MSE Chemical Engineering

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

University of Michigan Ann Arbor

Program Overview

The M.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan is designed for students who want advanced expertise in chemical engineering fundamentals while developing the ability to tackle challenges in areas such as human health, sustainable energy, advanced materials, catalysis, and biotechnology. The program combines rigorous core coursework with technical electives and interdisciplinary study, making it a strong fit for students seeking deeper engineering knowledge for professional careers or future research.

Curriculum Structure:

Year 1:
The program can be completed in 1–2 years, with the university providing a sample first-year schedule covering the core areas of chemical engineering. Students begin with ChE 505: Applied Mathematics for Chemical Engineers, ChE 538: Statistical and Irreversible Thermodynamics, and ChE 527: Fluid Flow, building advanced skills in mathematical analysis, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics. In the following term, students progress to ChE 528: Chemical Reactor Engineering and ChE 542: Intermediate Transport Phenomena, alongside technical electives that allow them to develop expertise aligned with their interests.

Advanced Study / Electives:
The 30-credit degree includes 15 credits of required core courses, 12 credits of technical electives, and 3 credits of cognate coursework from a related field such as engineering, mathematics, or science. Students can use technical electives to explore Michigan's interdisciplinary research strengths, including biomolecular engineering, catalysis and reaction engineering, cellular engineering, computing and simulation, materials, nanotechnology, polymers and complex fluids, and sustainable energy.

Focus Areas:

Chemical engineering fundamentals, applied mathematics, fluid flow, chemical reaction engineering, statistical and irreversible thermodynamics, transport phenomena, biomolecular engineering, cellular engineering, catalysis and reaction engineering, computing and simulation, materials, microfabricated systems, nanotechnology, polymers and complex fluids, sustainable energy, advanced materials, biotechnology, human health and energy systems.

Learning Outcomes:

Students develop advanced capabilities in mathematical modeling, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, chemical reactions and transport phenomena, while gaining the flexibility to apply chemical engineering principles to modern challenges in health, energy, materials and technology. The program also supports interdisciplinary collaboration and can provide research experience through ChE 695: Research with Chemical Engineering faculty.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

The University of Michigan's undergraduate BSE in Chemical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the criteria for Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular and similarly named engineering programs. The university's official accreditation information specifically identifies the undergraduate Chemical Engineering program as ABET-accredited, so the M.S. should not be described as a separately ABET-accredited degree.

Reputation (Employability & Rankings):

The University of Michigan Chemical Engineering graduate program is ranked #9 in the U.S. News & World Report 2026 graduate Chemical Engineering ranking. Michigan Engineering also reports that its Chemical Engineering graduate program was ranked #8 in the 2025 U.S. News ranking, while the university describes its graduate programs as highly interdisciplinary and notes regular collaboration between faculty, students, and industry leaders.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The MSE in Chemical Engineering gives students opportunities to apply advanced chemical engineering principles through research, scientific computing, interdisciplinary projects, and access to specialized laboratories. Michigan Chemical Engineering works across areas such as human health, sustainable energy, advanced materials, catalysis, biomolecular engineering, and nanotechnology, allowing students to connect classroom learning with active research and technology development. The department also provides access to advanced scientific computing and molecular simulation approaches used to investigate chemical, physical, and biological systems.

Students can gain practical experience through research and specialized facilities such as:

Research and scientific computing: Michigan Chemical Engineering research groups use advanced scientific computing and molecular simulation to study areas including nanoparticle behavior, catalyst-surface reactions, cellular signaling, polymer rheology, low-temperature plasmas, and nanoscale self-assembly.
Chemical Engineering Clean Room: The department operates a Class 1000 cleanroom in the H.H. Dow Building, equipped with an e-beam evaporator, mask aligner, photoresist and SU-8 spinners, wire bonders, parylene coater, surface profilometer, and oxygen/argon plasma reactive-ion etcher.
Mammalian Cell Culture Lab: Students and faculty can work with facilities designed for mammalian cell culture, including incubators, microscopes, centrifuges, and laminar-flow hoods, supporting research in cellular and biomolecular engineering.
Michigan Center for Materials Characterization (MC²): This shared facility provides access to advanced materials-characterization equipment and expertise and supports more than 450 users, over 100 internal research groups, and 20 non-academic companies.
Lurie Nanofabrication Facility: Students involved in relevant research can access capabilities including optical and electron-beam lithography, dry and wet etching, wafer bonding, thin-film deposition, chemical vapor deposition, AFM, SEM, and other metrology tools.
U-M Battery Lab: Chemical Engineering students working in sustainable-energy research can benefit from battery fabrication and characterization capabilities, including slurry mixing, calendaring, electrode punching, coin-cell assembly, SEM, Raman microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electrochemical characterization systems.
Advanced Research Computing (ARC): ARC provides high-performance computing resources and support for U-M researchers, complementing Chemical Engineering's computational research in molecular simulation, materials, energy, and biological systems.
Interdisciplinary institutes and centers: Students can work within a broader research ecosystem that includes the Biointerfaces Institute, Center for Complex Particle Systems (COMPASS), Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS), and Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery & Engineering (MICDE).
Research opportunities: Michigan Chemical Engineering offers a broad range of research opportunities applying traditional chemical engineering principles and modern scientific methods to areas such as microfluidic devices, human health, renewable energy, drug delivery, nanoparticles, macromolecules, and complex fluids.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The MSE in Chemical Engineering provides advanced preparation for careers across chemical processing, energy, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, materials, and related technology industries. Michigan Chemical Engineering graduates have gone on to positions ranging from chemical and process engineering to scientific, energy, and business leadership roles, while the program also provides a pathway for students who want to continue into doctoral study.

Typical career opportunities include: Chemical Engineer, Process Engineer, Research & Development Engineer, Biochemical Engineer.

Students can strengthen their career prospects through Michigan's dedicated career and industry connections:

Career services: The Engineering Career Resource Center (ECRC) provides career advising and maintains employment data for master's students, including hiring industries, job titles, employers, and salary information. Its resources include career advising and access to employer recruiting opportunities, career fairs, and on-campus interviews.
Employment statistics and salary: The ECRC's official Chemical Engineering master's career dashboard reports employment outcomes, job titles, employers, and salary figures for the previous three academic years. Michigan notes that salary information is self-reported and that U.S.-based salaries are included; the university does not publish a single fixed salary figure for every MSE graduate.
University–industry partnerships: Michigan Chemical Engineering actively works with industry through sponsored research, research grants, laboratory support, project development, and faculty consulting. Companies can also engage with students through graduate research symposiums, facility tours, industry seminars, information sessions, and other recruitment activities.
Industry exposure: Michigan's Chemical Engineering Industry Day connects industry partners, faculty, and graduate students through research presentations, lab tours, demonstrations, networking, résumé/CV reviews, mock interviews, and industry information sessions.
Alumni mentoring: The department offers semester-long one-to-one alumni mentoring focused on résumé development, interview preparation, job-search strategy, and long-term career goals, as well as shorter career-chat sessions for exploring specific industries and roles.
Examples of graduate career destinations: Official Michigan Chemical Engineering alumni profiles include a Senior Scientist at Gilead Sciences, Principal Chemical Engineer at Ecolab, Production Engineer at Noble Energy, Senior Operations Support Engineer at Shell, Development Specialist at Praxair, and leadership roles at companies such as 3M and DTE Energy.
Long-term accreditation value: The University of Michigan's Chemical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the criteria for Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular and similarly named engineering programs. Importantly, this accreditation applies to the B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering, not as a separate ABET accreditation of the MSE degree itself.
Graduation outcomes: The department awarded 28 Chemical Engineering master's degrees in AY 2024–2025, following 31 master's degrees in AY 2023–2024 and 26 in AY 2022–2023. Michigan also maintains graduate employment-outcome data through the ECRC, covering employment, continuing education, seeking employment, and other post-graduation outcomes.

Further Academic Progression:
Students who want to move into advanced research can pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering or a related engineering/scientific discipline. Michigan specifically advises applicants who ultimately want a PhD to apply directly to the doctoral program because an MSE is not required before entering the PhD. The MSE therefore works particularly well as an advanced professional qualification for industry, while students focused primarily on doctoral research can consider the PhD route directly.