Chemical engineering uses the knowledge of chemistry, mathematics, physics, biology, and humanities to solve societal problems in areas such as energy, health, environment, food, clothing, materials, shelter, and sustainability and serves a variety of processing industries whose vast array of products include chemicals, petroleum products, plastics, pharmaceuticals, foods, textiles, fuels, consumer products, and electronic and cryogenic materials. Chemical Engineering also advances societal goals by developing environmentally conscious and sustainable technologies to meet global challenges. Chemical engineering is an engineering discipline that has its strongest ties with the molecular sciences. This is an important asset since sciences such as chemistry, molecular biology, biomedicine, and solid-state physics are providing the seeds for future technologies. Chemical engineering has a bright future as the discipline which will bridge science with engineering in multidisciplinary environments.
Biomolecular Engineering is concerned with the processing of biological materials and processes that use biological agents such as living cells, enzymes, or antibodies. Biomolecular Engineering, with integrated knowledge of the principles of biology and chemical engineering, plays a major engineering role in the rapidly developing area of biotechnology. Career opportunities in Biomolecular Engineering are available in a variety of industries such as biotechnology, chemical, environmental, food, petrochemical, and pharmaceutical industries.
The principal objectives of the graduate curriculum in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering are to develop and expand students' abilities to solve new and more challenging engineering problems and to promote their skills in independent thinking and learning in preparation for careers in manufacturing, research, or teaching. These objectives are reached through a program of course work and research designed by each student with the assistance, advice, and approval of a primary faculty advisor and a faculty advisory committee. Programs of study leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering are offered.