Undergraduate Studies
Biological Engineering and Chemical Engineering are dynamic, innovative fields atÌýthe forefront of biotechnology, therapeutics, alternative and renewable energy, nanotechnology, CO2 reductionÌýand much more.
Our students begin their journey withÌýcourses in computing, chemistry, math, biology and physics. In their sophomore and junior years, they delve into engineering fundamentals such as fluids, heat & mass transfer, thermodynamicsÌýand statistics. These concepts are then applied in the junior and senior years to industry-facing courses such as (Bio)Design, (Bio)Separations, (Bio)Materials, (Bio)Kinetics, Biological/Chemical LabÌýand a myriad of ever-updated technical electives, includingÌýDrug Delivery, Immuno Engineering, Tissue Engineering, Solar Cells, Polymer EngineeringÌýand Nanomaterials. During the senior-year Capstone Design Sequence, students work in small groups on different company projects each with their own company liaison.
Learn more about our bachelor’s degree curricula, graduation requirements, policiesÌýand more below. Note for students who started before August 2024: the ChBE Advising GuideÌýhas been replaced with this easy-to-navigate webpage.
Curricula
The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering curricula each consist of 128 credit hours. Students follow one of three paths:
In 2024 the department changed the BSÌýin Chemical and Biological Engineering to a BSÌýin Biological Engineering. This change was sparked by years of student, alumni, and employer requests to add more and earlier bio-focused courses into the curriculum. By removingÌý"Chemical" from the name we are beholden to fewer accreditation requirements and have added more bio-focused courses and flexibility in the degree. A Chemical Engineering Minor will also be available starting fall 2025.
Interested in working on the next artificial organ, vaccine, or cancer treatment? Biological engineers are leading the charge in fields such as tissue engineering, personalized medicine, sustainable biofuels, pharmaeuticals, biotechnology, biomaterials, and therapeutics & antimicrobials development. With a pre-med path, ample opportunities to conduct research, and technical electives such as pharmaceutical biotechnology, drug delivery, immuno engineering, metabolic engineering, tissue engineering, and protein & enzyme engineering, BIEN majors are well-prepared to make an immediate impact in industry or continue on to a graduate, medical, MD-PhD, or pharmacy program.
| First Year Fall Semester | 14 Credits | Ìý | First Year Spring Semester | 17 Credits |
| APPM 1350 Calc 1 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 1360 Calc 2 for Engineers | 4 | |
| CHEN 1201 Gen Chem 1 for Eng | 4 | CHEM 1221 Gen Chem Lab for Eng | 1 | |
| ^CHEN 1300 Intro to ChE | (1) | CHEN 1203 Gen Chem 2 for Eng | 2 | |
| CHEN 1310 Intro to Eng Computing | 3 | CHEN 2810 Bio for Engineers | 3 | |
| *H&SS Elective | 3 | PHYS 1110 Physics 1 | 4 | |
| Ìý | Ìý | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Sophomore Year Fall | 18 Credits | Ìý | Sophomore Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| APPM 2350 Calc 3 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 2360 Diff Eq w/Linear Alg | 4 | |
| CHEM 3311 Organic Chem 1 | 4 | CHEM 3331 Organic Chem 2 | 4 | |
| CHEM 3321 Organic Chem 1 Lab | 1 | CHEM 3341 Organic Chem 2 Lab | 1 | |
| CHEN 2120 Material & Energy Bal | 3 | CHEN 3200 Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| BIEN 3800 Fundamentals of Bio | 3 | CHEN 4090 Undergrad Seminar | 1 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | CHEN 4521 Physical Chem for Eng | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Junior Year Fall | 16 Credits | Ìý | Junior Year Spring | 18 Credits |
| CHEN 3010 Applied Data Analysis | 3 | BCHM 4611 Princ of Biochemistry | 3 | |
| CHEN 3210 Heat & Mass Transfer | 4 | BIEN 4820 Bioseparations | 3 | |
| CHEN 3320 Thermodynamics | 3 | BIEN 4805 Biomaterials | 3 | |
| *College-Approved Writing | 3 | BIEN 4830 Biokinetics | 3 | |
| *H&SS Elective | 3 | ^^Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | Ìý | Ìý | *H&SS Elective | 3 |
| Ìý | ||||
| Senior Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | Senior Year Spring | 14 Credits |
| BIEN 4520 Biodesign | 3 | BIEN 4530 Biodesign Project | 2 | |
| BIEN 4810 Bio Lab | 3 | ^^^BIEN Focus Technical Elective | 3 | |
| ^^^BIEN/CHEN Tech Elective | 3 | ^^^BIEN/CHEN Tech Elective | 3 | |
| ^^Technical Elective | 3 | ^^Technical Elective | 3 | |
| ^^Technical Elective | 3 | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
^CHEN 1300 is an optional technical elective.
