Undergraduate Program
Through the Numbers
25 Students participated in study abroad during past year
42 Students had a co-op or internship
99 Freshmen in ChE (68 received scholarships)
82 Returning ChE students received scholarships
377 ChE Undergraduates
Women – 37% (140)
Minorities – 11% (43)
International – 6% (24)
CBE Student Profile
Ahmanson Intern Award winner sees hope for solving hunger, poverty
When Diane Brown visited Mexico on a research trip, she made an important discovery.
Herself.
What began as an internship ended in growth, aspirations, and a prestigious award for the motivated student, whose double major of chemical engineering and Spanish reflects her expanded outlook on life.
ChE Graduates - where are they now?
We pride ourselves on giving you a hands-on, practical education that will prepare you for a job right after graduation.
The department has already educated more than 4,000 graduates, who are making an impact in the work force. Each year, about 100 men and women complete a chemical engineering degree at Iowa State. See more reasons to choose CBE at ISU.
Degree Offered
The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering offers a BS degree in chemical engineering. Learn more about the chemical engineering profession.
Chemical Engineering
Chemical engineering is a well-established field at Iowa State, with 90 years of history and growth. Learn more about what chemical engineers do.
Biological Engineering
You can elect to choose electives to construct a chemical engineering program that looks like "biological" engineering to prepare for careers in the food, pharmaceutical, biotech, environmental, or an emerging chemical industry based on biorenewable foodstocks. Learn more about what biological engineers do.
Program Objectives
In accordance with the department's educational mission of providing a high-quality education in chemical engineering that prepares graduates for a productive career in engineering and related fields and for life as educated, effective citizens, the chemical engineering program will address the diverse backgrounds, abilities, and educational objectives of the students by providing a well-coordinated, practical program that covers chemical engineering fundamentals and exposure to emerging technologies. Learning experiences will extend beyond the classroom through mentoring, advising, research opportunities, and a variety of professional enrichment programs to achieve the following objectives:
- To produce graduates with the ability to function as professional chlemical engineers in the businesses and industries related to chemical engineering.
- To produce graduates with the ability to pursue research and advanced studies in chemical engineering, or in related fields such as medicine, law, and business, or in related sciences such as chemistry and biology.
- To produce graduates with the ability to function as chemical engineers in an international setting.
Program of Study
The department offers a wide range of chemical engineering courses, many of which are taught in state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories.
Learn more about
- Course descriptions (2005-07 Catalog)
- Typical four-Year plan (pdf)
- Degree requirements
- Electives and areas of emphasis (pdf)
- Degree planning worksheet (pdf)
- Transfer course equivalencies and guides
- Recommended high school preparation (pdf)
- 2008-2009 undergraduate handbook (pdf)
- 2002-2003 handbook (pdf)
- 2003-2004 handbook (pdf)
- 2004-2005 handbook (pdf)
- 2005-2006 handbook (pdf)
- 2006-2007 handbook (pdf)
- 2007-2008 handbook (pdf)
Core courses are repeated each semester to enable rapid progress of those taking advantage of industrial internship opportunities.
Design Experience
The design experience begins in the second year in ChE 210, Materials and Energy Balances, in which students are introduced to the design and computation tools that will be used in subsequent courses.
Introduction to databases, data manipulation and reduction, and the use of numerical method packages are covered, along with the concept of optimization and economic design. The design experience then continues through the sequence of primarily engineering science courses.
The senior elective courses include a design experience. Finally, the capstone design course, ChE 430, brings together all of these elements in an integrated design experience.
Electives and Areas of Emphasis
The chemical engineering curriculum provides considerable flexibility, which allows students to tailor the curriculum to meet their own needs. The elective requirements (pdf) are in the communications area, social sciences and humanities, and technical or scientific.
The chemical engineering curriculum includes 18 credits of technical electives to encourage students to develop an “area of emphasis” (pdf).
For example, a student may wish to take courses that will be good preparation for graduate school, or a student may wish to develop a stronger background in environmental engineering, biochemical engineering, biotechnology, or solid state (electronic or polymeric) materials processing.
Diverse Learning Experiences
As part of our great academic programs, we encourage students to gain leadership and diverse experiences through
- International programs
- Internships and co-ops
- Independent study
- Undergraduate learning community
- Honors program
- Student organizations
- Biological Materials and Processes (BioMaP): Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) (National Science Foundation)
You may also have the opportunity to work with researchers at the Ames Laboratory of the US Department of Energy housed at Iowa State. This laboratory conducts physical and chemical science research related to materials and energy technologies.
Don’t forget other high-profile research organizations that may have opportunities for students, which include the ISU Plant Sciences Institute, the National Animal Disease Center, and the Office of Biotechnology.
Questions?
For more information, email cheme-advising
iastate.edu.
