Concentration in Biomolecular Engineering

A professional concentration in Biomolecular Engineering has been designed for chemical engineering majors who desire a strong background in biochemical engineering and biology. This will benefit students pursuing careers in medicine, biomedical engineering or in the following industries: consumer products, food processing, and pharmaceuticals. The decision to obtain this concentration is made optimally in the sophomore year. 

The professional concentration in Biomolecular Engineering offers a chemical engineering major an alternative path for obtaining a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering. Students in the classes of 2011 and 2012 must take BY160 Cellular & Molecular Biology (3 Cr. Hrs.) and BY162 Cellular & Molecular Biology Lab (2 Cr. Hrs.) in spring semester of sophomore year. BY160 is a requirement for all chemical engineering students in the classes of 2013 and later; students pursuing the concentration must also take the BY162 laboratory course. For all students, the required mathematics elective must be a suitable statistics course (STAT383 Applied Statistics) and science and engineering electives are replaced with the required courses CM460 Biochemistry I and CH465 Biochemical Engineering. An undesignated elective is replaced with a course selected from the following list of courses relevant to biomolecular engineering: BR400 Introduction to Biomedical Rehabilitation Engineering and Science, BY214 Genetics, BY312 Advanced Cell Biology, BY316 Immunobiology, BY320/322 Microbiology with Lab, BY360/362 Physiology with Lab, BY412 Molecular Biology Laboratory, CM426 Intro to Biophysics, CM453 Intro to Biomaterials, CM464 Physical Biochemistry, ES380 Biomechanics or ES452 Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering Applications. Further information on this concentration is available in the Department of Chemical Engineering office.  A sample curriculum for Chemical Engineering majors choosing the Biomolecular Engineering concentration is given in the Handbook.  To view a poster about this concentration showing some applications click here.

By successfully completing the courses recommended above, upon graduation, students receive a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering with a Dean’s Certificate indicating a “Professional Concentration in Biomolecular Engineering” and a notation to that effect on their transcript.