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Chemical Engineering MS, PhD Programs

From energy and advanced materials to the processes that make everyday products possible, chemical engineering shapes how resources are transformed and used. Michigan Tech’s MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering let you take a deeper look at the science, design, and performance of those processes while exploring research connected to sustainability, biotechnology, and industrial systems.

The Accelerated Master's Program is available for current Michigan Tech students.

Who Is This Program For?

This degree may fit your goals if you want to move beyond chemical engineering fundamentals and investigate how processes, materials, or energy systems can be understood and improved. Consider the chemical engineering MS or PhD if you’re interested in investigating how chemical processes are modeled, controlled, or improved; focusing on process safety, thermodynamics, or energy-related engineering; and/or connecting engineering fundamentals with materials or biochemical systems.

What You'll Study

Develop a deeper understanding of the principles behind chemical and biochemical processes. Possible research areas include process safety and systems engineering, applied thermodynamics, energy production and storage, polymers, mineral processing, materials synthesis, iron and steel production, sustainability, and biochemical engineering. Whatever the focus area, you will connect scientific analysis with questions about how processes are designed, controlled, scaled, and evaluated.

Where You'll Apply Your Knowledge and Skills

Advanced chemical engineering knowledge can inform process analysis, equipment or system improvements, energy-conversion studies, and evaluation of chemical or biochemical production methods. Chemical engineers with graduate degrees often work at chemical manufacturers, process-engineering firms, government organizations, and industrial research organizations. Dow and BASF, for example, operate chemical production and research functions where process performance, safety, and operational decisions matter.

Delivery Options
- Accelerated: MS
- On-Campus: MS, PhD

Chemical Engineering Program Details

Choose a specific degree option or delivery type to learn more about the chemical engineering program at Michigan Tech. For international students, Chemical Engineering is a designated STEM program.

On-Campus Programs

PhD Requirements: Chemical Engineering

To complete a doctoral degree, students must complete the following milestones:

Complete all coursework and research credits (see credit requirements below)
Pass Qualifying Examination
Pass Research Proposal Examination
Prepare and Submit Approved Dissertation
Pass Final Oral Defense

The minimum credit requirements are as follows:

Total Credit Requirements
Degrees	Credits
MS-PhD (minimum)	30 Credits
BS-PhD (minimum)	60 Credits

Individual programs may have higher standards and students are expected to know their program's requirements. See the Doctor of Philosophy Requirements website for more information about PhD milestones and related timelines.

MS, Chemical Engineering: Thesis Option

This option requires a research thesis prepared under the supervision of the advisor. The thesis describes a research investigation and its results. The scope of the research topic for the thesis should be defined in such a way that a full-time student could complete the requirements for a master’s degree in 12 months or three semesters following the completion of coursework by regularly scheduling graduate research credits.

The minimum requirements are as follows:

Total Credit Requirements
Option Parts	Credits
Coursework (minimum)	20 Credits
Thesis research	6-10 Credits
Total (minimum)	30 Credits

Distribution of Coursework Credit
Distribution	Credits
5000-6000 series (minimum)	12 Credits
3000-4000 (maximum)	12 Credits

Programs may have stricter requirements and may require more than the minimum number of credits listed here.

MS, Chemical Engineering: Report Option

This option requires a report describing the results of an independent study project. The scope of the research topic should be defined in such a way that a full-time student could complete the requirements for a master’s degree in 12 months or three semesters following the completion of coursework by regularly scheduling graduate research credits.

Of the minimum total of 30 credits, at least 24 must be earned in coursework other than the project:

Total Credit Requirements
Option Parts	Credits
Coursework (minimum)	24 Credits
Report	2-6 Credits
Total (minimum)	30 Credits

Distribution of Coursework Credit
Distribution	Credits
5000-6000 series (minimum)	12 Credits
3000-4000 (maximum)	12 Credits

Programs may have stricter requirements and may require more than the minimum number of credits listed here.

MS, Chemical Engineering: Coursework Option

This option requires a minimum of 30 credits be earned through coursework. A limited number of research credits may be used with the approval of the advisor, department, and Graduate Admissions. See degree requirements for more information.

