The BSE Chemical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Criteria.

Learning Outcomes

1. Ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. Ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. Ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. Ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
5. Ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. Ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. Ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Academic Standards

Program GPA

Program GPA requirement policies are described in the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing section of this bulletin. For the purpose of these policies, the following courses are used to determine the Program GPA for the Chemical Engineering B.S.E. program: all Lower Division Engineering courses, all Chemical Engineering Major courses, and all Engineering Electives.

Admissions

Entrance Requirements

Admission requirements and processes for freshman, transfer students, and former students seeking readmission are managed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Transfer applicants from regionally accredited colleges and universities must have a minimum cumulative 2.75 GPA on a 4.00 scale to enter the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing. Current University of South Carolina students, and former students seeking readmission, must have an institutional GPA of 2.50 or better on at least 15 hours earned at USC.

Degree Requirements (131-139 hours)

See College of Engineering and Computing for progression requirements and special academic opportunities.

Program of Study

Program Summary

Requirements	Credit Hours
1. Carolina Core	34-40
2. College Requirements	0
3. Program Requirements	64-66
4. Major Requirements	33

Founding Documents Requirement

All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers.  This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective.  Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.

Requirements (131-139 hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
1. Carolina Core (34-40 hours)
CMW - Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written
ENGL 101	Critical Reading and Composition 1	3
ENGL 102	Rhetoric and Composition	3
ARP - Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving 1
MATH 141	Calculus I	4
MATH 142	Calculus II	4
SCI - Scientific Literacy 1
CHEM 111	General Chemistry I	3
CHEM 111L	General Chemistry I Lab	1
PHYS 211	Essentials of Physics I	3
PHYS 211L	Essentials of Physics I Lab	1
GFL - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language
Score two or better on foreign language placement test; or complete the 109 and 110 courses in FREN, GERM, LATN or SPAN; or complete the 121 course in another foreign language.
CC-GFL course(s)		0-6
GHS - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking
CC-GHS course(s)		3
GSS - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences
CC-GSS course(s)		3
AIU - Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding
CC-AIU course(s)
CMS - Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component 2
PHIL 325	Engineering Ethics (CMS/VSR overlay)	3
INF - Information Literacy 2
ENGL 102	Rhetoric and Composition (overlay with CMW)
VSR - Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility 2
PHIL 325	Engineering Ethics (CMS/VSR overlay)
2. College Requirements (0 hours)
No college-required courses for this program.
3. Program Requirements (64-66 hours)
Supporting Courses (64-66 hours)
Foundational Courses (20 hours):
CHEM 112	General Chemistry II	3
CHEM 112L	General Chemistry II Lab	1
CHEM 333	Organic Chemistry I	3
CHEM 334	Organic Chemistry II	3
MATH 241	Vector Calculus	3
MATH 242	Elementary Differential Equations	3
PHYS 212	Essentials of Physics II	3
PHYS 212L	Essentials of Physics II Lab	1
Chemistry Elective (3 hours):
Select one of the following:		3
CHEM 321	Quantitative Analysis
or CHEM 322	Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 511	Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 533	Comprehensive Organic Chemistry III
CHEM 541	Physical Chemistry I: Thermodynamics and Kinetics
CHEM 542	Physical Chemistry II: Quantum Mechanics and Spectroscopy
CHEM 545	Physical Biochemistry
CHEM 550	Biochemistry
CHEM 555	Protein Biochemistry and Metabolism
CHEM 556	Molecular Biochemistry of the Cell
CHEM 621	Instrumental Analysis
CHEM 622	Forensic Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 623	Introductory Environmental Chemistry
CHEM 624	Aquatic Chemistry
CHEM 633	Introduction to Polymer Synthesis
CHEM 643	Computational Chemistry
CHEM 644	Materials Chemistry
CHEM 655	Metabolic Biochemistry of Human Disease
Chemistry Laboratory Electives (2 hours):
