MEng Chemical and Biological Engineering

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Program Overview

The M.Eng. in Chemical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is a coursework-focused graduate degree designed for students who want advanced preparation for professional careers in chemical engineering or further graduate study. The program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours and allows students to build an individualized plan of study with advanced coursework and electives across chemical engineering specializations.

Curriculum Structure:

Program structure:

RPI does not publish the M.Eng. as a fixed multi-year sequence with separate first-, second-, third-, and fourth-year curricula. Instead, students complete 30 credits of coursework and develop an individualized Plan of Study with an adviser, allowing them to concentrate on areas that match their professional interests.

Initial stage:

Students develop advanced proficiency in the core areas of chemical engineering through graduate-level study. Relevant departmental coursework includes CHME 6570 Chemical and Phase Equilibria, CHME 6610 Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering I, and CHME 6510 Advanced Transport Phenomena I, which cover chemical equilibria, mathematical analysis, and advanced transport concepts.

Advanced/elective stage:

The remaining coursework can be tailored through electives, enabling students to pursue intensive study in particular chemical engineering subdisciplines or specialties. RPI's department emphasizes areas connected to chemical and physical processes, including process design and control, energy, sustainability, biotechnology, healthcare, and advanced materials.

The M.Eng. is specifically coursework-only, distinguishing it from RPI's M.S. in Chemical Engineering, which requires a thesis and research component.

Focus Areas:

Chemical and physical processes, chemical engineering fundamentals, thermodynamics and phase equilibria, transport phenomena, mathematical modeling, process design and control, energy and sustainability, biotechnology, healthcare, advanced materials, semiconductor processing.

Learning Outcomes:

Graduates develop advanced proficiency in the core areas of Chemical Engineering and demonstrate preparedness for professional careers and/or further graduate studies.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

RPI's undergraduate Chemical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the criteria for Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular, and Similarly Named Engineering Programs. The university does not state that the M.Eng. itself carries separate ABET accreditation.

Reputation (Employability/Rankings):

RPI reports that its graduate Chemical Engineering program was ranked #43 nationally by U.S. News & World Report in the university's published rankings. RPI has also highlighted the strength of its engineering program and chemical engineering discipline in external rankings, although these rankings should be distinguished from a ranking specifically of the M.Eng. degree.

The program also benefits from RPI's strong connection between chemical engineering and industry. The department notes that its chemical engineering fundamentals are applied across industries including chemical, biotechnology, food, nuclear, semiconductor, and environmental operations, with career paths spanning R&D, process and project engineering, production, and technical marketing.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The M.Eng. in Chemical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is designed as a coursework-only master’s, but students can build practical and technical expertise through RPI’s extensive chemical and biological engineering research environment and advanced laboratory infrastructure. The department supports work spanning biochemical engineering, molecular simulations, advanced materials, polymers, process systems and control, transport processes, and separation technologies, giving students exposure to experimental, computational, and data-driven approaches relevant to modern chemical engineering.

Students can further develop their technical capabilities through RPI’s specialized laboratories, analytical instrumentation, computational facilities, and interdisciplinary research centers:

Advanced laboratory instrumentation: Chemical and Biological Engineering facilities include a GC/mass spectrometer, X-ray fluorescence analyzer, ion chromatograph, HPLC systems, and laser zee particle characterization system, providing access to sophisticated analytical and characterization equipment.
Biotechnology and interdisciplinary research: The Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) provides access to core imaging, analytical, and spectroscopy capabilities and supports research where chemical engineering intersects with biotechnology, biology, physics, and biomedical engineering.
Computational tools and simulations: RPI's Chemical and Biological Engineering research includes Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations, statistical-mechanical modeling, process-data analytics, and machine/deep-learning techniques for biomedical systems and smart manufacturing.
Process systems and AI: Students interested in process engineering can engage with research involving process data analytics, big-data methods, machine learning, and deep learning, including applications in energy-intensive industrial processes and sustainable manufacturing.
Materials and nanotechnology: Research facilities support work in advanced materials, nanoporous materials, separation membranes, polymers, fuel-cell and battery materials, optical and electronic materials, and catalytic systems.
Research centers: Relevant interdisciplinary centers include the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS), Center for Computation Innovations (CCI), Center for Materials, Devices, and Integrated Systems (CMDIS), Center for Smart Convergent Manufacturing Systems (CSCMS), NYS Center for Future Energy Systems (CFES), NYS Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I), and Scientific Computation Research Center (SCOREC).
Computational infrastructure: The Center for Computation Innovations provides high-performance computing resources for computational research, while SCOREC develops simulation technologies for physical, chemical, and biological systems.
Interdisciplinary laboratory environment: RPI's department collaborates with Chemistry, Biology, Materials Science and Engineering, Mathematics, and Mechanical Engineering on areas such as fermentation, polymer membranes, fluid mechanics, polymer studies, and interfacial phenomena.
Bioprocessing research: The Cramer Research Lab conducts experimental and theoretical work in downstream bioprocessing, chromatography, continuous and integrated biomanufacturing, gene-therapy processing, multiscale simulations, and big-data modeling, giving students exposure to advanced bioprocessing approaches.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Chemical Engineering M.Eng. at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute prepares graduates for professional careers by developing advanced proficiency in the core areas of chemical engineering. The program is designed to support progression into industry as well as further graduate study, with the department highlighting applications across processing industries, biotechnology, semiconductor processing, environmental operations, energy, and advanced materials.

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

Career development and graduate outcomes are supported through:

Career services: RPI’s Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) provides graduate students with individualized career counseling, career exploration, help translating graduate experience into application materials, and guidance for opportunities in industry, government, nonprofit organizations, and academia. Students also have access to Handshake for job opportunities and employer connections.
Internships and co-ops: CCPD supports students through internships and co-op opportunities, as well as employer engagement, career fairs, recruiting events, and other experiential-learning opportunities.
Employment outcomes: RPI publishes career and hiring statistics through CCPD, although I could not verify a current M.Eng. Chemical Engineering-specific employment rate or salary figure from the official sources reviewed, so a program-specific figure should not be assumed.
University–industry connections: RPI's Chemical and Biological Engineering department is located in a region with a growing semiconductor industry and biomanufacturing hub. The department specifically identifies applications in semiconductor processing, biotechnology, chemical manufacturing, food, nuclear, and environmental operations.
Industry engagement: RPI's CCPD has worked with GlobalFoundries to create career-development opportunities for students in chemical, mechanical, electrical, computer, and materials engineering, with opportunities connected to semiconductor manufacturing.
Accreditation value: RPI’s undergraduate Chemical Engineering program is ABET-accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission. The university does not state that the graduate M.Eng. itself has separate ABET accreditation, so the M.Eng. should be viewed as an advanced graduate qualification rather than a separately ABET-accredited program.
Graduate outcomes: The department states that successful M.Eng. graduates demonstrate advanced proficiency in core Chemical Engineering areas and are prepared for professional careers and/or further graduate studies.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the M.Eng., students who want to pursue advanced research can apply for RPI’s Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering. The doctoral program requires 72 graduate-level credits, including a dissertation, and offers advanced study in areas such as transport processes, catalysis and separations, biotechnology and bioseparations, metabolic engineering, electronic and polymeric materials, and process design and control.