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About the Program
Chemical engineering is a broad field encompassing everything from design to large-scale manufacturing of a wide variety of products through chemical and biochemical processes. These products include pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, petrochemicals, fine chemicals, specialty chemicals, microelectronic devices, polymers and products used in food processing and in biotechnology. Our alumni are employed in diverse fields including traditional and alternative/renewable energy, manufacturing, health care, biotechnology and business services.
Our chemical engineering curriculum builds upon the fundamentals of biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. Undergraduate students complete a program of study that includes rigorous instruction in fluid mechanics, heat and mass transport, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics and chemical process dynamics and control.
Effective Fall 2017, we updated our ABET accredited degree in chemical engineering. This revision modernizes our curriculum, offers increased flexibility in elective options, and provides optional specialty tracks in process engineering and biological engineering for those who want to focus their degree. In addition, our curriculum also includes elements that clearly set us apart from other programs; for example, taught in a new and unique student-centered environment, Studio Biology introduces active learning to the instruction of biology at the freshman level. This unique course minimizes lecture time and maximizes student involvement in the learning process with the design and performance of experiments exploring biological systems.
Our emphasis on active learning is also demonstrated within the Unit Operations Laboratory sequence taken in the summer as a six-week intensive “field session”. Here, the fundamentals of heat, mass, and momentum transport and applied thermodynamics are reviewed in a practical, applications-oriented, hands-on setting. Field session greatly hones students’ teamwork, leadership, critical thinking and oral and written technical communications skills.
This curriculum is delivered within facilities that are among the best in the nation. Our modern in-house computer network supports over 70 workstations with specialized software for modeling chemical engineering systems. Our honors undergraduate research program provides our undergraduates with the opportunity to work with graduate students, postdocs and faculty on cutting-edge chemical and biochemical engineering research. Undergraduate chemical engineering students in this program at Mines have presented at national conferences and have won national competitions and awards based on research conducted while pursuing their baccalaureate degree. Mines also has a very active American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) student chapter. The student leadership organize “Lunch and Learn” events with industry leaders, host social events throughout the year, organize a rotational dinner for members and recruiters before our Fall Career Fair, and participate in the Chem-E-Car Competition at the national AIChE meeting.
With placement outcomes within three months of graduation exceeding 80 percent for the last five years and average starting salaries over $69,000, our graduates continue to be in high demand for industry, government, military and graduate school positions across the country.
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Additional Program Information
Accreditation
The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department at Mines has two undergraduate degree programs: 1) BS Chemical Engineering and 2) BS Chemical and Biochemical Engineering. Both degree programs are ABET-accredited through 2018.
To be accredited, a program must have educational objectives and associated student outcomes that lead to meeting those objectives. Programs must also have a comprehensive assessment methodology in place that provides continuous feedback and demonstrates that the objectives are being met.
For both degree programs. our objectives for our graduates within three to five years of completing their degree are that they will:
- be in graduate school or in the workforce utilizing their education in chemical engineering fundamentals; and
- be applying their knowledge of and skills in engineering fundamentals in conventional areas of chemical engineering and in contemporary and growing fields; and
- have demonstrated both their commitment to continuing to develop personally and professionally, and an appreciation for the ethical and social responsibilities associated with being an engineer and a world citizen.
In addition to the above objectives, our Chemical and Biochemical Engineering graduates three to five years out will:
- be applying their knowledge of and skills in biochemical engineering fundamentals.