Select 2 hours from the following:		2
CHEM 321L	Quantitative Analysis Laboratory
or CHEM 322L	Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
CHEM 331L	Essentials of Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
or CHEM 333L	Comprehensive Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
CHEM 332L	Essentials of Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
or CHEM 334L	Comprehensive Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
CHEM 541L	Physical Chemistry Laboratory I: Thermodynamics and Kinetics
CHEM 542L	Physical Chemistry Laboratory II: Quantum Mechanics and Spectroscopy
CHEM 550L	Biochemistry Laboratory
CHEM 621L	Instrumental Analysis Lab
Computer Programming Elective (3-4 hours):
CSCE 106	Scientific Applications Programming	3-4
or CSCE 145	Algorithmic Design I
Lower Division Engineering (14-15 hours):
ECHE 101	Introduction to Chemical Engineering	2
or ENCP 101	Introduction to Engineering
ECHE 300	Chemical Process Principles	3
ECHE 310	Introductory Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics	3
or ENCP 290	Thermodynamic Fundamentals
ECHE 311	Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics	3
ECHE 320	Chemical Engineering Fluid Mechanics	3
or ENCP 360	Fluid Mechanics
Professional Development Elective (1 hour):
ECHE 202	Exploring the Chemical Engineering Workplace
or ECHE 203	Research in Chemical Engineering
Engineering Electives (6 hours):
Select 6 hours from the following:		6
ENCP 200	Statics
or ECIV 200	Statics
or EMCH 200	Statics
ENCP 201	Introduction to Applied Numerical Methods
or EMCH 201	Introduction to Applied Numerical Methods
ENCP 210	Dynamics
or ECIV 210	Dynamics
or EMCH 310	Dynamics
ENCP 260	Introduction to the Mechanics of Solids
or ECIV 220	Mechanics of Solids
or EMCH 260	Solid Mechanics
ENCP 330	Introduction to Vibrations
or EMCH 330	Mechanical Vibrations
ENCP 440	Sustainable Development in Engineering
ENCP 460	Special Topics in Engineering and Computing
ENCP 481	Project Management
ENCP 540	Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing
BMEN 212	Fundamentals of Biomedical Systems
BMEN 240	Cellular and Molecular Biology with Engineering Applications
BMEN 263	Introduction to Biomechanics
BMEN 271	Introduction to Biomaterials
BMEN 290	Thermodynamics of Biomolecular Systems
BMEN 300 and above, except BMEN 301 and BMEN 303
CSCE 211	Digital Logic Design
CSCE 212	Introduction to Computer Architecture
CSCE 240	Advanced Programming Techniques
CSCE 274	Robotic Applications and Design
CSCE 313	Embedded Systems
CSCE 317	Computer Systems Engineering
CSCE 520	Database System Design
CSCE 567	Visualization Tools
CSCE 582	Bayesian Networks and Decision Graphs
CSCE 587	Big Data Analytics
ECHE 202	Exploring the Chemical Engineering Workplace
or ECHE 203	Research in Chemical Engineering
ECHE 372	Introduction to Materials
ECHE 389	Special Topics in Chemical Engineering
ECHE 497	Thesis Preparation
ECHE 499	Special Problems
ECHE 520	Chemical Engineering Fluid Mechanics
ECHE 521	Computational Fluid Dynamics for Engineering Applications
ECHE 571	Corrosion Engineering
ECHE 572	Polymer Processing
ECHE 573	Next Energy
ECHE 574	Combustion
ECHE 575	Engineering of Soft Materials
ECHE 589	Special Advanced Topics in Chemical Engineering
ELCT 220	Electrical Engineering for Non-Majors
ELCT 221	Circuits
ELCT 222	Signals and Systems
ELCT 300 and above
ECIV 300 and above, except ECIV 360
EMCH 300 and above, except EMCH 354 and EMCH 360
ECHE 700 and above (only if admitted to an Accelerated Bachelor's/Graduate Program)
Technical Electives (12 hours):
Select 12 hours from the following:		12
All Engineering Electives
Chemistry Electives
Chemistry Lab Electives
ENCP 102	Introduction to Computer-Aided Design
or EMCH 111	Introduction to Computer-Aided Design
MATH 300	Transition to Advanced Mathematics
MATH 374	Discrete Structures
MATH 500 and above
STAT 500 and above, except STAT 541 and STAT 591
BIOL 101	Biological Principles I
BIOL 101L	Biological Principles I Laboratory
BIOL 102	Biological Principles II
BIOL 102L	Biological Principles II Laboratory
BIOL 120	Human Biology
BIOL 120L	Laboratory in Human Biology
BIOL 200 and above
ENVR 231	Introduction to Sustainability Management and Leadership
ENVR 321	Environmental Pollution and Health
ENVR 331	Integrating Sustainability
GEOL 300 and above
MSCI 300 and above
PHYS 300 and above
CSCE 145	Algorithmic Design I
CSCE 146	Algorithmic Design II
CSCE 210	Computer Hardware Foundations
CSCE 215	UNIX/Linux Fundamentals
CSCE 350	Data Structures and Algorithms
ENCP 530	Cases in Technology Feasibility Analysis
ENCP 533	Legal Aspects of Engineering & Innovation
ENCP 535	Developing and Launching New Ventures in Science and Technology
ENCP 536	Innovation and New Venture Analysis
ACCT 222	Survey of Accounting