^^15 Technical Electives: Twelve credits can come from the Approved Technical Electives and three credits must be a Focus Technical Elective.
^^^Focus Technical Elective options are BIEN 4800 Bioprocess Engineering, BIEN 4801 Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, BIEN 4802 Tissue Engineering and Medical Devices, BIEN 4803 Metabolic Engineering, BIEN 4804 Protein and Enzyme Engineering, BIEN 4806 Immunoengineering, BIEN 4838 Biomolecular Simulations, BIEN 4838 Data Projects, BIEN 4838 Drug Delivery, or BIEN 4838 Synthetic and Systems Biology.
*When selecting H&SS electives and the College-Approved Writing Course, consult the College's degree requirements.
| First Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | First Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| APPM 1350 Calc 1 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 1360 Calc 2 for Engineers | 4 | |
| CHEM 1221 Gen Chem Lab for Eng | 1 | CHEN 2810 Bio for Engineers | 3 | |
| CHEN 1211 Accelerated Gen Chem | 4 | PHYS 1110 Physics 1 | 4 | |
| ^CHEN 1300 Intro to ChE | (1) | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| CHEN 1310 Intro to Eng Computing | 3 | Free Elective | 2 | |
| *H&SS Elective | 3 | Ìý | Ìý | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Sophomore Year Fall | 18 Credits | Ìý | Sophomore Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| APPM 2350 Calc 3 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 2360 Diff Eq w/Linear Alg | 4 | |
| CHEM 3311 Organic Chem 1 | 4 | CHEM 3331 Organic Chem 2 | 4 | |
| CHEM 3321 Organic Chem 1 Lab | 1 | CHEM 3341 Organic Chem 2 Lab | 1 | |
| CHEN 2120 Material & Energy Bal | 3 | CHEN 3200 Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| BIEN 3800 Fundamentals of Bio | 3 | CHEN 4090 Undergrad Seminar | 1 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | CHEN 4521 Physical Chem for Eng | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Junior Year Fall | 16 Credits | Ìý | Junior Year Spring | 18 Credits |
| CHEN 3010 Applied Data Analysis | 3 | BCHM 4611 Princ of Biochemistry | 3 | |
| CHEN 3210 Heat & Mass Transfer | 4 | BIEN 4820 Bioseparations | 3 | |
| CHEN 3320 Thermodynamics | 3 | BIEN 4805 Biomaterials | 3 | |
| *College-Approved Writing | 3 | BIEN 4830 Biokinetics | 3 | |
| *H&SS Elective | 3 | ^^Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | Ìý | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Senior Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | Senior Year Spring | 14 Credits |
| BIEN 4520 Biodesign | 3 | BIEN 4530 Biodesign Project | 2 | |
| BIEN 4810 Bio Lab | 3 | ^^^BIEN Focus Technical Elective | 3 | |
| ^^^BIEN/CHEN Tech Elective | 3 | ^^^BIEN/CHEN Tech Elective | 3 | |
| ^^Technical Elective | 3 | ^^Technical Elective | 3 | |
| ^^Technical Elective | 3 | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
^CHEN 1300 is an optional technical elective.
^^15 Technical Electives: Nine credits can come from the Approved Technical Electives and three credits must be a Focus Technical Elective.
^^^Focus Technical Elective options are BIEN 4800 Bioprocess Engineering, BIEN 4801 Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, BIEN 4802 Tissue Engineering and Medical Devices, BIEN 4803 Metabolic Engineering, BIEN 4804 Protein and Enzyme Engineering, BIEN 4806 Immunoengineering, BIEN 4838 Biomolecular Simulations, BIEN 4838 Data Projects, BIEN 4838 Drug Delivery, or BIEN 4838 Synthetic and Systems Biology.
