MS Chemical Engineering

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

Lehigh University

Program Overview

The M.S. in Chemical Engineering at Lehigh University prepares students for advanced careers and research in areas such as energy and sustainability, bioscience and health, and simulation and machine learning. The 30-credit program is designed for students seeking deeper expertise in chemical engineering through thesis, research-project, or coursework-only options, and it is available both on campus and fully online.

Curriculum Structure:

The program typically takes two years of full-time study and builds advanced chemical-engineering knowledge through a combination of core courses and specialized electives. Students begin with subjects such as CHE 400 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, which applies thermodynamic principles to chemical engineering, and CHE 410 Chemical Reaction Engineering, which develops knowledge of chemical kinetics, reactor design and operation.

Students then strengthen their understanding of chemical-engineering systems through CHE 415 Transport Processes, covering momentum, energy and mass transport, and CHE 452 Mathematical Methods in Engineering I, which develops analytical methods involving ordinary differential equations and transforms. Depending on their chosen pathway, students can then use electives and research or thesis credits to develop deeper expertise in their selected specialization.

Focus Areas:

Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Energy and the Environment, Functional Materials and Nanotechnology, Colloids/Emulsions and Interfacial Science, Computations/Systems and Machine Learning.

Learning Outcomes:

Students develop advanced knowledge of chemical engineering thermodynamics, reaction engineering, transport processes and mathematical methods, together with specialized expertise through electives and research. The program can also develop research, analytical and problem-solving capabilities relevant to technical and leadership roles in chemical engineering, energy, biotechnology, materials and computational fields.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

The M.S. is a graduate-level program offered by Lehigh's Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, with research, project and coursework pathways. The program page does not identify a separate ABET accreditation for the M.S.; Lehigh's graduate program is designed for advanced technical and research preparation rather than undergraduate professional accreditation.

Reputation (Employability & Rankings):

Lehigh reports that Class of 2025 master's graduates across the Rossin College averaged $100,000 in starting salary; this is a college-wide master's figure rather than an M.S. Chemical Engineering-specific figure. Lehigh also reports a $78,364 average salary for Chemical Engineering graduates on its post-graduation outcomes page, although that figure is not identified as specific to this M.S.

The department has a strong research profile and maintains relationships with industry through research centers and industrially sponsored programs. Lehigh's Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department has also historically been recognized among major U.S. chemical-engineering graduate programs, including a top-10 ranking for master's degree production in a Chemical & Engineering News survey.

Online availability: The M.S. in Chemical Engineering is also available fully online, giving students the option to complete the 30-credit degree remotely.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The M.S. in Chemical Engineering at Lehigh University combines advanced coursework with research opportunities, allowing students to develop practical skills through experimental, computational, theoretical and interdisciplinary work. Depending on the chosen pathway, students can complete a thesis or research project and work in research areas spanning energy and sustainability, biomolecular engineering, functional materials, colloids and interfaces, and computational systems and machine learning. Lehigh's Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department provides access to specialized laboratories, advanced characterization facilities and interdisciplinary research environments, including the Health, Science and Technology Building.

Students can gain hands-on and research experience through:

Operando Molecular Spectroscopy and Catalysis Research Lab: Students can investigate catalytic active sites, reaction intermediates and catalyst performance under realistic reaction conditions, connecting molecular-scale analysis with reaction kinetics.
Baltrusaitis Lab: Research focuses on sustainable catalytic processes involving natural gas and biomass transformations, giving students opportunities to work on energy and environmental applications.
Laboratory for Particle Mixing and Self-Organization: Students can work on suspension rheology, granular dynamics, convective deposition and field-driven assembly, with applications including coatings, membranes, microfluidics, solar cells and biotechnology.
Jagota Group Lab: This laboratory combines theory and experiments to investigate biomaterials, nanomaterials, soft materials and bioengineering-related material properties.
Energy and sustainability research: Department research includes CO₂ capture, fuel cells, electrocatalysis, batteries, photovoltaics, membrane separations, biomass upgrading, sustainable processes and polymer recycling/circularity.
Computational and machine-learning research: Students can work on AI for chemical and biological systems, molecular simulations, computational catalysis, reaction-network modeling, process systems design, automation and control, and life-cycle/technoeconomic analysis.
Health, Science and Technology Building: The HST Building provides a major interdisciplinary research environment for Lehigh's engineering and science programs, supporting advanced research across areas relevant to chemical and biomolecular engineering.
Advanced materials and nanotechnology: Lehigh's research environment supports work involving functional materials, nanotechnology, biomaterials, colloids, emulsions and interfacial science, giving M.S. students opportunities to work across multiple scales of chemical-engineering research.
Research project and thesis options: The M.S. offers thesis, research-project and coursework-only pathways, so students who select a research route can apply their coursework directly to an independent research project or thesis.
Interdisciplinary research institutes: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering research connects with Lehigh's broader interdisciplinary research infrastructure, including institutes working across energy, intelligent systems/computation and functional materials/devices.
Industrial and external research connections: Department research has applications across the chemical process industry, energy, biotechnology, materials and environmental sectors, with faculty research supported by external and industry partnerships.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The M.S. in Chemical Engineering at Lehigh University prepares graduates for technical and research-oriented careers across chemical processing, biopharmaceuticals, materials and electronics, energy, environmental engineering, process automation, and new product development. The program’s research-based structure also gives students the depth needed to move into advanced R&D and doctoral study.

Typical career roles: Chemical Engineer, Process Engineer, R&D Engineer, Process/Product Development Engineer.

Career progression is supported through:

Career services: Lehigh’s Career Services provides job postings, networking opportunities, externships, career planning, and connections with alumni and employers. Students can also use the university’s LUnet networking database, which has more than 26,000 members.
Employment and salary outcomes: The P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science reported that 77% of its master’s graduates in the Class of 2025 were employed or continuing education within six months, with an average starting salary of $100,000. The college’s reported top industries included manufacturing, technology, healthcare, energy, consulting, and government.
Chemical engineering salary context: Lehigh’s post-graduation outcomes page reports an average salary of $78,364 for Chemical Engineering; this figure is not limited specifically to M.S. graduates.
University–industry connections: Lehigh’s Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department maintains relationships with industry, including industrially sponsored research programs. Recent examples include research collaborations with Procter & Gamble, while department graduate events have brought representatives from companies such as Dow and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals directly into contact with students.
Industry reach: Lehigh Chemical Engineering graduates have gone on to work with organizations including Air Products, Cummins, ExxonMobil, Intel, Dow, BASF, Linde, Regeneron, and P&G, demonstrating the breadth of industries connected with the department.
Accreditation value: Lehigh’s Chemical Engineering B.S. is ABET-accredited, while the M.S. is a graduate research degree rather than a separately ABET-accredited program. The M.S. instead adds advanced technical and research preparation to a student’s existing engineering foundation.
Graduate outcomes: Rossin College graduates have moved into manufacturing, technology, healthcare, energy, consulting, and government, with employers including Merck, Moderna, Pfizer, SpaceX, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Meta, Oracle, and W.L. Gore & Associates.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the M.S., students interested in advanced research can continue into Lehigh’s Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, where research spans experimental, theoretical, and computational approaches. The Ph.D. can lead toward careers in advanced industrial R&D, national laboratories, postdoctoral research, and academia; Lehigh reports doctoral alumni progressing to organizations such as MIT, Princeton, Harvard, Cornell, NIST, and the U.S. Department of Energy.