Chemical Engineering BSCHE

Major: Chemical Engineering
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (BSCHE)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 181.5
Co-op Options: Three Co-op (Five years); One Co-op (Four years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 14.0701
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 17-2041

About the Program

The department of Chemical and Biological Engineering offers a rigorous curriculum grounded in the fundamental physical sciences, integrates practical engineering design and modern computational techniques throughout, and includes expansive opportunities to explore the humanities. An extensive, hands-on laboratory experience rounds out a dynamic program that prepares our graduates for rewarding careers in chemical engineering as well as other quantitative disciplines.

Chemical engineers are dedicated to designing devices and processes that convert input materials into valuable products, and also to the design of those products. These include end products such as pharmaceuticals, plastics and other materials, fine chemicals, integrated circuits, electrical energy, petrochemicals, biologically derived fuels, and much more. Chemical engineering often begins with small laboratory scale processes that must be scaled up to production levels through carefully integrated design, optimization, economic, environmental and safety analyses.

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering is responsible for equipping our graduates with the broad technical knowledge and teamwork skills required to make substantial contributions to society.

Sample Senior Design Projects

A special feature of the major is senior design. Teams of chemical engineering seniors work with a faculty or industrial advisor over an entire academic year to develop a realistic, practical industrial design project of their choosing. Some recent examples include the start-to-finish design of production processes for:

• Low-cost solar cells, manufactured by printing
• Scaled-up synthesis of MXene, a novel nanomaterial for energy storage discovered at Drexel
• Biotechnologically derived antibiotic medicine
• Jet fuel derived from bioethanol

Program Educational Objectives

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering has four goals pertaining to student outcomes within a few years of graduation:

• Our graduates will succeed in careers requiring strong skills in engineering, science, creative problem solving, communication, teamwork and appropriate leadership.
• Our graduates will continue their professional development through life-long learning involving self- or group-study and on-the-job training.
• Our graduates will hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public. They will conduct their work ethically and understand its global impact and sustainability.
• Our graduates will be thought leaders in their area of expertise who are prepared to contribute to research, development and industrial innovation at the forefront of chemical engineering and related fields.

Student Outcomes*

1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. An ability to 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. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of the engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies

Additional Information

*The BS in Chemical Engineering is accredited by The Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.

For more information about this program, visit the BS in Chemical Engineering program and Drexel University's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering webpage.

Degree Requirements

*

Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

**

General Education Requirements.

***

CHEM sequence is determined by the student's Chemistry Placement Exam score and the completion of a summer online preparatory course available based on that score.

†

MATH and PHYS sequences are determined by the student's Calculus Placement Exam score and the completion of any summer online preparatory courses available based on that score.

‡

Some students may need a one-credit concurrent practicum course depending on their calculus exam score and summer preparatory review participation.

^

6 credits in the following subjects (200-499): ACCT, AE, BIO, BLAW, BMES, BUSN, CAEE, CHEM, CIVE, CMGT, CS, CT, ECE, ECEC, ECEE, ECEP, ECES, ECON, EET, EGMT, ENSS, ENVE, ENVS, FDSC, FIN GEO, INDE, INFO, INTB, MATE, MATH, MEM (except MEM 310), MET MGMT, MIS, MKTG, NFS, ORGB, OPM, PBHL, PENG, PHYS, SE, or CHE 399-380, CHE I399, CHE T480, ENGR 370, or courses approved by CHE advisor.

AND

6 credits in the following subjects (300-499): AE, BIO, BMES, CAEE, CHEM, CIVE, CMGT, CS, CT, ECE, ECEC, ECEE, ECEP, ECES, EET, EGMT, ENSS, ENVE, ENVS, FDSC, GEO INDE, INFO, MATE, MATH, MEM (except MEM 310), MET, NFS, PBHL, PENG, PHYS, SE, or CHE 360, CHE 373, CHE 452, CHE 460, CHE 399-480, CHE I399, CHE T480, CHEM 230, CHEM 231 [WI] , CHEM 243, ENGR 370, or courses approved by CHE advisor.

Writing-Intensive Course Requirements

In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.

A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.

Sample Plan of Study 

 4 year, 1 co-op

*

CHEM Sequence is determined by the student's Chemistry Placement Exam score and the completion of a summer online preparatory course available based on that score.

