Semester Requirements

http://www.rit.edu/kgcoe/chemical

Program overview

Educational objectives

The bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering prepares graduates to:

• draw upon the fundamental knowledge, skills, and tools of chemical engineering to develop system-based engineering solutions that satisfy constraints imposed by a global society.
• enhance their skills through formal education and training, independent inquiry, and professional development. 
• work independently as well as collaboratively with others, and demonstrate leadership, accountability, initiative, and ethical and social responsibility.
• successfully pursue graduate degrees at the master’s and/or doctoral levels.

Chemical engineering applies the core scientific disciplines of chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematics to transform raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms, invariably in processes that involve chemical change. All engineers employ mathematics, physics, and engineering art to overcome technical problems in a safe and economical fashion. The chemical engineer provides the critical level of expertise needed to solve problems in which chemical specificity and change have particular relevance. They not only create new, more effective ways to manufacture chemicals, they also work collaboratively with chemists to pioneer the development of high-tech materials for specialized applications. Well-known contributions include the development and commercialization of synthetic rubber, synthetic fiber, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. Chemical engineers contribute significantly to advances in the food industry, alternative energy systems, semiconductor manufacturing, and environmental modeling and remediation. The special focus within the discipline on process engineering cultivates a systems perspective that makes chemical engineers extremely versatile and capable of handling a wide spectrum of technical problems.

Students in the major develop a firm and practical grasp of engineering principles and the underlying science associated with traditional chemical engineering applications. They also learn to tie together phenomena at the nano-scale with the behavior of systems at the macro-scale. While chemical engineers have always excelled at analyzing and designing processes with multiple length scales, modern chemical engineering applications require this knowledge to be extended to the nano-scale. The program addresses this emerging need.

Curriculum

Chemical engineering is a five-year major consisting of 50 weeks of cooperative education. The core of the program provides students with a solid foundation in engineering principles and their underlying science. Students choose professional technical electives from five key application domains: advanced materials, alternate energy systems, biomedical, environmental issues, and semiconductor processing. Other focus areas can be chosen to reflect current societal needs and student interest. Professional technical electives from a department-approved list of courses are offered in addition to electives from the chemical engineering department. A capstone design experience in the fifth year integrates engineering theory, principles, and processes within a collaborative environment that bridges multiple engineering disciplines. Mathematics and science courses, free electives, and liberal arts courses round out the curriculum.

Cooperative education

Students are required to complete forty-eight weeks of cooperatuve education, which is full-time, paid work experience that enables students to apply what they've learned in the classroom to real work scenarios. Students will also network with professionals in the field and learn in a hands-on environment.

Electives

Students are encouraged to focus their professional technical electives in one of five key application areas:

• Advanced materials: nano-scale composites, biocompatible materials, specialized coatings, self-assembled materials, colloidal systems
• Alternative energy systems: fuel cells, renewable energy (i.e., biodiesel and fuels derived from cellulose-based feed stocks), and the hydrogen economy
• Biomedical and biochemical systems: biocompatibility; artificial organs; cellular growth (in vitro and in vivo), including the scaffolding environments that are needed to culture cells to differentiate into replacement organs; and biochemical processes (i.e., manufacture of pharmaceuticals and purification of biological materials)
• Environmental applications: toxic waste remediation, contemporary environmental policy issues, and the integration and application of knowledge from the above subject areas with a focus on sustainability
• Semiconductor processing: traditional and novel methods for manufacturing microsystem-based products, including the development and application of advanced materials for this application domain

Chemical engineering, BS degree, typical course sequence (semesters), effective fall 2013

Please see New General Education Curriculum–Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) for more information.

(WI) Refers to a writing intensive course within the major.

* Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information. Students completing bachelor's degrees are required to complete two Wellness courses.

† The First Year Seminar requirement is replaced by an LAS Elective for the 2013-14 academic year.

Accelerated dual degree option

A five-year accelerated, cross-disciplinary degree is available for motivated, qualified chemical engineering students who are interested in earning a BS in chemical engineering and an MS in science, technology, and public policy (offered by the College of Liberal Arts). The science, technology and public policy program emphasizes the creation and understanding of engineering, science, and technology policy. It enables students to interact with faculty members and researchers who are working on scientific developments and technological innovations that drive new public policy considerations.

Chemical engineers are ideal candidates to augment their education with in-depth knowledge of public policy. The breadth and depth of chemical engineering, as evidenced by the large range of application domains in which they play a role, provides an opportunity for chemical engineers to influence public policy over a broad range of issues of relevance to society. Additionally, as chemical engineers are often called on to mitigate problems of societal importance such as environmental remediation, an in-depth knowledge of government regulations and their origin is often essential for engineering practice.

Chemical engineering, BS degree/Science, technology and public policy, MS degree, typical course sequence (semesters), effective fall 2013

Please see New General Education Curriculum–Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) for more information.

(WI) Refers to a writing intensive course within the major.

* Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information. Students completing bachelor's degrees are required to complete two Wellness courses.

† The First Year Seminar requirement is replaced by an LAS Elective for the 2013-14 academic year.