Overview
The primary mission of the undergraduate program in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering is to prepare graduates for successful careers in the technical areas of their choice. It is essential that they master the fundamentals of chemistry, physics, mathematics, and engineering science.
Courses in these fundamentals constitute one part of the curriculum. The second part concentrates on the application of mathematics, physics, and chemistry to the physical operations and chemical processes required to obtain a desired product on an industrial scale at a profit. The third part of the curriculum permits the students to concentrate on areas in which they have developed a special interest. This is accomplished by elective courses and project work.
The basic four-year curriculum prepares graduates for immediate employment in a large number of industrial and government organizations. The positions traditionally filled by chemical engineers involve the design, construction, and management of chemical, petro-chemical, pharmaceutical, biochemical, and electronics manufacturing plants, research and development of new processes and products, improvement of existing processes and products, design and development of control systems, economic evaluation of new plants and processes, air and water pollution control, energy conservation and energy resource development, and metallurgical and nuclear engineering. The student is encouraged to develop a special interest in one of these areas and to take a concentration of courses in that area.
The chemical engineering curriculum is designed to offer sufficient flexibility to satisfy the interests and needs of a variety of individuals with various career goals. The curriculum provides students with a solid background for continuing their education to the M.S., M.Eng., or Ph.D. degree in chemical engineering, material science, and other technical areas. By appropriate selection of electives the student can also use the chemical engineering program as a preparation for graduate work in law, management, medicine, or biotechnology. Personal faculty advising is provided to assist the students in developing appropriate elective concentrations.