**

Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

***

MATH and PHYS sequences are determined by the student's Calculus Placement Exam score and the completion of any summer online preparatory courses available based on that score.

†

See degree requirements

††

Select from BIO 100, BIO 101, BIO 122, or BIO 141

5 year, 3 co-op

*

CHEM Sequence is determined by the student's Chemistry Placement Exam score and the completion of a summer online preparatory course available based on that score.

**

Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major. 

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

***

MATH and PHYS sequences are determined by the student's Calculus Placement Exam score and the completion of any summer online preparatory courses available based on that score.

†

 See degree requirements.

††

Select from BIO 100, BIO 101, BIO 122, or BIO 141

Co-op/Career Opportunities

Chemical engineers tend to work for large corporations with such job assignments as process engineering, design engineering, plant operation, research and development, sales, and management. They also work for federal and state government agencies on projects related to environmental problems, defense, energy, and health-related research.

Some major employers of Drexel’s chemical engineering graduates are DuPont, Merck, BASF, ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical, and Air Products. A number of graduates go on to pursue master’s and/or doctoral degrees. Graduate schools that Drexel’s chemical engineers have attended include the University of California at Berkeley and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among others.

Co-op Experiences

Drexel is located in downtown Philadelphia with easy access to major pharmaceutical, chemical, and petroleum companies. When students complete their co-op jobs, they are asked to write an overview of their experiences. These brief quotes are taken from some recent student reports:

Research assistant, chemicals manufacturer: “Conducted research in a developmental polyamide process. Aspects included scale-up from bench-scale to batch demonstration, installation and calibration of on-line composition sensors, off-line analytical techniques to assess product quality, and interfacing with plant sites to define and standardize a critical quality lab procedure. Documented results in technical memos and in a plant presentation . . .I had a lot of freedom and responsibility. It was great interacting with other researchers and technicians. Everyone was so helpful. ”

Co-op engineer, chemicals manufacturer: “Created material safety data sheets, which involved chemical composition, hazard communication, occupational safety and health, emergency response, and regulatory issues for numerous products and wastes. Handled domestic and international regulatory reviews. Determined hazardous waste reporting requirements, handling and disposal procedures. Evaluated toxicological and ecological data for assessment of hazard ratings. Provided input on product safety technical reports.”

Visit the Drexel Steinbright Career Development Center page for more detailed information on co-op and post-graduate opportunities.

Dual/Accelerated Degree

Accelerated Program

The accelerated program of the College of Engineering provides opportunities for highly-talented and strongly-motivated students to progress toward their educational goals essentially at their own pace. Through advanced placement, credit by examination, flexibility of scheduling, and independent study, the program makes it possible to complete the undergraduate curriculum and initiate graduate study in less than the five years required by the standard curriculum.

Bachelor’s/Master’s Accelerated Degree Program

Drexel offers a combined BS/MS degree program for our top engineering students who want to obtain both degrees in the same time period as most students obtain a bachelor's degree. In Chemical Engineering, the course sequence for BS/MS students involves additional graduate courses and electives.

Facilities

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering occupies the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th floors of the Center for Automation Technology. Approximately 35,000 square feet (gross) are available for the department.

Two thousand square feet of laboratory facilities are designed for the pre-junior and junior year laboratory courses. Experiments in these laboratory courses focus on applying concepts in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, separations, and reaction engineering. Laboratory courses are run with class sizes of 18 students or less.

The department has two computer laboratories:

• The senior design laboratory features nine booths designed for team projects. Each booth contains a work station loaded with the latest process simulation software produced by Aspen, Simulation Sciences and HYSIS. Seniors use the room heavily during their Capstone design experience, although pre-junior courses in separations and transport also include projects requiring use of the process simulation software.
• A second computer lab contains over 30 individual work stations with general and engineering-specific software.

Many undergraduate students participate in research projects in faculty laboratories as part of independent study coursework or BS/MS thesis work. Chemical engineering faculty are engaged in a wide range of research activities in areas including energy and the environment, polymer science and engineering, biological engineering, and multi-scale modeling and process systems engineering. Further details can be found on the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering's Research Group web page.

Program Level Outcomes

Chemical Engineering Faculty

Emeritus Faculty