Texas A&M University Undergraduate Catalog 2002-2003 Edition

Lowry Mays College and Graduate School of Business

Curriculum in Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineers are concerned with the application of knowledge gained from basic sciences and practical experience to the development, design, operation and management of plants and processes for economical and safe conversion of chemical raw materials to useful products. Because chemical engineering is the most broadly based of all engineering disciplines, the chemical engineer is in great demand in diverse technical and supervisory areas in a wide variety of industries, and has consistently commanded one of the highest starting salaries of all college graduates.

In addition to dominating the extensive chemical, petroleum and petrochemical industries, for which the Texas Gulf Coast is the nation's leading region, chemical engineers are leaders in such areas as food and pharmaceutical processing, biochemical and biomedical engineering, pollution control and abatement, polymers and plastics, ceramics and other advanced materials, corrosion control, automation and instrumentation, aerospace and nuclear materials, computer technology and data processing, safety, environmental control, and many others.

The versatility of the chemical engineer stems directly from a broad fundamental training in basic chemical and physical sciences as well as a wide variety of engineering disciplines. Besides a heavy emphasis on chemistry and mathematics, the curriculum includes training in physics, economics, humanities and communication skills. The course work in chemical engineering provides balanced training in virtually all aspects of chemical engineering principles and practice. Courses in the department are specifically designed to emphasize fundamentals which are applicable to the analysis, development, design and operation of a wide variety of systems and processes, rather than technological details and rote solution of numerous routine problems.

It is this philosophy which has enabled the graduate chemical engineer to adapt readily to a dynamic and rapidly evolving technology and to solve problems he or she has not previously experienced. To supplement the course work, the department is well equipped with modern laboratories where the student can experience the operation and analysis of a variety of unit operations and process control equipment.

Program objectives are to provide graduates an educational foundation with sufficient depth and breadth for (1) successful chemical engineering careers in industry, academia or government; (2) application and transfer of knowledge across disciplines and into emerging areas of chemical engineering; (3) effective communications supported by appropriate leadership and teaming skills; (4) ethical conduct with a sense of responsibility to their profession and an appreciation for the impact of their profession on society.

Admission to upper-level status in chemical engineering is a prerequisite for enrolling in the chemical engineering course sequence. Specific academic performance requirements must also be met for advancement from sophomore to junior and junior to senior level in the chemical engineering course sequence (the undergraduate advisor should be consulted for specific requirements).

The two required Chemical Engineering specialty courses in the senior year provide the student an opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge in one or more specialized areas of chemical engineering practice. These courses extend and apply the fundamentals developed in the basic courses. The courses are to be taken from a prescribed list, which includes such topics as Biotechnology, Environmental Remediation, Materials Engineering, Microelectronics Processing, Polymer Engineering, Math Models, etc. Other courses may also be acceptable, with special approval. This requirement may be met by taking a variety of courses in different areas, or a sequence of courses with emphasis in a specific area. Students interested in this option should consult with an advisor.

The department is fully accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and compares favorably with the best in the nation.

(See Freshman Year1)

Sophomore Year
First Semester	(Th-Pr)	Cr	Second Semester	(Th-Pr)	Cr
CHEM 227 Organic Chemistry I	(3-0)	3	CHEM 228 Organic Chemistry II	(3-0)	3
CHEM 237 Organic Chemistry Lab.	(0-3)	1	CHEM 238 Organic Chemistry Lab.	(0-3)	1
CHEN 204 Elem. Chemical Engineering	(2-3)	3	CHEN 205 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics I	(3-0)	3
ENGR 211 Conserv. Prin. of Engr. Mech.	(3-0)	3	MATH 308 Differential Equations	(3-0)	3
MATH 251 Engineering Mathematics III	(3-0)	3	Electives 2		6
Elective 2		3			16
		16

Junior Year
CHEM 316 Quantitative Analysis	(2-0)	2	CHEM 322 Physical Chemistry for Engineers	(3-0)	3
CHEM 318 Quantitative Analysis Lab.	(0-3)	1	CHEM 325 Physical Chemistry Lab. I	(0-3)	1
CHEN 304 Chemical Engineering Fluid Operations	(3-0)	3	CHEN 323 Chemical Engineering Heat Transfer Operations	(3-0)	3
CHEN 320 Chemical Engineering Analysis.	(3-0)	3	CHEN 354 Chem. Engineering Thermo. II	(3-0)	3
ENGR 213 Prin. of Materials Engr.	(3-0)	3	ENGL 210 Scientific and Tech. Writing
Elective 2		3	or
Elective 3		3	ENGL 301 Technical Writing	(3-0)	3
		18	ENGR 215 Prin. of Electrical Engr.	(3-0)	3
					16

