MS Chemical Engineering

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

Columbia University

Program Overview

The MS in Chemical Engineering at Columbia University is an in-person, industry-focused graduate program designed for students who want advanced expertise in chemical engineering and preparation for professional careers or further doctoral study. Students build advanced knowledge in transport, thermodynamics, kinetics, mathematical methods, and specialized areas such as climate solutions, biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals, data and computational science, and electrochemical energy.

Curriculum Structure:

Core Study:
Students begin with four required graduate-level courses that establish the technical foundation of the degree: CHEN 4110 — Mechanisms of Transport or CHEN E4112 — Transport in Fluid Mixtures, CHEN 4120 — Statistical Mechanics or CHEN 4130 — Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, CHEN 4010 — Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering, and CHEN 4330 — Advanced Chemical Kinetics or CHEN E4235 — Surface Reactions & Kinetics. These courses develop advanced capabilities in transport phenomena, thermodynamics, mathematical modeling, and chemical reaction systems.

Advanced Electives and Specialization:
Students then complete 18 points of 4000- or 6000-level courses, with at least 24 total points toward the degree normally coming from Chemical Engineering courses. Students can tailor their studies through areas such as Climate Solutions, Biotechnology and Biopharmaceuticals, Data and Computational Science, and Electrochemical Energy, while the degree can also include a research component of up to 6 points through ChE 9400 — MS Research.

Scientist to Engineer Pathway:
Students entering without an undergraduate chemical engineering degree normally complete the accelerated CHEN E4001 — Essentials of Chemical Engineering A and CHEN E4002 — Essentials of Chemical Engineering B in their first semester. These courses cover areas including thermodynamics, reaction kinetics and reactor design, process control, transport phenomena, and chemical and biochemical separations, giving students the chemical engineering foundation needed for the graduate curriculum.

Focus Areas:

Climate Solutions, Biotechnology and Biopharmaceuticals, Data and Computational Science, Electrochemical Energy, transport phenomena, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, reactor design, process control, chemical and biochemical separations, mathematical modeling, data analysis and sustainable chemical and energy systems.

Learning Outcomes:

Students develop advanced skills in mathematical modeling, transport processes, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, reactor design, process analysis, and computational methods, while applying these concepts to modern chemical engineering challenges. Depending on their electives, students can also develop expertise in areas such as electrochemical energy, biotechnology and biopharmaceutical processing, climate technologies, and data-driven engineering.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

The Columbia MS in Chemical Engineering is a graduate academic and professional degree designed particularly to prepare students for employment in industry, while also providing preparation for doctoral study. Columbia does not identify the MS itself as a separately ABET-accredited degree on its MS program page; therefore, the program should not be described as an ABET-accredited master's degree.

Reputation & Employability:

Columbia positions the MS specifically toward industry employment, with dedicated graduate career support that includes personalized career guidance, application support, workshops, and access to job opportunities in chemical engineering and related fields. The department also offers concentrations aligned with growing technical areas including Climate Solutions, Biotechnology and Biopharmaceuticals, Data and Computational Science, and Electrochemical Energy, giving students opportunities to build expertise relevant to emerging engineering industries.

Columbia's Chemical Engineering department also identifies career pathways in industries requiring chemical engineering expertise, while the MS program provides an additional route into doctoral study for students who want to continue toward research.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Columbia MS in Chemical Engineering gives students opportunities to connect advanced coursework with active research and hands-on engineering applications. Students can undertake CHEN E9400 — MS Research, while the department provides access to specialized facilities supporting areas such as electrochemical energy, soft materials, biotechnology, carbon capture, protein engineering, and computational research. Columbia also offers laboratory-based chemical engineering courses where students work with real equipment, conduct experiments, analyze data, and collaborate in small teams.

