Chemical Engineering
Melissa A. Moss, Chair
Chemical engineers are involved in the design of materials and devices and in the design and operation of plants which manufacture a wide variety of chemicals, including plastics, textile fibers, fuels, and pharmaceuticals. The work of the chemical engineer can be highly diverse, ranging from research on pollution prevention to the marketing of new chemical products.
The department offers the Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a major in chemical engineering. The department, jointly with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, offers a major in biomedical engineering.
Accelerated B.S.E./M.E. Education Plan
The Accelerated B.S.E./M.E. Plan in Chemical Engineering allows students to complete both the B.S.E. degree and a Master of Engineering degree in chemical engineering in as few as five years. The use of dual credit-courses that can be used toward both degrees-enables acceleration of the program, reducing the total enrollment of the student by one semester.
Chemical engineering students may apply for approval of an accelerated education plan in the semester in which they will complete 90 hours of undergraduate course work. In addition, students must have a sufficient foundation in chemical engineering course work to enable them to take graduate-level courses. University and department regulations stipulate that applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.40, both overall and in chemical engineering courses. Students may apply by submitting an accelerated education plan, an application for senior privilege, and a copy of a Graduate School application to the graduate director in chemical engineering. The dean of The Graduate School has final authority for approving accelerated education plans.
Only graduate-level courses (numbered 500 and above) may be used for dual credit. No more than nine credit hours may be used as dual credit. The graduate courses used for dual credit must be taken during the student’s final undergraduate year. The student graduates with the B.S.E. degree after completing the B.S.E. degree requirements. At that time, the student is admitted to the graduate program with up to nine hours of graduate credit.