MS Chemical Engineering

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

University of Illinois Chicago

Program Overview

The M.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago is designed for students who want advanced chemical engineering knowledge while having flexibility to tailor their studies through thesis, project, or coursework-only options. The program develops expertise in areas such as fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, and process analysis, with applications across energy, materials, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and environmental engineering.

Curriculum Structure:

Year 1:

Students build a strong graduate-level foundation through core courses such as CHE 520 Transport Phenomena, CHE 501 Advanced Thermodynamics or CHE 502 Fluid Phase Equilibria, and CHE 527 Advanced Chemical Reaction Engineering. They also study advanced separation and mathematical methods through options such as CHE 510 Separation Processes, CHE 511 Advanced Mass Transfer, CHE 512 Microhydrodynamics, Diffusion, and Membrane Transport, and CHE 531 Numerical Methods in Chemical Engineering or CHE 545 Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering.

Year 2:

Students use the second year to deepen their specialization through electives and complete their selected pathway. The thesis option includes CHE 598 MS Thesis Research, the project pathway includes CHE 597 MS Project Research, while the coursework-only route allows students to complete additional approved electives without a thesis or project. All three two-year options require 36 semester hours.

Focus Areas:

Advanced materials, nanotechnology, biotechnology, soft matter, environmental engineering, complex fluids, electrochemistry, energy production and utilization, pharmaceutical applications, membrane transport, separations, chemical reaction engineering, computational methods, and materials under extreme conditions.

Learning Outcomes:

Students develop advanced capabilities in transport phenomena, thermodynamics, reaction engineering, separation processes, mathematical and numerical methods, process analysis, research, technical problem-solving, and specialized chemical engineering applications in areas such as energy, advanced materials, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and environmental engineering.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

UIC's Chemical Engineering department offers both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, while ABET accreditation applies to the university's accredited undergraduate engineering programs rather than being presented as a separate accreditation for the M.S. degree. The M.S. provides advanced graduate-level preparation through coursework, faculty-supervised research, and substantial project or thesis work depending on the student's selected pathway.

Reputation (Employability & Rankings):

UIC Chemical Engineering was ranked #33 overall and among the top 20 U.S. public universities in the 2025 QS Chemical Engineering rankings, based on factors including academic reputation, employer ratings, citations, and faculty research impact. UIC also identifies Chemical Engineering as part of its R1 Carnegie research university environment, with the department benefiting from the university's research infrastructure and growing research activity.

The department's research also has strong industry relevance, including chemical engineering work involving pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca, Takeda, Zoetis, AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, and Genentech in areas such as drug development and pharmaceutical process optimization.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The M.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago gives students several ways to turn advanced chemical engineering concepts into practical research and project experience. Students can choose a thesis, project, or coursework-only pathway, with the thesis and project options providing opportunities to work directly on faculty-supervised research and substantial engineering problems. UIC’s Chemical Engineering department also has specialized research laboratories and facilities supporting work in areas such as energy, materials, biotechnology, nanotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and environmental engineering.

Students can build practical and research experience through:

