M.E. Degree in Chemical Engineering

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

The City College of New York

Program Overview

The M.E. in Chemical Engineering at The City College of New York (CCNY) is a professional master's degree designed for students with a background in Chemical Engineering or a related field who want advanced expertise in core areas such as thermodynamics, reaction engineering, fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, while also exploring specialized areas such as materials science, nanotechnology and energy technology. The 31-credit program combines advanced coursework with a faculty-supervised research component, allowing students to choose between a research project, thesis or additional coursework depending on their goals.

Curriculum Structure:

Graduate Study:

Students build their advanced foundation through courses such as CHE I2800: Advanced Chemical Thermodynamics, which covers physical and chemical equilibria and energy effects, and CHE I3300: Advanced Chemical Reaction Engineering, which examines non-ideal reactors and industrial catalytic reactor design. They also complete ENGR I1100: Introduction to Engineering Analysis and CHE I0000: Seminar, developing analytical and research-oriented skills alongside their core Chemical Engineering studies.

Advanced Coursework & Specialization:

Students then deepen their knowledge through at least two courses from CHE I9100: Mass Transfer, ENGR I0800: Foundations of Fluid Mechanics, and ME I3400: Advanced Heat Transfer, before using graduate electives to specialize further. Available subjects include Chemical Process Simulation, Advanced Materials Engineering, Molecular Simulation, Nanotechnology, Bioseparations, Bioprocess Engineering and Soft Materials Laboratory, giving students flexibility to connect their studies with emerging areas of Chemical Engineering.

Research & Final Project:

Every M.E. student completes a research component, choosing CHE I9700: Report, CHE I9800: Master's Project, or CHE I9900: Research for the Master's Thesis. The Master's Project involves a theoretical or experimental project supervised by a faculty advisor, while the thesis option allows students to undertake more intensive research.

Focus Areas:

Thermodynamics, chemical reaction engineering, mass transfer, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, materials science, nanotechnology, energy technology, complex fluids, polymer science, molecular simulation, bioseparations, bioprocess engineering, chemical process simulation.

Learning Outcomes:

Develop advanced analytical and problem-solving skills in Chemical Engineering, apply engineering principles to complex technical problems, understand and analyze chemical processes and systems, conduct faculty-supervised theoretical or experimental research, communicate technical findings through reports and presentations, and develop specialized expertise through graduate electives.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

The M.E. in Chemical Engineering is a professional graduate degree offered through CCNY's Grove School of Engineering. CCNY's official accreditation information specifies ABET accreditation for its undergraduate engineering programs, while the M.E. is a graduate degree; therefore, the M.E. itself should not be described as an ABET-accredited program.

Reputation (Employability & Rankings):

CCNY's Chemical Engineering Department reports more than $3.5 million per year in research funding and more than 20 publications per year, reflecting an active research environment for graduate students. The department also highlights applications of Chemical Engineering across energy, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials development, pharmaceuticals and electronics, giving the M.E. relevance across both established and emerging industries.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The M.E. in Chemical Engineering at The City College of New York gives students practical research experience through a required faculty-supervised research project, allowing them to connect advanced coursework with theoretical or experimental work. Students have access to specialized Chemical Engineering laboratories, pilot-scale equipment, computational resources and interdisciplinary research institutes, creating opportunities to work with real chemical processes, materials, energy systems and advanced analytical techniques.

The program's practical and research resources include:

Research Project: Every M.E. student must identify a faculty research advisor and complete one of three research options: CHE I9700: 0-credit Research Project, CHE I9800: Master's Project, or CHE I9900: Master's Thesis.
Unit Operations Laboratories: Students can work with pilot-plant-scale equipment, including pumps and fluid-friction units, heat exchangers, a distillation column, packed absorption column, membrane air-separation unit, continuous chemical reactor, drying and filtration equipment, and a fluidized bed.
Process Control: A fully automated distillation column is available for studying the control of process variables during changes in operating conditions.
Chemical Engineering Science Laboratory: Facilities support measurements involving transport phenomena, thermodynamic properties and constitutive equations, providing a practical complement to advanced theory.
Materials & Particulate Science Laboratories: Students can access equipment for studying material structure, thermoanalytical properties, mechanical properties, surface and particulate properties and optical properties.
MATLAB & Simulink: CUNY provides a campus-wide license for MATLAB, Simulink and companion products. Chemical Engineering students can also access departmental computing servers for computational work.
Chemical Engineering Virtual Computer Laboratory: CCNY's graduate catalog identifies access to software including ASPEN, Mathematica, MATLAB, COMSOL, Visio and SuperPro Designer through the department's Citrix-based computing environment.
CUNY Energy Institute: Chemical Engineering students can engage with an interdisciplinary research environment focused on sustainable energy technologies, including advanced electrochemical energy storage and other energy technologies.
Benjamin Levich Institute: This interdisciplinary institute provides research opportunities in fluid and transport phenomena, including complex fluids, polymer melts, liquid crystals, suspensions, colloids and interfaces.
Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC): CCNY Chemical Engineering research has access to shared scientific facilities at the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, supporting advanced interdisciplinary research.
Advanced characterization tools: Chemical Engineering research facilities include access to techniques such as thermal analysis, rheology, infrared spectroscopy, SEM and AFM, while broader CCNY/CUNY resources provide access to XRD, TEM, NMR and XPS.
Industry-relevant research: Department research spans energy and environment, materials and interfaces, and biomolecules and biotechnology, allowing M.E. students to align their research projects with emerging Chemical Engineering applications.
Collaborative research environment: The department's institutes and centers bring together faculty and students from multiple disciplines, supporting collaborative research in areas such as energy, complex fluids and advanced materials.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The M.E. in Chemical Engineering at The City College of New York gives graduates advanced preparation for professional roles across chemical processing, energy, materials, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and environmental engineering. Its combination of advanced technical coursework and a faculty-supervised research project or thesis can support students pursuing technical industry positions as well as further doctoral study.

Potential career roles include: Chemical Process Engineer, Process Design Engineer, Research & Development Engineer, Energy Engineer.

Career support: CCNY's Career and Professional Development Institute (CPDI) provides career counseling, résumé and cover-letter assistance, interview preparation, career fairs, employer events and job/internship resources for students and alumni.
Industry connections: The Grove School of Engineering maintains relationships with engineering employers and hosts career and employer events that connect engineering students with organizations seeking technical talent.
Research-to-industry opportunities: Chemical Engineering research at CCNY covers energy and environment, materials and interfaces, and biomolecules and biotechnology, giving students opportunities to develop expertise relevant to several industrial sectors.
CUNY Energy Institute: Students interested in energy can benefit from CCNY's interdisciplinary CUNY Energy Institute, whose research includes advanced energy-storage and sustainable-energy technologies.
Graduate outcomes: The Chemical Engineering department's graduate programs prepare students for careers in industry and research as well as continued graduate education. The M.E.'s project/thesis options provide a pathway for students who want substantial research experience.
Salary information: CCNY's official M.E. Chemical Engineering page does not publish a specific median salary or employment-rate figure for M.E. graduates. Therefore, an M.E.-specific salary statistic should not be attributed to the program.
Accreditation value: CCNY's official accreditation information identifies ABET accreditation for applicable undergraduate engineering programs; the M.E. is a graduate degree and should not be described as an ABET-accredited M.E. program.

Further Academic Progression:
After completing the M.E., students interested in advanced research can continue into a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, either at CCNY or another university. CCNY's Chemical Engineering Ph.D. provides opportunities for deeper research in areas including energy and environment, materials and interfaces, and biomolecules and biotechnology, making the M.E. a useful foundation for doctoral-level research and academic careers.