Chemical Engineering (BS)

Graduates of the Chemical Engineering Program achieve success in one or more of the following within a few years of graduation:

  1. Careers in industries that require technical expertise in chemical engineering.
  2. Leadership positions in industries that require technical expertise in chemical engineering.
  3. Graduate-level studies in chemical engineering and related technical or scientific fields (e.g. biomedical or environmental engineering, materials science).
  4. Careers outside of engineering that take advantage of an engineering education, such as business, management, finance, law, medicine, or education.
  5. A commitment to life-long learning and service within their chosen profession.

Upon graduation, we expect our students to have:

  1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
  2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
  3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
  5. an ability to function effectively on teams whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
  6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
  7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Columbia’s program in chemical engineering leading to the B.S. degree is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

The first and sophomore years of study introduce general principles of science and engineering and include a broad range of subjects in the humanities and social sciences. Although the program for all engineering students in these first two years is to some extent similar, there are a few important differences for chemical engineering majors. Those wishing to learn about, or major in, chemical engineering should take the professional elective CHEN E1000 Chemical Engineering for Humanity in term I, taught by the Chemical Engineering Department. This course provides a broad overview of modern chemical engineering. Those wishing to major in chemical engineering should also take ENGI E1006 INTRO TO COMP FOR ENG/APP SCI  in term II. Chemical engineering majors receive additional instruction in CHEN E3020 ANALYSIS OF CHEM ENGIN PROBLMS, and throughout the major core curriculum, on the use of computational methods to solve chemical engineering problems.

The Degree Track table spells out the core course requirements, which are split between courses emphasizing engineering science and those emphasizing practical and/or professional aspects of the discipline. Throughout, skills required of practicing engineers are developed (e.g., writing and presentation skills, competency with computers).

The Degree Track table also shows that a significant fraction of the junior-senior program is reserved for electives, both technical and nontechnical. Twenty-one points (7 courses) of technical electives are included in the junior and senior year requirements. Technical electives are science and/or technology based and feature quantitative analysis. Generally, technical electives must be 3000 level or above but there are a few exceptions including:

PHYS UN1403INTRO-CLASSCL & QUANTUM WAVES
PHYS UN2601PHYSICS III:CLASS/QUANTUM WAVE
BIOL UN2005INTRO BIO I: BIOCHEM,GEN,MOLEC
BIOL UN2006INTRO BIO II:CELL BIO,DEV/PHYS
BIOL UN2501CONTEMPORARY BIOLOGY LAB
CHEM UN2444ORGANIC CHEMSTRY II-LECTURES


A full list of approved technical elective courses in each category can be found on the departmental website or obtained from the departmental advisers. The technical electives are subject to the following constraints:

  • 1 Thermodynamics Elective: One technical elective must fall within the category “thermodynamics electives”: Chemical engineering courses with 50% or more content related to thermodynamics.  Examples include:
    CHAP E4120STATISTICAL MECHANICS AND COMP METHODS
    CHEN E4650POLYMER PHYSICS
    CHEN E4880ATOMISTIC SIMULATIONS FOR SCIENCE AND EN
  • 1 Transport Elective: One technical elective must fall within the category “transport electives”: Chemical engineering courses with 50% or more content related to transport phenomena (fluid mechanics, heat transfer, or mass transfer). Examples include:
    CHEN E4150COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS I
    CHEN E4201ENGIN APPL OF ELECTROCHEMISTRY
    CHEN E4600AEROSOLS
    CHEN E4630TOPICS IN SOFT MATERIALS
  • 1 Chemical Engineering Elective: One upper-level technical course with the designator BMCH, CHEN, CHEE, CHAP, or MECH with significant engineering content
  • 2 SEAS Electives outside Chemical Engineering: Two upper-level technical courses with significant engineering content
  • 2 Advanced Science Electives: The remaining two technical elective courses must comprise "advanced science" coursework, which includes the natural sciences and certain engineering coursework. At least one of these courses must be taken outside of SEAS (e.g., in a science department at Columbia). Qualifying engineering courses are determined by Chemical Engineering department advisers.

The junior-senior technical electives provide the opportunity to explore new, interesting areas beyond the core requirements of the degree. Often, students satisfy the technical electives by taking courses from another SEAS department in order to obtain a minor from that department. Alternately, you may wish to take courses in several new areas, or perhaps to explore familiar subjects in greater depth, or you may wish to gain experience in actual laboratory research. Up to 6 points of CHEN E3900 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT may be counted toward the technical elective content. (Note that if more than 3 points of research are pursued, an undergraduate thesis is required.)

The undergraduate concentrations are a way for students to explore a subject area in modern chemical engineering in depth through their selection of technical elective courses. To fulfill a concentration, the student must complete any combination of four courses (12 points total) from the list of suggested courses in that subject area. Concentration areas are: Climate, Environment, and Energy Solutions; Biotechnology and Biopharmaceuticals; Data and Computational Science; and Advanced Materials. More information on courses satisfying the requirements for each concentration can be found on the departmental website.