The department's research infrastructure and practical opportunities include:

MS Research: Students may complete up to 6 points of CHEN E9400 — MS Research, providing an opportunity to undertake supervised research as part of the master's degree.
Biopharmaceutical Process Laboratory: CHEN E4930 provides hands-on experience with pharmaceutical production techniques including tableting, dissolution, fermentation, chromatography, tangential-flow filtration, mixing, and crystallization. Students work in groups of three and use equipment such as an MTS Universal Testing Machine, Keyence Microscope, spinner bioreactors, UV-VIS, AKTA Start protein-purification system, and tangential-flow filtration equipment.
NMR and materials projects: CHEN E4860 — NMR for Biological, Soft, and Energy Materials combines technical instruction with hands-on laboratory work and project assignments, giving students experience with NMR-based investigation of biological, soft, and energy materials.
Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center (CEEC): The CEEC shared laboratory provides glove boxes, battery-material synthesis ovens and furnaces, coin-cell fabrication and cycling equipment, and characterization tools for research involving batteries, catalysts, electrodes, electrolytes, fuel cells, and electrolysis.
Advanced characterization equipment: CEEC facilities include TEM, SEM with EDX, XPS, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, AFM, BET analysis, NMR, UV/Vis spectroscopy, GPC, and thermal-analysis equipment, supporting materials and electrochemical research.
Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy Facility: The department's SECM facility uses a CHI 9200 Scanning Electrochemical Microscope to investigate charge-transfer rates, morphology, conductivity, and surface properties at nano- to microscale levels.
Columbia Soft Matter Laboratory: This shared-use facility supports research into polymer nanocomposites, self-assembly, and functionality, with instrumentation available to researchers in the area.
High-performance computing: Chemical Engineering students and researchers can request access to Columbia's Terremoto and Habanero high-performance computing clusters, supporting computationally intensive research and modeling.
Research centers and institutes: Students can engage with interdisciplinary research through centers including the Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center and Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), where chemical engineering researchers collaborate with scientists and engineers from across Columbia and with external research communities.
Industry-relevant research: Columbia Chemical Engineering faculty research includes biopolymers, protein engineering, carbon capture, DNA sequencing, and sustainable electrochemical technologies, allowing students to connect their graduate studies with current engineering research challenges.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Columbia University MS in Chemical Engineering is designed particularly for students seeking employment in industry, while also providing preparation for doctoral study. Students can build expertise through concentrations such as Biotechnology and Biopharmaceuticals, Climate Solutions, Data and Computational Science, and Electrochemical Energy, giving them flexibility to target different areas of chemical engineering.

Typical career opportunities include: Chemical Engineer, Process Engineer, Biochemical Engineer, Materials Engineer. Columbia Engineering specifically lists these roles among the common job titles for its Chemical Engineering graduates.

Students can strengthen their transition into employment through Columbia's dedicated career resources:

Graduate Career Placement: Students receive personalized career guidance, application support, workshops, and access to job opportunities in chemical engineering and related sectors.
Career tools and networking: Columbia Engineering provides access to Handshake for jobs and internships, VMock for résumé improvement, BigInterview for interview preparation, career fairs, employer events, and professional development sessions.
Chemical Engineering career support: The department provides employer visits, alumni events, networking opportunities, individual career counseling, and industry-specific resources covering employers, career paths, internships, and research opportunities.
Employment statistics and salary: Columbia's official MS Chemical Engineering sources do not currently publish a program-specific employment rate or average salary, so applicants should refer to the university's career resources for current opportunities rather than relying on an unsupported figure.
University–industry connections: Employers can recruit Columbia Chemical Engineering students through information sessions, skills workshops, internships, job postings, and industry networking events. The department also maintains dedicated digital résumé portfolios for MS students that employers can request.
Long-term accreditation value: Columbia University is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), with accreditation reaffirmed on March 12, 2026. Columbia Engineering also holds ABET accreditation, although the Chemical Engineering MS itself should not be described as an ABET-accredited degree; Columbia's ABET-accredited Chemical Engineering program is at the undergraduate level.
Graduation outcomes: Columbia's Chemical Engineering department has documented graduates moving into companies and organizations such as Bristol Myers Squibb, Regeneron, Evoqua, and other engineering, pharmaceutical, life-science, and consulting employers.

Further Academic Progression:
After completing the MS, students interested in research can pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering or a related technical field. Columbia states that MS students who later wish to pursue its Chemical Engineering PhD must formally apply to the PhD program; admission is not automatic. Students who already know they want a doctorate and hold an appropriate engineering bachelor's degree can also consider Columbia's dedicated M