*When selecting H&SS electives and the College-Approved Writing Course, consult the College's degree requirements.
| First Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | First Year Spring | 18 Credits |
| APPM 1350 Calc 1 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 1360 Calc 2 for Engineers | 4 | |
| CHEM 1114 Gen Chem 1 Lab | 1 | CHEM 1133 Gen Chem 2 | 4 | |
| CHEN 1201 Gen Chem 1 for Eng | 4 | CHEM 1134 Gen Chem 2 Lab | 1 | |
| ^CHEN 1300 Intro to ChE | (1) | PHYS 1110 Physics 1 | 4 | |
| CHEN 1310 Intro to Eng Computing | 3 | MCDB Lab | 2 | |
| MCDB 1150 Intro to Cell Bio | 3 | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Sophomore Year Fall | 17 Credits | Ìý | Sophomore Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| APPM 2350 Calc 3 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 2360 Diff Eq w/Linear Alg | 4 | |
| CHEM 3311 Organic Chem 1 | 4 | CHEM 3331 Organic Chem 2 | 4 | |
| CHEM 3321 Organic Chem 1 Lab | 1 | CHEM 3341 Organic Chem 2 Lab | 1 | |
| CHEN 2120 Material & Energy Bal | 3 | CHEN 3200 Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| MCDB 2150 Genetics | 3 | CHEN 4090 Undergrad Seminar | 1 | |
| Free Elective | 2 | CHEN 4521 Physical Chem for Eng | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Junior Year Fall | 16 Credits | Ìý | Junior Year Spring | 15 Credits |
| CHEN 3010 Applied Data Analysis | 3 | BCHM 4611 Princ of Biochemistry | 3 | |
| CHEN 3210 Heat & Mass Transfer | 4 | BIEN 4820 Bioseparations | 3 | |
| CHEN 3320 Thermodynamics | 3 | BIEN 4805 Biomaterials | 3 | |
| *H&SS Elective | 3 | BIEN 4830 Biokinetics | 3 | |
| *College-Approved Writing | 3 | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Senior Year Fall | 16 Credits | Ìý | Senior Year Spring | 15 Credits |
| BIEN 4520 Chem Process (Design) | 3 | BIEN 4530 Biodesign Project | 2 | |
| BIEN 4810 CBEN Lab | 3 | ^^BIEN/CHEN Technical Elective | 3 | |
| PHYS 1120 Physics 2 | 4 | ^^^Focus Technical Elective | 3 | |
| ^^BIEN/CHEN Technical Elective | 3 | PHYS 1140 Exp Lab | 1 | |
| ^^Technical Elective | 3 | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | Ìý | Ìý | *H&SS Elective | 3 |
^CHEN 1300 is an optional technical elective.
^^12 Technical Electives: Nine credits can come from the Approved Technical Electives and three credits must be a Focus Technical Elective.
^^^Focus Technical Elective options are BIEN 4800 Bioprocess Engineering, BIEN 4801 Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, BIEN 4802 Tissue Engineering and Medical Devices, BIEN 4803 Metabolic Engineering, BIEN 4804 Protein and Enzyme Engineering, BIEN 4806 Immunoengineering, BIEN 4838 Biomolecular Simulations, BIEN 4838 Data Projects, BIEN 4838 Drug Delivery, or BIEN 4838 Synthetic and Systems Biology.
*When selecting H&SS electives and the College-Approved Writing Course, consult the College's degree requirements.
Our chemical engineering graduates are equipped to tackle the world's energy and climate change challenges with innovative solutions. They excel at the forefront of materials and microelectronics, where they develop materials for semiconductor devices, synthesize nanomaterials and thin films crucial for solar cells and display screens, and pioneer polymers for electronic device components. A chemical engineering B.S. degree prepares students to continue on to graduate school or immediately make an impact in industry.
