Path to Graduation

President Eisgruber speaks at the lecturn during commencement

Every CBE student graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree. Roughly 80 percent supplement their major with an undergraduate minor or certificate. And while they're at it, our students pursue an amazing diversity of passions — from volleyball to chamber orchestra, from start-up companies to semesters abroad.

Below, we've tried to give you a quick look at what it means to be a CBE student. But this decision is far from simple, so please reach out to us with your questions.

Academic Requirements

Here's the basic outline:

  • Start with the foundational courses required of all BSE students.
  • Dive into theory and experimentation with the CBE Core.
  • Choose one of six areas of concentration to organize your electives.
  • Embark on a year-long independent research project, known as the senior thesis, advised by a member of the CBE or CBE-affiliated faculty.

For more information please refer to the Undergraduate Handbook.

 

Areas of Concentration

Everyone who majors in CBE chooses one of six areas of concentration, which helps organize a student's choice of electives. In practical terms, this means three of your technical electives will come from a group of area-specific selections. Two additional electives come from two different "breadth" areas, which rounds out your over all experience.

Below find the list of electives on offer for each of the six areas of concentration.

 

Sample Curriculum

The table below gives you an idea what four years of classes might look like. This schedule is not fixed, and the choice of courses does not account for advanced placement or other considerations. This is simply a baseline curriculum for a typical CBE student. And it is one more tool to guide you along your path to graduation.

 FALLSPRING
First YearMAT 103 CalculusMAT 104 Calculus
 PHY 103 PhysicsPHY 104 Physics
 CHM 201 ChemistryCHM 202 Chemistry
 Humanities/Social ScienceComputing Requirement
  Writing Requirement
Sophomore YearMAT 201 Multivariable CalculusCBE 246 Thermodynamics
 CBE 245 An Introduction to Chemical and Biochemical Engineering PrinciplesMOL 214 Molecular Biology
 CHM 301 Organic ChemistryMAE 305 Differential Equations
 MAT 202 Linear AlgebraProgram Elective
 Humanities/Social ScienceHumanities/Social Science
Junior YearCBE 250 Separations in Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyCBE 346 Chemical and Biological Engineering Laboratory
 CBE 341 Mass, Momentum, Energy TransportCBE 441 Chemical Reaction Engineering
 Program ElectiveProgram Elective
 Program ElectiveHumanities/Social Science
 Humanities/Social Science 
Senior YearCBE 442 Process and Energy Systems DesignCBE 454 Senior Thesis
 CBE 454 Senior ThesisHumanities/Social Science
 Program ElectiveOpen Elective
 Humanities/Social ScienceOpen Elective

Contacts

José L. Avalos
José L. Avalos
Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Office Phone
609-258-9881
Email
[email protected]
Office
101 Hoyt Laboratory
Julie Sefa
Julie Sefa
Undergraduate Administrator
Office Phone
609-258-4572
Email
[email protected]
Office
A201 Engineering Quad

Undergraduate Handbook

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering offers an undergraduate program of study in Chemical Engineering accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (https://www.abet.org) under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for  Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.