In the Master of Science, Master of Chemical Engineering, and Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence Engineering-Chemical Engineering degree programs, you can personalize your experience with curated electives that fit seamlessly into the curriculum.

See example courses for five areas many of our students are interested in:

Advanced modeling, optimization, and data science

You will learn advanced skills in design, operation, and control from leaders in process systems engineering. Elective courses focus on the fundamentals of modeling, optimization, data science, and scientific computing. You'll develop unique and valuable expertise with applications in chemical processes, sustainability and green energy, supply chains, production planning and scheduling, and carbon capture and reduction.

Example courses

  1. 06-720 Advanced Process Systems Engineering (12 units)
  2. 06-606 Computational Methods for Large Scale Process Design & Analysis (9 units)
  3. 06-681 Data Science and Machine Learning in Chemical Engineering (6 units) and 06-682 Data Science and Machine Learning in Chemical Engineering: Scientific Software (6 units); or 18-661 Introduction to Machine Learning for Engineers (12 units); or 24-787 Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for Engineers (12 units)

Air quality and climate

The atmosphere is the ultimate chemical reactor with complex interacting systems that are rapidly changing with time. Elective courses on air quality and climate will prepare you to analyze large observation datasets on the planet, model atmospheric dynamics, develop climate change mitigation strategies, and quantify how policies will impact various groups of people.

Example courses

  1. 06-614 Atmospheric Nanoparticles and Climate (12 units)
  2. 12-651 Air Quality Engineering (9 units)
  3. 06-724 Global Atmospheric Chemistry (12 units)

Biopharmaceutical engineering

You'll develop engineering expertise applicable to drug development and the health care/biotechnology industry, such as biotherapeutics and vaccines that prevent or cure disease. In these electives, you will obtain skills and knowledge that will qualify you for opportunities in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. The MS in Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering (MS-BTPE) program is another option to pursue your interest in these topics.

Example courses

  1. 06-722 Bioprocess Design (12 units)
  2. 06-685 Bioseparations and Spectroscopy (12 units)
  3. 06-612 Formulation Engineering (12 units); or 06-634 Drug Delivery Systems (9 units); or 42-620 Engineering Molecular Cell Biology (12 units)

Decarbonization, sustainability, and energy transition technologies

The increased urgency to deal with climate change has pushed leaders, governments, and industrial stakeholders around the globe to converge on massive financial programs that promote and incentivize decarbonization, sustainability, and energy transition technologies. This is leading to the creation of many new professional opportunities. In electives enriched by state-of-the-art modeling tools and AI, you will gain a skill set that is unique in the workforce for the coming decades. You'll be immersed in the concepts and technical details of core technologies that an engineer needs to shape the decarbonization landscape of tomorrow.

Example courses

  1. 24-722 Energy Systems Modeling (12 units)
  2. 19-627 Special Topics: Energy Innovation and Entrepreneurship (12 units)
  3. 90-808 US Energy and Climate Policy (6 units) and 39-612 Energy Policy and Economics (6 units); or 39-610 Energy Conversion and Supply (6 units) and 39-611 Energy Demand and Utilization (6 units)
  4. 06-686 Special topics: Polymers for a Sustainable Future (9 units)

Soft matter, colloids, and complex fluids

Soft matter and colloids serve as the backbone of an array of consumer products and advanced materials that touch our lives daily. In these electives, you will delve into the scientific principles governing these substances. You'll gain an interdisciplinary perspective that combines domains in chemistry, physics, and engineering, and you'll develop expertise applicable to research and development, materials engineering, and process engineering.

Example courses

  1. 06-607 Physical Chemistry of Colloids & Surfaces (9 units)
  2. 06-609 Physical Chemistry of Macromolecules (9 units); or 27-557 Advanced Polymer Science and Engineering (12 units)
  3. 06-612 Formulation Engineering (12 units)
  4. 06-686 Special topics: Polymers for a Sustainable Future (9 units)

Graduate application process

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