Senior Year
CHEM 326 Physical Chemistry Lab. II	(0-3)	1	CHEN 426 Chemical Engineering Plant Design	(1-6)	3
CHEN 414 Chemical Engineering Lab. I	(0-3)	1	CHEN 433 Chemical Engr. Lab. II	(0-3)	1
CHEN 424 Chemical Engineering Mass Transfer Operations	(3-0)	3	CHEN 464 Chemical Engineering Kinetics	(3-0)	3
CHEN 425 Chemical Engineering Plant Economics	(2-0)	2	CHEN specialty electives 4		6
CHEN 455 Process Safety Engr.	(3-0)	3	Elective 2		3
CHEN 461 Proc. Control and Instr.	(3-3)	4			16
CHEN 481 Seminar	(0-2)	1
		15

NOTES:
1. Entering students will normally be given placement tests in chemistry, mathematics and English. Test results will be used to select the appropriate starting courses, which may be at a higher or lower level. CHEM 101 (4 hr.) or 107 (4 hr.) is a prerequisite for CHEM 102 (4 hr.); credit for CHEM 101 by placement exam is possible for those with adequate background in chemistry.

2. To be selected from the University Core Curriculum. Of the 18 hours shown as University Core Curriculum electives, 3 must be from visual and performing arts, 3 from social and behavioral sciences, 6 from U.S. history, 6 from POLS 206 and 207, and 6 from international and cultural diversity. The international and cultural diversity requirement may be met by courses satisfying the visual and performing arts, social and behavioral sciences, and the political science and history requirements if they are also on the approved list of international and cultural diversity courses. In addition, ENGR 482/PHIL 482 must be taken.

3. To be selected from courses at 300-level or above (others by petition).

4. To be selected from CHEN 409, 440, 451, 458, 459, 471, 474, 475, 489; ENGR 385; MEEN 455 and 458 (others by petition).

The Systems Safety Engineering Specialty is available for students pursuing this degree.

Scholastic Performance Requirements for Chemical Engineering Undergraduates

The Texas A&M University Student Rules stipulate that a student must achieve a minimum grade point ratio (GPR) of 2.0 both overall, as well as in those courses in the major, in order to graduate from the University. The University also classifies students with less than 30 credit hours as freshmen (U1), 30 to 60 hours as sophomores (U2), 60 to 94 hours as juniors (U3), and 95 hours or more as seniors (U4). The Department of Chemical Engineering imposes additional requirements for students to be accepted into, and progress through, the Chemical Engineering curriculum, based upon classification with regard to the courses which have been completed in the Chemical Engineering curriculum, as follows.

Freshmen. All students who are classified as lower level (CHEL) are considered to be freshmen with regard to the Chemical Engineering curriculum, regardless of the total number of credit hours that they have earned. Students will not be permitted to enroll in any Chemical Engineering course until they have been admitted to upper- level (CHEN) status. Automatic admission to upper-level status will be granted to students who complete the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) courses in the freshman year of the curriculum (e.g., all of the required first year English, chemistry, physics, math and engineering courses), with no grade below a C and a minimum cumulative GPR of 3.0 in these courses, as well as an overall GPR of 3.0 or higher. Additional admissions to upper level may be made for students with a GPR below 3.0 in the CBK courses, up to a maximum of 160 students per year. The departmental advisor for freshmen is Dr. D. T. Hanson.

Sophomores. Students who have been admitted to upper-level (CHEN) status, but who have not completed all 200-level CHEN courses, are classified as Chemical Engineering sophomores regardless of the total number of credit hours they have earned. All students are required to complete both CHEN 204 and CHEN 205, each with a grade of C or better, and earn an overall GPR of 2.5 or higher, before being allowed to enroll in junior CHEN (300-level) courses. Neither CHEN 204 nor CHEN 205 can be repeated more than once. The departmental advisor for sophomores is Dr. Lale Yurttas.

Juniors. Students who have successfully completed all 200-level CHEN courses, but have not completed all of the 300-level CHEN courses in the Chemical Engineering curriculum, are classified as Chemical Engineering juniors regardless of the total number of credit hours they have earned. Students must complete each 300-level CHEN course in the Chemical Engineering curriculum with a grade of C or better, and have a cumulative average GPR of 2.0 or better for all CHEN courses, before being permitted to enroll in 400-level CHEN courses. The departmental advisor for juniors is Dr. Lale Yurttas.

Seniors. Students who have successfully completed all required 300-level CHEN courses are classified as Chemical Engineering seniors. All students must complete each of the 400-level required prerequisite CHEN courses with a grade of C or better, and have a cumulative average GPR of 2.0 for all CHEN courses, as well as an overall GPR of 2.0, in order to qualify for graduation with a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering. The departmental advisor for seniors is Dr. Lale Yurttas. Graduating seniors in their final semester should see Dr. Yurttas for their final degree checks.