Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering is one of the most broadly-based engineering disciplines. Its field of practice covers the development, design, and control of processes and products that involve molecular change, both chemical and biological, and the operation of such processes. Because many of the products that sustain and improve life are produced by carefully designed and controlled molecular changes, the chemical engineer serves in a wide variety of industries. These industries range from chemical and energy companies to producers of all types of consumer and specialty products, pharmaceuticals, textiles, polymers, advanced materials, and solid-state and biomedical devices.

Careers are available in industry, government, consulting, and education. Areas of professional work include research and development, operations, technical service, product development, process and plant design, market analysis and development, process control, and pollution abatement.

The chemical engineering degree program prepares students for professional practice in chemically related careers after the bachelor's degree or an advanced degree. Chemical engineering graduates are expected to attain the following capabilities at or within a few years of graduation: apply the fundamentals of science and engineering to solve important chemical engineering problems in industry, government or academic settings; communicate effectively and demonstrate the interpersonal skills required to lead and/or participate in interdisciplinary projects; apply life-long learning to meet professional and personal goals of their chosen profession, including graduate study; articulate and practice professional, ethical, environmental and societal responsibilities, and value different global and cultural perspectives. To meet the program objective, the faculty has designed a rigorous, demanding, and state-of-the-art curriculum that integrates lectures and laboratory experience in basic science, mathematics, engineering science, engineering design, and the liberal arts.

ABET Student Outcomes:

1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. an 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. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. an 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. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, crate a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Portable Computing Devices

Students entering chemical engineering are required to have a laptop computer at their disposal. Laptops do not need to be brought to campus on a daily basis, but individual courses may require that a laptop be brought to certain lectures, labs, and/or exams. Minimum requirements for the laptop are listed on the department’s website.

Curriculum

Course requirements are divided into three categories: lower-division courses in the major, upper-division courses in the major, and other required courses. Enrollment in some upper-division Chemical Engineering courses requires completion of eight hours of lower-division Chemical Engineering coursework (Chemical Engineering 210, 317 and 319) and 11 hours of non-Chemical Engineering coursework (Chemistry 328M, 128K, 353, Physics 303L and 103N) in the major, while earning a grade of C- or better in each course. In addition, each student must complete the University's Core Curriculum. In some cases, a course required for the Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering may also be counted toward the core curriculum; these courses are identified below. 

In the process of fulfilling engineering degree requirements, students must also complete coursework to satisfy the following flag requirements: one independent inquiry flag, one course with a quantitative reasoning flag, one ethics flag, one global cultures flag, one cultural diversity in the United States flag, and two writing flags. The independent inquiry flag, the quantitative reasoning flag, the ethics flag, and the two writing flags are carried by courses specifically required for the degree; these courses are identified below. Courses that may be used to fulfill flag requirements are identified in the Course Schedule.

Requirements		Hours
Chemical Engineering Courses
CHE 210	Introduction to Computing	2
CHE 253K	Applied Statistics	2
CHE 253M	Measurement, Control, and Data Analysis Laboratory	2
CHE 264	Chemical Engineering Process and Projects Laboratory (writing flag)	2
CHE 317	Introduction to Chemical Engineering Analysis	3
CHE 319	Transport Phenomena	3
CHE 322	Thermodynamics	3
CHE 333T	Engineering Communication (writing flag; ethics flag)	3
CHE 338	Biochemical Engineering	3
CHE 348	Numerical Methods in Chemical Engineering and Problem Solving	3
CHE 350	Chemical Engineering Materials	3
CHE 354	Transport Processes	3
CHE 360	Process Control	3
CHE 363	Separation Processes and Mass Transfer	3
CHE 372	Chemical Reactor Analysis and Design	3
CHE 473K	Process Design and Operations (independent inquiry flag)	4
Chemistry
CH 302	Principles of Chemistry II (part II science and technology; quantitative reasoning flag)	3
CH 204	Introduction to Chemical Practice (quantitative reasoning flag)	2
CH 128K	Organic Chemistry Laboratory	1
CH 328M	Organic Chemistry I	3
CH 353	Physical Chemistry I (quantitative reasoning flag)	3
Mathematics
M 408C	Differential and Integral Calculus (mathematics; quantitative reasoning flag)	4
M 408D	Sequences, Series, and Multivariable Calculus	4
M 427J	Differential Equations with Linear Algebra (quantitative reasoning flag)	4
M 427L	Advanced Calculus for Applications II	4
Physics
PHY 103M	Laboratory for Physics 303K	1
PHY 103N	Laboratory for Physics 303L	1
PHY 303K	Engineering Physics I (part I science and technology; quantitative reasoning flag)	3
PHY 303L	Engineering Physics II (part I science and technology; quantitative reasoning flag)	3
Rhetoric and Writing
RHE 306	Rhetoric and Writing (English composition)	3
Other Required Courses
Approved technical focus area electives in engineering		6
Approved technical focus area electives		6
CH 128L	Organic Chemistry Laboratory	1
CH 328N	Organic Chemistry II	3
CH 153K	Physical Chemistry Laboratory (writing flag)	1
Chemistry elective with a laboratory experience (not an online course) chosen from		4
CH 431	Inorganic Chemistry
CH 354 & CH 154K	Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy and Physical Chemistry Laboratory
CH 354L & CH 154K	Physical Chemistry II and Physical Chemistry Laboratory
CH 455	Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry
BCH 369 & CHE 177K	Fundamentals of Biochemistry and Undergraduate Research Project
BCH 369 & CHE 177L	Fundamentals of Biochemistry and Undergraduate Research Project
CH 354 & CHE 177K	Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy and Undergraduate Research Project
CH 354 & CHE 177L	Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy and Undergraduate Research Project
Remaining Core Curriculum Courses
E 316L	British Literature 1	3
or E 316M	American Literature
or E 316N	World Literature
or E 316P	Masterworks of Literature
American and Texas government 2		6
American history 2		6
Visual and performing arts 3		3
Social and behavioral sciences 3		3
UGS 302	First-Year Signature Course 4	3
or UGS 303	First-Year Signature Course
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1. Some sections of the English humanities courses (E 316L, 316M, 316N, 316P) carry a global cultures or cultural diversity flag.
2. Some sections carry a cultural diversity flag.
3. Some sections carry a global cultures and/or cultural diversity flag.
4. In UGS 302, all sections carry a writing flag. In UGS 303, some sections carry a writing flag.
Total Hours		129

Honors Program

Chemical engineering students who are in the Engineering Honors Program and maintain a grade point average of at least 3.50 may take the honors research course, Chemical Engineering 679H. In this course the student performs research over two consecutive semesters under the supervision of a faculty member, makes two oral presentations, and writes a thesis. Chemical Engineering 679H may be used to fulfill either the approved area electives requirement or the approved area electives in chemical engineering requirement.

Technical Option Areas

Because of the broad training in natural sciences and engineering received by the chemical engineer, opportunities are provided for students also to develop particular talents and interests in one or two areas of emphasis. Each student must complete 12 semester hours in one of the following areas or six semester hours in each of two areas. These courses must include at least two engineering courses, of which one must be in Chemical Engineering. If two technical option areas are selected, then two courses from each technical option area should be completed. The technical area courses should be discussed with a faculty adviser during faculty advising for the next registration period. The courses listed in each area do not constitute a complete list of technical option area courses but illustrate the types of courses that are generally suitable for a given area. A list of suggested complementary biology, physics, mathematics, and chemistry electives for each of the technical option areas is available from the Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Office and published on the departmental Web page.