Professional Masters in Pharmaceutical Engineering Degree

Master of Engineering in Pharmaceutical Engineering and Science (ME)

The pharmaceutical industry is increasingly looking for engineers and scientists with a Pharmaceutical Engineering Masters degree. At Rutgers, the the Masters of Engineering in Pharmaceutical Engineering and Science (ME)  provides current and advanced training in pharmaceutical engineering and manufacturing.

The ME has been set up using the framework of a professional Masters of Pharmaceutical Engineering degree. Rutgers University provides the intellectual climate for the preparation of individuals for professional advancement and is set up not just for full-time students, but also for professionals in industry who can only attend classes part-time but want to develop the skills to work in pharmaceutical product design and manufacturing. Most of our classes are offered in the evening.

The entire Pharmaceutical engineering course list and brief description of course content is listed under Courses. To keep our program up-to-date, we rely on a broad pool of exceptional faculty from Rutgers and additional adjunct faculty from industry. The pharmaceutical industry consistently represents the primary employment destination for the majority of our ME alumni upon graduation. Companies that have employed our ME students and alumni are listed under Employment.


Financing Your Degree

Financial aid is not provided for the students who are admitted to the ME degree program. Many of our students (including international students) obtain paid positions which include working as hourly employees on campus for various Rutgers departments, working as laboratory assistants in professors' labs, and working for local pharmaceutical companies (internships and co-ops). Students need to apply for these positions and they are not guaranteed. These positions can only be obtained once a student is physically on campus at Rutgers. The fact that Rutgers is surrounded by a large number of global pharmaceutical manufacturing companies and pharmaceutical start-ups allows students to obtain internships and co-ops close to campus.

Tuition and fees depend on the number of courses that are taken each semester. All courses in the Pharmaceutical Engineering Program are 3-credit courses. Tuition and fees for the ME degree can be found at the Rutgers Office of Finance and Administration by clicking on “Rutgers University – New Brunswick” and then searching in the table for "Masters in Engineering". If you want additional information on tuition and fees and student health insurance then this information can be found at the Rutgers School of Graduate Studies – New Brunswick website under the Funding tab: Tuition and Cost of Attendance.  Then scroll down and click on “Tuition and Fees”, then “Rutgers University – New Brunswick”, then “Graduate Tuition & Fees”, and then search in the table for “Masters in Engineering”; as you click through these websites there is additional information on tuition payment options and student health insurance.


Applications to the ME

Applicants to the ME should have an undergraduate degree in Engineering, Science or Pharmacy. As part of the application, a personal statement is required. Please make sure you discuss that you are interested in Pharmaceutical Engineering in your personal statement. Applicants are not required to submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test; however if available, the submission of such scores is strongly encouraged. International students must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test. If you are an international applicant with: 1) a minimum of three years undergraduate studies with the mode of instruction being English (please state this in your application), or 2) you have a masters degree with the mode of instruction being English, then TOEFL or IELTS scores are not required; however if available, the submission of such scores is strongly encouraged.

Applications to the ME must be made through the Rutgers School of Graduate Studies – New Brunswick as detailed below. Usually the Graduate School New Brunswick requires a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale for admission to the ME. The GPA requirement may be waived for students who have significant work experience or other relevant experience. Students who have a cumulative GPA substantially below 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) can apply to the Non-Degree program of study; after successfully completing four courses (with minimum grades) students can apply for a change of degree status to the ME. Further details are given under the Non-Degree program of study. Please note that International students cannot apply or enroll as Non-Degree students as Rutgers will not sponsor a Non-Degree student for a visa.

To apply to the ME, please apply on-line at the Rutgers School of Graduate Studies –  New Brunswick. To apply, search for the Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Program of Study and choose the ME degree. The Master of Engineering in Pharmaceutical Engineering and Science (ME) is administered by the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and is therefore listed under this department’s programs of study. Please be sure to apply on-line for the ME degree as a MS degree is also offered, but is quite different from the ME degree.

For further information, please contact us as detailed at the CONTACT tab.

Requirements for the completion of the ME degree

Basic requirements for the completion of the Master of Engineering in Pharmaceutical Engineering and Science degree are the completion of 30 credits of courses, including:

  • 15 credits of core courses
  • 15 credits of elective courses (to be selected from established engineering and science graduate courses ). A listing of acceptable electives is given below. Other elective courses can be selected from current Rutgers engineering and science graduate courses with approval of the program
    Maintaining an overall cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
  • Maintaining a grade point average of at least 3.0 in the core courses.
  • Ensuring that no more than three (3) courses have a grade of C+ or lower.

Core courses (five required courses)

  • 155:545 Making Medicine: Manufacturing Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients
  • 155:546 Pharmaceutical Unit Operations
  • 155:547 Statistical Analysis and Design of Pharmaceutical Operations
  • 155:549 Medicine in the Body: Pharmaceutical Engineering of Patient-Medicine Interaction
  • 155:541 Pharmaceutical Materials Engineering
    A brief description of the core course content can be found under core courses.

Electives (choose five elective courses)

A list of approved Pharmaceutical Engineering electives and a brief description of the course content can be found under general elective courses.


Employment

Historically, the majority of our ME alumni are employed within the pharmaceutical sector upon graduation. Employers of our ME students and alumni over the past five years include:

  • Aucta Pharmaceuticals
  • Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation
  • Becton Dickinson
  • BeiGene
  • Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing
  • Bionex pharmaceuticals
  • Bristol Myers Squibb
  • Catalent
  • Colgate-Palmolive
  • CRISPR Therapeutics
  • Eli Lilly & Co.
  • Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories, Inc.
  • Exela Pharma Sciences
  • Gilead Sciences, Inc.
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Hovione
  • Integra LifeSciences
  • J-Star Research Inc.
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Kamat Pharmatech
  • Kashiv BioSciences
  • Kenvue
  • L 'Oreal
  • MAA Laboratories, Inc.
  • Merck
  • Moderna Therapeutics
  • Novartis
  • Pfizer, Inc.
  • Regeneron
  • Sequence Inc.
  • Stryker
  • Thermo Fisher Scientific
  • Wuxi Apptec Inc.

    • Employment information is based on self-reported alumni data.