MEng: Biological and Chemical Engineering

1 Years On Campus Masters Program

Dartmouth College

Program Overview

The MEng in Biological/Chemical Engineering at Dartmouth Engineering combines engineering with biological and chemical sciences, preparing students to model, design, and optimize biological and chemical systems for applications in medicine, agriculture, industry, the environment, and biotechnology. The program is particularly suited to students who want to build advanced skills in areas such as modeling, big-data analysis, genetics, biochemistry, process design, and molecular, micro, and cellular biology.

Curriculum Structure:

Nine-month MEng program: As a full-time on-campus MEng, students complete nine graduate-level courses, including five courses selected from the Biological/Chemical Engineering core and four electives from graduate engineering or science offerings. Students can build technical depth through subjects such as ENGS 157: Chemical Process Design, ENGS 161: Metabolic Engineering, ENGS 163: Advanced Protein Engineering, ENGS 165: Biomaterials, ENGG 260: Advances in Biotechnology, and ENGS 156: Heat, Mass, and Momentum Transfer, while electives can extend into areas such as computational structural biology, biomolecular simulations, immunology, and bioinformatics.

The program also requires at least one course containing a substantial term project or product, giving students an opportunity to demonstrate the MEng learning outcomes through applied engineering work. Depending on their interests, students can pursue options such as ENGM 191: Product Design and Development, ENGS 190: Engineering Design and Methodology Project Initiation, and ENGS 290: Engineering Design Methodology and Project Completion, while working with a faculty advisor to create an individualized program plan.

Focus Areas:

Biological and chemical engineering, biotechnology, bioengineering, metabolic engineering, protein engineering, biomaterials, chemical process design, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat/mass/momentum transfer, chemical kinetics and reactors, molecular biology, cellular biology, bioinformatics, machine learning, biochemistry, process simulation, biological systems, biofuels, medicine, agriculture, environmental engineering, and sustainable technologies.

Learning Outcomes:

Students develop the ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems using advanced engineering methods and techniques, while assessing solutions against technical, economic, and societal requirements. The program also develops skills in analyzing complex engineering solutions, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, and applying advanced engineering processes and tools to improve them.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

The MEng is a graduate professional engineering degree and is not separately identified by Dartmouth as an ABET-accredited program. Dartmouth Engineering's ABET accreditation applies to its Bachelor of Engineering programs, while the MEng focuses on advanced professional preparation through specialized graduate coursework and applied project work.

Reputation (Employability & Outcomes):

Dartmouth Engineering reports strong graduate employment outcomes, with a 92% job placement rate for master's and PhD alumni who secure employment within six months of graduation. For the Class of 2025, the reported average starting salary for Dartmouth Engineering MEng/MS graduates was $93,000, while graduates are recruited by organizations including Amazon, Apple, Boeing, GE Healthcare, Google, Microsoft, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Tesla, and Wayfair.

Dartmouth Engineering also provides dedicated career support through engineering career coaching, networking, job information, career fairs, professional development, Handshake, and connections with employers and alumni.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The MEng’s practical focus comes through its required project-based coursework, faculty-guided program planning, and access to Dartmouth Engineering’s Biological/Chemical research environment. Students can work with computational tools such as Python, COBRA, and Equilibrator, while selected courses provide hands-on laboratory experience in areas such as microfluidics, biomolecular sensing, metabolic engineering, and biological systems. Dartmouth also has dedicated biotechnology and biochemical engineering laboratories and a broad network of active Biological/Chemical research projects, giving students opportunities to connect engineering concepts with real biological and chemical applications.

Students build this practical experience through several program-specific opportunities:

