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Curriculum in Chemical Engineering

Department of Chemical Engineering
114 Roger Adams Laboratory
600 South Mathews Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-3640
E-mail: chemeng@uiuc.edu
URL: http://www.chemeng.uiuc.edu/ugprog.shtml

For the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

The mission of the Department of Chemical Engineering is to provide a broad-based education in chemical engineering and related fields for highly qualified undergraduates; to accomplish, in conjunction with a program of graduate education, research recognized by peers as among the most significant in the world; and to serve society through chemical engineering leadership in matters of national policy, education, standards, and professionalism.

The program's educational objectives are based on the needs of the constituents: students and their families, faculty, industry, and graduate schools where our students advance upon graduation, alumni, the State of Illinois, and the nation. These objectives are consistent with Engneering Criteria 2000 (EC2K) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). To prepare students to achieve the objectives, a set of program outcomes has been adopted that is parallel to both the ABET (EC2K) Criterion 3 list of outcomes and those listed for the College of Engineering.

The chemical engineering curriculum is designed to prepare students for careers in the chemical, food, energy, pharmaceutical, semiconductor processing, personal care, fiber, and materials industries where chemical processes are coupled with heat, mass, and momentum transfer. The curriculum is arranged in a flexible manner to permit students to use their elective hours and to substitute courses to arrange programs incorporating various specific areas of chemical engineering and interdisciplinary areas. For example, sequences can be set up in conjunction with the student's adviser to emphasize environmental engineering, bioengineering, computer science, or food science. It will be advantageous to the student to plan course sequences with an adviser as early as possbile in the student's academic career.

The program emphasizes fundamentals required to develop models for the design, control, and operation of chemical processes. Students entering without adequate preparation in mathematics and chemistry may find it difficult to complete the chemical engineering curriculum in four years. A typical program, including all required courses and electives, is shown below. The order in which various courses are taken can be varied to suit an individual student's needs. However, care must be exercised in scheduling to ensure that necessary course prerequisites are met.

Instruction is given using a combination of lecture, discussion, laboratory, and project methodologies of the highest quality. The large number of laboratory courses and superb access to advanced computer facilities provide excellent practical experience in the field. The program integrates engineering design, communication, computer usage, and teamwork throughout all required courses starting with the introductory courses of The Chemical Engineering Profession (ChE 161) and Introduction to Chemical Engineering (ChE 261) and continuing into advanced courses of Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (ChE 370), Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer (ChE 371), Mass Transfer Operations (ChE 373), Chemical Engineering Laboratory (ChE 374), Synthesis and Design of Chemical systems (ChE 377), Chemical Rate and Reactor Design (ChE 381), and Chemical Process Control and Dynamics (ChE 389). Advanced concepts of design and process integration can be gained in technical elective courses.

Students in the curriculum of chemical engineering must maintain a 2.5 general average, excluding military training, to be accepted by the department with junior- and senior-level standing.

For information regarding the cooperative education program and internships in the School of Chemical Sciences, see the chemistry major in the Science and Letters curriculum.

General education: All campus general education requirements must be satisfied.

Minimum hours required for graduation: 129 hours, including 16 hours of approved general education electives. These electives must include at least six hours in social perspectives or behavioral sciences and at least six hours in literature and the arts or historical and philosophical perspectives. Students must satisfy the distribution requirements in Western and non-Western cultures. One and one-half years of college credit in one foreign language is required. Two years of high school credit in one foreign language is equivalent to one year of college credit.

Departmental distinction: A student is recommended for departmental distinction on the basis of grade point average and work presented in CH E 292-Senior Thesis.

