Chemical Engineering

http://www.cbe.iastate.edu/

Administered by the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

For undergraduate curriculum in chemical engineering leading to the degree bachelor of science. The Chemical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

Chemical engineering is a profession, which provides a link between scientific knowledge and manufactured products. The chemical engineer relies on science, experience, creativity, and ingenuity to produce these materials economically. Almost everything of a material nature used by society today has at some point felt the influence of the chemical engineer. From raw materials such as minerals, coal, petroleum, and agricultural products; chemical engineers create versatile intermediate and commodity chemicals, high performance fuels, new materials for construction, pharmaceuticals, high performance foodstuffs, synthetic textiles, plastics, solid state electronic components, and dozens of other engineered materials. The chemical engineer’s influence has been important in the development of catalysts, fuel cells, automatic controls, biochemical processes, artificial kidneys, tissue engineering, nuclear energy, medical instruments and devices, as well as in the development of air and water pollution control systems. Many new and equally exciting challenges await the practicing chemical engineer of the future.

The profession of chemical engineering embraces a wide variety of activities including research, process development, product development, design, manufacturing supervision, technical sales, consulting, and teaching. The engineer can be behind a desk, in a laboratory, in a manufacturing plant, or engaged in nationwide and worldwide travel. Successful chemical engineers find chemistry, mathematics, and physics to be interesting and exciting. Many chemical engineers also have interest in the biological sciences. The curriculum in chemical engineering includes continued study of chemistry, biochemistry, mathematics, and physics as well as intensive study in the engineering sciences such as chemical reaction engineering, thermodynamics, mass transfer, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, system analysis and process synthesis, and design.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon graduation, students should be able to:

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

The curriculum assures that graduates have a thorough grounding in chemistry, along with a working knowledge of advanced chemistry such as organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, materials chemistry, or biochemistry. In addition, a working knowledge, including safety and environmental aspects, of material and energy balances applied to chemical processes; thermodynamics of physical and chemical equilibria; heat, mass, and momentum transfer; chemical reaction engineering; continuous and stage-wise separation operations; process dynamics and control; process design; and appropriate modern experimental and computing techniques is assured.

Program Educational Objectives

The objectives of the Chemical Engineering Program at Iowa State University are to produce graduates who:

• will excel in careers as professional chemical engineers in the businesses and industries related to chemical engineering; and
• will successfully pursue research and advanced studies in chemical engineering, or in related fields such as chemistry or biology, or in related professional fields such as medicine, law, and business.

Cooperative Education

A cooperative education program is available to students in chemical engineering.

Curriculum in Chemical Engineering

Degree requirements leading to the degree bachelor of science.

Total credits required: 128.0.

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ¹: 3 CR.

U.S. DIVERSITY¹: 3 CR.

COMMUNICATION PROFICIENCY/LIBRARY REQUIREMENT:

ENGL 150	Critical Thinking and Communication (Must have a C or better in this course)	3
ENGL 250	Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition (Must have a C or better in this course)	3
LIB 160	Introduction to College Level Research	1
One of the following (C or better in this course)		3
ENGL 309	Proposal and Report Writing
ENGL 312	Communicating Science and Public Engagement
ENGL 314	Technical Communication
JL MC 347	Science Communication

The CBE Department requires a grade of a C or better for any transfer credit course that is applied to the degree program but will not be calculated into the ISU cumulative GPA, Basic Program GPA or Core GPA.

Social Sciences and Humanities: 15 cr.²

Complete a total of 15 cr. with at least 6 cr. but not more than 9 cr. from the same department.

Basic Program: 24 cr.³

A minimum GPA of 2.00 required for this set of courses (please note that transfer course grades will not be calculated into the Basic Program GPA). See Basic Program for Engineering Curricula in College of Engineering section.

CHEM 177	General Chemistry I	4
or CHEM 167	General Chemistry for Engineering Students
or CHEM 201	Advanced General Chemistry
ENGL 150	Critical Thinking and Communication (Must have a C or better in this course)	3
ENGR 101	Engineering Orientation	R
CH E 160	Chemical Engineering Problems with Computer Applications Laboratory 3	3
LIB 160	Introduction to College Level Research	1
MATH 165	Calculus I	4
MATH 166	Calculus II	4
PHYS 231	Introduction to Classical Physics I	4
PHYS 231L	Introduction to Classical Physics I Laboratory	1
Total Credits		24

Math and Physical Science: 30 cr.