Project-based coursework: One of the nine MEng courses must include a substantial term project or product sufficient to assess the program's learning outcomes. Students work with a faculty advisor to develop an individualized program plan.
Python, COBRA & Equilibrator: ENGS 161: Metabolic Engineering uses COBRA, Equilibrator, Python, and the Python Data Science stack to analyze metabolic networks, simulate kinetic reactions, and study isotope-tracer data. Students apply these tools to literature-based examples and then complete a project of their choice.
Hands-on microfluidics: ENGS 159: Molecular Sensors & Nanodevices in Biomedical Engineering includes three laboratory sessions covering microfluidic chips, soft lithography, gold-nanorod biomolecular sensors, and micro-reactors for nanoparticle-based biomedical sensing and imaging.
Biotechnology & biochemical engineering laboratories: Dartmouth's research laboratories are located across Cummings Hall, the MacLean Engineering Sciences Center, and the Engineering and Computer Science Center (ECSC). Shared facilities include a Biotech Teaching Lab, Media Prep area, Analytical Lab, and Environmental Rooms.
Cell-culture and materials equipment: The Biotech Teaching Lab includes an oscillating disc rheometer, dynamic mechanical analyzer, mammalian cell-culture facilities, incubator, and biosafety cabinet, supporting practical work with biological systems and materials.
Active Biological/Chemical research: Dartmouth lists active projects in areas including protein engineering, metabolic engineering, biofuels, biomass processing, immunoengineering, biological imaging, and biomaterials. Examples include cellular engineering of protein-expression hosts, glyco-engineering of proteins, immunogenicity prediction using machine learning, and sustainable biomass processing.
Research facilities and project spaces: Dartmouth Engineering provides access to facilities including a Microscopy Lab, Fluids Instruction Lab, Materials Processing Lab, CAD Lab, Linux Computer Lab, Rapid Prototyping/3D Printing facility, Instrument Room and Equipment Lending, and X-Ray Diffractometer Lab.
Research collaboration: Dartmouth describes its engineering research as highly interdisciplinary, with projects combining engineering disciplines with other sciences. The Biological/Chemical area specifically includes research in biological circuits and systems, biomass energy, immunoengineering, metabolic engineering, process simulation, and protein engineering.
Research project experience: Dartmouth's Biological/Chemical research portfolio includes projects such as biofunctionalizing electrospun fibers for dermal adhesion, scaffold design optimization for bone tissue engineering, and immunogenicity prediction using machine learning, allowing students involved in research to work on current engineering challenges.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The MEng in Biological/Chemical Engineering at Dartmouth Engineering can prepare graduates for engineering and technical careers spanning biotechnology, bioprocessing, chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals, environmental applications, and related industries. Dartmouth’s broader MEng/MS outcomes show a 92% employment rate within six months for master’s and PhD alumni, with a $93,000 average starting salary for U.S.-based MEng/MS graduates in 2025.

Typical career roles: Bioprocess Engineer, Chemical Process Engineer, Biotechnology Engineer, Process Development Engineer.

Career support: Dartmouth Engineering provides dedicated Career Services, including career coaching, employer and alumni connections, career programming, and engineering career fairs. The school also reports both an in-person Dartmouth Engineering Career Fair and a virtual career fair, giving graduate students opportunities to connect directly with employers.
Employment and salary outcomes: For 2025 graduates, Dartmouth Engineering reports an average starting salary of $93,000 for U.S.-based MEng/MS graduates. Across master's and PhD alumni, 92% secure employment within six months of graduation; these figures are school-wide graduate outcomes rather than Biological/Chemical MEng-specific placement statistics.
Industry exposure: Dartmouth Engineering's Biological/Chemical Engineering area addresses applications in medicine, agriculture, industry, and the environment, while its research ecosystem includes biotechnology, metabolic engineering, protein engineering, biofuels, biomass processing, immunoengineering, and biological systems. This gives students opportunities to build expertise relevant to industries such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, chemical processing, and environmental technology.
Entrepreneurship and industry connection: Dartmouth reports that more than 50% of its tenure-track engineering faculty have founded startups and more than 65% hold patents. Graduate engineering students can also engage with entrepreneurship through Dartmouth's broader engineering ecosystem, including opportunities to work with faculty startups and the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship.
Long-term professional value: The MEng develops advanced engineering capabilities in modeling, design, optimization, biological and chemical systems, and project-based problem solving. Dartmouth does not identify the Biological/Chemical MEng as a separately ABET-accredited program; therefore, ABET accreditation should not be presented as a specific accreditation of this master's degree.
Graduation outcomes: Dartmouth reports that its engineering graduates enter a broad range of technical, engineering, business, and entrepreneurial careers, with some graduates also creating startups and new employment opportunities. The Biological/Chemical track specifically prepares students to address engineering challenges across medicine, agriculture, industry, environmental applications, and biotechnology.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the MEng, students who want to move into advanced research can pursue a PhD in Engineering at Dartmouth or a related doctoral program. Dartmouth's engineering PhD ecosystem includes research areas spanning biological and chemical engineering and provides opportunities to work with faculty on original research, while a master's degree is not required to apply to Dartmouth's Engineering PhD