Illinois Tech Develops First Master of Pharmaceutical Engineering Program in the Chicagoland Area

Chicago, IL — February 26, 2019 —

Illinois Institute of Technology today announced the development of a new Master of Pharmaceutical Engineering (M.A.S.) program through Illinois Tech’s Armour College of Engineering, the first pharmaceutical engineering program of its kind in the Chicagoland area. The new graduate degree will offer students a unique opportunity to study the design of new medications, the evaluation of the safety and efficacy of existing drugs, and the assessment of pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality assurance processes, in an effort to discover, create, and solve some of the most intriguing challenges faced by today’s pharmaceutical industry.

With more than 13,000 engineers employed by the U.S. pharmaceutical industry as of 2017, Illinois Tech has specifically tailored the Master of Pharmaceutical Engineering program to meet this growing demand for specialized talent throughout the Midwest and across the globe. The Chicago area currently serves as one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical research, development, and manufacturing hubs, with some of the globe’s leading drug companies having a presence here including Baxter, Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AkzoNobel, and Pfizer, as well as a number of smaller drug manufacturers with laboratory facilities throughout the region.

“Our vision for the new Master of Pharmaceutical Engineering program is simple: to develop a robust and highly-specialized program of study that will not only help its graduates meet the needs of today’s pharmaceutical industry, but produce young leaders capable of shaping and guiding the industry’s future,” said Sohail Murad, Professor and Chair of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology. “As one of only a handful of programs of its kind in the nation, we are confident that this degree will position Illinois Tech graduates on the forefront of this growing industry.”

Students will learn the basics of pharmaceutical engineering, drug delivery, bioprocess engineering, safety and quality control, and entrepreneurship/intellectual property management before specializing in topics ranging from crystal growth to cardiovascular fluid mechanics to nanoscale imaging. The new Master of Pharmaceutical Engineering program represents the continuation of the Illinois Institute of Technology’s legacy of innovation in the field of chemical engineering, dating back to the founding of Illinois Tech’s Department of Chemical Engineering in 1901.

“The new Master of Pharmaceutical Engineering degree represents the next step in Illinois Tech’s rich history of leadership in the field of engineering education throughout the Midwest and across the nation,” said Peter Kilpatrick, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Illinois Tech. “For more than a century, the Illinois Institute of Technology has led the way in educational offerings to address the needs of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, and this new program will further cement Illinois Tech as the leading producer of talent within this growing industry.”

For more information regarding the Master of Pharmaceutical Engineering program, please visit www.iit.edu/academics/programs/pharmaceutical-engineering-mas.

About Illinois Institute of Technology

Illinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois Tech, is a private, technology-focused, research university, located in Chicago, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law. One of 21 institutions that comprise the Association of Independent Technological Universities (AITU), Illinois Tech offers exceptional preparation for professions that require technological sophistication, an innovative mindset, and an entrepreneurial spirit.