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Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Academic Advising | Admission Requirements | Program Regulations | General Foundation Requirements | Chemical Engineering Curriculum | Curriculum for the Biotechnology and Bioengineering Track | Chemical Engineering Technical Elective Guidelines for the Traditional Track | Special Opportunities |

Faculty

View faculty details

Chair

Julia M. Ross

Professors

Douglas D. Frey
Theresa Good
Mark R. Marten
Antonio R. Moreira

Professor of the Practice

Taryn Bayles

Associate Professor

Mark R. Marten

Assistant Professors

Mariajose Castellanos
Jennie B. Leach

Courses in this program are listed under .

The undergraduate program in chemical and biochemical engineering emphasizes the application of basic engineering principles and the basic sciences - mathematics, physics and chemistry - to process industries concerned with the chemical transformation of matter. The program prepares students for graduate study or immediate industrial employment in such varied fields as chemical processing, food processing, metallurgy, energy conversion, petroleum refining and pharmaceutical production. Recent graduates of the department have obtained employment as chemical engineers at W.R. Grace, DuPont, Corning, Exxon, Merck, FMC, International

Paper and many other major companies. Additional opportunities are presented by the research and development activities of many public and private research institutes and allied agencies.

The biotechnology and bioengineering track in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering is a specialized program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. The program is designed to integrate the life sciences into each year of the curriculum. The track is intended for students who are interested in working in the biotechnology industry, pursuing graduate work in biochemical or biomedical engineering or going to medical school. In choosing senior-year electives, students may concentrate in biomedical or biochemical engineering or explore both areas. The research interests of the chemical and biochemical engineering faculty are exclusively focused in biotechnology and bioengineering and cover a wide range of areas. Students in this track are encouraged to participate in ongoing research projects by utilizing the under-graduate research elective.

Academic Advising

Lower-division students are advised by the director of lower-division engineering advising in the College of Engineering and Information Technology. Upper-division students majoring in chemical engineering are assigned
a permanent advisor, chosen from the faculty of the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering. Students are required to meet with their assigned advisor before registering for an upcoming semester’s courses.

Educational Objectives

The objectives of the program (Five Cs) are to develop in students:
Competency in the discipline of chemical engineering
Critical thinking ability that will enable them to solve complex problems
Ability to work in Cooperation with teammates
Ability to Communicate effectively
Capacity for lifelong learning

Admission Requirements

Freshmen

Applicants who meet the admission requirements to the university and are prepared, by virtue of their high school background and as indicated by their placement tests, to enroll in ENGL 100, MATH 151, ENES 101 and CHEM 101 and may designate
chemical engineering as their major.

Once students have passed all four of the above courses with a minimum grade of “C” in each course and with an overall GPA of 2.5 in all four courses, they may continue with chemical engineering as their major. Students are not allowed to take any other engineering courses until this requirement is fulfilled.

Past experience has shown that for students to pursue an engineering education successfully immediately upon graduation from high school, they should have taken three years of high school mathematics, including algebra, geometry and trigonometry; one year of physics and one year of chemistry. Students also should have obtained an SAT score of 1200 with a minimum of 600 on the quantitative test.

Transfer Students

Transfer students will be admitted into chemical engineering upon completion of 28 transferable college credit hours with a minimum GPA of 2.5 in the core courses equivalents to ENGL 100; ENES 101; MATH 151; CHEM 101 and all physics, chemistry, mathematics and engineering courses that are included for transfer credit.

Program Regulations

1. The responsibility for proper registration and for satisfying prerequisites for any course rests with the student, as does the responsibility for proper achievement in courses in which the student is enrolled. Each student should be familiar with the provisions of this catalog, including the academic regulations.

2. It is strongly recommended that every chemical engineering student satisfy the mathematics, chemistry and physics requirements as early as possible in his or her program.

3. To be eligible for a bachelor’s degree in engineering, a student must have an overall average of at least a “C” (2.0) and a grade of “C” or better in all engineering courses. Responsibility for knowing and meeting all degree requirements for graduation rests with the student.

4. The chemical and biochemical engineering department publishes a handbook that gives the detailed regulations and policies in the department. Students are urged to obtain this handbook to aid their planning of a chemical engineering education at UMBC.

General Foundation Requirements

Engineering students graduating from UMBC must take 30credits of General Foundation Requirements, as described elsewhere in this catalog, including ENGL 393: Technical Writing. Note that because ENGL 393 is required for the engineering program, it is not counted as an arts/humanities requirement for engineering students.

Chemical Engineering Curriculum

The following is a sample schedule for a four-year
program leading to a bachelor of science (B.S.) degree in the traditional track of chemical engineering.

                                                                          Semester

Freshman Year                                                   I     II
General Education
 Requirements                                              6     3
CHEM 101:
 Principles of Chemistry I                             4      -
CHEM 102:
 Principles of Chemistry II                            -      3
CHEM 102L: Introductory
 Chemistry Lab I                                           -      2
PHYS 121:
 Introductory Physics I                                 -      4
MATH 151, 152: Calculus and
 Analytic Geometry I, II                                4      4
ENES 101, 110: Introductory
 Engineering Science, Statics                      3      3  
                                                                    17   19                                                                       

                                                                           Semester

Sophomore Year                                                 I      II
General Education
 Requirements                                               -       6
CHEM 351:
 Organic Chemistry I                                     3      -
CHEM 351L: Organic
 Chemistry Laboratory I                                 -       2
ENCH 215: Chemical
 Engineering Analysis                                    3       -
MATH 251:
 Multivariable Calculus                                   4       -
MATH 225:
 Differential Equations                                    -       3
PHYS 122: Introductory
 Physics II                                                       4       -
CHEM 352: Organic
 Chemistry II*                                                  -       3
ENCH 225: Chem. Eng.
 Problem Solving and
 Exp. Design                                                    -      4
                                                                             14    18
                                                                                   

