They carry out basic research? they design, build, operate and manage chemical processes and plants? and they supply petroleum products, renewable resources, plastics, detergents, agricultural chemicals, pharmaceuticals, biological compounds, photographic materials, microelectronic devices and various food and other products. Today's processes must be energy efficient, nonpolluting and profitable. Thus, students must master inorganic, organic and physical chemistry, mathematics, statistics, computers, physics and often biology and biochemistry. Students must learn to apply these fundamentals in the process industries. Paralleling the technical courses are studies in the humanities and the social sciences.

The department prepares our graduates to make significant contributions in many diverse areas. Specifically, within a few years of graduation our graduates will have achieved one or more of the following attributes:

• In their chosen field, be established in a professional career, be pursuing an advanced degree or be seeking advanced certification.
• Be recognized as academic, industrial or entrepreneurial leaders.
• Be successfully working and communicating in a variety of technical fields.
• Be adapting to new technologies and changing professional environments