Chemical Engineering ME

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

University at Buffalo SUNY

Program Overview

The Master of Engineering (M.E.) in Chemical Engineering at the University at Buffalo is a 30-credit, research-based graduate program with an industrial focus, designed for students who want to build advanced engineering expertise for professional careers. The program accommodates students with or without previous Chemical Engineering training and allows them to develop specialized knowledge through focused coursework and research in areas such as biotechnology, materials, energy, and computational engineering.

Curriculum Structure:

The M.E. is completed through 30 credits of graduate study and is typically designed as an 18–24 month program. Rather than following a fixed year-by-year sequence, students progress through graduate coursework and research within their selected area of interest, with the curriculum offering flexibility for students from different academic backgrounds.

First year:

Students establish advanced engineering foundations and begin developing expertise in their selected area through graduate Chemical and Biological Engineering coursework. Depending on their focus, coursework can include areas such as Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, Transport Phenomena, and Chemical Reaction Engineering, building the technical foundation needed for advanced professional practice.

Second year:

Students deepen their specialization and apply their knowledge through research-oriented and industrially focused work. Depending on their chosen concentration, students can develop expertise in areas such as Computational Modeling and Simulation, Materials Processing, Biotechnology, or Energy and Sustainability, connecting advanced engineering theory with practical applications.

Focus Areas:

Biotechnology, Modeling Simulation and Informatics, Chemistry and Processing of Materials, Energy and Sustainability.

Learning Outcomes:

Advanced chemical engineering knowledge, quantitative and analytical problem-solving, computational and modeling skills, research experience, materials and process development expertise, ability to apply engineering principles to industrial problems.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

The M.E. is a graduate professional degree and is not separately identified as an ABET-accredited program. The University at Buffalo's undergraduate Chemical Engineering program is ABET accredited, while the M.E. provides advanced graduate-level preparation for professional engineering and industrial careers.

Reputation (Employability & Rankings):

The University at Buffalo is a Carnegie R1 research university, providing M.E. students with access to a strong research environment and faculty expertise across chemical and biological engineering. The department's research spans areas including biotechnology, materials, energy, sustainability, and computational engineering, supporting preparation for careers across advanced engineering and industrial sectors.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The M.E. in Chemical Engineering at the University at Buffalo has a strong applied and research component, with the program designed around a research-based degree with an industrial focus. Students complete a culminating experience and can build practical expertise in areas such as biotechnology, computational modeling, materials processing, and energy and sustainability, with access to UB’s research laboratories and specialized instrumentation.

The program is particularly valuable for students interested in combining chemical engineering with modern computational and materials technologies. Depending on the selected focus, students can work with computational research tools, high-performance computing, materials characterization equipment, cleanroom facilities, and advanced chemical-analysis instrumentation:

Culminating experience: Students complete CE 503/504 – Culminating Experience, providing an applied component within the chosen M.E. focus.
Biotechnology: Students can take CE 517 Bioengineering Principles, with electives including CE 508 Metabolic Engineering, CE 550 Protein Engineering, CE 564 Tissue Engineering, CE 547 Biochemical Engineering, and Bioprocessing Modeling.
Computational tools and research: The Modeling, Simulation and Informatics focus includes CE 531 Mathematics and Computation and CE 551 Computer-Aided Research in the Chemical and Material Sciences, with options such as High Performance Computing I/II, Molecular Simulation, Bioprocess Modeling, and Statistical Mechanics.
Center for Computational Research: Students have access to UB’s Center for Computational Research, which provides more than 170 Tflops of peak computing capacity for computational research.
Materials Characterization Laboratory: The Furnas Hall Materials Characterization Laboratory provides nearly 1,700 square feet of research space and equipment for analyzing liquid, powder, surface, and bulk materials.
Cleanroom: UB’s multidisciplinary Cleanroom includes Class 1000 space and Class 100 working areas for electronic-device research, materials characterization, microfabrication, processing, and development.
Digital Manufacturing Laboratory: The Digital Manufacturing Lab provides 3D printing/additive manufacturing technologies, modeling and digital-design software, 3D digital scanners, and professional-grade printers for prototyping and manufacturing.
Chemistry Instrumentation Center: Students can access advanced chemical-analysis instrumentation and technical expertise for experimental design and data interpretation.
South Campus Instrument Center: The facility provides surface imaging and spectroscopy capabilities for materials and products, along with product-quality testing, failure analysis, and forensic evaluation.
Shared Instrument Facilities: UB maintains centrally coordinated instruments supporting nanoscience, materials, physics, and engineering research.
Research areas: CBE research groups work in biological, materials, computational, and molecular modeling engineering, with applications in health, energy, and the environment.
Team-based projects/internships/field trips: The official M.E. page does not specifically state that internships, field trips, or mandatory group projects are components of the M.E., so these should not be presented as required elements.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The M.E. in Chemical Engineering at the University at Buffalo is a research-based, industrially focused degree designed to strengthen career readiness in areas with strong industry demand. Students can specialize in Biotechnology, Modeling, Simulation and Informatics, Chemistry and Processing of Materials, or Energy and Sustainability, preparing for roles such as Chemical Engineer, Process Engineer, Materials Engineer, Bioprocess Engineer, or Energy Engineer.

Students can build their professional pathway through:

Career services: UB’s Career Design Center provides support with internships, resumes and cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, networking, interviewing, job searches and career fairs. Bullseye powered by Handshake connects UB students with employers for jobs, internships and networking.
Industry exposure: The Chemical and Biological Engineering department and its AIChE student chapter organize industry visits and field trips, where companies discuss internship and employment opportunities with students.
Industry-connected projects: UB's department has stated that M.E. projects are conducted with local industry whenever possible, giving students an opportunity to apply their graduate training to industry-relevant problems.
Career outcomes: UB Chemical and Biological Engineering alumni have progressed into positions including Senior Research Scientist, Project Sales Engineer, Production Manager, Business Manager, Vice President of Research and Development, and Site Technology Manager at organizations such as Eastman Kodak, Huntsman Corporation, The Mentholatum Company and PeroxyChem.
Salary reference: UB reports a $128,430 mean annual wage for Chemical Engineers based on 2024 U.S. Department of Labor data. This is an occupation-level figure, not a salary specifically for M.E. graduates.
Industry-relevant specializations: The four M.E. focus areas correspond to applications in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, computational and information technology, semiconductors and advanced materials, batteries and photovoltaics, energy, petroleum, agriculture, and sustainability.
Accreditation value: UB's undergraduate Chemical Engineering program is ABET accredited; the M.E. is a graduate professional degree and is not separately identified as ABET-accredited on the university's accreditation information. Therefore, the M.E. should not be described as an ABET-accredited degree itself.
Program completion: The university's current Graduate School listing gives the M.E. a 1.5–2 year time-to-degree, with 27–30 credits and instruction delivered 100% in person.

Further Academic Progression:

After completing the M.E., students who want to pursue research-intensive careers can consider progressing to a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering or another closely related engineering/science discipline. The M.E.'s research exposure and specialized training in areas such as biotechnology, computational modeling, materials, and energy can provide relevant preparation for further doctoral study, while students focused on professional careers can transition directly into industry roles.