FINA 333	Finance and Markets
MGMT 371	Principles of Management
MGSC 290	Computer Information Systems in Business
MKTG 350	Principles of Marketing
Career Elective (3 hours):
Select 3 hours from the following:		3
All approved Carolina Core Courses for AIU, CMS, GFL, GHS, GSS, and VSR
All Engineering Electives
All Chemistry Electives
All Chemistry Lab Electives
All Technical Electives
AERO 401	National Security/Leadership Responsibilities/Commissioning Preparation
AERO 402	National Security / Leadership Responsibilities / Commissioning Preparation II
AFAM 201	Introduction to African American Studies: Social and Historical Foundations
AFAM 202	Introduction to African-American Studies
AFAM 335	The American Civil Rights Movement
ANTH 101	Primates, People, and Prehistory
ANTH 102	Understanding Other Cultures
ANTH 219	Great Discoveries in Archaeology
ANTH 300 and above, except ANTH 399 and ANTH 501
ARTE 101	Introduction to Art
ARTH 105	History of Western Art I
ARTH 106	History of Western Art II
ARTH 300 and above, except ARTH 399, ARTH 498, ARTH 499, ARTH 599
ARMY 406	American Military Experience
Any CPLT course
DANC 101	Dance Appreciation
ECON 221	Principles of Microeconomics
ECON 222	Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON 224	Introduction to Economics
ECON 300 and above, except ECON 399, ECON 421, ECON 499, ECON 524, ECON 595
Any ENGL course above 102, except ENGL 460 through ENGL 467
Foreign Languages at the 121 level
Foreign Languages 300 and above, except intensive reading courses or courses about teaching
GEOG 103	Foundations of Geography
GEOG 121	Geographies of Global Change
GEOG 300 and above, except GEOG 399, GEOG 595
Any HIST course
LASP 301	Interdisciplinary Study of Latin America
LASP 311	Latin American Cultures
LASP 315	South American Indian Cultures
LASP 322	Mesoamerican Prehistory
LASP 322	Mesoamerican Prehistory
LASP 331	Geography of Latin America
LASP 351	Politics and Governments of Latin America
LASP 398	Special Topics in Latin American Studies
LASP 425	Prehistoric Archaeology of South America
LASP 451	International Relations of Latin America
LING 300	Introduction to Language Sciences
LING 340	Language, Culture, and Society
LING 405	Topics in Linguistics
LING 540	Topics in Language and Culture
LING 541	Language and Gender
LING 542	Research in Language Conflict and Language Rights
LING 543	Discourse, Gender, and Politics of Emotion
LING 545	Anthropological Approaches to Narrative and Performance
LING 567	Psychology of Language
LING 600	Survey of Linguistics
MUSC 110	Introduction to Music
MUSC 140	Jazz and American Popular Music
MUSC 145	Introduction to Music Literature
Any MUSC history course at or above 300-level
NAVY 303	Evolution of the Art of War
PHIL 102	Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 300 and above
PSYC 101	Introduction to Psychology
PSYC 103	Psychology of Adjustment
PSYC 300 and above, except PSYC 570 to PSYC 599
Any POLI course, except POLI 379, POLI 399
Any RELG course
SOCY 101	Introductory Sociology
SOCY 300 and above, except SOCY 399
THEA 200	Understanding and Appreciation of Theatre
THEA 561	History of the Theatre I
THEA 562	History of the Theatre II
UNIV 101	The Student in the University
WGST 112	Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
WGST 113	Women's Health
WGST 207	Gender and Culture
WGST 300	Sex and Gender
WGST 301	Psychology of Marriage
WGST 304	Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality
WGST 305	Sociology of Families
WGST 307	Feminist Theory
WGST 308	African-American Feminist Theory
WGST 310	Psychology of Women
WGST 351	The Family in Cross-Cultural Perspective
WGST 352	Gender and Politics
WGST 430	Topics in Women's Studies
WGST 454	Women and the Law
WGST 554	Women, Gender, and Crime
WGST 555	Language and Gender
4. Major Requirements (33 hours)
Students may pursue any of the following concentrations by choosing specified engineering, technical, and chemistry elective courses to fulfill degree requirements: Biomolecular Engineering, Energy, Interdisciplinary Engineering, Materials, Environmental Engineering, Numerical Methods and Computing. To fulfill the requirements for any concentration, a student must complete five courses (15 credit hours) in one area. Consult the department website or advising handbook for the most up to date list of approved concentration courses. Although these courses are designated as electives in the B.S.E. curriculum in chemical engineering, certain courses in the lists are designated as “required” with respect to fulfilling concentration requirements. Also note that the lists may not include all of the prerequisites for some of the listed courses.
ECHE 321	Heat-Flow Analysis	3
ECHE 322	Mass Transfer	3
ECHE 430	Chemical Engineering Kinetics	3