                                                                             Semester

Junior Year                                                           I     II

General Education
 Requirements                                                 3     -
CHEM 301: Physical
 Chemistry I                                                     4      -
CHEM 302: Physical
 Chemistry II                                                    -      3
CHEM 311L: Intermediate
 Laboratory I                                                    3      -
ENCH 300: Chemical
 Process Thermodynamics                             3      -
ENCH 425: Transport I:
 Fluids and Heat Transfer                                3      -
ENCH 427: Transport II:
 Mass Transfer                                                -      3
ENCH 440: Chemical
 Engineering Kinetics                                       -       3
ENCH 442: Chemical
 Engineering
 Systems Analysis                                           -      3
ENGL 393: Technical
 Writing                                                             -      3 
                                                                              16    15

                                                                               Semester

Senior Year                                                              I      II

ENCH 437L: Chemical
 Engineering Laboratory                                            3      -
ENCH 444: Process
 Engineering Economics
 and Design I                                                             3       -
ENCH 445: Separation
 Processes                                                                3       -
ENCH 446: Process
 Engineering Economics
 and Design II                                                             -      3
Chemical Engineering
 Technical Electives                                                  3      6
General Foundation
 Requirements                                                           3      6  
                                                                                  15    15


*    Advanced mathematics and natural science elective. Other courses that satisfy this elective course requirement include CHEM 300, BIOL 302, MATH 221, MATH 301, MATH 404 and STAT 355. A complete list of electives in this category is available from the chemical and biochemical engineering department.

Curriculum for the Biotechnology and Bioengineering Track

The following is a sample four-year program in this specialized track.

                                                                      
                                                                           Semester

Freshman Year                                                   I     II
General Education
 Requirements                                               6     -
BIOL 100:
 Comcepts of Biology                                    -      4
CHEM 101, 102: Principles
  of Chemistry I, II                                          4     3
CHEM 102L: Introductory
 Chemistry Lab I                                            -      2
MATH 151, 152: Calculus and
 Analytic Geometry I, II                                  4     4
PHYS 121:
 Introductory Physics I                                   -     4
ENES 101, 110: Introductory
 Engineering Science, Statics                        3     -  
                                                                      17   17       

                                                              

                                                                           Semester

Sophomore Year                                                I      II
General Education
 Requirements                                               3      -
BIOL 302: Molecular and
 General Genetics                                         4      -
BIOL 303: Cell Biology                                   -      3
CHEM 351, 352: Organic
 Chemistry I, II                                               3      3
MATH 251:
 Multivariable Calculus                                   4      -
MATH 225:
 Differential Equations                                     -      3
ENCH 215: Chemical
 Engineering Analysis                                    3       -
PHYS 122: Introductory
 Physics II                                                       -      4
ENCH 225: Chem. Eng.
 Problem Solving and
 Exp. Design                                                   4      -
                                                                             17    17

                                                                           Semester
Junior Year                                                          I      II
General Education
 Requirements                                               6      -
CHEM 437: Biochemistry I                            4      -
CHEM 303: Physical
 Chemistry for Biochemists                            -      3                                         
ENCH 300: Thermodynamics                       3      -
ENCH 425, 427: Transport
 Processes I, II                                              3      3
ENCH 440: Chemical
 Engineering Kinetics                                      -      3
ENCH 441: Reaction Kinetics
 in Biotechnol. and Bioeng                               -     1
ENCH 442: Chemical
 Engineering
 Systems Analysis                                          -      3
ENGL 393: Technical
 Writing                                                            -      3 
                                                                             19   13

                                                                           Semester
Senior Year                                                          I      II

General Education
 Requirements                                                      6     6
Biotechnology and
 Bioengineering Elective*                                      3      3
ENCH 444, 446: Process
 Engineering Economics
 and Design I, II                                                     3      3
ENCH 445: Separation
 Processes                                                            3      -
ENCH 482: Biochemical
 Engineering                                                          3       -
ENCH 485L: Biochemical
 Engineering Laboratory                                        -       4 
                                                                              18    16        

    *Biotechnology and bioengineering electives include ENCH 456: Biomaterials, ENCH 468: Undergraduate Research, ENCH 484: Biomedical Engineering. A list of additional courses in this category is available from the chemical and biochemical engineering department.                                                                         

Chemical Engineering Technical Elective Guidelines for the Traditional Track

Nine credits of technical electives, selected from the courses listed below, are required in the traditional chemical engineering track. It is recommended that they be taken during the senior year. The course ENCH 468: Research Projects can be used as a substitute for one of these courses with written approval of the chemical
and biochemical engineering
department. Elective courses in this category are as follows:

ENCH 450
Chemical Process Development
ENCH 452
Advanced Chemical Engineering Analysis
ENCH 454
Chemical Process Optimization
ENCH 456
Polymeric Materials
ENCH 459
Statistical Design of Experiments
ENCH 482
Biochemical Engineering
ENCH 484
Biomedical Engineering
ENCH 489B
Biological Treatment Processes
ENCH 489P
Physicochemical Treatment Processes
ENCH 489R
Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation

Special Opportunities

Chemical engineering faculty members strive to make research opportunities available to all students. Many students take advantage of these opportunities by enrolling in ENCH 468: Research Projects for course credit or by working as a paid research assistant in the laboratory of a faculty member. Research of this type is especially valuable for students intending to enroll in graduate school.