Rice University

The Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department's programs provide undergraduates with a sound scientific and technical grounding for further development in a variety of professional environments. Courses in mathematics, chemistry, physics, and computational engineering provide the background for the chemical engineering core, which introduces students to chemical process fundamentals, fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, thermodynamics, kinetics, reactor design, process control, product and process design. Course electives may be used to create a focus area in one of the following five disciplines: biotechnology/bioengineering, environmental engineering, materials science/engineering, sustainability and energy engineering, and computational engineering. Upon completing either the flexible BA requirements or the more scientific and professional BSChE requirements, students may apply for a fifth year of study leading to the non-thesis Master of Chemical Engineering (MChE) degree. 

Students admitted for graduate studies leading to the MS or PhD degrees must complete a rigorous program combining advanced coursework and original research that must be formalized in an approved thesis. Graduate research is possible in a number of areas, including catalysis and nanotechnology, thermodynamics and phase equilibria, interfacial phenomena, colloids, microemulsions, rheology and fluid mechanics, biosystems engineering, biocatalysis and metabolic engineering, cell population heterogeneity and biological pattern formation, cellular and tissue engineering, sustainability and energy, gas hydrates, enhanced oil recovery, reservoir characterization, and pollution control.