The program details discussed above apply to undergraduates who are enrolled at Columbia as first-years and declare the chemical engineering major in the sophomore year. However, the chemical engineering program is designed to be readily accessible to participants in any of Columbia’s Combined Plans and to transfer students. In such cases, the guidance of one of the departmental advisers in planning your program is required (contact information for the departmental UG advisers is listed on the department’s website: cheme.columbia.edu).
 

Chemical Engineering Program

An overview of the degree track in PDF format can be found here

First Year
Semester I
MATH UN1101CALCULUS I 
Choose one of the following Physics courses depending on track: 
INTRO TO MECHANICS & THERMO 
PHYSICS I:MECHANICS/RELATIVITY 
ACCELERATED PHYSICS I 
Choose one of the following Chemistry courses depending on track: 
GENERAL CHEMISTRY I-LECTURES 
2ND TERM GEN CHEM (INTENSIVE) 
INTENSVE ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 
ENGL CC1010 (taken Semester l or ll)UNIVERSITY WRITING 
CHEN E1000Chemical Engineering for Humanity 
ENGI E1102 (taken Semester l or ll)THE ART OF ENGINEERING 
Semester II
MATH UN1102CALCULUS II 
Choose one of the following Physics courses depending on track: 
INTRO ELEC/MAGNETSM & OPTCS 
PHYSICS II: THERMO, ELEC & MAG 
ACCELERATED PHYSICS II 
Choose one of the following Chemistry courses depending on track: 
GENERAL CHEMISTRY II-LECTURES 
INTENSVE GENERAL CHEMISTRY-LAB 
INTENSVE ORG CHEM-FOR 1ST YEAR 
ENGL CC1010 (taken Semester l or ll)UNIVERSITY WRITING 
ENGI E1006INTRO TO COMP FOR ENG/APP SCI 
ENGI E1102 (taken Semester l or ll)THE ART OF ENGINEERING 
Second Year
Semester III
APMA E2000
 - APMA E2001
MULTV. CALC. FOR ENGI & APP SCI 
Choose one of the following Physics courses depending on track: 
INTRO TO EXPERIMENTAL PHYS-LAB 
INTERMEDIATE LABORATORY WORK 
CHEM UN2443ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I-LECTURES 
One core humanities elective (3-4)1 
CHEN E2100Material and Energy Balances 
Semester IV
MATH UN2030 or APMA E2101ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS 
Three core humanities electives (11) 
CHEN E3020ANALYSIS OF CHEM ENGIN PROBLMS 
Third Year
Semester V
CHEN E3110PRINCIPLES OF TRANSPORT PHENOMENA 
CHEE E3010 
Adv Natural Science Lab2 
Complete Required Nontech Elective 
Complete Required Tech Elective3 
Semester VI
Math Elective4 
PHED UN1001 (may be taken any Semester)PHYSICAL EDUCATION ACTIVITIES 
CHEN E3230REACTOR KINETICS/REACTOR DESIGN 
CHEE E4140ENGINEERING SEPARATIONS 
Complete Required Nontech Electives 
Complete Required Tech Electives3 
Fourth Year
Semester VII
CHEN E4500PROCESS & PRODUCT DESIGN I 
CHEN E4300CHEM PROC. CONTROL & SAFETY 
Complete Required Nontech Elective 
Complete Required Tech Electives3 
Semester VIII
PHED UN1002 (may be taken any Semester)PHYSICAL EDUCATION ACTIVITIES 
CHEN E3810CHEM ENG & APPLIED CHEM LAB 
Complete Required Tech Electives3 
1

Four core humanities electives should be taken as follows: In Semester III, HUMA CC1001 EURPN LIT-PHILOS MASTERPIECS I or COCI CC1101 CONTEMP WESTERN CIVILIZATION I (4) or any initial course in one of the Global Core sequences offered by the College (3–4); in Semester IV, HUMA CC1002 EURPN LIT-PHILOS MASTRPIECS II or COCI CC1102 CONTEMP WESTRN CIVILIZATION II (4) or ASCM UN2002 or the second course in the Global Core sequence elected in Semester III (3–4); also in Semester IV, ECON UN1105 PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS (4) with ECON UN1155 PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS-DISC recitation (0) and either HUMA UN1121 MASTERPIECES OF WESTERN ART or  HUMA UN1123 MASTERPIECES OF WESTERN MUSIC (3).

2

Total of 3 points required. Choose from CHEM UN2493 ORGANIC CHEM. LAB I TECHNIQUES (1.5), CHEM UN2496 ORGANIC CHEM. LABORATORY II (1.5), CHEM UN2543 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY (3), CHEM UN2545 INTENSIVE ORGANIC CHEM LAB (3), CHEM UN3085 PHYSICL-ANALYTICL LABORATORY I (3), BIOL 2501 (3), EEEB 3015 (3), or another course approved by the major adviser.

3

See the bulletin text for technical elective requirements.

4

Math elective options include APMA E3101 APPLIED MATH I: LINEAR ALGEBRA, MATH UN2010 LINEAR ALGEBRA, APMA E3102 APPLIED MATHEMATICS II: PDE'S, APMA E4150 APPLIED FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS, APMA E4300 COMPUT MATH:INTRO-NUMERCL METH, STAT GU4001 INTRODUCTION TO PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS, or another course approved by the major adviser.