MATH 265	Calculus III	4
MATH 267	Elementary Differential Equations and Laplace Transforms	4
CHEM 177L	Laboratory in General Chemistry I 4	1
or CHEM 167L	Laboratory in General Chemistry for Engineering
or CHEM 201L	Laboratory in Advanced General Chemistry
CHEM 178	General Chemistry II 4	3
CHEM 178L	Laboratory in College Chemistry II 4	1
CHEM 325	Chemical Thermodynamics	3
CHEM 331	Organic Chemistry I	3
CHEM 332	Organic Chemistry II	3
PHYS 232	Introduction to Classical Physics II	4
PHYS 232L	Introduction to Classical Physics II Laboratory	1
BBMB 303	General Biochemistry	3
Total Credits		30

Chemical Engineering Core: 38 cr.

A minimum GPA of 2.00 required for this set of courses (please note that transfer course grades will not be calculated into the Core Program GPA).

CH E 202	Chemical Engineering Seminar	R
CH E 205	Chemical Engineering Progress Assessment	R
CH E 210	Material and Energy Balances	3
CH E 310	Computational Methods in Chemical Engineering	3
CH E 325	Chemical Engineering Laboratory I	2
CH E 356	Transport Phenomena I	3
CH E 357	Transport Phenomena II	3
CH E 358	Separations	3
CH E 381	Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics	3
CH E 382	Chemical Reaction Engineering	3
CH E 420	Chemical Process Safety	3
CH E 421	Process Control	3
CH E 426	Chemical Engineering Laboratory II	2
CH E 429	Chemical Engineering Product Design	3
CH E 430	Process and Plant Design	4
Total Credits		38

Other Remaining Courses: 21 cr.²

ENGL 250	Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition (Must have a C or better in this course)	3
One of the following Communication Electives:		3
ENGL 309	Proposal and Report Writing (Must have a C or better in this course)
ENGL 312	Communicating Science and Public Engagement (Must have a C or better in this course)
ENGL 314	Technical Communication (Must have a C or better in this course)
JL MC 347	Science Communication (Must have a C or better in this course)
Statistics Electives 2		3
Chemical Engineering Electives 2		6
Engineering Electives 2		3
Professional Electives 2		3
Total Credits		21

SEMINARS/CO-OPS/INTERNSHIPS:

Co-op/Internship is optional

1. These university requirements will add to the minimum credits of the program unless the university-approved courses are also approved by the department to meet other course requirements within the degree program. U.S. diversity and international perspectives courses may not be taken Pass/Not Pass.
2. Choose from department approved list.
3. See Basic Program for Engineering Curricula for accepted substitutions for curriculum designated courses in the Basic Program.
4. Students who substitute CHEM 201/201L credit for CHEM 177/CHEM 177L/CHEM 178L credit cannot also receive credit for CHEM 178. Credit for CHEM 178 must be earned through an Advanced Chemistry Elective².

Note: Transfer students with transfer credits in chemical engineering core courses must earn at least 15 semester credits in ISU courses in this category at the 300-level or above to qualify for the B.S. degree in chemical engineering. 

Pass-Not Pass Policy
A maximum of nine Pass-Not Pass semester credits may be used to meet graduation requirements.  Courses offered on a Satisfactory-Fail basis may not be taken on a Pass-Not Pass basis.  Pass-Not Pass credits can be applied toward requirements for a B.S. degree in chemical engineering only if the course is specified in the curriculum as a social science and humanities elective or is a course not used in the degree program. Pass-Not Pass credits are not acceptable for technical elective courses or for courses used to satisfy the US diversity or international perspectives requirements.

See also: A 4-year plan of study grid showing course template by semester.

Chemical Engineering, B.S.

The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department offers well-qualified juniors and seniors in chemical engineering who are interested in graduate study the opportunity to apply for concurrent enrollment in the Graduate College to simultaneously pursue both the Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and the Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering.

For more information about concurrent undergraduate and graduate programs in Chemical Engineering visit: https://www.cbe.iastate.edu/prospective-students/bachelorsmasters-concurrent-degree-programs/. 

Graduate Study

The department offers work for the degrees master of science, master of engineering, and doctor of philosophy with major in chemical engineering, and minor work to students taking major work in other departments. Prerequisite to major graduate work is a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, chemistry, or other related field. Students with undergraduate background other than chemical engineering should contact the department for further details. A thesis is required for the master of science degree. The master of science degree also requires a minimum of 30 graduate credits (minimum of 15 for coursework, 12 within Ch E and 3 outside). The master of engineering requirements are the same for total credits but include a special project or coursework rather than research thesis. The doctor of philosophy degree requires a minimum of 72 graduate credits (minimum of 26 for coursework, at least 16 inside Ch E). Candidates for the doctor of philosophy degree can refer to the department’s home page and/or the department’s Graduate Student Handbook for degree options and credit requirements.