy and Batteries; Environmental Engineering; Interfacial Engineering; Materials Synthesis and Nanomaterials; Membranes and Advanced Separations; Molecular Dynamics; Nanomaterials; Polymer Science and Engineering; Process Design; Water Treatment.

Learning Outcomes:

Students develop advanced capabilities in chemical process analysis, equilibrium thermodynamics, transport phenomena, reactor design, mathematical analysis, research, materials development, process design, and engineering problem-solving, with opportunities to apply these skills to energy, pharmaceutical, environmental, materials, and other engineering challenges.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

The University of Kentucky's undergraduate Chemical Engineering program is ABET-accredited; the official accreditation information does not identify the MS itself as an ABET-accredited degree. The graduate program instead emphasizes advanced coursework and, through Plan A, original research and thesis work, providing preparation for professional engineering and further academic pathways.

Reputation (Employability / Rankings):

The University of Kentucky's Pigman College of Engineering was ranked No. 63 among U.S. public institutions in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Engineering Schools ranking, while its Chemical Engineering program was ranked No. 44 among public institutions. The university also highlights strong interdisciplinary research connections, including the Center for Applied Energy Research and the Center of Membrane Sciences, giving graduate students opportunities to work in research areas connected to energy, separations, pharmaceuticals, environmental engineering, and advanced materials.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The MS in Chemical Engineering at the University of Kentucky offers a strong research-driven learning experience, particularly through Plan A, which combines advanced coursework with six hours of research credit and a research-based thesis and defense. Graduate students can work on hands-on projects spanning advanced materials, nanotechnology, biotechnology, energy, environmental engineering, modeling and simulation, and separations, often collaborating across disciplines with researchers in areas such as agriculture, chemistry, physics, medicine, and pharmacy.

Students can also work with specialized research centers and instrumentation, gaining practical experience with advanced characterization, computational research, energy technologies, membranes, and nanomaterials. The department specifically notes that students can apply classroom knowledge to real-world problems through hands-on research and present their research at regional and national conferences. Key opportunities and resources include:

Electron Microscopy Center: Students have access to advanced materials-characterization equipment including variable-pressure and field-emission scanning electron microscopes (SEM), transmission electron microscopes (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), electron-energy-loss spectroscopy, and scanning probe microscopy. Facility staff provide training and assistance to instrument users.
Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CeNSE): Provides shared-use facilities for nanoscale device research, including equipment for film deposition, lithographic pattern definition, and material etching, supporting research in materials and biological sensors.
UK Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility: The facility has five NMR instruments, including four for general users, together with data stations for offline NMR-data processing. Students beginning research can receive individual instruction on operating the NMR spectrometers.
Center for Computational Sciences: Supports computational research and cyberinfrastructure, providing a resource for the department's modeling and simulation research activities.
Advanced Science and Technology Commercialization Center (ASTeCC): This multidisciplinary research and commercialization facility contains laboratories working across areas including biopolymers, computational sciences, materials sciences, molecular biology, and pharmaceutical engineering, giving students opportunities to work in an interdisciplinary research environment.
Center of Membrane Sciences: Supports multidisciplinary research into synthetic and bio-inspired membranes and materials, with access to equipment and material-characterization facilities. This directly connects with the MS program's research areas in membranes and advanced separations.
Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER): Students can engage with research involving catalysis, emissions control, separation technologies, activated carbon, and energy technologies, aligning closely with the program's energy, sustainability, and environmental research areas.
Energy, Nanomechanics, and Surfaces (ENS) Research Laboratory: Part of the Chemical and Materials Engineering Department, the lab researches materials and manufacturing processes for next-generation electrochemical energy-storage systems, including improving energy and power density, durability, cost, and safety.
Research projects and presentations: Graduate students undertake research in areas such as advanced materials and nanotechnology, bioengineering, energy and environmental engineering, with many projects involving multidisciplinary collaboration. The department reports that students often present their research at regional and national conferences.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The MS in Chemical Engineering at the University of Kentucky prepares graduates for advanced careers across energy, pharmaceuticals, materials, environmental technology, food processing, and other technical industries, while also providing a pathway into further academic or professional study. The department highlights alumni careers spanning industry, academia, and national laboratories, including positions with organizations such as Moderna, GSK, AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson, Ashland Chemical, Thermo Fisher, Buffalo Trace, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Typical career directions include:
Chemical Engineer, Process Engineer, Research & Development Engineer, Pharmaceutical Engineer, Materials Engineer, Energy Engineer, Environmental Engineer.

Here are some of the career-development resources and outcomes available through the University:

Engineering Career & Co-op Center: The Pigman College of Engineering provides career fairs, employer connections, career-development programming, and access to job, co-op and internship opportunities. The Engineering and Computer Science Career Fair is held during both fall and spring semesters and is described by the university as routinely being the largest career fair on campus.
Industry connections: Chemical Engineering students benefit from a collaborative research environment involving the Colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy, Arts & Sciences, and Agriculture, Food and Environment. The department also conducts research with the Center for Applied Energy Research, Center of Membrane Sciences, UK Superfund Research Center, Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation, and Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
Employer opportunities: The College's career platform lists opportunities with employers and organizations and provides access to full-time jobs, internships and co-ops. Current listings include chemical-process-engineering opportunities, demonstrating the connection between engineering students and employers.
Employment and salary context: The university's Chemical Engineering career page reports a $112,100 median annual salary for chemical engineers in 2023, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is an occupation-wide figure rather than a salary guarantee or an MS-specific University of Kentucky graduate salary.
Alumni outcomes: The department reports alumni progressing into both industry and research careers, including roles with Moderna, GSK, AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson, Ashland Chemical, Thermo Fisher, Buffalo Trace, Batelle, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as well as academic careers at universities such as Alabama, Vanderbilt, Rhode Island and Michigan-Dearborn.
Professional and accreditation value: The University of Kentucky states that its Chemical and Materials Engineering programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. The department's stated educational objectives emphasize professional career development as well as pursuing advanced technical or professional degrees. The accreditation statement applies to the programs identified by the university and should not be interpreted as saying that the MS itself is separately ABET-accredited.
Graduation and continued development: The department emphasizes preparing students for successful professional careers and continuing education, while the MS itself offers research-intensive opportunities that can strengthen preparation for advanced technical positions or doctoral study.

Further Academic Progression:
After completing the MS, students can continue into a PhD in Chemical Engineering for deeper research training and preparation for research, academia, national laboratories, and advanced technical roles. The University of Kentucky's Chemical Engineering PhD focuses on advanced research in areas including catalysis, reaction engineering, nanotechnology, biotechnology, sustainable systems, energy, health, materials and the environment.