The Chemical Engineering (M.S.) master’s program at UNH offers a flexible pathway to career success at a university recognized with the highest classification for research activity. You will have a collaborative and supportive community and receive personalized mentorship from leading scholars in the field. You will also work alongside award-winning faculty on cutting-edge research in high-demand areas such as advanced materials, bioengineering, and sustainable energy. With access to innovative labs and resources, you’ll be aiding UNH’s commitment to improving lives while preparing you for a successful career in industry, academia and beyond.
Why get a master’s degree in chemical engineering?
An M.S. in chemical engineering can help you unlock your career potential or enter the world of entrepreneurship. In fact, this advanced degree can translate into more than $15,000 annually in salary compared to those with an undergraduate degree alone. Our program will introduce you to the exciting world of chemical engineering research, teaching you how to plan and execute research activities and interpret results. You’ll complete a research thesis in an area such as bioengineering, electrochemical engineering, advanced materials, reaction and energy engineering, or environmental engineering. You’ll be prepared to enter the workforce with a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of chemical engineering.
Why choose UNH’s chemical engineering program?
Our chemical engineering program is leading the way thanks to state-of-the-art facilities, award-winning faculty members and cutting-edge research. Our professors have won National Science Foundation CAREER awards. They are working to save lives and improve our quality of life through initiatives such as the NH BioMade project, which seeks to advance research on biomaterials, and an effort to design novel therapies and treatments for diabetes by running biomolecular simulations on the world’s fastest supercomputer. The department hosts a robust seminar series schedule to provide additional opportunities to learn and network within the field.
Potential career areas
- Biochemical engineering
- Biomedical engineering
- Biotechnology
- Energy engineering
- Industrial chemicals
- Petroleum and petrochemicals
- Pharmaceuticals and medicine
- Plastics and textiles
- Pollution abatement
Frequently Asked Questions
A bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering is required for all graduate programs. Exceptional applicants from other closely related engineering majors and chemistry background may be admitted based on the records. Undergraduate GPA 3.0 or higher is recommended for application.
All Ph.D. students in our program receive full financial support (tuition and stipend) in the form of either research assistantship (RA) or teaching assistantship (TA).
In general, MS and MEng students do not receive financial aid from the department except for some rare occasions (temporary TA positions, graders). Once admitted, however, the students are allowed to contact individual faculty to inquire of the financial support through the external funding resources.
The review process is on a rolling basis and the decisions are typically made within 2 weeks after the completion of application. However, applications must be completed by March 15 to receive full consideration of financial aid.
Ph.D. students must maintain the full-time status. Most of the core courses are offered in -person, although online options may be available under special circumstances. M.S. and MEng. degrees may be completed part-time
The applicants are free to contact individual faculty regarding the availability of research positions. However, the assignment of thesis advisor is determined by the graduate committee. Direct all related questions to the graduate coordinator (Kyungjae.Jeong@unh.edu).
Curriculum & Requirements
An M.S. in chemical engineering can help you unlock your career potential or enter the world of entrepreneurship. In fact, this advanced degree can translate into more than $15,000 annually in salary compared to those with an undergraduate degree alone. Our program will introduce you to the exciting world of chemical engineering research, teaching you how to plan and execute research activities and interpret results. You’ll complete a research thesis in an area such as bioengineering, electrochemical engineering, advanced materials, reaction and energy engineering, or environmental engineering. You’ll be prepared to enter the workforce with a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of chemical engineering.
M.S. Admission Requirements
An applicant is expected to have completed a baccalaureate degree in chemical engineering. Students with good undergraduate records but with deficiencies in certain areas may be admitted on condition that they complete specified courses without credit to make up for their deficiencies. Applicants must submit current scores (within five years) from the general test of the Graduate Record Examination. International students are required to submit TOEFL test scores. IELTS scores are accepted on a case-by-case basis, and students must have a minimum score of 6.5.
M.S. Degree Requirements
A minimum of 30 credits, which must include:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| CHBE 900 | Seminar 1 | 0 or 1 |
| CHBE 923 | Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | 3 |
| CHBE 932 | Advanced Chemical Engineering Kinetics | 3 |
| CHBE 940 | Advanced Transport Phenomena | 3 |
| In addition to the above 11‐credit required courses, the M.S. student is expected to take the following courses: | ||
| Electives 2 | ||
| Select 19 elective course credits 2 | 19 | |
| CHBE 899 | Master's Thesis | 6-9 |
The M.S. elective course credits must include CHBE 899 Master's Thesis of up to 9 credits.
- 1
Students should register for CHBE 900 for 1 credit each in their first two semesters and 0 credits each additional semester until their degree is granted.
- 2
Can be made up of electives offered by the department or by the college. Courses taken within the UNH School of Law, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, and the Paul College of Business and Economics can apply with approval. Electives must be assessed with a letter grade and cannot be pass/fail. Students take electives after consulting with their advisers. The courses the students have taken to fulfill their B.S. degree requirement cannot be counted toward their M.S. degree requirement.
This graduate program is approved to be taken on an accelerated basis in articulation with certain undergraduate degree programs.
General Accelerated Master's policy, note that some programs have additional requirements (e.g. higher grade expectations) compared to the policy.
Please see the Graduate School website and contact the department directly for more information.
Upon completion of the master’s of science degree, the student will be able to:
- use appropriate chemical engineering techniques, tools and methods to solve broadly defined engineering problems.
- critically analyze the literature and determine the state-of-the-art in a given research topic.
- use computational and/or experimental skills to solve an original research problem in the field of chemical engineering and critically analyze the results.
- demonstrate oral and written communication skills.
Deadlines
Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:
- Fall: Feb. 15 (for funding); April 1 (recommended US; final international); July 1 (final)
- Spring: Dec. 1, Nov. 1 for international students
- Summer: N/A
- Special: N/A
Application fee: $65
Campus: Durham
New England Regional: VT
Accelerated Masters: Yes (for more details see the accelerated masters information page)
New Hampshire Residents
Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission, or you will not be able to register for classes.
Transcripts
If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC.
If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.
If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:
- Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
- Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.
Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.
Letters of recommendation: 3 required
Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.
Test Scores: GRE Required
GRE required. Request official test scores to be sent directly to the Graduate School by the testing service. Test scores more than five years old are not acceptable. Student copies and photo copies of scores are not considered official. Our CEEB code is 3918.
For general information about test scores, including waiver requests and current COVID related impacts, please visit our Test Scores webpage.
Personal Statement/Essay Questions
Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding:
- Reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives.
- Your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field.
Important Notes
All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.
International Applicants
Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.
