Dec 11, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Chemical Engineering BS


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You’ve found it-the perfect major for people who like using chemistry and math to solve real-world problems, like helping farmers feed more people, reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, designing longer-lasting artificial organs, delivering more renewable energy and producing life-saving medicines and vaccines. If you love making things work more efficiently and want to use your skills in math and science to make the world a better place, then put chemical engineering at the top of your list.

Visit the Chemical Engineering academic program page for more information about the academic experience, who you will learn from, opportunities outside of class and what you can do with this degree.

Visit the Chemical and Biological Engineering department page  for contact information, a brief overview of the department and the curricular options.

Admission Criteria


  • Minimum overall GPA of 2.500 required
  • Matriculated student with academic good standing at the University at Buffalo.
  • Satisfactory performance in a series of core courses (see below). There are two paths to meet this requirement.
    1. Standard: Completion of four core courses with a combined core course grade point average of at least 2.500.
    2. Fast-Track: Completion of at least two of the four core courses (graded on an A-F bases) with a combined core course grade point average of at least 3.000.

Engineering Core Courses:

  1. Calculus 1 (MTH 141 or MTH 153)
  2. Calculus 2 (MTH 142 or MTH 154)
  3. General Chemistry 1 (CHE 101, CHE 105, or CHE 107)
  4. General Physics 1 (PHY 107 or PHY 117)

 

Current students wishing to pursue the Chemical Engineering BS must follow the instructions on the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Supplemental Application. See the complete School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Admissions Policies for details.

Course Requirements


Chemical Engineering Core (102 credits)


One 200/300/400-level Technical Elective (3 credits minimum)


Specifically, any course at these levels having one of the following prefixes: EAS, CE, BE, CIE, CSE, EE, ENS, IE, MAE, BIO, CHE, GLY, MTH, MDI, PHC, PHY, BCH, BPH, MIC, PGY, PMY, and STA. Some courses with the above prefixes are disallowed because their content overlaps with that of required courses for the BS degree. These are: BE 202 BE 305 BE 308 , BE 309, BE 310 CIE 308 , CIE 354 EAS 305 EAS 496 EE 305 MAE 335 , MAE 336 , MAE 338 , MAE 381 , MAE 431 ,  CHE 251 CHE 319 CHE 320 CHE 349 MTH 337 , MTH 411 MDI 332 STA 301 , STA 301 , STA 427 STA 427 , and any CE or other course already required for the degree. In some instances, graduate courses may be used as TEs; students should consult with an advisor if considering this option.

Two Chemical Engineering Technical Electives (6 credits minimum)


These are 300- or 400-level courses with prefix CE that are not already required for the degree. Additionally, the following courses from Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering (CSEE) can be applied to fulfill the CE technical elective requirement: CIE 334 CIE 340 CIE 343 CIE 441 CIE 442 CIE 444 . These courses relate to environmental engineering, which is a field of interest in chemical engineering. You must obtain permission from CSEE to enroll in any of these courses.

Students may also use 2 credits of EAS 496  + 1 credit of CE 496  as a technical elective. 

Notes


Students are be limited to one instance/3 credits of any 496/498/499 course to count for degree requirements. Courses graded Pass/Fail (P/F) cannot count toward the CE degree requirements. Note that CE 497  does not satisfy a technical elective requirement. As described within Departmental Honors Requirements, it is a component of the departmental honors program.

* Students are permitted to take BIO 201  or BIO 305  in lieu of CE 220 , however CE 220  is strongly preferred for Chemical Engineering majors. The BIO 201  or BIO 305  option should only be utilized by students transferring into the program with these courses already completed or when they are pursuing a pre-health major that requires BIO 201 or BIO 305.

**Students are permitted to take alternative programming courses EAS 240  or CSE 115  in lieu of EAS 230 , however EAS 230  is strongly preferred for Chemical Engineering majors. The alternative programming courses should only be utilized by students transferring into the program with EAS 240 CSE 115 , or EAS 999TRCP  (general programming for transfer students) already completed. View our Computer Programming Requirement website for more information on the programming alternatives and self-study packages.

***Students are permitted to use PHY 151  and PHY 152  in lieu of PHY 158 , however PHY 158  is preferred for engineering majors.

Total Credits Required for Major: 111


Additional Degree Requirements Include:


  • Additional coursework to fulfill UB Curriculum requirements

Total Credits Required for Graduation: 128


Total Credit Hours Required represents the minimum credits needed to complete this program, and may vary based on a number of circumstances. This should not be used for financial aid purposes.

Academic Requirements


Students in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences must have a minimum GPA of 2.000 in technical classes (engineering, math, and science classes) to be in good standing and graduate with an undergraduate degree. To maintain academic standards and determine eligibility for continued enrollment, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences reviews the academic records of all students in an approved undergraduate SEAS major. This academic review is conducted at the end of each fall and spring semester.

View the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Academic Review Policy

Transfer Credit Policy

Students seeking an undergraduate engineering degree from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences must complete 30 undergraduate credit hours of junior/senior level courses required in their major at the University at Buffalo.

Students must satisfy a departmental residency requirement that stipulates that a maximum of five courses from another school may be used as substitutes for required (16 total) and elective (2 total) CE courses. CBE places no limits (beyond those already imposed by the University and School of Engineering) on the number of BIO, CHE, MTH, PHY, EAS, general technical electives, and general education transfer credits that are applied to BS degree requirements.

Program Honors


Eligible students must achieve a GPA of 3.200 or higher in all required chemical engineering courses. Requirements for honors also include 6 credits of individual work over two semesters supervised by a member of the faculty and participation in the department’s research fair. Student enrolls in either CE 496  or CE 498   during the first semester, which may be used to satisfy one of the CE technical elective requirements for the degree. During the second semester the student enrolls in CE 497 , which culminates in the completion and defense of an undergraduate thesis. The three credits obtained via participation in CE 497  are in addition to the standard requirement for the CE degree. Students must also meet the remaining criteria outlined in the Academic Honors policy. Students who successfully complete the honors program and meet the criteria will have the appropriate notation on their official transcript.

Curricular Plan


A Curricular Plan provides a roadmap for completing this academic program and the UB Curriculum on time. Your actual plan may vary depending on point of entry to the university, course placement and/or waivers based on standardized test scores, earned alternative credit and/or college transfer credit.

Total Credits: 18


Total Credits: 16


Total Credits: 18


Total Credits: 17


Total Credits: 16


Total Credits: 15


Fourth Year Fall


Total Credits: 15


Fourth Year Spring


Total Credits: 13


Total Credits Required: 128


Note: Some classes may count toward both a major and UB Curriculum requirement.

Learning Outcomes


The curriculum provides opportunities for students to develop the following knowledge, skills, and behaviors by the time of graduation:

  • an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
  • an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
  • an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  • an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
  • an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
  • an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
  • an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

 

(HEGIS: 09.06 CHEMICAL ENG-PETROL REFN, CIP14.0701 Chemical Engineering)

 

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