MS in Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Engineering

Biotechnology harnesses biological processes to develop technologies and products that help improve our lives. The use of biotechnology in the health care sector has led to the production of medicines and vaccines that prevent or cure disease and has increased the demand from industry for individuals with advanced training in biotechnology and pharmaceutical engineering.

The MS in Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering (MS-BTPE) program at Carnegie Mellon University combines the strengths of our Biological Sciences and Chemical Engineering departments. Students from both backgrounds work side-by-side in their coursework as they will in industry.

One of the nation's premier programs, CMU's College of Engineering ranks 5^th on U.S. News and World Report's list of best graduate programs.

Application information

The program is jointly administered by the departments of biological sciences and chemical engineering. All applicants, including chemical engineering students, go through the biological sciences application page.

Meet MS-BTPE students

Ashni Arun

Yunfei Niu

Divyam Shah

Endless opportunities

With the skills to scale innovations for diagnostic and treatment purposes, graduates are sought after by academia, government, and industry, both major pharmaceutical and start-up companies.

See post-graduation salaries and destination information for recent CMU ChemE graduates.

Industry-relevant curriculum

Our program combines theory with hands-on instruction from faculty who are experts in their field and the biomedical industry. Students gain advanced training in the sciences with instruction in commercial research, bioinformatic integration, regulatory compliance, medicinal chemistry, and drug development.

In the first semester, students with an engineering background are trained in modern biology. In parallel, students with a biology background are trained in introductory chemical engineering principles.

The coursework and lab work has been developed in close consultation with industry leaders and with the many CMU faculty engaged in research on biomanufacturing and therapeutics. Informed by these industry collaborations, the program responds to a need expressed by both major pharmaceutical and start-up companies for employees who can take what biologists do in producing customized cells and proteins at a small scale and make these engineering products available for diagnostic and treatment purposes.

The MS in biotechnology and pharmaceutical engineering program can be completed either full-time or part-time and requires 108-117 units to graduate. Full-time students typically complete the degree program in 1.5 years.

• Background courses (0-18 units)
• Core courses (39 units)
• Biology elective courses (24 units)
• Chemical Engineering elective courses (24 units)
• Additional elective courses (12-21 units)

Get more information about the program's curriculum.

Admissions and application deadlines

Students interested in joining the MS in Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering program at Carnegie Mellon University should have a background in biology, chemistry, biomedical engineering or chemical engineering and must have graduated from a recognized four-year college, university, or institute of technology, or have earned equivalent credentials.

The priority admissions deadline is December 15. Additional applications will be reviewed until the dates below or until all slots are filled.

• International application deadline: March 18
• Domestic application deadline: April 29

Carnegie Mellon University

Located in the heart of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private, global research university, that stands among the world's most renowned educational institutions.

With cutting-edge brain science, path-breaking performances, innovative start-ups, driverless cars, big data, big ambitions, Nobel and Turing prizes, hands-on learning, and a whole lot of robots, CMU doesn't imagine the future, we create it.