Download the 2024-25 Curriculum Flowchart
| First Year Fall | 14 Credits | Ìý | First Year Spring | 17 Credits |
| APPM 1350 Calc 1 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 1360 Calc 2 for Engineers | 4 | |
| CHEN 1201 Gen Chem 1 for Eng | 4 | CHEM 1221 Gen Chem Lab for Eng | 1 | |
| ^CHEN 1300 Intro to ChE | (1) | CHEN 1203 Gen Chem 2 for Eng | 2 | |
| CHEN 1310 Intro to Eng Computing | 3 | CHEN 2810 Bio for Engineers | 3 | |
| *H&SS Elective | 3 | PHYS 1110 Physics 1 | 4 | |
| Ìý | Ìý | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Sophomore Year Fall | 17 Credits | Ìý | Sophomore Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| APPM 2350 Calc 3 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 2360 Diff Eq w/Linear Alg | 4 | |
| CHEM 3311 Organic Chem 1 | 4 | CHEM 3331 Organic Chem 2 | 4 | |
| CHEM 3321 Organic Chem 1 Lab | 1 | CHEM 3341 Organic Chem 2 Lab | 1 | |
| CHEN 2120 Material & Energy Bal | 3 | CHEN 3200 Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| PHYS 1120 Physics 2 | 4 | CHEN 4090 Undergrad Seminar | 1 | |
| PHYS 1140 Experimental Lab | 1 | CHEN 4521 Physical Chem for Eng | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Junior Year Fall | 16 Credits | Ìý | Junior Year Spring | 18 Credits |
| CHEN 3010 Applied Data Analysis | 3 | CHEN 3220 Separations | 3 | |
| CHEN 3210 Heat & Mass Transfer | 4 | CHEN 4330 Kinetics | 3 | |
| CHEN 3320 Thermodynamics | 3 | CHEN 4440 Materials | 3 | |
| *College-Approved Writing | 3 | ^^Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | ^^^Advanced Chemistry Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | Ìý | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Senior Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | Senior Year Spring | 15 Credits |
| CHEN 4130 ChE Lab | 3 | CHEN 4530 Design Project | 2 | |
| CHEN 4520 Chem Process (Design) | 3 | CHEN 4570 Process Control | 4 | |
| ^^Technical Elective | 3 | ^^CHEN/BIEN 3000+ Technical Elective | 3 | |
| ^^CHEN/BIEN 3000 Technical Elective | 3 | ^^Technical Elective | 3 | |
| *H&SS Elective | 3 | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
^CHEN 1300 is an optional technical elective.
^^15 Technical Electives: Nine credits can come from the Approved Technical Electives and six credits must be CHEN or BIEN 3000+. Only 3 credits of CHEN/BIEN 3000+ can be Independent Study Credits.
^^^Select from BCHM 4611 Principles of Biochemistry, CHEM 4011 Modern Inorganic, or CHEM 4531 Physical Chemistry 2.
*When selecting H&SS electives and the College-Approved Writing Course, consult the College's degree requirements.
| First Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | First Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| APPM 1350 Calc 1 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 1360 Calc 2 for Engineers | 4 | |
| CHEM 1221 Gen Chem Lab for Eng | 1 | CHEN 2810 Bio for Engineers | 3 | |
| CHEN 1211 Accelerated Gen Chem | 4 | PHYS 1110 Physics 1 | 4 | |
| ^CHEN 1300 Intro to ChE | (1) | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| CHEN 1310 Intro to Eng Computing | 3 | Free Elective | 2 | |
| *H&SS Elective | 3 | Ìý | Ìý | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Sophomore Year Fall | 17 Credits | Ìý | Sophomore Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| APPM 2350 Calc 3 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 2360 Diff Eq w/Linear Alg | 4 | |
| CHEM 3311 Organic Chem 1 | 4 | CHEM 3331 Organic Chem 2 | 4 | |
| CHEM 3321 Organic Chem 1 Lab | 1 | CHEM 3341 Organic Chem 2 Lab | 1 | |
| CHEN 2120 Material & Energy Bal | 3 | CHEN 3200 Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| PHYS 1120 Physics 2 | 4 | CHEN 4090 Undergrad Seminar | 1 | |
| PHYS 1140 Experimental Lab | 1 | CHEN 4521 Physical Chem for Eng | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Junior Year Fall | 16 Credits | Ìý | Junior Year Spring | 18 Credits |
| CHEN 3010 Applied Data Analysis | 3 | CHEN 3220 Separations | 3 | |
| CHEN 3210 Heat & Mass Transfer | 4 | CHEN 4330 Kinetics | 3 | |
| CHEN 3320 Thermodynamics | 3 | CHEN 4440 Materials | 3 | |
| *College-Approved Writing | 3 | ^^Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | ^^^Advanced Chemistry Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | Ìý | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Senior Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | Senior Year Spring | 15 Credits |
| CHEN 4130 ChE Lab | 3 | CHEN 4530 Design Project | 2 | |
| CHEN 4520 Chem Process (Design) | 3 | CHEN 4570 Process Control | 4 | |
| ^^Technical Elective | 3 | ^^CHEN/BIEN 3000+ Technical Elective | 3 | |
| ^^CHEN/BIEN 3000 Technical Elective | 3 | ^^Technical Elective | 3 | |
| *H&SS Elective | 3 | *H&SS Elective | 3 | |
^CHEN 1300 is an optional technical elective.
