THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

Degree Types: MS, PhD

Graduates of the Chemical and Biological Engineering Program develop proficiency in modern chemical and biological engineering theory and practice through a core curriculum. They gain specialized knowledge through elective courses within and outside of the department.

PhD candidates collaborate with a faculty member to develop and pursue a research program that defines and solves a problem at the frontier of chemical engineering. MS candidates are also able to pursue research with the thesis option.

Current areas of research interest by faculty in the department are organized into the broad categories of:

• Sustainability and Energy
• Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology
• Catalysis and Reaction Engineering
• Polymers and Soft Materials
• Complex Systems and Data Science

Additional resources:

• Department website
• Program handbook(s)

Degree Requirements

The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.

The Chemical and Biological Engineering program offers a Coursework Master's and a Thesis Master's.  The different requirements are described below.

Coursework Master's

Total Units Required: 10¹

Course List

Course	Title
Department Core Courses (4 units)
These four courses form the core chemical engineering topics:
CHEM_ENG 401-0	Mathematical Methods for Chemical Engineering
CHEM_ENG 420-0	Transport Phenomena
CHEM_ENG 404-0	Advanced Thermodynamics
CHEM_ENG 408-0	Chemical Engineering Kinetics and Reactor Design
Electives (6 units)
Department Electives (2 units)
Two electives must be taken within the department.
Additional Electives (4 units)
Additional electives may be from within or outside the department from approved math, science, Chemical Engineering, or other engineering courses.

¹

For coursework master's: at least 6 courses in Chemical and Biological Engineering are required; this includes the 4 required core courses.

Other Coursework MS Degree Requirements

• Examinations: none specified
• Research/Projects: none specified
• Master's Thesis: none specified
• Other: students are strongly recommended to take the CHEM_ENG 520-0 Professional Development in Chemical and Biological Engineering 1 course on professional skills and are also urged but not required to attend the quarterly departmental research seminar. 

Thesis Master's

Total Units Required: 10²

Course List

Course	Title
Department Core Courses (4 units)
These four courses form the core chemical engineering topics:
CHEM_ENG 401-0	Mathematical Methods for Chemical Engineering
CHEM_ENG 420-0	Transport Phenomena
CHEM_ENG 404-0	Advanced Thermodynamics
CHEM_ENG 408-0	Chemical Engineering Kinetics and Reactor Design
Electives (3 units)
Department Electives (1 unit): One elective must be taken within the department.
Additional Electives (2 units): Additional electives may be from within or outside the department from approved math, science, Chemical Engineering, or other engineering courses.
Research (3 units)
3 unit thesis (three units of independent study projects)
CHEM_ENG 499-0	Projects

Other Thesis MS Degree Requirements

• Departmental Seminar: students are urged but not required to attend
• Short Courses: Students are required to attend the Responsible Conduct of Research course.
• Examinations: defense of thesis
• Research/Projects: towards thesis
• Master's Thesis: based on current research in the field
• Other: students are strongly recommended to take the CHEM_ENG 520-0 Professional Development in Chemical and Biological Engineering 1 course on professional skills and are also urged but not required to attend the quarterly departmental research seminar. 

Prerequisites 

Although students do not need to be enrolled in the chemical engineering bachelor's program to be admitted, MS programs will expect a level of substantive competency equivalent to the completion of the following courses:

• Thermodynamics (CHEM_ENG 211-0 Thermodynamics preferred, or equivalent)
• Fluid mechanics (CHEM_ENG 321-0 Fluid Mechanics or equivalent)
• Heat or mass transfer (CHEM_ENG 322-0 Heat Transfer or CHEM_ENG 323-0 Mass Transfer, or equivalent)
• Kinetics/reaction engineering (CHEM_ENG 307-0 Kinetics and Reactor Engineering)

These prerequisite courses can be completed before beginning the MS program at Northwestern, or they may be taken after matriculation to Northwestern and prior to completion of the Chemical Engineering MS core courses. Opting to take the courses after matriculating into the MS program may extend the time to degree completion as many of our courses are only offered once per year. 

Degree Requirements

The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.

PhD

Total Units Required: 10

Course List

Course	Title
Department Courses (6 units)
Core chemical engineering topics (4 units):
CHEM_ENG 401-0	Mathematical Methods for Chemical Engineering
CHEM_ENG 420-0	Transport Phenomena
CHEM_ENG 404-0	Advanced Thermodynamics
CHEM_ENG 408-0	Chemical Engineering Kinetics and Reactor Design
Professional Development (0 units):
CHEM_ENG 520-0 & CHEM_ENG 520-1	Professional Development in Chemical and Biological Engineering 1 and Professional Development in Chemical and Biological Engineering 2
Departmental electives (2 units)
Additional Electives (4 units)
Must be chosen from outside the department (2 units)
May be chosen from within or outside the department (2 units)

Other PhD Degree Requirements:

• Departmental Seminar: 4 quarters of attendance of the research seminar
• Short course: Responsible Conduct of Research
• Teaching: 4 quarters as a teaching assistant or a participant as a Teaching Apprentice
• Examinations: oral defense of dissertation research proposal during first nine quarters of residency
• Research/Projects: toward dissertation
• PhD Dissertation: based on independent, original research
• Final Evaluations: oral defense of dissertation