First year

HOURS     FIRST SEMESTER
3     CHEM 107-Accelerated Chemistry, I1
1     CHEM 109-Accelerated Chemistry Laboratory, I
5     MATH 120-Calculus and Analytic Geometry, I
4     RHET 105-Principles of Composition2 or RHET 108-Forms of Composition
3     Elective3, 4
16     Total
Hours     SECOND SEMESTER
1     CH E 161-The Chemical Engineering Profession
3     CHEM 108-Accelerated Chemistry, II
2     CHEM 110-Accelerated Chemistry Laboratory, II
3     C S 101-Introduction to Computing with Application to
      Engineering and Physical Science
3     MATH 130-Calculus and Analytic Geometry, II
4     PHYCS 111-General Physics (Mechanics)
16     Total

Second year

Hours     FIRST SEMESTER
3     CH E 261-Introduction to Chemical Engineering
4     CHEM 236-Fundamental Organic Chemistry, I
2     CHEM 237-Structure and Synthesis
3     MATH 242-Calculus of Several Variables5
4     PHYCS 112-General Physics (Electricity and Magnetism)
16     Total
Hours     SECOND SEMESTER
4     CH E 370-Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
3     CHEM 336-Fundamental Organic Chemistry, II6
2     MATH 225-Introductory Matrix Theory7
3     MATH 285-Differential Equations and Orthogonal Functions8
2     PHYCS 114-General Physics (Waves and Quantum Physics)
3     Electives3, 4
17     Total

Third year

Hours     FIRST SEMESTER
4     CH E 371-Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer
2     CHEM 319-Instrumental Characterization of Chemical Systems Laboratory
2     CHEM 321-Instrumental Characterization of Chemical Systems
4     CHEM 342-Physical Chemistry, I
3     Electives3, 4
15     Total
Hours     SECOND SEMESTER
4     CH E 373-Mass Transfer Operations
4     CHEM 344-Physical Chemistry, II
3     CH E 381-Chemical Rate Processes and Reactor Design
6     Electives3, 4
17     Total

Fourth year

Hours     FIRST SEMESTER
4     CH E 374-Chemical Engineering Laboratory
4     CH E 389-Chemical Process Control and Dynamics
9     Electives3, 4
17     Total
Hours     SECOND SEMESTER
4     CH E 377--Synthesis and Design of Chemical Systems
11     Electives3, 4
15     Total

1. Students who do not place into CHEM 107 or who do not satisfy the mathematics prerequisite for CHEM 107 may substitute the sequence CHEM 101, 102, 105, 106, 223, and 224 for CHEM 107, 108, 109, and 110.

2. RHET 105 may be taken in the first or second semester of the first year.

3. All campus general education requirements must be satisfied, including those in approved course work in the humanities/arts, social/behavioral sciences, and cultural studies, including the Western, Non-Western, and/or U.S. minorities components. The requirements for the campus general education categories natural sciences/technology, quantitative reasoning I, and composition I and II are fulfilled through required course work in the curriculum.

4. Students must take at least 19 hours of approved technical electives in areas of engineering science. These must include at least six hours of chemical engineering electives plus at least 3 additional hours of 300-level electives (or CH E 292). Students may obtain a current list of courses that may be used to satisfy this requirement in room 209 RAL. Students in the ChE/FS Program will pursue an M.S. degree in food science after graduation from ChE department. They need to take FSHN 202, MCBIO 200, and 201 as technical electives. FSHN 314 and 315, which are required courses for the M.S. degree, need to be taken while student is still in the ChE Department. These courses can be used as technical electives to satisfy the B.S. degree requirement. If a student chooses to do this, however, the student needs to take other courses from the list specified in the ChE/FS Program to satisfy the requirement for the M.S. degree.

5. MATH 243 (4 hours) may be substituted for MATH 242 (3 hours). The additional credit hour earned for MATH 243 will be counted as a technical elective hour.

6. BIOCH 350 may be substituted for CHEM 336.

7. Students may substitute MATH 315 for MATH 225. Students electing to do so should be certain that they have the prerequisites for MATH 315.

8. MATH 341 may be substituted for MATH 285. MATH 286 (4 hours) may be substituted for MATH 285 (3 hours). The additional credit hour earned for MATH 286 will be counted as a technical elective hour.

 

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