Since 2009, students in MSOE’s biomolecular engineering program have been learning at the interface of engineering and biomolecular science and technology and working at the molecular level of cellular and microorganism systems. To date, there have been 251 graduates from the program, who have gone on to successful careers in chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals, food, wastewater treatment, medicine, synthetic biology and more. At its core, the program’s curriculum is founded in chemical engineering. As such, MSOE is expanding the name of the program to Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE). 

Chemical engineers are in growing demand according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, with projected employment growth to increase 14% from 2021 to 2031. At MSOE, the CBE class of 2021-22 reported a 100% Graduate Outcomes Rate. In the U.S., the median salary for all chemical engineers is $105,550 annually. 

Students enrolled in MSOE’s Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering take courses in the foundation sciences including chemistry, physics and biology. This emphasis of both science and engineering at the molecular scale enables graduates to be involved in product and process development. Students are educated in engineering design of products and processes, using essential chemical and biomolecular tools, to solve complex engineering problems. Graduates are prepared for careers in the chemical engineering, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, bioinformatics and other such industries and for graduate, medical, law or business school. 

Four state-of-the-art laboratories were built in 2010 for the program thanks to a multimillion-dollar gift from Drs. Robert and Patricia Kern. They include a molecular biology and biotechnology lab, instrumentation lab, a BSL-2 cell culture facility and a senior design lab. The storeroom and laboratories are equipped with -20◦F and -80◦F freezers; a two-way autoclave, biosafety cabinets and double-jacketed incubators for mammalian cell culture; inverted (fluorescent) microscopes; an encapsulator, an electrospinning setup, bioprinters, microplate readers, a bioreactor, freeze-driers, an FT-IR, a GC/MS system, a DNA sequencer, an AFM, in addition to all the essential lab equipment. Multiple experimental set-ups emulating real chemical and bioengineering processes are also available. Equipment is continuously upgraded and added to meet the constantly evolving modern industry.

The B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, through the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org.