Curriculum for
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

The program objectives of the chemical engineering curriculum are:

• Graduates will be successful in their professional careers, and/or post-graduate training, as demonstrated by their abilities to solve important chemical engineering problems, to solve problems in areas different from their training, and to develop new and valuable ideas.
  
• Graduates will be able to work in a variety of professional environments, as demonstrated by their abilities to work on teams, to work alone, to provide leadership, to mentor junior co-workers, and to communicate effectively.
  
• Graduates will possess professional character, as demonstrated by their ethical behavior, their pursuit of professional registration, their commitment to lifelong learning, and their commitment to safety and the environment.
  

The program outcomes of the chemical engineering curriculum are as follows:

• Graduates will understand and be able to analyze entire chemical processes.
  
• Graduates will be proficient in the oral and written communication of their work and ideas.
  
• Graduates will be proficient in the use of computers, computer software, and computer-based information systems.
  
• Graduates will have the ability to learn independently but will also be able to participate effectively in groups.
  
• Graduates will be able to design effective laboratory experiments, to perform laboratory experiments, gather and analyze data, and test theories.
  
• Graduates will be prepared for a lifetime of continuing education.
  
• Graduates will understand the safety and environmental consequences of their work as chemical engineers and be able to design safe processes.
  
• Graduates will understand their professional and ethical responsibilities.
  
• Graduates will have the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context.
  

These outcomes are achieved via rigorous individual courses in all basic areas of chemical engineering, basic science, mathematics, and humanities and social sciences. A flexible electives program allows specialization in areas such as environment and safety, polymers and materials, biological applications, and coal processes.

Practical work on design and synthesis is incorporated into all chemical engineering classes. One element is the series of group design projects that require sophomores and juniors to synthesize their knowledge as it is gained. Another element is the series of individual design projects that require seniors to synthesize their knowledge of chemical engineering and to correct any deficiencies in their knowledge of chemical engineering, and which provide faculty a method of assessing the success of the sophomore and junior years. The third element is a group project in which seniors work under the direction of a student chief engineer on a year-long, comprehensive design. In conjunction with these projects, there are required written and oral presentations and required computer applications integrated throughout the curriculum. Completion of these projects also trains students to work in groups of all sizes and gives them experience in self-directed learning. Additionally, in the senior year, elements of professional practice, ethics, and safety are introduced in the classroom.

The chemical engineering curriculum also contains a significant laboratory component aimed at reinforcing the knowledge gained in the classroom. In addition to basic chemistry and physics laboratories, the chemical engineering laboratories involve simple laboratory experiments or demonstrations in the junior year followed by a two-semester laboratory sequence in the senior year in which the principles of experimental design, laboratory and safety procedures, data analysis, and report writing are stressed.

The chemical engineering department uses an outcomes-assessment plan for continuous program improvement. The design projects, in conjunction with yearly interviews and questionnaires plus follow-up questionnaires after graduation to alumni and employers, provide the measures of learning outcomes. These outcomes-assessment results provide feedback to the faculty to improve teaching and learning processes.

To receive a degree of bachelor of science in chemical engineering, a student must take all of the courses indicated below and must obtain a grade-point average of 2.0 or better for all required chemical engineering courses. (If a course is repeated, only the most recent grade received is considered in computing this grade-point average. Chemical engineering courses used to satisfy technical or engineering electives are not considered
in this grade-point average.) This requirement helps assure that the student has demonstrated overall competence in the chosen major. To complete the B.S. degree program in four years, a student must complete approximately 17.5 credit hours per semester.

Proposed Course Schedule

1st Year, Fall Semester Hrs GEC Elective 3 CHEM 115 Fundamentals of Chemistry 4 ENGL 101 Composition and Rhetoric 3 ENGR 101 Freshmen Engineering Design 2 ENGR 199 Orientation to Engineering 1 MATH 155 Calculus 4 Total Hours: 17		1st Year, Spring Semester Hrs GEC Elective 3 CHEM 116 Fundamentals of Chemistry 4 ENGR 102 Freshmen Engineering Design & Analysis 3 MATH 156 Calculus 4 PHYS 111 General Physics 4 Total Hours: 18
2nd Year, Fall Semester Hrs CHE 201 Material & Energy Balances 1 3 CHEM 233 Organic Chemisty 3 CHEM 235 Organic Chemistry Lab 1 ENGL 102 Composition and Rhetoric 3 MATH 251 Multivarient Calculus 4 PHYS 112 General Physics 4 Total Hours: 18		2nd Year, Spring Semester Hrs GEC Elective 3 GEC Elective 3 CHE 202 Material & Energy Balances 2 3 CHE 230 Numerical Methods 3 MATH 261 Elementary Differential Equations 4 Total Hours: 16
3rd Year, Fall Semester Hrs Advanced Science Elective 4 GEC Elective 3 CHE 310 Process Fluid Mechanics 3 CHE 311 Process Heat Transfer 3 CHE 320 ChE Thermodynamics 3 Total Hours: 16		3rd Year, Spring Semester Hrs Engineering Science Elective 3 CHE 312 Separation Process 4 CHE 315 ChE Transport Analysis 3 CHE 325 Chemical Reaction Engineering 3 CHE 326 ChE Reaction Phenomena 3 Total Hours: 16
4th Year, Fall Semester Hrs GEC Elective 3 Technical Elective 3 CHE 435 Chemical Process Control 3 CHE 450 Unit Operations Lab 1 2 CHE 455 Chemical Process Design 1 4 Total Hours: 15		4th Year, Spring Semester Hrs Advanced Science Elective 3 Engineering Science Elective 3 GEC Elective 3 Technical Elective 3 CHE 451 Unit Operations Lab II 1 CHE 456 Chemical Process Design II 4 Total Hours: 17

Total Credit Hours for the BSCHE program: 133

Note: Electives in junior and senior years must be selected to complete requirements of non-technical electives (21 hrs.), technical electives (six hrs.), engineering science electives (six hrs.), and an advanced science elective (seven hrs.). All electives must be selected from a list approved by the Department of Chemical Engineering. A 2.0 grade-point average in required chemical engineering courses is necessary before a student can register for CHE 310, 311, 320, 435, 450, or 455.

For the most recent list of approved courses in the GEC Program, visit http://www.arc.wvu.edu/courses/GEC.html .