^^15 Technical Electives: Nine credits can come from the Approved Technical Electives and six credits must be CHEN or BIEN 3000+. Only 3 credits of CHEN/BIEN 3000+ can be Independent Study Credits.
^^^Select from BCHM 4611 Principles of Biochemistry, CHEM 4011 Modern Inorganic, or CHEM 4531 Physical Chemistry 2.
*When selecting H&SS electives and the College-Approved Writing Course, consult the College's degree requirements.
| First Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | First Year Spring | 18 Credits |
| APPM 1350 Calc 1 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 1360 Calc 2 for Engineers | 4 | |
| CHEM 1114 Gen Chem 1 Lab | 1 | CHEM 1133 Gen Chem 2 | 4 | |
| CHEN 1201 Gen Chem 1 for Eng | 4 | CHEM 1134 Gen Chem 2 Lab | 1 | |
| ^CHEN 1300 Intro to ChE | (1) | MCDB Lab | 2 | |
| CHEN 1310 Intro to Eng Computing | 3 | PHYS 1110 Physics 1 | 4 | |
| MCDB 1150 Intro to Cell Bio | 3 | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Sophomore Year Fall | 17 Credits | Ìý | Sophomore Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| APPM 2350 Calc 3 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 2360 Diff Eq w/Linear Alg | 4 | |
| CHEM 3311 Organic Chem 1 | 4 | CHEM 3331 Organic Chem 2 | 4 | |
| CHEM 3321 Organic Chem 1 Lab | 1 | CHEM 3341 Organic Chem 2 Lab | 1 | |
| CHEN 2120 Material & Energy Bal | 3 | CHEN 3200 Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| PHYS 1120 (4) Physics 2 | 4 | CHEN 4090 Undergrad Seminar | 1 | |
| PHYS 1140 (1) Exp Lab | 1 | CHEN 4521 P Chem for Engineers | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Junior Year Fall | 16 Credits | Ìý | Junior Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| CHEN 3010 Applied Data Analysis | 3 | BCHM 4611 Princ of Biochem | 3 | |
| CHEN 3210 Heat & Mass Transfer | 4 | CHEN 3320 Separations | 3 | |
| CHEN 3320 Thermodynamics | 3 | CHEN 4440 Materials | 3 | |
| **College Approved Writing | 3 | CHEN 4330 Kinetics | 3 | |
| MCDB 2150 Genetics | 3 | Free Elective | 1 | |
| Ìý | Ìý | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Senior Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | Senior Year Spring | 15 Credits |
| CHEN 4130 ChE Lab | 3 | CHEN 4530 Design Project | 2 | |
| CHEN 4520 Chem Process (Design) | 3 | CHEN 4570 Process Control | 4 | |
| ^^CHEN/BIEN 3000 Technical Elective | 3 | ^^CHEN/BIEN 3000 Technical Elective | 3 | |
| ^&Technical Elective | 3 | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| **H&SS Elective | 3 | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
^CHEN 1300 is an optional technical elective.
^^15 Technical Electives: Nine credits can come from the Approved Technical Electives and at least 6 credits must be CHEN/BIEN 3000+.
**When selecting H&SS electives and the College-Approved Writing Course, consult the College's degree requirements.
In 2024 the department changed the BSÌýin Chemical and Biological Engineering to a BS in Biological Engineering. This change was sparked by years of student, alumniÌýand employer requests to add more and earlier bio-focused courses into the curriculum. By removing "Chemical" from the name, we are beholden to fewer accreditation requirements and have added more bio-focused courses and flexibility in the degree. This change applies only to students starting in August 2024; those students who entered the programÌýbefore August 2024 canÌýcomplete the CBEN curriculum and receive a CBEN degree.
