A New Master of Engineering Degree: Non-Engineers Need Apply

A new Master of Engineering program in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of California, Davis, aims to help meet the growing demand for chemical engineers in the workforce by focusing on students without an engineering background.

With the growing interest in decarbonization pathways, such as carbon-capture systems and low-emission fuels, as well as the need to develop next-generation medical technologies and explore materials and techniques for future space travel, chemical engineers are key players in today’s forward-thinking industries.

By establishing a Master of Engineering program geared toward students in STEM fields who do not have an engineering background, Tonya Kuhl, professor and chair of chemical engineering, hopes to enable students to enter into these high-demand jobs by bolstering their physical science education with engineering skills.    

“This program gives people with a chemistry background or physics background access to the career pathway of a chemical engineer,” she said. “They are getting applied, practical process engineering experience that gives them a leg up to get into a position that is not in the lab.”

Going from Micro to Macro with Chemical Engineering

The year-long program, currently in its inaugural year, offers two tracks: chemical process engineering and biochemical process engineering, with the latter being specifically geared toward the biotechnology industry. The program comprises coursework, hands-on laboratory experience and a capstone design project.

Manuel “Manny” Visocsky, who majored in biochemistry at California State University, Sacramento, is part of the first cohort. Visocsky became interested in pursuing a graduate degree in chemical engineering during his undergraduate years. At the time, he worked at the California Department of Toxic Substance Control, and his mentor and project manager there had both graduated from UC Davis.

While they both heavily advocated for him to attend UC Davis, Visocsky’s mind was made up after he attended an online information session and encountered a smooth application process.

“The process of being a chemist trying to get into other chemical engineering programs seemed difficult and unapproachable,” he said. “But this program is specialized and tailored to chemists and STEM majors, and it was a lot less stressful. This program was really welcoming to the fact that I wasn’t a chemical engineer.”

While Visocsky says the learning curve in coding and math can be steep for those without an engineering background, it’s the problem-solving on a larger scale that is the biggest shift from his own background in physical science.

“I thought I had good problem-solving skills before, but [in engineering] it’s a different type of problem-solving,” he said. “Chemistry is more microscopic.  With chemistry, I’m thinking about a small reaction. With chemical engineering, if I’m trying to build a reactor, I’m thinking about the cost, the weight and the stability before I can make sure the reaction would even work.”

Opening Doors in Growing Fields

Chemical engineering alum John Bissell ’08, CEO and co-founder of bioplastics company Origin Materials and recipient of the College of Engineering’s 2025 Distinguished Engineering Alumni Medal, is enthusiastic about the new program. The macro-level problem-solving that Visocsky and his peers are learning will not only open doors to jobs for STEM majors but also offer new opportunities for unique perspectives in increasingly important fields.

“Chemical engineering sits at the nexus of so many different modern fields, including biotechnology, energy, solar, petroleum engineering and control systems, which is related to artificial intelligence,” Bissell said. “This graduate program enables chemists and other disciplines that are critical for the development of these important fields to use the very powerful tools of chemical engineering and apply them to those areas.”

While the program does target STEM students without a chemical engineering background, Kuhl indicates that it is adaptable to students with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering who are looking to specialize in different focus areas. The first specialization, automation and control, will launch in the fall of 2027.

The ultimate goal of the Master of Engineering program is to position its students for opportunities in process engineering that would have otherwise been unavailable to them. With this initial cohort, Kuhl checks in regularly to see where the program has potential to improve. She aims to ensure that Visocsky and his peers are successful and that the program continues to meet the needs of future students. 

“I want to make sure we put in place something that’s going to really serve their academic and career goals and position them well for these opportunities,” she said. “The world needs more chemical engineers, and this program helps students leverage their fundamentals and transition to the industrial scale and process.”