Requirements and Electives

Degree Credit total 131

Official Degree Path: Swanson School of Engineering (SSOE) Catalog

Department Enrollment Guidance and Policy

Updated: 09/24/2024

Chemical Engineering Core Courses
(46 credits total)

Purpose: The Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering offers six block scheduled courses referred to as “pillars” as curriculum anchors.

All four of the Pillar courses, CHE 0100, CHE 0200, CHE 0300, and CHE 0400, require a minimum grade of “C-“ in order to move forward in the pillar sequence.
CHE 0100 – CHE 0400 must be successfully completed as pre-requisites for capstone classes CHE 0500 and CHE 0613.
Sequential scheduling is recommended as best practice, however, CHE 0300 and CHE 0400 may be taken out of sequence with an approved reason, such as co-op participation.
Only select, qualified transfer students may take specific concurrent pillar courses with the direct approval of the Undergraduate Program Coordinator.
No pillar course or its co-requisite courses may be used to satisfy an elective in the degree path.

Chemical engineering core includes the following courses:

CHE 0100 and 0101: Foundations of Chemical Engineering and Lab (7 credits)
CHE 0200 and 201: Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics and lab (7 credits)
CHE 0214: Introductions to Chemical Product Design (3 credits, co-requisite to CHE 0200)
CHE 0300 and 301: Transport Phenomena and Lab (7 Credits)
CHE 0314: Taking Products to Market (3 credits, co-requisite to CHE 0300)
CHE 0400 and 401: Reactive Process Engineering and Lab (6 credits)
CHE 0500 and 501: Systems Engineering I: Modeling and Dynamics I and Lab (6 credits)
CHE 0613: Systems Engineering II: Process Design (5 credits)
CHE 0602: Chemical Engineering Safety and Ethics (2 credits, co-requite to CHE 0613)

Chemical & Petroleum Engineering BSE Electives
(17 credits total)

Purpose: Electives are classes in which a student may exercise a choice in enrollment from a list of pre-approved classes. Elective lists are available to students in the Academic Advising Report.

Each credit requirement in the degree path must be satisfied by an individual class choice of appropriate credit weight to reach the required 131 credits.
Some classes may appear on more than one pre-approved electives list.
No class can provide duplicate credit for two electives in the degree path.

Composition Course Elective (3 credits)

Purpose: To develop advanced skills in written expression over and above the University Writing-Designated course requirement.

Exclusions: See the appropriate SSOE catalog for a definition of the Writing-Designated Course requirement. No course may satisfy both the department Composition elective and the Writing Designated Course requirement.

This elective can only be satisfied by one of the following five courses:

ENGCMP 0400, Written Professional Communication
ENGCMP 0410, Writing in the Legal Profession
ENGCMP 0420, Writing for the Public
ENGCMP 0440, Critical Writing
ENGCMP 0450, Research Writing

Chemical (CHE)/Petroleum (PETE) Engineering Elective (3 credits)

Purpose: These electives are offered by the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering under the CHE or PETE course description and are meant to enrich student knowledge in the field.

Exclusions: The pillar sequence courses (CHE 0100, 200, 300, 400, 613) and their co-requisites (CHE 0101, 0201, 0301, 0401, 0501, 214, 314) may not be used to satisfy this requirement. CHE 1290 is specifically excluded.