Combined Baccalaureate / Master's Degree Program
Advising Sheet: Chemical Engineering
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CHGN 121 | Principles of Chemistry | 4 |
CSM 101 | Freshman Success Seminar | 0.5 |
EPIC 151 | Design I | 3 |
CBEN 110 | Fundamentals of Biology I | 4 |
MATH 111 | Calculus for Scientists and Engineers I | 4 |
PAGN XXX | Physical Education I | 0.5 |
TOTAL | 16 |
Freshman Year, Spring Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
LAIS 100 | Nature and Human Values | 4 |
CHGN 122 | Principles of Chemistry | 4 |
MATH 112 | Calculus for Scientists and Engineers II | 4 |
PAGN XXX | Physical Education II | 0.5 |
PHGN 100 | Physics I | 4.5 |
TOTAL | 17 |
Sophomore Year, Fall Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CBEN 210 | Introduction to Thermodynamics | 3 |
CHGN 221 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
CHGN 223 | Organic Chemistry I Lab (or in spring) | 1 |
MATH 213 | Calculus for Scientists and Engineers III | 4 |
PAGN XXX | Physical Education III | .5 |
PHGN 200 | Physics II | 4.5 |
TOTAL | 16 |
Sophomore Year, Spring Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CBEN 201 | Mass and Energy Balances | 3 |
CBEN 202 | Chemical Process Principles Lab | 1 |
CHGN 222 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
EBGN 201 | Principles of EconomicsI | 3 |
EPIC 265 | Biochemical Processes Design II | 3 |
MATH 225 | Differential Equations | 3 |
PAGN XXX | Physical Education IV | 0.5 |
TOTAL | 16.5 |
Junior Year, Fall Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CBEN 307 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
CBEN 357 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | 3 |
CHGN 351 | Physical Chemistry I | 3 |
LAIS 200 | Human Systems | 3 |
Free Elective 1 | 3 | |
TOTAL | 15 |
Summer Field Session
CBEN 312/313 | Unit Operations Lab | 6 |
Junior Year, Spring Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CBEN 308 | Chemical Engineering Heat Transfer | 3 |
CBEN 358 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics Lab | 1 |
CBEN 375 | Chemical Engineering Mass Transfer | 3 |
CBEN or CHGN Elective (at least 300 level) | 3 | |
LAIS / EBGN Elective 1 | 3 | |
Free Elective 2 | 3 | |
TOTAL | 16 |
Senior Year, Fall Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CBEN 418 | Reaction Engineering | 3 |
CBEN 430 | Transport Phenomena | 3 |
CBEN* Elective I | 3 | |
LAIS / EBGN Elective 2 | 3 | |
Free Elective 3 | 4 | |
TOTAL | 16 |
Senior Year, Spring Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CBEN 402 | Chemical Engineering Design | 3 |
CBEN 403 | Process Dynamics and Control | 3 |
EBGN 321 | Engineering Economics | 3 |
CBEN* Elective 2 (400 level) | 3 | |
LAIS / EBGN Elective 3 (400 level) | 3 | |
TOTAL | 15 |
*Not all CBEN courses count as CBEN electives.
Advising Sheet: Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CHGN 121 | Principles of Chemistry | 4 |
CSM 101 | Freshman Success Seminar | 0.5 |
EPIC 151 | Design I | 3 |
CBEN 110 | Fundamentals of Biology I | 4 |
MATH 111 | Calculus for Scientists and Engineers I | 4 |
PAGN XXX | Physical Education I | 0.5 |
TOTAL | 16 |
Freshman Year, Spring Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
LAIS 100 | Nature and Human Values | 4 |
CHGN 122 | Principles of Chemistry | 4 |
MATH 112 | Calculus for Scientists and Engineers II | 4 |
PAGN XXX | Physical Education II | 0.5 |
PHGN 100 | Physics I | 4.5 |
TOTAL | 17 |
Sophomore Year, Fall Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CBEN 210 | Introduction to Thermodynamics | 3 |
CHGN 221 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
CHGN 223 | Organic Chemistry I Lab (or in spring) | 1 |
MATH 213 | Calculus for Scientists and Engineers III | 4 |
PAGN XXX | Physical Education III | .5 |
PHGN 200 | Physics II | 4.5 |
TOTAL | 16 |
Sophomore Year, Spring Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CBEN 201 | Mass and Energy Balances | 3 |
CBEN 202 | Chemical Process Principles Lab | 1 |
CHGN 222 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
EBGN 201 | Principles of EconomicsI | 3 |
EPIC 265 | Biochemical Processes Design II | 3 |
MATH 225 | Differential Equations | 3 |
PAGN XXX | Physical Education IV | 0.5 |
TOTAL | 16.5 |
Junior Year, Fall Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CBEN 307 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
CBEN 357 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | 3 |
CHGN 428 | Intro to Biochemistry | 3 |
LAIS 200 | Human Systems | 3 |
Free Elective 1 | 3 | |
TOTAL | 15 |
Summer Field Session
CBEN 312/313 | Unit Operations Lab | 6 |
Junior Year, Spring Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CBEN 308 | Chemical Engineering Heat Transfer | 3 |
