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Programs

Department of Chemical and Sustainability Engineering

The Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Rochester develops technologies, materials, and processes that benefit society in the areas of clean energy, sustainable process engineering, nanotechnology, and human health. Students learn how to apply fundamental engineering and scientific principles to design processes for the production, transformation, and transport of energy, chemicals, and materials. We provide training in emerging technologies and computer programming to tackle humanity’s major challenges, with the aim to develop the next generation of leaders in chemical engineering. We leverage our strong relationships to industry and academic leaders to create a talent pipeline for a modern workforce. Past graduates of our program have quickly found employment in a wide variety of industries, S&P 500 companies, government positions, and universities.

Information about faculty and research can be found on the Department of Chemical and Sustainability Engineering website.

AdmissionsLink to section

Applying to Master's ProgramsLink to section

A complete application to the Department of Chemical Engineering’s MS program contains:

  • A completed online application
  • A curriculum vitae
  • A personal statement
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Official transcript(s)
  • Official test scores

Active University of Rochester undergraduates who apply through the 4+1 Option, must include the following materials in their application:

  • A completed online application
  • Transcript
  • A personal statement
  • One letter of recommendation

Internal University of Rochester undergraduates who maintain a minimum overall 3.3 GPA during their undergraduate experience, do not need to submit a letter of recommendation. Students with a lower GPA are also encouraged to apply.

Applying to Doctoral ProgramsLink to section

A complete application to the Department of Chemical Engineering’s PhD program contains:

  • A completed online application
  • A curriculum vitae
  • A personal and research statement
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Official transcripts
  • Official test scores

AcademicsLink to section

Master's Degrees and RequirementsLink to section

Plan A: Thesis Option (30 Credit Hours)

Students pursuing the thesis-based MS degree are expected to earn 30 credit hours, with at least 18 credit hours from graduate-level coursework. Students who choose this option must also satisfactorily complete their master’s thesis and pass an oral defense. Most students complete the Plan A program in two years.

Plan B: Coursework Option (30 Credit Hours)

Students who pursue the coursework-based MS degree must earn a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours. At least 18 credits should be courses within the chemical engineering department. Students who choose this option are required to pass an oral exit exam. Most students complete the Plan B program in a year and a half.

Core Curriculum

All MS students in the program must complete four core courses, comprising 16 credits or follow one of three concentrations in either Bioengineering, Computational Modeling and Machine Learning or Sustainability, Energy and Environment. Please see our website for more information on MS concentrations.

Doctoral Degrees and RequirementsLink to section

As part of the PhD program, students must:

  • Complete the core chemical engineering curriculum
  • Complete a total of 90 credit hours (30 must be formal coursework)
  • Serve as teaching assistant for two semesters
  • Pass their first-year qualifying exam
  • Pass their second-year proposal exam
  • Give a research presentation in their fourth year
  • Prepare a thesis on original research and its oral defense

For more information on the specific program requirements, please see our website or graduate student manual.

Graduate Course TitlesLink to section

  • CHE 400: Applied Boundary Value Problems
  • CHE 402: Advanced Mathematical Methods for Chemical Engineers
  • CHE 413: Engineering of Soft Matter
  • CHE 414: Math Methods for Optics and Physics
  • CHE 431: Chemical Reactor Design
  • CHE 433: Nano Energy Transport and Conversion
  • CHE 436: Intro to Systems and Synthetic Biology
  • CHE 441: Advanced Transport Phenomena
  • CHE 443: Fluid Dynamics
  • CHE 444: Heat and Mass Transfer
  • CHE 454: Interfacial Engineering
  • CHE 456: Electrochemical Engineering Fundamentals and Applications
  • CHE 461: Advanced Chemical Kinetics
  • CHE 462: Cell and Tissue Engineering
  • CHE 471: Intro to Modeling and Machine Learning
  • CHE 473: Process Design and Simulation
  • CHE 468: Fundamentals of Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • CHE 476: Polymer Chemistry
  • CHE 480: Introduction to Nanoengineering
  • CHE 485: Thermodynamics and Stat Mech
  • CHE 487: Surface Analysis