Download the CBEN Curriculum Flowchart
| First Year Fall | 14 Credits | Ìý | First Year Spring | 17 Credits |
| APPM 1350 Calc 1 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 1360 Calc 2 for Engineers | 4 | |
| CHEN 1201 Gen Chem 1 for Eng | 4 | CHEM 1221 Gen Chem Lab for Eng | 1 | |
| ^CHEN 1300 Intro to ChE | (1) | CHEN 1203 Gen Chem 2 for Eng | 2 | |
| CHEN 1310 Intro to Eng Computing | 3 | CHEN 2810 Bio for Engineers | 3 | |
| **H&SS Elective | 3 | PHYS 1110 Physics 1 | 4 | |
| Ìý | Ìý | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Sophomore Year Fall | 17 Credits | Ìý | Sophomore Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| APPM 2350 Calc 3 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 2360 Diff Eq w/Linear Alg | 4 | |
| CHEM 3311 Organic Chem 1 | 4 | CHEM 3331 Organic Chem 2 | 4 | |
| CHEM 3321 Organic Chem 1 Lab | 1 | CHEM 3341 Organic Chem 2 Lab | 1 | |
| CHEN 2120 Material & Energy Bal | 3 | CHEN 3200 Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| PHYS 1120 Physics 2 | 4 | CHEN 4090 Undergrad Seminar | 1 | |
| PHYS 1140 Experimental Lab | 1 | CHEN 4521 Physical Chem for Eng | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Junior Year Fall | 16 Credits | Ìý | Junior Year Spring | 18 Credits |
| CHEN 3010 Applied Data Analysis | 3 | BCHM 4611 Princ of Biochemistry | 3 | |
| CHEN 3210 Heat & Mass Transfer | 4 | CHEN 3220 Separations | 3 | |
| CHEN 3320 Thermodynamics | 3 | CHEN 4805 Biomaterials | 3 | |
| **College-Approved Writing | 3 | CHEN 4830 Biokinetics | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | Ìý | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Senior Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | Senior Year Spring | 15 Credits |
| CHEN 4520 Chem Process (Design) | 3 | CHEN 4530 Design Project | 2 | |
| CHEN 4810 CBEN Lab | 3 | CHEN 4570 Process Control | 4 | |
| CHEN 4820 Bioseparations | 3 | ^^Technical Elective | 3 | |
| ^&Technical Elective | 3 | ^^^Focus Technical Elective | 3 | |
| ^^Technical Elective | 3 | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
^&If CHEN 1300 is taken, one of the Technical Elective courses will reduce from 3 to 2.
^^12 Technical Electives: Nine credits can come from the Approved Technical Electives and three credits must be a Focus Technical Elective.
^^^Focus Technical Elective options are BIEN 4801 Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, BIEN 4802 Tissue Engineering, BIEN 4803 Metabolic Engineering, BIEN 4804 Protein and Enzyme Engineering, CHEN 4838 Data Projects, BIEN 4838 Drug Delivery, and BIEN 4838 Immunoengineering.
