Undergraduate Program Information
Welcome, Prospective Student
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BS - Chemical Engineering
What is a Chemical Engineering degree?
Whether you want to discover alternative sources of energy, develop new methods of food production or engineer the next medical breakthrough, you can get there with a chemical engineering degree from Florida Tech. Here, you'll develop a strong background in engineering and get hands-on experience in modern chemical dynamics.
Our chemical engineering degree program is dynamic and focused. You'll get started right away, taking core courses like Introduction to Chemical Engineering and General Chemistry as a freshman. Guided by highly accomplished faculty who care about your success, you'll hone your strengths and begin specializing as early as sophomore year.
New technical electives allow you to specialize in unique career-track subfields such as biochemical engineering, systems engineering, nuclear technology and energy engineering, making you a hot prospect in the eyes of future employers.
Advantages
Why Florida Tech:
- ABET accredited program
- Teamwork-oriented program in which undergraduates work with graduate students, professors, and each other to tackle the problems of today and face the challenges of tomorrow
- Research and publication opportunities through mentorship by excellence faculty
- Marketable skills through course work in environmental engineering and communication
- ProTrack Co-op program, which incorporates 3 professional work experiences into your four-year degree curriculum
Facilities: The F.W. Olin Engineering Complex has three levels linked by the latest electronic and communications technology which promotes cross-functional learning. A 142-seat multimedia auditorium and 26 specialized research and teaching laboratories support multiple departments within the College of Engineering. A fixture of the F.W. Olin Engineering Complex is the A-frame teaching laboratory, a configuration that promotes cooperative learning by design.
Learning
Clubs and Organizations: American Institute of Chemical Engineers,American Chemical Society,Society of Women Engineers,Society of Hispanic Engineers,Tau Beta Pi\, the national engineering honor society
Research: Chemical engineering degree students at Florida Tech get involved in research early and often. Undergraduates support faculty research efforts and have co-authored research publications. The hallmark of a Florida Tech engineering degree is Senior Design, which requires that students conceive, design and implement a project; write the description; document the requirements; secure corporate and community support for the project; and present the final outcome of their work. The project simulates a real-world work environment in a variety of engineering and science fields. The students apply theory, think creatively and develop practical skills such as teamwork, professionalism and leadership.
Sample Senior Design Projects
- Chem-E Car
- Cellulosic Ethanol Production Using Hydrolytic Sacchrification Enzymes
- KLMM Consulting
- From Synthesis to Application: The Future of Ammonia
Internships and Cooperative Learning: Chemical engineering degree students participate in a wide range of career enhancing activities such as:
- Hands-on engineering projects and labs
- National and regional engineering competitions
- A two-semester senior plant design team project
- A number of detailed equipment design team projects
- Research projects for solutions to real-world problems
- Internships and co-ops with local companies and organizations such as: Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Harris Corporation's Environmental Health and Safety Department, Boeing North America, Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), NASA's Environmental/Propellants Office (KSC), Florida Institute of Phosphate Research (FIPR)
Future Outcomes
Outcomes - Grad School: While most graduates continue in the field of chemical engineering, students have also pursued graduate degrees in business, engineering management and pharmacy/medical programs. Graduates have attended universities such as:
- Carnegie-Mellon University
- Columbia University
- Stanford University
- University of Florida
- University of London
- Vanderbilt University
Outcomes - Career and Salary: In 2009, the average starting salary for Chemical Engineers B.S. graduates was $64,900 (Source: NACE National Association of Colleges and Employers).
Employers that have recruited Florida Tech students for careers and currently employ our alumni include:
- Exxon-Mobil
- Duracell
- Florida Solar Energy Center
- GE
- Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
- Hershey Co.
- Kraft Foods
- NASA
- Northrup Grumman
- Pfizer Pharmaceuticals
Curriculum
Curriculum program plans shown reflect current degree requirements. Previous academic year requirements can be accessed from the catalog page by choosing the appropriate academic year.