A graduate program may require an oral or written examination before conferring the degree and may require more than the minimum credits listed here:

Distribution of Coursework Credit
Distribution	Credits
5000-6000 series (minimum)	18 Credits
3000-4000 (maximum)	12 Credits

Accelerated MS, Chemical Engineering

Bachelor's + 1 Year = Master's Degree

Our accelerated master's degree program is a faster, easier way for Michigan Tech students to earn a master's degree. Up to nine approved credits from your bachelor's degree can be applied towards your accelerated master's degree. Consult your graduate program director for your individualized plan. If you're thinking about pursuing a master's following your bachelor's this option may be the right choice for you.

Additional Accelerated Master's Program Details

Additional Program Information

Want to learn more about chemical engineering at Michigan Tech? Visit the department for more information:

Contact

Graduate Director

Yixin Liu
Rebecca Ong

Graduate Assistant

Kristi Pieti

Sample Areas of Interest

Select areas of interest to help customize your chemical engineering MS and PhD. Sample areas include:

Alternative Energy
Electrocatalysts
Biochemical
Nanoindentation

View the full listing for this program.

Application Process and Admissions Requirements

Using a holistic approach, our graduate admissions team reviews applications on an individual and ongoing basis. Fill out our free graduate application online to apply to any of our programs. Official transcripts and scores are not required for the initial application, but you will need to upload them later.

Graduate Admissions Process

Applying to your graduate program is free (no application fees) and fast (no official transcripts or test scores are needed to start). The application process involves three easy steps. Please note that international applicants are required to pay a non-refundable $10 processing fee per application.

See Admissions Steps.

Graduate Admissions Options

Michigan Tech offers several admissions options in order to meet the educational needs of students from a variety of backgrounds. Students should review the options available to them and apply for the program that will best help them achieve their personal educational goals.

See Admissions Options

Graduate Admissions Requirements

To be considered for admission to your program as either a degree- or certificate-seeking student, you need to:

have a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution, and
be prepared for advanced study in your chosen field, as demonstrated by your previous degree and your scholastic record.

See additional application requirements, including required materials:

Student Statements

Official Transcripts

Program-Specific Requirements

Program Specific

2 Letters of Recommendation
Résumé / Curriculum vitae
Admitted applicants typically have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
GRE not required

International Students

TOEFL scores as of January 21, 2026: Recommended Score of 4.5
- For tests taken before January 21, 2026: Recommended Score of 94 iBT
IELTS: Recommended Overall Band Score of at least 7.0

Michigan Tech requires a minimum 4.5 overall TOEFL or 6.5 overall IELTS score.

Admissions Decisions

Made on a rolling basis.

Recommended Deadlines

Fall Semester: January 15

Spring Semester: August 1

Summer Semester: Applying at least a semester in advance of projected admission is highly recommended.

International Student Requirements

International Students must apply and be accepted into a degree-granting program in order to earn a graduate certificate. A non-refundable $10 processing fee per application is required.

See International Applicants

Accelerated Master's Requirements

Our Accelerated Master's Program is available for current Michigan Tech students.

Program Specific

2 Letters of Recommendation
Overall GPA of 3.0 or greater
No GRE required

Eligible Undergraduate Majors

Chemical Engineering

Accredited by HLC

Michigan Tech has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) since 1928. We offer over 125 graduate certificates, master's degrees, and PhD programs to provide our students and the world with what tomorrow needs.

Who You'll Learn From and Work With

Study with chemical engineering faculty whose work spans materials, biochemical systems, and the analysis of engineered processes. Their research draws on related scientific disciplines and includes industry and publicly funded projects. In fact, chemical and materials industries fund a quarter of our research programs, with additional support from government agencies.

Whatever your course of study, you'll encounter perspectives that connect chemical engineering theory with the questions behind process development, materials research, and industrial applications.

Where You'll Study and Do Research

When you study chemical engineering at Michigan Tech, you'll have access to both analytical equipment and fully equipped labs, which support investigations of materials, reactions, biochemical systems, and processes ranging from nanoscale to pilot plant scale. You'll connect fundamental chemical behavior with the practical challenges of process development and evaluation.

Faculty Spotlight

Rebecca Garlock Ong

Rebecca Garlock Ong
Associate Professor,
Department of Chemical Engineering

"Everything you use on a daily basis—there was a chemical engineer involved in making it."

The goal of Dr. Ong's lab is to produce environmentally-friendly, renewable fuels and products from lignocellulosic (non-food) plant materials.

Program Faculty