MS Thesis Research: Students choosing the thesis pathway complete CHE 598: MS Thesis Research, allowing them to conduct substantial faculty-supervised research as part of the degree.
MS Project Research: The project pathway includes CHE 597: MS Project Research, giving students an opportunity to complete a substantial engineering project under faculty supervision.
Chemical Engineering Research Laboratories: Department research facilities support work in areas including advanced materials, biotechnology, complex fluids, electrochemistry, energy, environmental engineering, nanotechnology, and pharmaceutical engineering.
Microfluidics and Soft Matter Laboratory: Research facilities support experimental work involving microfluidic systems, soft materials, complex fluids, and related chemical engineering applications.
Electrochemical and Energy Research: UIC researchers work on electrochemical processes and energy-related technologies, providing opportunities for graduate students to engage with research relevant to batteries, energy conversion, and sustainable technologies.
Computational research: Graduate research in Chemical Engineering includes computational approaches for modeling and analyzing chemical engineering systems, complementing experimental work.
Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology: Department research facilities support investigation of nanomaterials, materials processing, and materials behavior, giving students exposure to research problems at the intersection of chemical engineering and advanced materials.
Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Research: UIC Chemical Engineering research includes pharmaceutical engineering, biotechnology, drug delivery, and related biomedical applications, providing opportunities to work on engineering challenges connected to healthcare and drug development.
Industry-connected research: UIC Chemical Engineering faculty conduct research collaborations involving pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including AstraZeneca, Takeda, Zoetis, AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, and Genentech, particularly in drug development and pharmaceutical process optimization.
Engineering facilities: Students benefit from UIC’s wider engineering research infrastructure, including shared laboratories and specialized facilities that support interdisciplinary chemical engineering research.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The M.S. in Chemical Engineering at UIC prepares graduates for opportunities across chemical processing, pharmaceuticals, energy, materials, environmental engineering, and advanced manufacturing. UIC’s graduate Chemical Engineering outcomes show alumni moving into industry, national laboratories, government, and further academic study, with destinations including AbbVie, Intel, Argonne National Laboratory, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Siemens, and the U.S. Department of the Navy.

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

Here are the career resources and outcomes that can support students after graduation:

Engineering Career Center: UIC’s Engineering Career Center provides specialized career advising for engineering students and alumni, including one-on-one advising, internship/co-op/job guidance, résumé and cover-letter support, interview preparation, salary negotiation guidance, and employer networking.
Employer connections: UIC Engineering holds engineering and technology career fairs that attract more than 225 companies, giving students opportunities to meet employers and explore internships and full-time positions.
Graduate employment destinations: UIC Chemical Engineering’s graduate outcomes list employers and organizations such as 10X Genomics, AbbVie, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Applied Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Biogen, Intel, McKinsey & Company, NIH, PepsiCo, Siemens, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, TechnipFMC, U.S. Department of the Navy, and ZEISS Microscopy.
Industry breadth: UIC Chemical Engineering alumni also work at companies including Abbott Laboratories, Dow Chemical, BP, Baxter, Boeing, Clarios, Honeywell, Linde, Merck, Northrop Grumman, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Xylem, demonstrating the range of industries open to chemical engineering graduates.
Internship opportunities: The department highlights Chicago’s access to year-round internships with corporations, startups, and government agencies. Its graduate program materials also state that many M.S. students are able to obtain internships that support their career planning.
Salary information: UIC Chemical Engineering conducted a 2021 salary survey with 161 chemical engineering alumni and publishes the resulting salary distribution. UIC Engineering also reports that 53% of its graduates reported starting salaries between $70,000 and $100,000+; this figure is College of Engineering-wide rather than specific to the Chemical Engineering M.S.
Research and industry links: The department’s graduate outcomes demonstrate connections with major pharmaceutical, technology, energy, manufacturing, and research organizations, including AbbVie, Applied Materials, Intel, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Siemens, Argonne National Laboratory, and TechnipFMC.
Alumni network: UIC Engineering reports an alumni network of approximately 26,000 members, providing graduates with an established professional network as they enter industry or pursue further study.
Professional value: The M.S. provides advanced graduate-level Chemical Engineering training, with thesis, project, and coursework-only pathways. While the M.S. itself is not presented as a separately ABET-accredited degree, the advanced technical preparation can complement professional engineering career development; ABET accreditation applies to UIC’s accredited undergraduate engineering programs.
Graduation outcomes: UIC’s Chemical Engineering department specifically publishes graduate destinations across industry and academia, with further-study destinations including Northwestern University, Purdue University, University of California–Berkeley, University of Washington, Clemson University, and UIC.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the M.S., students can continue into doctoral-level study if they want to pursue advanced research or academic careers. UIC’s Chemical Engineering department offers a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, and its published graduate outcomes also show M.S./graduate alumni progressing to universities such as Northwestern, Purdue, UC Berkeley, and the University of Washington.