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering
| Major Code: | 7033 | Degree Awarded: | Bachelor of Science |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery Mode(s): | Classroom | Location(s): | Main Campus - Melbourne |
| Admission Status: | Undergraduate | Age Restriction: | No |
Chemical engineering is primarily the application of chemical principles to industrial processes and environmental problems to effect a change in the composition and properties of matter to benefit society and the environment. A graduate in chemical engineering has the basic training to solve problems in transport and separation processes, process dynamics and control, energy production, food and petrochemical processing, materials synthesis and processing, and chemical equipment and plant design.
The freshman and sophomore years emphasize basic mathematics, science and communication skills; the junior year, fundamentals of chemical engineering; and the senior year, integration of those fundamentals in capstone design courses. Elective coursework also allows students to broaden their knowledge in other technical fields, deepen their understanding in an area of specialization or participate in a technical research project under the direction of an individual faculty member.
Educational Objectives
The educational objectives of the chemical engineering program are to provide graduates with the technical, communication and teamwork skills to allow them within a few years of graduation to: demonstrate professional competence through career advancement or progress toward obtaining professional registration or certification in chemical engineering, an allied field such as environmental or materials engineering or a nontraditional field such as business or medicine; successfully complete a graduate degree in chemical engineering or a related field; volunteer their services to the profession through involvement with professional societies such as AICHE or to their respective communities through involvement with government agencies or nonprofit organizations.
Admission Requirements
Students seeking admission should have one year of high school biology, chemistry and physics, in addition to at least three years of mathematics, including algebra, geometry and trigonometry.
Degree Requirements
A Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering requires a minimum of 135 credit hours as specified below. Because general chemistry and mathematics are critically important foundations for all chemical engineering courses, chemical engineering majors must pass CHM 1101, CHM 1102, MTH 1001 and MTH 1002 with grades of at least C before taking any 2000-level chemical engineering courses.
Students must successfully complete all courses listed for the freshman year before registering for CHE 3101. Students must successfully complete all courses listed for the sophomore year before registering for CHE 4181.
Freshman Year
| FALL | CREDITS | |
| ASC 1000 | University Experience | 1 |
| BUS 1301 | Basic Economics | 3 |
| CHE 1101 | Introduction to Chemical Engineering 1 | 2 |
| CHM 1101 | General Chemistry 1 | 4 |
| COM 1101 | Composition and Rhetoric | 3 |
| MTH 1001 | Calculus 1 | 4 |
| 17 | ||
| SPRING | CREDITS | |
| CHE 1102 | Introduction to Chemical Engineering 2 | 1 |
| CHM 1102 | General Chemistry 2 | 4 |
| COM 1102 | Writing about Literature | 3 |
| MTH 1002 | Calculus 2 | 4 |
| PHY 1001 | Physics 1 | 4 |
| PHY 2091 | Physics Lab 1 | 1 |
| 17 | ||
Sophomore Year
| FALL | CREDITS | |
| CHE 2101 | Chemical Process Principles 1 | 3 |
| CHM 2001 | Organic Chemistry 1 | 3 |
| CHM 2011 | Organic Chemistry Lab 1 | 2 |
| MTH 2201 | Differential Equations / Linear Algebra | 4 |
| PHY 2002 | Physics 2 | 4 |
| PHY 2092 | Physics Lab 2 | 1 |
| 17 | ||
| SPRING | CREDITS | |
| CHE 2102 | Chemical Process Principles 2 | 3 |
| CHE 3260 | Materials Science and Engineering | 3 |
| CHE 3265 | Materials Lab | 1 |
| CHM 2002 | Organic Chemistry 2 | 3 |
| HUM 2051 | Civilization 1 | 3 |
| MTH 2001 | Calculus 3 | 4 |
| 17 | ||
Junior Year
| FALL | CREDITS | |
| CHE 3101 | Transport Processes | 3 |
| CHE 3170 | Introduction to Environmental Engineering | 3 |