**When selecting H&SS electives and the College-Approved Writing Course, consult the College's degreerequirements.
| First Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | First Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| APPM 1350 Calc 1 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 1360 Calc 2 for Engineers | 4 | |
| CHEM 1221 Gen Chem Lab for Eng | 1 | CHEN 2810 Bio for Engineers | 3 | |
| CHEN 1211 Accelerated Gen Chem | 4 | PHYS 1110 Physics 1 | 4 | |
| ^&CHEN 1300 Intro to ChE | (1) | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| CHEN 1310 Intro to Eng Computing | 3 | Free Elective | 2 | |
| **H&SS Elective | 3 | Ìý | Ìý | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Sophomore Year Fall | 17 Credits | Ìý | Sophomore Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| APPM 2350 Calc 3 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 2360 Diff Eq w/Linear Alg | 4 | |
| CHEM 3311 Organic Chem 1 | 4 | CHEM 3331 Organic Chem 2 | 4 | |
| CHEM 3321 Organic Chem 1 Lab | 1 | CHEM 3341 Organic Chem 2 Lab | 1 | |
| CHEN 2120 Material & Energy Bal | 3 | CHEN 3200 Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| PHYS 1120 Physics 2 | 4 | CHEN 4090 Undergrad Seminar | 1 | |
| PHYS 1140 Experimental Lab | 1 | CHEN 4521 Physical Chem for Eng | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Junior Year Fall | 16 Credits | Ìý | Junior Year Spring | 18 Credits |
| CHEN 3010 Applied Data Analysis | 3 | BCHM 4611 Princ of Biochemistry | 3 | |
| CHEN 3210 Heat & Mass Transfer | 4 | CHEN 3220 Separations | 3 | |
| CHEN 3320 Thermodynamics | 3 | CHEN 4805 Biomaterials | 3 | |
| **College-Approved Writing | 3 | CHEN 4830 Biokinetics | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | Ìý | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Senior Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | Senior Year Spring | 15 Credits |
| CHEN 4520 Chem Process (Design) | 3 | CHEN 4530 Design Project | 2 | |
| CHEN 4810 CBEN Lab | 3 | CHEN 4570 Process Control | 4 | |
| CHEN 4820 Bioseparations | 3 | ^&Technical Elective | 3 | |
| ^^Technical Elective | 3 | ^^^Focus Technical Elective | 3 | |
| ^^Technical Elective | 3 | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
^&If CHEN 1300 is taken, one of the Technical Elective courses will reduce from 3 to 2 credits.
^^12 Technical Electives: Nine credits can come from the Approved Technical Electives and three credits must be a Focus Technical Elective.
^^^Focus Technical Elective options are BIEN 4801 Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, BIEN 4802 Tissue Engineering, BIEN 4803 Metabolic Engineering, BIEN 4804 Protein and Enzyme Engineering, CHEN 4838 Data Projects, BIEN 4838 Drug Delivery, and BIEN 4838 Immunoengineering.
**When selecting H&SS electives and the College-Approved Writing Course, consult the College's degreerequirements.
| First Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | First Year Spring | 18 Credits |
| APPM 1350 Calc 1 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 1360 Calc 2 for Engineers | 4 | |
| CHEM 1114 Gen Chem 1 Lab | 1 | CHEM 1133 Gen Chem 2 | 4 | |
| CHEN 1201 Gen Chem 1 for Eng | 4 | CHEM 1134 Gen Chem 2 Lab | 1 | |
| ^&CHEN 1300 Intro to ChE | (1) | PHYS 1110 Physics 1 | 4 | |
| CHEN 1310 Intro to Eng Computing | 3 | ^^MCDB Lab | 2 | |
| MCDB 1150 Intro to Cell Bio | 3 | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Sophomore Year Fall | 17 Credits | Ìý | Sophomore Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| APPM 2350 Calc 3 for Engineers | 4 | APPM 2360 Diff Eq w/Linear Alg | 4 | |
| CHEM 3311 Organic Chem 1 | 4 | CHEM 3331 Organic Chem 2 | 4 | |
| CHEM 3321 Organic Chem 1 Lab | 1 | CHEM 3341 Organic Chem 2 Lab | 1 | |
| CHEN 2120 Material & Energy Bal | 3 | CHEN 3200 Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| PHYS 1120 Physics 2 | 4 | CHEN 4090 Undergrad Seminar | 1 | |
| PHYS 1140 Experimental Lab | 1 | CHEN 4521 Physical Chem for Eng | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Junior Year Fall | 16 Credits | Ìý | Junior Year Spring | 16 Credits |
| CHEN 3010 Applied Data Analysis | 3 | BCHM 4611 Princ of Biochemistry | 3 | |
| CHEN 3210 Heat & Mass Transfer | 4 | CHEN 3220 Separations | 3 | |
| CHEN 3320 Thermodynamics | 3 | CHEN 4805 Biomaterials | 3 | |
| ^^MCDB 2150 Genetics | 3 | CHEN 4830 Biokinetics | 3 | |
| **College-Approved Writing | 3 | ^&Free Elective | 1 | |
| Ìý | Ìý | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | ||||
| Senior Year Fall | 15 Credits | Ìý | Senior Year Spring | 15 Credits |
| CHEN 4520 Chem Process (Design) | 3 | CHEN 4530 Design Project | 2 | |
| CHEN 4810 CBEN Lab | 3 | CHEN 4570 Process Control | 4 | |
| CHEN 4820 Bioseparations | 3 | ^^^Focus Technical Elective | 3 | |
| ^&Technical Elective | 3 | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
| **H&SS Elective | 3 | **H&SS Elective | 3 | |
^&If CHEN 1300 is taken, one of the Technical Elective courses will reduce from 3 to 2 credits.
