http://www.rit.edu/kgcoe/chemical

Program overview

Educational objectives

The bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering prepares graduates to:

• draw upon the fundamental knowledge, skills, and tools of chemical engineering to develop system-based engineering solutions that satisfy constraints imposed by a global society.

• enhance their skills through formal education and training, independent inquiry, and professional development. 

• work independently as well as collaboratively with others, and demonstrate leadership, accountability, initiative, and ethical and social responsibility.

• successfully pursue graduate degrees at the master’s and/or doctoral levels.

Chemical engineering applies the core scientific disciplines of chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematics to transform raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms, invariably in processes that involve chemical change. All engineers employ mathematics, physics, and engineering art to overcome technical problems in a safe and economical fashion. The chemical engineer provides the critical level of expertise needed to solve problems in which chemical specificity and change have particular relevance. They not only create new, more effective ways to manufacture chemicals, they also work collaboratively with chemists to pioneer the development of high-tech materials for specialized applications. Well-known contributions include the development and commercialization of synthetic rubber, synthetic fiber, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. Chemical engineers contribute significantly to advances in the food industry, alternative energy systems, semiconductor manufacturing, and environmental modeling and remediation. The special focus within the discipline on process engineering cultivates a systems perspective that makes chemical engineers extremely versatile and capable of handling a wide spectrum of technical problems.

Students in the program develop a firm and practical grasp of engineering principles and the underlying science associated with traditional chemical engineering applications. They also learn to tie together phenomena at the nano-scale with the behavior of systems at the macro-scale. While chemical engineers have always excelled at analyzing and designing processes with multiple length scales, modern chemical engineering applications require this knowledge to be extended to the nano-scale. The program addresses this emerging need.

Curriculum

Chemical engineering is a five-year program consisting of 50 weeks of cooperative education and the following course requirements: chemical engineering core, professional technical electives, science and mathematics, liberal arts, free electives, wellness education, and First-Year Enrichment. 

The core of the program provides students with a solid foundation in engineering principles and their underlying science.   Students choose three professional technical electives to form a concentration in one of five key application domains: biomedical, alternate energy systems, advanced materials, semiconductor processing, and environmental issues. Other concentration areas can be chosen to reflect current societal needs and student interest. Professional technical electives from a department-approved list of courses are offered in addition to electives from the chemical engineering department. A capstone design experience in the fifth year integrates engineering theory, principles, and processes within a collaborative environment that bridges multiple engineering disciplines. Completeing the program are mathematics and science courses, free electives, and liberal arts courses. 

Cooperative education

Cooperative education is a key component of the program. Fifty weeks (five co-op blocks of 10-week duration) of full-time, paid work experience enables students to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real work scenarios. Students will also network with professionals in the field and learn in a hands-on environment.

Chemical engineering students are encouraged to focus their professional technical electives in one of five key application areas: 

• Biomedical and biochemical systems: biocompatibility; artificial organs; cellular growth (in vitro and in vivo), including the scaffolding environments that are needed to culture cells to differentiate into replacement organs; and biochemical processes (i.e., manufacture of pharmaceuticals and purification of biological materials)
• Alternative energy systems: fuel cells, renewable energy (i.e., biodiesel and fuels derived from cellulose based feedstocks), and the hydrogen economy
• Advanced materials: nano-scale composites, biocompatible materials, specialized coatings, self-assembled materials, colloidal systems
• Semiconductor processing: traditional and novel methods for manufacturing microsystem-based products, including the development and application of advanced materials for this application domain
• Environmental applications: toxic waste remediation, contemporary environmental policy issues, and the integration and application of knowledge from the above subject areas with a focus on sustainability

Additional information

BS/MS Chemical Engineering/Science, Technology, and Public Policy

An accelerated cross-disciplinary BS/MS degree is available for motivated, qualified chemical engineering students who are interested in earning a BS in chemical engineering and an MS in science, technology, and public policy (offered by RIT’s College of Liberal Arts) in five years. The MS in science, technology and public policy emphasizes the creation and understanding of engineering, science, and technology policy. The program enables students to interact with faculty members and researchers who are working on scientific developments and technological innovations that drive new public policy considerations.

Chemical engineers are ideal candidates to augment their education with in-depth knowledge of public policy. The breadth and depth of chemical engineering, as evidenced by the large range of application domains in which they play a role, provides an opportunity for chemical engineers to influence public policy over a broad range of issues of relevance to society. Additionally, as chemical engineers are often called on to mitigate problems of societal importance such as environmental remediation, an in-depth knowledge of government regulations and their origin is often essential for engineering practice.