B.S. Chemical Engineering

The undergraduate curriculum constitutes a four year accredited program in Engineering leading to a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering and requires completion of 194 units. The objective is to meet the standards of excellence at UCSD which allows students graduating with this degree to enter the industrial job market.

Strong emphasis is placed on the development of communication skills, both written and oral. In addition, experiences are provided which enhance the ability of our graduates to work effectively in team efforts. These goals are acheived in a two quarter senior laboratory (CENG 176A-B) which deals with process design and research. It is through this laboratory that seniors are also exposed to real-world industrial problems, since projects in MAE 176A-B are often sponsored and monitored by local companies.

The B.S. program in chemical engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET/EAC). The curriculum is tailored to provide breadth and flexibility by taking advantage of the strength of basic sciences and other engineering disciplines at UCSD. The intention is to graduate chemical engineers who are multidisciplinary and can work in a broad spectrum of industries rather than solely traditional chemical and petrochemical industries.

Areas of specialization are available whereby a graduate can be in a position for a career in environmental technology, microelectronic device fabrication, materials and polymer processing, pharmaceutical and biotechnology, biomedical engineering, energy and thermal systems, dynamic systems and controls, and so forth.

For students who aspire to pursue a graduate degree and a career in research and development, the units in an area of specialization can be allocated to more fundamental science and engineering courses. These students are also encouraged to perform independent projects in one of the faculty research laboratories or groups.

Whether the career goal is industry, or graduate or professional school, the curriculum has a strong emphasis on developing problem solving skills and the ability to think and learn on one's own. The capstone courses in this respect are the two senior design courses and the two very unique senior process laboratory courses where the environment is not unlike product development in either an industrial or academic setting. In each process development lab, students work in groups of three on one project where they carry through the entire stages of project planning, experimental design and setup, execution, analysis, modification and improvement, and final project evaluation.

Chemical Engineering has a traditional ABET accredited curriculum encompassing studies concerned with fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, separation processes, and reactor and plant design. Chemical engineers find employment in the traditional petrochemical, food, and polymers industries but also in high-technology industries, such as biotechnology, electronics, and aerospace, and emerging fields such as environmental engineering.