Florida Institute of Technology
High Tech with a Human Touch
Chemical Engineering
Undergraduate Degree Programs
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Catalog Information
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering
Chemical engineering is primarily the application of chemical principles to industrial processes and environmental problems to effect a change in the composition and properties of matter to benefit society and the environment. A graduate in chemical engineering has the basic training to solve problems in transport and separation processes, process dynamics and control, energy production, food and petrochemical processing, materials synthesis and processing, and chemical equipment and plant design.
The freshman and sophomore years emphasize basic mathematics, science and communication skills; the junior year, fundamentals of chemical engineering; and the senior year, integration of those fundamentals in capstone design courses. Elective course work also allows students to broaden their knowledge in other technical fields, to deepen their understanding in an area of specialization, or to participate in a technical research project under the direction of an individual faculty member.
Admission Requirements
Students seeking admission should have one year of high school biology, chemistry and physics, in addition to at least three years of mathematics, including algebra, geometry and trigonometry.
Degree Requirements
A Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering requires a minimum of 135 credit hours as specified below. Because general chemistry and mathematics are critically important foundations for all chemical engineering courses, chemical engineering majors must pass CHM 1101, CHM 1102, MTH 1001 and MTH 1002 with grades of at least C before taking any 2000-level chemical engineering courses.
Students must successfully complete all courses listed for the Freshman year before registering for CHE 3101. Students must successfully complete all courses listed for the sophomore year before registering for CHE 4181.
Freshman Year
FALL
| CREDITS | ||
| ASC 1000 | University Experience | 1 |
| BUS 1301 | Basic Economics | 3 |
| CHE 1101 | Introduction to Chemical Engineering 1 | 2 |
| CHM 1101 | General Chemistry 1 | 4 |
| COM 1101 | Composition and Rhetoric | 3 |
| MTH 1001 | Calculus 1 | 4 |
| 17 | ||
SPRING
| CREDITS | ||
| CHE 1102 | Introduction to Chemical Engineering 2 | 1 |
| CHM 1102 | General Chemistry 2 | 4 |
| COM 1102 | Writing about Literature | 3 |
| MTH 1002 | Calculus 2 | 4 |
| PHY 1001 | Physics 1 | 4 |
| PHY 2091 | Physics Lab 1 | 1 |
| 17 | ||
Sophomore Year
FALL
| CREDITS | ||
| CHE 2101 | Chemical Process Principles 1 | 3 |
| CHM 2001 | Organic Chemistry 1 | 3 |
| CHM 2011 | Organic Chemistry Lab 1 | 2 |
| MTH 2201 | Differential Equations / Linear Algebra | 4 |
| PHY 2002 | Physics 2 | 4 |
| PHY 2092 | Physics Lab 2 | 1 |
| 17 | ||
SPRING
| CREDITS | ||
| CHE 2102 | Chemical Process Principles 2 | 3 |
| CHE 3260 | Materials Science and Engineering | 3 |
| CHE 3265 | Materials Lab | 1 |
| CHM 2002 | Organic Chemistry 2 | 3 |
| HUM 2051 | Civilization 1 | 3 |
| MTH 2001 | Calculus 3 | 4 |
| 17 | ||
Junior Year
FALL
| CREDITS | ||
| CHE 3101 | Transport Processes | 3 |
| CHE 3170 | Introduction to Environmental Engineering | 3 |
| CHM 3001 | Physical Chemistry 1 | 3 |
| CHM 3011 | Physical Chemistry Lab 1 | 2 |
| HUM 2052 | Civilization 2 | 3 |
| Technical Elective* | 3 | |
| 17 | ||
SPRING
| CREDITS | ||
| CHE 3103 | Heat Transfer Processes | 3 |
| CHE 3104 | Mass Transfer Processes | 3 |
| CHE 3110 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | 3 |
| CHE 3115 | Chemical Engineering Processes Lab 1 | 2 |
| CHE 4151 | Chemical Engineering Reactor Design | 3 |
| COM 2223 | Scientific and Technical Communication | 3 |
| 17 | ||
Senior Year
FALL
| CREDITS | ||
| CHE 4115 | Chemical Engineering Processes Lab 2 | 2 |
| CHE 4122 | Chemical Process Control | 4 |
| CHE 4131 | Separation Processes | 3 |
| CHE 4181 | Chemical Engineering Plant Design 1 (Q) | 2 |
| Humanities Elective | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective (Advanced Chemistry) | 3 | |
| 17 | ||
SPRING
| CREDITS | ||
| CHE 4182 | Chemical Engineering Plant Design 2 (Q) | 4 |
| Free Elective* | 3 | |
| Humanities or Social Science Elective | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective (CHE) | 3 | |
| Technical Elective* | 3 | |
| 16 | ||
TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED 135
*BUS 3xxx may be taken in place of three credit hours of Technical Elective. CWE 1001 may be taken as the Free Elective; CWE 2001 may be taken in place of three credit hours of Technical Elective.
Electives
The Restricted Elective (Advanced Chemistry) should be satisfied by completion of one of the following courses:
| BIO 2010 | Microbiology |
| BIO 4010 | Biochemistry 1 |
| CHM 3002 | Physical Chemistry 2 |
| CHM 3301 | Analytical Chemistry 1 |
| CHM 4222 | Environmental Chemistry |
| CHM 4550 | Polymer Chemistry |
A list of other recommended electives is available in the chemical engineering office. The list also identifies electives that provide an emphasis in each of the following fields. Students interested in any of these areas for either graduate study or professional employment are encouraged to contact the chemical engineering office for more information.
Emphasis in Biochemical Engineering: Because chemical engineers are often responsible for the design and operation of equipment used to grow microorganisms and to separate products of microbial growth, many students majoring in chemical engineering choose one or more courses in biology and related disciplines as electives.
Emphasis in Business: Because chemical engineers often take graduate-level course work in business or management at some point in their careers, many students majoring in chemical engineering choose one or more courses in business as electives.
Emphasis in Environmental Engineering: Because chemical engineers are often responsible for design and operation of pollution-control equipment, many students majoring in chemical engineering choose one or more courses in environmental engineering as electives.
Emphasis in Materials Science and Engineering: Because chemical engineers are often responsible for development and production of materials for uses ranging from spacecraft to electronics, many students majoring in chemical engineering choose one or more courses in materials science and engineering as electives.
Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Dual Degree Program: Because the chemical engineering curriculum requires much of the same course work required by the chemistry curriculum, a student may wish to pursue a program that satisfies Degree requirements for both majors. This program normally requires one additional year of residency. The bachelor’s degree in chemistry may be awarded after completing the first four years. Interested students should contact either the chemistry office or the chemical engineering office for more information.
Five-Year Master’s Degree Program
More than one-fourth of all chemical engineering graduates choose to continue their education beyond the bachelor’s degree. The five-year program offers students the opportunity to complete a master’s degree in one calendar year following completion of requirements for the bachelor’s degree. To qualify, a student must possess a grade point average of 3.0 or above following his or her junior year. Additional information concerning this program may be obtained by contacting the department head.