Chemical Engineers work in a variety of segments within these industries, including processing, manufacturing, research and development, management, environmental compliance, and business. Chemical Engineering differs from Chemistry in that Chemical Engineers produce products on a large scale, so that they are affordable and available to as many consumers as possible. In this way, Chemical Engineering emphasizes fundamentals required to design, optimize, and operate chemical processes as safely and efficiently as possible.

The first two years of the Chemical Engineering curriculum provide a strong foundation in basic sciences through Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, an introduction to what Chemical Engineers do, and the fundamental basis of Chemical Engineering (Mass and Energy Balances and Thermodynamics.) In the third year, students delve deeper into more specialized Chemistry courses such as Physical and Analytical Chemistry, while exploring fundamental Chemical Engineering courses such as Momentum Transfer, Separations, and Reactor Design. The Senior year incorporates all of this learning through high level technical electives, Process Control, Capstone Lab, and Capstone Design courses. It is through the lab and design class that students apply everything they have learned in previous Chemical Engineering courses to real-world team projects and presentations.

The Chemical Engineering specialized curriculum provides two concentrations: Chemical Engineering and Biomolecular Engineering. Each concentration is based on a strong fundamental understanding of Chemical Engineering, however the Biomolecular concentration’s technical electives focus more on bio-applied processing and technology.