Chemical Engineering, MS

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

Virginia Tech

Program Overview

The M.S. in Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech combines advanced chemical engineering coursework with research and thesis development, making it a strong choice for students interested in technical careers, R&D, or further doctoral study. Students build expertise in areas including kinetics, transport phenomena, thermodynamics, engineering mathematics, polymers, biochemical engineering, and other interdisciplinary applications while working on research in the department’s active research environment.

Curriculum Structure:

Core Chemical Engineering Study:
The program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours, including at least 20 graded credits and a minimum of 6 credits of ChE 5994 — Research and Thesis. The core includes ChE 5094 — Kinetics, ChE 5125 — Transport I, ChE 5144 — Thermodynamics, and ChE 5044 — Engineering Mathematics, giving students an advanced foundation in the principles used to analyze and design chemical engineering systems.

Advanced Specialization and Research:
Students can use the remainder of their plan of study to concentrate on areas such as transport phenomena, reaction kinetics, or polymers, while also exploring applications including polymer engineering, biochemical engineering, and natural-resource utilization. The program encourages interdisciplinary study, allowing relevant coursework from chemistry, physics, mathematics, life sciences, and other engineering disciplines, alongside the student's Research and Thesis work.

Focus Areas:

Kinetics, transport phenomena, thermodynamics, engineering mathematics, polymer engineering, biochemical engineering, natural-resource utilization, process design and systems engineering, catalysis and surface science, membranes and advanced separation techniques, healthcare technologies, colloids and interfaces, supercritical fluids, materials, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and big data.

Learning Outcomes:

Students develop advanced knowledge of chemical engineering fundamentals, quantitative and analytical problem-solving skills, research and thesis-development capabilities, the ability to apply engineering principles to interdisciplinary problems, and specialized expertise in areas such as materials, polymers, biotechnology, catalysis, process systems, or computational chemical engineering.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

The M.S. in Chemical Engineering is a graduate degree and is not separately identified as an ABET-accredited program. Virginia Tech's B.S. 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 graduate M.S. instead emphasizes advanced coursework and research preparation for professional and academic pathways.

Reputation (Employability & Rankings):

Virginia Tech's College of Engineering reports that its engineering graduate programs were ranked No. 31 nationally by U.S. News & World Report in 2025. The College also reports strong research activity, ranking No. 13 nationally for engineering research expenditures in FY2024, while the Chemical Engineering department maintains research funded by organizations including the NSF, NIH, and Department of Energy, as well as industry and other institutions.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The M.S. in Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech is strongly research-oriented, giving students opportunities to build practical skills through thesis research, specialized laboratories, computational research groups, and interdisciplinary institutes. The department's graduate students work on applications ranging from membranes and carbon capture to tissue engineering, catalysis, polymers, nanotechnology, process systems, and computational chemical engineering, with research supported by agencies such as the NSF, NIH, and Department of Energy as well as industry collaborators.

Students can gain hands-on and research experience through these Virginia Tech facilities and opportunities:

Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Lab: Provides a specialized environment for research involving nanoscale materials and fabrication, supporting the department's work in nanotechnology, materials, and advanced chemical engineering applications.
Materials Characterization Lab: Students conducting materials-focused research can use dedicated characterization facilities to investigate material properties and structure, supporting work in polymers, composites, nanomaterials, and related areas.
Polymer Composite and Materials Lab: Supports research into polymer composites and advanced materials processing, giving M.S. students opportunities to work on materials-oriented chemical engineering problems.
Macromolecules Innovation Institute: Chemical Engineering graduate students can connect their research with Virginia Tech's interdisciplinary macromolecular research environment, particularly in polymer science, materials, and molecular engineering.
Process Systems Engineering Research: The Liu Process System Engineering Research Lab provides an environment for work in process systems, while the department identifies process design and systems as an active research area.
Deshmukh Computational Design Research Group: Students interested in computational chemical engineering can work in research environments focused on computational design, complementing Virginia Tech's broader graduate research emphasis on simulation and modeling.
Catalysis and Surface Science: The Karim Catalysis and Nanomaterials Research Group and Ducker Surfaces Group provide research environments for catalysis, surface chemistry, nanomaterials, and interfaces.
Membranes and Separation Processes: The Martin Membranes and Separation Processes Research Group supports research into membranes and advanced separation technologies, including applications such as carbon capture.
Supercritical Fluids: The Kiran Supercritical Fluids Lab gives students access to a research environment focused on supercritical-fluid science and technology, one of the department's established research areas.
Healthcare and Tissue Engineering: Graduate students can participate in research through the Goldstein Skeletal Tissue Engineering and Mechanobiology Group, Rajagopalan Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Lab, and Whittington Biopolymers and Tissue Engineering Lab, supporting applications at the intersection of chemical engineering, biomaterials, and healthcare.
Fralin Life Sciences Institute: The institute is among the interdisciplinary research resources available to Chemical Engineering students and complements the department's work in biotechnology, healthcare technologies, and tissue engineering.
Artificial Intelligence and Big Data: AI and big data are explicitly identified as active Chemical Engineering research areas, giving students opportunities to apply computational approaches to modern engineering problems.
Unit Operations Laboratory: Virginia Tech's Unit Operations Lab is described as the department's hallmark laboratory course, where students apply classroom and academic-lab knowledge to real-world chemical engineering problems. However, the department presents this primarily as an undergraduate course, so it should not be treated as a specific M.S. requirement.
Internships and co-operative education: Virginia Tech Chemical Engineering promotes internships and cooperative education for real-world experience, although the department's current graduate pages do not state that an internship is a required component of the M.S.
University Libraries: Graduate students have access to Virginia Tech University Libraries' graduate-student resources, which the Chemical Engineering graduate program specifically lists among its resources.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The M.S. in Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech prepares graduates for advanced technical and research-oriented careers across chemical processing, materials, biotechnology, energy, pharmaceuticals, and related industries. The combination of advanced coursework and thesis-based research also provides a strong foundation for doctoral study and research-intensive positions.

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

Key career and progression opportunities include:

Career services: Virginia Tech’s Career and Professional Development provides career advising, résumé and cover-letter reviews, interview preparation, career fairs, employer events, and job-search resources.
Employment and salary: Virginia Tech does not publish a program-specific M.S. employment rate or median salary for Chemical Engineering in its official program materials.
University–industry partnerships: Chemical Engineering research is supported through collaborations and funding involving organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Energy, and industry partners. Research covers areas including catalysis, membranes, polymers, materials, process systems, biotechnology, and healthcare technologies.
Internships and professional experience: The department promotes internships and cooperative education to help students gain industry experience. These are professional-development opportunities rather than stated requirements of the M.S.
Long-term accreditation value: The M.S. in Chemical Engineering is not separately ABET-accredited. Virginia Tech’s B.S. in Chemical Engineering is ABET-accredited, while the M.S. provides advanced graduate-level technical and research preparation.
Graduation outcomes: Students complete a minimum of 30 credit hours, including research and thesis work. Graduates leave with advanced chemical engineering knowledge and research experience applicable to technical careers, R&D, or further academic study.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the M.S., students can continue into a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech or pursue doctoral research elsewhere. Potential areas for advanced study include catalysis, advanced materials, polymers, membranes and separations, biochemical engineering, process systems, nanotechnology, and computational chemical engineering.