ME Chemical Engineering

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

University of South Carolina

Program Overview

The M.E. in Chemical Engineering at the University of South Carolina is a 30-credit professional graduate degree designed for students who want to deepen their chemical engineering expertise without a thesis requirement. The program builds advanced skills in chemical process analysis, thermodynamics, fluid flow, and mass transfer, while allowing students to choose additional coursework from chemical engineering and related fields such as business, chemistry, mathematics, and other engineering disciplines.

Curriculum Structure:

Graduate Study:
Students begin with 12 credits of core chemical engineering courses that establish advanced technical foundations through ECHE 700 Chemical Process Analysis, ECHE 710 Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, ECHE 720 Advanced Fluid Flow Analysis, and ECHE 722 Advanced Mass Transfer. These courses cover industrial process analysis, complex thermodynamic systems, fluid-flow phenomena, and diffusive and convective mass transfer.

Students then complete six additional lecture courses totaling 18 credits, including at least two chemical engineering courses, while the remaining courses can come from business, chemistry, engineering, or mathematics. Depending on their interests, students can explore subjects such as ECHE 730 Chemical Reactor Design, ECHE 750 Process Dynamics and Control, ECHE 737 Industrial Catalysis, ECHE 772 Principles of Polymer Systems, or ECHE 865 Chemical Process Safety and Loss Prevention.

The program also permits an approved ECHE 797 Research independent-study option to replace one or two of the additional lecture courses, giving students some flexibility to pursue an individual technical topic. Every M.E. candidate must also successfully complete a comprehensive examination before graduation.

Focus Areas:

Chemical process analysis, advanced thermodynamics, fluid flow, mass transfer, chemical reactor design, industrial catalysis, process dynamics and control, separations, polymers, process safety, computational fluid dynamics, battery systems, corrosion engineering, and interdisciplinary engineering.

Learning Outcomes:

Graduates develop advanced expertise in chemical process analysis, thermodynamics, fluid flow analysis, and mass transfer, along with working knowledge of chemical science and technology across allied areas such as engineering, business, mathematics, and the sciences.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

The M.E. is a professional graduate degree within the University of South Carolina's Department of Chemical Engineering. The official program information does not identify the M.E. as a separately ABET-accredited graduate program; therefore, it should not be presented as independently ABET-accredited.

Reputation (Employability & Rankings):

The University of South Carolina's Chemical Engineering department provides graduate study across professional and research pathways, including the M.E., M.S., and Ph.D. programs. The university also offers an accelerated B.S.E./M.E. pathway that allows qualified Chemical Engineering undergraduates to complete both degrees in as few as five years, demonstrating an established progression route between undergraduate and graduate chemical engineering study.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The M.E. in Chemical Engineering at the University of South Carolina is designed with a strong professional and industrial focus, giving students opportunities to develop practical skills in areas such as process analysis, thermodynamics, fluid flow, mass transfer, process control, and process design. Students can customize their coursework toward their career interests and can also undertake an approved independent study, while the department provides access to specialized research laboratories and an industrial mentorship program.

Students can gain practical and industry-oriented experience through:

Independent study: M.E. students may propose an approved independent study supervised by a faculty member, which can replace up to 6 credit hours of lecture courses and allows students to investigate an individual technical topic.
Industrial mentorship: The program includes an industrial mentorship program for graduate students, helping students expand their professional network and connect their academic preparation with industry.
Research laboratories: The Chemical Engineering Department has active research laboratories and groups covering energy, advanced materials, manufacturing, environmental solutions, and medicine.
Catalysis facilities: The Catalysis for Renewable Fuels SmartState Center works on heterogeneous catalyst synthesis, biomass conversion, catalyst characterization and evaluation, using techniques including X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy.
Electrochemical engineering: The Center for Electrochemical Engineering provides a research environment covering advanced batteries, electric vehicles, electroplating, corrosion protection, hydrogen embrittlement, fuel cells, electrolyzers and capacitors.
Advanced characterization: University research cores available to Chemical Engineering researchers include NMR, mass spectrometry, powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and catalysis laboratories.
Process control and simulation: The department's research strengths include process control and process design, while the M.E. curriculum includes advanced coursework such as ECHE 750 Process Dynamics and Control and ECHE 730 Chemical Reactor Design.
Internships and co-ops: USC's Career Center provides graduate students with access to internships, co-ops, externships, employer information, on-campus employer interviews, job fairs, workshops, and networking opportunities.
Career technology: Students can use Handshake to search for jobs and internships, connect with employers, access career events, and make appointments with career coaches. USC also provides Big Interview for online mock-interview practice and Mentorship Hub for professional mentoring.
Teamwork and professional skills: The university identifies teamwork, system design, problem solving, research, and data simulation among the skills developed through the Chemical Engineering program.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The M.E. in Chemical Engineering at the University of South Carolina prepares students for professional careers across energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, transportation, and consumer goods. The program develops advanced problem-solving, system design, data simulation, teamwork, and research skills, while its industrial mentorship program gives graduate students opportunities to build professional connections.

Typical career paths: Chemical Engineering Researcher, Process Engineer, Chemical Engineering Manager, Technical/Process Consultant.

Key career and progression opportunities include:

Career services: USC's Career Center provides professional career coaches, peer support for résumés, cover letters and job-search strategies, networking resources, career events, and appointments through Handshake. The Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing also has a dedicated Career Center satellite office in the Swearingen Engineering Center.
Industrial mentorship: The Chemical Engineering graduate program offers an industrial mentorship program for graduate students, helping students expand their professional network and interact with industry professionals.
Employment and salary: USC's Chemical Engineering department reports an average starting salary of $72,000 for chemical engineers. This is a chemical-engineering figure published by the department and is not specifically limited to M.E. graduates.
Graduate salary data: USC's Gamecock GradStats reports a $106,309 median estimated salary for advanced-degree graduates of the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing. The university notes that these are estimated alumni salaries based on digital-footprint data and do not represent compensation immediately after graduation.
Industry connections: The department emphasizes an industry-connected research and education environment, with its work spanning energy, materials, and medicine. The university is also involved in major industry-relevant research initiatives, including a Department of Energy collaboration on commercial fusion energy.
Employer network: USC's engineering graduates have worked with organizations including Dominion Energy, The Boeing Company, GE, Duke Energy, Michelin, Schneider Electric, and Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, among the college's reported top employers.
Graduation outcomes: USC's Career Center provides Gamecock GradStats, allowing students and alumni to explore employer information, career paths, estimated salaries, skills, and graduate-level education pathways for more than 209,000 USC graduates with a digital footprint.
Reputation: USC's Chemical Engineering department reports that its graduate program is Top 50 nationally according to U.S. News & World Report, Top 30 nationally according to the National Research Council, and 14th nationally in federally funded chemical R&D according to the National Science Foundation.
Accreditation value: The B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering is ABET-accredited, while the M.E. is listed by USC as an externally reviewed graduate program rather than a separately ABET-accredited degree. Therefore, the M.E. should not be marketed as independently ABET-accredited.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the M.E., students who want to pursue advanced research can consider the Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of South Carolina. The Ph.D. is research-focused and is designed for students interested in advanced R&D, government laboratories, and academic careers; USC specifically notes that the doctorate is important for chemical engineering faculty positions and many research and development roles.