ECHE 440	Separation Process Design	3
ECHE 456	Computational Methods for Engineering Applications	3
ECHE 460	Chemical Engineering Laboratory I	3
ECHE 461	Chemical Engineering Laboratory II	3
ECHE 465	Chemical-Process Analysis and Design I	3
ECHE 466	Chemical-Process Analysis and Design II	3
ECHE 550	Chemical-Process Dynamics and Control	3
ECHE 567	Process Safety, Health and Loss Prevention	3
Biomolecular Engineering Concentration (15 hours) Optional
BIOL 302	Cell and Molecular Biology 3	3
or BMEN 240	Cellular and Molecular Biology with Engineering Applications
CHEM 550	Biochemistry	3
Select one of the following:		3
BMEN 271	Introduction to Biomaterials
BMEN 391	Kinetics in Biomolecular Systems
Select two from the following:		6
BIOL 303	Fundamental Genetics
BIOL 460	Advanced Human Physiology
BIOL 505	Developmental Biology
BIOL 530	Histology
BIOL 665	Human Molecular Genetics
BMEN 271	Introduction to Biomaterials
BMEN 321	Biomonitoring and Electrophysiology
BMEN 342	Infectious Disease & Immunology for Biomedical Engineers
BMEN 345	Human Anatomy and Physiology for Biomedical Engineers
BMEN 346	Medical Microbiology for Biomedical Engineers
BMEN 389	Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering for Undergraduates
BMEN 391	Kinetics in Biomolecular Systems
BMEN 392	Fundamentals of Biochemical Engineering
BMEN 499	Independent Research
BMEN 546	Delivery of Bioactive Agents
BMEN 547	Immunoengineering
BMEN 548	Cardiovascular System: From Development to Disease
BMEN 565	Advanced Biomechanics
BMEN 572	Tissue Engineering
BMEN 589	Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering 4
ECHE 575	Engineering of Soft Materials
Energy Concentration (15 hours) Optional
ECHE 573	Next Energy	3
Select four from the following:		12
ECHE 372	Introduction to Materials
ECHE 389	Special Topics in Chemical Engineering 4
ECHE 499	Special Problems
ECHE 571	Corrosion Engineering
ECHE 574	Combustion
ECHE 589	Special Advanced Topics in Chemical Engineering 4
ELCT 363	Introduction to Microelectronics
ELCT 510	Photovoltaic Materials and Devices
ELCT 563	Semiconductor Devices for Power, Communications and Lighting
EMCH 552	Introduction to Nuclear Engineering
EMCH 553	Nuclear Fuel Cycles
EMCH 576	Fundamentals and Applications of Fuel Cells
EMCH 592	Introduction to Combustion
EMCH 594	Solar Heating
Interdisciplinary Engineering Concentration (15 hours) Optional
Select five from the following:		15
CHEM 621	Instrumental Analysis
CSCE 106	Scientific Applications Programming
or ECHE 456	Computational Methods for Engineering Applications
ECHE 372	Introduction to Materials
or EMCH 371	Materials
ELCT 220	Electrical Engineering for Non-Majors
or ELCT 221	Circuits
EMCH 200	Statics
or ECIV 200	Statics
or ENCP 200	Statics
EMCH 260	Solid Mechanics
EMCH 310	Dynamics
MATH 526	Numerical Linear Algebra
STAT 509	Statistics for Engineers
Materials Concentration (15 hours) Optional
ECHE 372	Introduction to Materials	3
Select one of the following:		3
ECHE 389	Special Topics in Chemical Engineering
ECHE 571	Corrosion Engineering
ECHE 572	Polymer Processing
ECHE 589	Special Advanced Topics in Chemical Engineering
Select three of the following:		9
CHEM 511	Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 633	Introduction to Polymer Synthesis
CHEM 644	Materials Chemistry
ECHE 389	Special Topics in Chemical Engineering 4
ECHE 499	Special Problems
ECHE 571	Corrosion Engineering
ECHE 572	Polymer Processing
ECHE 589	Special Advanced Topics in Chemical Engineering 4
ELCT 363	Introduction to Microelectronics
ELCT 563	Semiconductor Devices for Power, Communications and Lighting
EMCH 573	Introduction to Nuclear Materials
Environmental Engineering Concentration (15 hours) Optional
CHEM 623	Introductory Environmental Chemistry	3
or CHEM 624	Aquatic Chemistry
ECIV 350	Introduction to Environmental Engineering	3
ECIV 362	Introduction to Water Resources Engineering	3
ECIV 558	Environmental Engineering Process Modeling	3
Select one of the following:		3
ENVR 231	Introduction to Sustainability Management and Leadership
ENVR 321	Environmental Pollution and Health
ENVR 322	Environmental Ethics
ENVR 331	Integrating Sustainability
Numerical Methods and Computing Concentration (15 hours) Optional
Select one of the following:		3
EMCH 201	Introduction to Applied Numerical Methods
ENCP 201	Introduction to Applied Numerical Methods
Select four of the following:		12
CSCE 145	Algorithmic Design I
CSCE 146	Algorithmic Design II
GEOL 575	Numerical Modeling for Earth Science Applications
ECHE 521	Computational Fluid Dynamics for Engineering Applications
ECHE 589	Special Advanced Topics in Chemical Engineering
EMCH 501	Engineering Analysis I
MATH 374	Discrete Structures
or MATH 574	Discrete Mathematics I
MATH 500-level or higher