CBEN 358 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics Lab | 1 |
CBEN 375 | Chemical Engineering Mass Transfer | 3 |
CHGN 351 | Physical Chemistry I | 4 |
CHGN 462 | Microbiology | 3 |
LAIS / EBGN Elective 1 | 3 | |
TOTAL | 17 |
Senior Year, Fall Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CBEN 418 | Reaction Engineering | 3 |
CBEN 430 | Transport Phenomena | 3 |
CBEN 460 | Bioprocess Engineering | 3 |
CBEN 461 | Bioprocess Engineering Laboratory | 1 |
LAIS / EBGN Elective 2 | 3 | |
Free Elective 2 | 3 | |
TOTAL | 16 |
Senior Year, Spring Semester
Course No. | Title | Hours |
CBEN 402 | Chemical Engineering Design | 3 |
CBEN 403 | Process Dynamics and Control | 3 |
EBGN 321 | Engineering Economics | 3 |
LAIS / EBGN Elective 3 (400 level) | 3 | |
Free Elective 3 | 3 | |
TOTAL | 15 |
Chemical and Biological Engineering Electives
Course No. | Title | Credit Hours |
CBEN 200 | Computational Methods in Chemical Engineering | 3 |
CBEN 250 | Introduction to Chemical Engineering Analysis and Design | 3 |
CBEN 310 | Introduction to Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
CBEN 315 | Introduction to Electrochemical Engineering | 3 |
CBEN 340 | Cooperative Education | 1-3 |
CBEN 35X, 45X, X98, X99 | Honors UG Research, Special Topics, Independent Study* | 1-6 |
CBEN 368 | Introduction to Undergraduate Research | 1 |
CBEN 401 | Introduction to Chemical Process Design | 3 |
CBEN 408 | Natural Gas Processing | 3 |
CBEN 409 | Petroleum Processes | 3 |
CBEN 415 | Polymer Science and Technology | 3 |
CBEN 416 | Polymer Engineering and Technology | 3 |
CBEN 420 | Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering | 3 |
CBEN 432 | Transport Phenomena in Biological Systems | 3 |
CBEN 435 | Interdisciplinary Microelectronics | 3 |
CBEN 440 | Molecular Perspectives in Chemical Engineering | 3 |
CBEN 460 | Biochemical Process Engineering | 3 |
CBEN 461 | Biochemical Process Engineering | 1 |
CBEN 469 | Fuel Cell Science and Technology | 3 |
CBEN 470 | Introduction to Microfluidics | 3 |
CBEN 472 | Introduction to Energy Technologies | 3 |
CBEN 480 | Natural Gas Hydrates | 3 |
*If content has sufficient engineering basis, as determined by the department head given the project description, these courses can count as a CBEN elective.
The following CBEN bio-related courses DO NOT have sufficient engineering content and therefore DO NOT count as CBEN electives.
Course No. | Title | Credit Hours |
CBEN 110 (BIOL 110) | Fundamentals of Biology I | 4 |
CBEN 303/323/120 | Fundamentals of Biology II | 4 |
CBEN 304/305 | Anatomy and Physiology | 3 |
CBEN 306/309 | Anatomy and Physiology: Bone, Muscle and Brain | 3 |
CBEN 311 | Introduction to Neuroscience | 3 |
CBEN 320 | Cell Biology and Physiology | 3 |
CBEN 321 | Introduction to Genetics | 4 |
CBEN 411 | Neuroscience, Memory and Learning | 3 |
CBEN 412 | Introduction to Pharmacology | 3 |
CBEN 431 | Immunology | 3 |
CBEN 454 | Applied Bioinformatics | 3 |
Biomedical Engineering Minor
Required Courses (11 credits)
CBEN 110 | Fundamentals of Biology I | 4 |
CBEN 120 | Studio Biology II | 4 |
CBEN 310 | Intro to Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
Engineering Elective Courses Related to BME
(at least 3 credits)
CBEN 432 | Transport Phenomena in Biological Systems | 3 |
CBEN 470 | Introduction to Microfluidics | 3 |
CBEN 35x, 45x, x98, x99 | Honors Undergraduate Research, Special Topics | 1 – 3 |
MEGN 330 | Introduction to Biomechanical Engineering | 3 |
MEGN 430 | Musculoskeletal Biomechanics | 3 |
MEGN 435/535 | Modeling and Simulation of Human Movement | 3 |
MEGN 436/536 | Computational Biomechanics | 3 |
MEGN 530 | Biomedical Instrumentations | 3 |
MEGN 531 | Prosthetic and Implant Engineering | 3 |
MEGN 532 | Experimental Methods in Biomech | 3 |
MEGN 537 | Probabilistic Biomechanics | 3 |
MTGN 570 | Intro to Biocompatibility | 3 |
Additional Elective Courses Related to BME
(two courses or at least 4 credits from the list above or below)
CBEN 311 | Introduction to Neuroscience | 3 |
CBEN 322 | Biology of Behavior | 3 |
CBEN 398 | Anatomy | 3 |
CBEN 398 | Anatomy Lab | 1 |
CBEN 398 | Physiology | 3 |
CBEN 320 (410) | Cell Biology and Physiology | 3 |
CBEN 321 | Intro to Genetics (+ Lab) | 4 |
CBEN 411 | Neuroscience, Memory, and Learning | 3 |
CBEN 431/531 | Immunology for Engineers and Scientists | 3 |
CBEN 454/554 | Applied Bioinformatics | 3 |
CBEN 35x, 45x, x98, x99 | Honors Undergraduate Research, Special Topics | 1-3 |
CHGN428 | Introductory Biochemistry | 3 |
CHGN429 | Intro to Biochemistry II | 3 |
CHGN 462 | Microbiology | 3 |
MATH 331 | Mathematical Biology | 3 |
MTGN 472/572 | Biomaterials I | 3 |
PHGN 433 | Introduction to Biophysics | 3 |