Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

What will I be studying?

Chemical Engineering is the branch of engineering which deals with changing the composition, energy content, and state of aggregation of materials. As a chemical engineering student, you will consider the fundamental properties and nature of matter (chemistry & biology), the forces that act on matter (physics), and the precise expressions of the relationships between them (mathematics). Chemical engineers have the background from chemistry to deal with fundamental processes at the molecular and bio molecular level. Extensive use is made of computers in the application of these sciences to engineering problems. At Missouri S&T you can choose to obtain a general chemical engineering degree or follow the Biochemical Engineering emphasis program.

As a chemical engineer, you may study ways in which pure water can be obtained from the sea; design processes to provide fertilizers, rubber, fibers, and fuels; or team up with other engineers and scientists in biomedical engineering to develop specialized polymeric materials for use in artificial arms, legs, and other human organs. You may be involved in the scale-up and development of processes to produce biological products or pharmaceuticals. You may be instrumental in finding supplemental food sources for man-such as protein from petroleum, wood, or the sea. You might help develop new processes for the application of biochemistry to energy conservation, or environmental control-such as reducing undesirable substances in the air. Or, you might have a hand in the creation of strong lightweight materials to be used in aircraft construction. Your opportunities will be unlimited.

At Missouri S&T, you will have laboratories available which offer training in qualitative and quantitative analysis, organic and physical chemistry, physics, unit operations, biochemical engineering, design, and automatic process control. Your studies will give you a broad technical basis with an emphasis on material balances, energy balances, separation processes, rate processes, unit operations, and process economics and design. Among its facilities, the department features computerized data acquisition and control equipment for research and instruction, which allows simultaneous utilization of the system by several people. A full complement of hardware exists for input and output of signals to and from process equipment and instrumentation. The department computer network makes available a wide variety of professional software. Also included is equipment to measure thermodynamic and physical properties, study biochemical engineering processes, polymers, surface phenomena, fluid mechanics, membranes, chemical kinetics, and diffusion.

Chemical Engineering Curriculum

Chemical Engineering with Biological Emphasis Curriculum

Student Organizations

There is a very active student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). The AIChE student chapter brings approximately 15 practicing chemical engineers per year to their meetings. These engineers describe their work and the companies they work for. Students in the department also participate in Omega Chi Epsilon , the chemical engineering honor society, Tau Beta Pi , the engineering honor society and Alpha Chi Sigma and service society for students in chemical related fields.

Facilities & Technology

The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department has three computer learning classrooms (CLCs) with over 80 computers available to students. Numerous software packages are available for students to use for their classroom and laboratory assignments. All CLCs, dormitories, and housing units have computers that are connected to the campus network. All students have e-mail access with a Missouri S&T e-mail address and most have their own Web pages.

There are three chemical engineering laboratories, designed to give students hands-on experience with up-to-date industrial equipment. Each laboratory is integrated with and supports one or more lecture classes. The department also has two laboratories for the biochemical emphasis program.

Financial Assistance