^^12 Technical Electives: Nine credits can come from the Approved Technical Electives and three credits must be a Focus Technical Elective.
^^^Focus Technical Elective options are BIEN 4801 Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, BIEN 4802 Tissue Engineering, BIEN 4803 Metabolic Engineering, BIEN 4804 Protein and Enzyme Engineering, CHEN 4838 Data Projects, BIEN 4838 Drug Delivery, and BIEN 4838 Immunoengineering.
**When selecting H&SS Electives and the College-Approved Writing Course, consult the College's degreerequirements.
Electives
- Approved Technical Electives (TEs)
Minors
A Chemical Engineering Minor geared towards Biological Engineering majors has been created and is proceeding through the approval process. This minor is expected to be available to students starting fall 2025.
A Biological Engineering Minor is being created and is expected to be available to students starting fall 2025.
Additional Information
- Petition, Department Course Request Forms, Incomplete Grade, and other forms are available on theÌý
The minimum passing grade for a prerequisite or corequisite course within the chemical and biological engineering curriculaÌýis a C-. This includes courses completed outside the department (APPM, PHYS, etc.). In addition all CHEN 3000+ and BIEN 3000+ courses require a minimum grade of C- even if they are not prerequisites. The minimum passing grade for standalone classes (i.e. humanities & social sciences, technical electives) is a D-. Per CEAS Academic Expectations and Policies, if the minimum required grade in a prerequisite course is not achieved, the student is required to repeat the course until the minimum acceptable grade has been earned (maximum of three attempts total). If a student takes the advanced (post-requisite) course by petition, it does not remove the obligation to meet the prerequisite course minimum grade requirement, even if the grade earned in the advanced course is acceptable. In addition, students need to have a cumulative and major GPA of at least 2.000 in order to graduate from the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
Wondering what type of computer is best to get? While you can get away with using a Mac for much of your coursework, a Windows machine is strongly recommended because some simulation software will not work on a Mac. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) website has and a . Please see these links for more information on minimum hardware requirements as well as additional recommendations. As an engineering student, you may consider purchasing a "high performance" laptop (32-64 GB of memory and 512 GB of storage).Ìý It is also important to note, as emphasized in the links above, that Chromebooks, iPads, and tablets are not suitable replacements for laptops in your coursework as an engineering student.Ìý Anticipated costs range between $1,500 - $2,500, depending upon a variety of factors.
Prospective intra-university transfer (IUT) students should refer to the for transfer advising information.
Where Do Our Students Go Post-Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ?
Biological Engineering - Top 5 Fields
- Biotech & Pharma
- Medical Devices
- Information Technology & Software
- Food
- Biofuels
- Students also go into many other fields: medicine, law, chemicals, consumer goods, materials, environment, communications, government, energy, and consulting
Chemical Engineering - Top 5 Fields
- Renewable Energy
- Biotech & Pharma
- Information Technology & Software
- Materials & Aerospace
- Oil & Gas
- Students also go into consumer goods, finance, law, materials, chemicals, construction, cosmetics, environment, food, automotive, and medical devices
Academic advisors supportÌýyour academic successÌýand helpÌýyou navigate the curriculum.ÌýFirst-year and sophomore students are requiredÌýto meet with theirÌýadvisors eachÌýsemester, whileÌýjuniors and seniors are strongly encouraged to do soÌýprior to registration.Ìý
- Reach out to an academic advisor at chemeng@colorado.edu
- Schedule an appointment with an advisor throughÌýÌý
Working as a course assistant is a great way to master critical academic material, work directly with faculty and earn valuable teaching and leadership experience. Check ourÌýCareersÌýpage for open positions.Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Carry out part of your studies in another country! Study Abroad encourages ChBE students to consider this opportunity, given the international nature of most large chemical and engineering corporations and the importance of globalÌýcooperation in scientific and engineering research. Many faculty members have significant international experience. Due toÌýthe more specialized courses later in the curriculum, we advise considering a semester abroad as early as possible.Ìý
Experience academics from new perspectives and improve your job prospects. For more information, contact Rachel Campagna.