Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering
The Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (BSChE) degree program is designed to provide students with comprehensive training in chemical engineering fundamentals. This degree program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. The BSChE degree requires the satisfactory completion of a minimum of 126 units as indicated in the BSChE Requirements table below. Of the courses listed in that table, the humanities and social sciences courses (except Engr 450X courses) may be taken pass/fail. A sample year-by-year BSChE curriculum is also shown below.
The program of study consists of 25 units of physical and biological sciences (i.e., biology, chemistry and physics); 24 units of mathematics and engineering computing; 38 units of core chemical engineering courses; 21 units of humanities, social sciences and technical writing; and 18 units of chemical engineering electives. The chemical engineering electives permit students to tailor their studies toward specific goals such as obtaining more depth in a chemical engineering subdiscipline (e.g., materials) or increasing breadth by choosing courses from different subdisciplines. Some of these 18 units may be taken in other engineering departments or in the natural sciences or physical sciences. Students, in collaboration with their advisors, design a course of study (subject to certain requirements) for the chemical engineering electives. Consult the EECE department website for more details, including the requirements that must be satisfied by these chemical engineering electives.
BSChE Requirements
(The BSChE Requirements table can also be viewed on a page by itself.)
Total Units Required: 126
| Physical Sciences | Units |
|---|---|
| General Chemistry (Chem 111A or Chem 105, Chem 112A or Chem 106) (111A and 112A recommended) | 6 |
| General Chemistry Laboratory (Chem 151, Chem 152) | 4 |
| General Physics (Physics 191, Physics 192) | 6 |
| Physics Laboratory (Physics 191L, Physics 192L) | 2 |
| Organic Chemistry I (Chem 261) | 4 |
| Unit Subtotal | 22 |
| Biological Science | Units |
|---|---|
| Biology in EECE (EECE 306) or Principles of Biology I (Biol 2960) | 3 or 4 |
| Unit Subtotal | 3 or 4 |
| Mathematics & Computing | Units |
|---|---|
| Calculus II, III (Math 132, Math 233) | 6 |
| Differential Equations (Math 217) | 3 |
| Engineering Mathematics A, B (ESE 318, ESE 319) | 6 |
| Introduction to Computer Science (CSE 131) | 3 |
| Engineering Statistics with Probability (Engr 328) or Probability and Statistics for Engineering (ESE 326) | 3 |
| Computational Modeling in Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering (EECE 202) | 3 |
| Unit Subtotal | 24 |
| Chemical Engineering Core | Units |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering (EECE 101) | 3 |
| Process Analysis and Thermodynamics (EECE 205) | 4 |
| Thermodynamics II in EECE (EECE 204) | 3 |
| Transport Phenomena I: Basics and Fluid Mechanics (EECE 301) | 3 |
| Transport Phenomena II: Energy and Mass Transfer (EECE 307) | 4 |
| Mass Transfer Operations (EECE 304) | 3 |
| Materials Science (EECE 305) | 3 |
| Chemical Process Dynamics and Control (EECE 401) | 3 |
| Chemical Reaction Engineering (EECE 403) | 3 |
| Unit Operations Laboratory (EECE 405) | 4 |
| Process Design, Economics and Simulation (EECE 409) | 2 |
| ChE Capstone (EECE 402) | 3 |
| Unit Subtotal | 38 |
| Other | Units |
|---|---|
| Chemical Engineering electives (some of these courses can be taken outside the EECE department) | 18 |
| Engineering Ethics and Sustainability (Engr 4501) | 1 |
| Engineering Leadership and Team Building (Engr 4502) | 1 |
| Conflict Management and Negotiation (Engr 4503) | 1 |
| Humanities and social sciences electives | 15 |
| Technical Writing (Engr 310) | 3 |
| Unit Subtotal | 39 |
BSChE Sample Curriculum
(The BSChE Sample Curriculum table can also be viewed on a page by itself.)
The curriculum is designed to provide opportunities for students to explore areas of interest within chemical engineering. In addition to offering the accredited BS in Chemical Engineering, the department offers students the option to pursue the course of study leading to the BS in Applied Science with a major in chemical engineering.
| Course | Fall Units | Spring Units |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| Physics I, II (Physics 191, 192) | 3 | 3 |
| Physics I Laboratory (Physics 191L) | 1 | — |
| General Chemistry I or Introductory General Chemistry I (Chem 111A or Chem 105) (111A Recommended) | 3 | — |
| General Chemistry Laboratory I, II (Chem 151, 152) | 2 | 2 |
| Calculus II, III (Math 132, 233) | 3 | 3 |
| Introduction to Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering (EECE 101) | 3 | — |
| Physics II Laboratory (Physics 192L) | — | 1 |
| General Chemistry II or Introductory General Chemistry II (Chem 112A or Chem 106) (112A Recommended) | — | 3 |
| Introduction to Computer Science (CSE 131) | — | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Process Analysis and Thermodynamics (EECE 205) | 4 | — |
| Organic Chemistry I with Lab (Chem 261) | 4 | — |
| Differential Equations (Math 217) | 3 | — |
| Humanities/social sciences elective | 6 | — |
| Computational Modeling in Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering (EECE 202) | — | 3 |
| Thermodynamics II in EECE (EECE 204) | — | 3 |
| Transport Phenomena I: Basics and Fluid Mechanics (EECE 301) | — | 3 |
| Engineering Mathematics A (ESE 318) | — | 3 |
| Engineering Mathematics B (ESE 319) | — | 3 |
| Engineering Ethics and Sustainability (Engr 4501) | — | 1 |
| 17 | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Materials Science (EECE 305) | 3 | — |
| Transport Phenomena II: Energy and Mass Transfer (EECE 307) | 4 | — |
| Engineering Statistics with Probability (Engr 328)* | 3 | — |
| ChE elective | 3 | 3 |
| Humanities/social sciences elective | 3 | 3 |
| Engineering Leadership and Team Building (Engr 4502) | 1 | — |
| Mass Transfer Operations (EECE 304) | — | 3 |
| Biology in EECE (EECE 306)** | — | 3 |
| Technical Writing (Engr 310) | — | 3 |
| Conflict Management and Negotiation (Engr 4503) | — | 1 |
| 17 | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Chemical Process Dynamics and Control (EECE 401) | 3 | — |
| Chemical Reaction Engineering (EECE 403) | 3 | — |
| Unit Operations Laboratory (EECE 405) | 4 | — |
| Process Design, Economics and Simulation (EECE 409) | 2 | — |
| ChE electives | 3 | 9 |
| ChE Capstone (EECE 402) | — | 3 |
| Humanities/social sciences elective | — | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | |
- *
ESE 326 Probability and Statistics for Engineering can be substituted.
- **
Students intending to pursue medical school should take Biol 2960 Principles of Biology I (4 units) in place of EECE 306 Biology in EECE.
Program Educational Objective
The Program Educational Objective for the BSChE degree program is that, within a few years of graduation, graduates will do the following:
- Engage in professional practice, and/or
- Attain advanced knowledge through graduate education or professional training in chemical engineering or their chosen field.
All will use their knowledge, skill, and abilities to serve society in a way that promotes equity and sustainability and additionally pursue activities that promote professional growth and fulfillment.