¹

Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

²

Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.

³

BIOL 101 and BIOL 102 are prerequisites for BIOL 302.

⁴

Multiple distinct 389/589 courses may be counted.

B.S.E. with Distinction

The B.S.E. with Distinction is available to students majoring in chemical engineering who wish to participate in significant research and/or design activities in chemical engineering with a faculty mentor.

A minimum GPA of 3.50 in major courses, 3.50 in all engineering courses, and 3.50 overall is required at the time the student applies to enter the departmental undergraduate research track.

The student should apply to enter the departmental undergraduate research track and choose the members of the thesis committee as early as possible but in all cases at least one year before submitting and defending the thesis. The thesis committee will consist of a thesis advisor, who must be a tenure-track faculty member in chemical engineering, and two other tenure-track or research faculty members in chemical engineering or in any other department.

By the end of the semester in which the student is admitted into the research track, a short description of the research must be agreed upon by the thesis committee and the student, and filed in the college office. Projects involving research and/or design are acceptable. The design projects or research projects for ECHE 465, ECHE 466, ECHE 567, or other courses are not acceptable as the thesis. The student must also choose three credit hours of engineering or technical elective courses related to the thesis topic. The course(s) must be approved by the thesis committee and completed by the student at least one semester before the thesis is submitted and defended.

Before submitting and defending the thesis, the student must have completed three credit hours of ECHE 499 under the thesis advisor, preferably one credit hour per semester. During the semester in which the thesis is submitted and defended the student must also complete three credit hours of ECHE 497, one credit hour under each of the three members of the thesis committee. At least two months before submitting and defending the thesis, the student must present a progress report to the thesis committee orally and in writing.

By the end of his/her last semester, the student must have presented the research at a national meeting of a professional society (such as AIChE, ACS, ECS, etc.), at Discovery Day at USC, or at a comparable venue. The student must also submit a written thesis describing the research and defend it orally before the thesis committee. The defense must be announced at least one week in advance and be open to the general public.

Students who successfully fulfill all of these requirements with a GPA of at least 3.50 in the three hours of ECHE 497, 3.50 in all major courses, 3.50 in all engineering courses, and 3.50 overall, will be awarded their degree with “Distinction in Chemical Engineering” upon graduation.

Major Map

A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.

Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.

Chemical Engineering, B.S.E.