| CHE 4240 | Advanced Computational Methods for Engineering Applications | 3 |
| CHM 3001 | Physical Chemistry 1 | 3 |
| CHM 3011 | Physical Chemistry Lab 1 | 2 |
| COM 2223 | Scientific and Technical Communication | 3 |
| 17 | ||
| SPRING | CREDITS | |
| CHE 3103 | Heat Transfer Processes | 3 |
| CHE 3104 | Mass Transfer Processes | 3 |
| CHE 3110 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | 3 |
| CHE 4122 | Chemical Process Control | 4 |
| Humanities Core Course* | 3 | |
| 16 | ||
Senior Year
| FALL | CREDITS | |
| CHE 4115 | Chemical Engineering Processes Lab 2 | 2 |
| CHE 4131 | Separation Processes | 3 |
| CHE 4151 | Chemical Engineering Reactor Design | 3 |
| CHE 4181 | Chemical Engineering Plant Design 1 (Q) | 3 |
| Humanities Elective | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective (Advanced Chemistry) | 3 | |
| 17 | ||
| SPRING | CREDITS | |
| CHE 4115 | Chemical Engineering Processes Lab 2 | 2 |
| CHE 4182 | Chemical Engineering Plant Design 2 (Q) | 3 |
| Free Elective** | 3 | |
| Humanities or Social Science Elective | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective (CHE) | 3 | |
| Technical Elective** | 3 | |
| 17 | ||
TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED 135
| *Humanities Core Courses | |
| HUM 2052 | Civilization 2: Renaissance Through Modern |
| HUM 2142 | World Art History 2: Early Modern to Post-Colonial |
| HUM 2212 | English and American Literature 1 |
| HUM 2213 | English and American Literature 2 |
| HUM 2331 | American History: Pre-Columbian to Civil War Era |
| HUM 2332 | American History: From Reconstruction to the Present |
Not all humanities core courses are offered online or every term; check the current schedule of classes for humanities core options.
**BUS 3xxx may be taken in place of three credit hours of Technical Elective. CWE 1001 may be taken as the Free Elective; CWE 2001 may be taken in place of three credit hours of Technical Elective.
Electives
The Restricted Elective (Advanced Chemistry) should be satisfied by completion of one of the following courses:
| BIO 2010 | Microbiology |
| BIO 4010 | Biochemistry 1 |
| CHM 3002 | Physical Chemistry 2 |
| CHM 3301 | Analytical Chemistry 1 |
| CHM 4222 | Environmental Chemistry |
| CHM 4550 | Polymer Chemistry |
A list of other recommended electives is available in the chemical engineering department office.
Areas of Emphasis
A wide variety of career paths are open to chemical engineering graduates. Many students, however, are interested in a specific area of chemical engineering and choose electives related to that area. The department office maintains lists of electives appropriate for students interested in alternative energy engineering, biochemical engineering, biomedical engineering, environmental engineering, materials science and engineering, nuclear technology, petroleum engineering and systems engineering. Students may also select as electives courses required for graduate study in business, law or medicine.
Minors
It is the policy of the College of Engineering not to offer minors in areas of engineering. Students may elect, however, to pursue minors in other areas such as computational mathematics, biology, chemistry or environmental science.
Five-Year Master’s Degree Program
More than one-third of all chemical engineering graduates choose to continue their education beyond the bachelor’s degree. A program has been developed within the department that allows students to complete a master’s degree in one calendar year following completion of requirements for the bachelor’s degree. The program includes the opportunity to work with a departmental faculty member on an undergraduate research project that may be expanded into a master’s thesis topic. To qualify, students must have earned a GPA of 3.0 or above following his or her junior year. Additional information concerning the program may be obtained by contacting the department head.
Dual-degree Option in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
This option requires approximately one additional year of study and allows the student to complete bachelor’s degrees in both chemistry and chemical engineering.