Chemical Engineering

Overview

Chemical engineering (CHE) students learn to skillfully and creatively apply the principles of chemistry, biochemistry, biology, mathematics, and physics to problems involving energy, food, health, electronics, consumer products, and environmental quality. The core chemical engineering classes involve 44 credit hours of study. Students must also complete a minimum of 20 credit hours in advanced chemistry, including organic chemistry plus lab and physical chemistry plus lab. Optional technical tracks in Climate and Energy Solutions, Computational and Data Sciences, and Healthcare Technologies allow students to focus their technical electives toward a particular industrial field. Common minors for chemical engineering students include chemistry, mathematics, green engineering, and biomedical engineering.

Curriculum:

Review the Graduation Requirements (Checksheet) for your entering class year to see the required coursework.

Interest Areas and Related Degrees/Minors

The undergraduate CHE program provides courses and experiences related to the following areas within chemical engineering: climate and energy solutions; computational and data sciences; healthcare technologies. A short description of each area and related degrees and minors are provided below to enhance your major exploration experience.

Climate and Energy Solutions
Chemical Engineers design and operate many industrial and power plants and can influence the output of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, as well as other chemicals and materials that can negatively impact the environment. Chemical Engineers can positively impact climate change through process design, selection of appropriate materials, and careful control of process operating conditions, and through the implementation of decarbonization and climate change mitigation strategies. “Climate and Energy Solutions” is a track within the Chemical Engineering major where students will receive additional training in areas such as sustainable and renewable energy production, increased efficiency, decarbonization, green and sustainable materials, planning for low energy and low environmental impacts, and other strategies for mitigating climate change and environmental effects.
Related Engineering Degrees: Biological Systems Engineering | Civil Engineering | Materials Science and Engineering | Mining Engineering
Related Degrees: Biological Sciences | Biochemistry | Chemistry | Nanoscience
Related Minors: Chemistry | Geosciences | Green Engineering | Philosophy, Politics, and Economics | Sustainable Biomaterials

Computational and Data Science
Large-scale numerical simulations and autonomous experimentation have revolutionized many disciplines in science and engineering. To meet the growing workforce demand for tackling massive amounts of data in chemical industries, the “Computational and Data Sciences” track offers a uniquely interdisciplinary set of courses teaching the basic methodologies and applied tools of data analytics with domain-specific examples. The track prepares students for a broad variety of career paths that leverage computation and data for solving urgent societal problems: from energy and biomedical materials design to advanced manufacturing, to intelligent chemical processes with on-the-fly diagnosis, forecasting, and optimization, to opportunities not yet foreseen.
Related Engineering Degrees: Computer Science
Related Degrees: Related Majors: Chemistry | Computational Modeling and Data Analytics
Related Minors: Computer Science | Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

Healthcare Technologies
Chemical Engineering principles are central to a broad range of bioengineering solutions to health and medicine problems, including protein and pharmaceutical engineering, tissue engineering, fermentation, wastewater treatment, and the development of novel bioreactors for product synthesis. The “Healthcare Technologies” track will allow students with a particular interest in one or more of these topics to focus their technical electives in that area. By judicial selection of courses, students may complete the Biomedical Engineering minor and Healthcare Technologies track.
Related Engineering Degrees: Biomedical Engineering | Biological Systems Engineering | Materials Science and Engineering
Related Degrees: Biological Sciences | Biochemistry | Chemistry  | Nanoscience
Related Minors: Biomedical Engineering | Chemistry | Mathematics

Getting Involved

Design Team
Honor Society - Omega Chi Epsilon
Professional Society – American Institute of Chemical Engineerings (AICHE)
Study Abroad
Undergraduate Research

Additional Opportunities:
Alpha Chi Sigma
Alpha Omega Epsilon
International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering
Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE)
Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)
Society of Women Engineers

Career Resources

Our Engineering Career Resource provides you with all of the most frequently used career information websites in one place for ease of access. This list includes links to VT First Destination Post Grad Report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Department of Defense, and many more.