B.S. in Chemical Engineering
About Chemical Engineering
The B.S. in Chemical Engineering curriculum provides a strong fundamental understanding of chemical engineering – through courses in physics, math and chemistry, specialized chemistry topics, and chemical engineering courses such as momentum transfer, separations and reactor design – which you will apply to real-world projects in lab and design classes. The program is designed to prepare students for careers in industries spanning the areas of energy, chemical processing, food, semiconductor processing, personal care products, specialized fibers and materials.
As an alternative, we provide a B.S. in Chemical Engineering degree with a concentration in Biomolecular Engineering. The Biomolecular Engineering concentration builds upon the traditional principles of chemical engineering, but specializes in biological and biotechnological systems in order to better prepare students who are interested in or seek employment in the food, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries.
Curriculum Information
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 B.S. in Chemical Engineering is a 129-credit hour program. Full curriculum details for this degree are listed in the Academic Catalog. For more information about this major, contact our department's academic advisors in the School of Chemical Sciences at scs-advising@illinois.edu.
Degree information in the Academic Catalog:
BS, Chemical Engineering BS, Chemical Engineering - Biomolecular Concentration
Curriculum Maps
The curriculum maps show the overall flow of coursework for Chemical Engineering majors. Additional information on all courses including credit hours, prerequisites and lists of approved electives is available in the Academic Catalog under "Degree Requirements." Students with high school credit for the Composition 1 degree requirement or placement into the Fall GenEd course for Composition 1 may find it helpful to move CS101 up to Spring semester in Year 1 in place of the GenEd course listed there.
Degree requirements are available in the Academic Catalog using the links below:
Chemical Engineering
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Download pdf version: Chemical Engineering, 4 Year Curriculum
Chemical Engineering, Biomolecular Engineering Concentration
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Download pdf version: Chemical Engineering, Biomolecular Concentration, 4 Year Curriculum
The sequences provided above are intended to be used only as guides for degree completion. All ChBE Illinois students work with an academic advisor in the School of Chemical Sciences to achieve their educational goals, specific to their needs and preparation. Course availability may change; the Academic Catalog is the definitive source of information.