Chemical Engineering

Program Description

The Chemical Engineering curriculum provides a well-rounded general education and rigorous technical education in order to hone an appreciation of the relationship between technology and society. The technical curriculum focuses on the basic sciences, as well as chemical engineering theory and practice. Throughout the curriculum, problem solving, design, critical thinking, and teamwork skills are built by integrating team-based design projects, laboratories, and reports. Our graduates work in traditional chemical engineering areas such as the petroleum and chemical industries, as well as microelectronics, pharmaceuticals, materials, polymers, environmental protection, consumer products, and engineering consulting. Our graduates also pursue careers in business management or government as well as advanced studies in medicine, law, business, basic sciences, and other engineering disciplines.

The biochemical emphasis builds on the core Chemical Engineering curriculum to create expertise in chemical reactions associated with biological processes. Students achieving this emphasis area will be exposed to basic concepts of living systems, metabolism, biological polymers, hormones, and basic genetics through courses in biology and biochemistry, as well as biomass, enzyme, yeast, and other biochemical processes, including the associated industrial operations. Students completing this emphasis will be well-poised for careers in biomedical engineering, human or veterinary medicine, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural/food engineering. Students will also be in a strong position to pursue graduate degrees in biological or biomedical engineering, dentistry, or human or veterinary medicine.

The environmental emphasis builds on the core Chemical Engineering curriculum to provide students an opportunity to explore courses centered around environmental engineering, wastewater treatment, and environmental regulation. A major focus of this emphasis is to prepare students for careers in policy, industry, or research. A student who completes this emphasis will also be in a position to pursue a graduate degree in programs focused on environmental science and engineering.

The materials emphasis builds on the core Chemical Engineering curriculum to include courses of interest to students who wish to pursue careers and/or interests in materials science and solid-state physics. The emphasis area requirements cover basic topics in materials science, after which the student is asked to choose at least one course covering a more specific area of materials: ceramics, polymers, biological materials, or composites. Students are then free to choose electives in other areas, including optical materials, semiconductors, advanced materials, structural materials, and materials characterization. Students selecting the materials emphasis have all the advantages of an education in chemical engineering along with specialized knowledge of materials, giving them a valuable base from which to build a career.

Major Program Requirements - Each graduate must complete the required curriculum designed to demonstrate knowledge and integration of chemical engineering science and practice using analytical, computational, and experimental techniques.  In addition, each graduate must have a comprehensive background in advanced chemistry. Graduates have a detailed working knowledge of the entire spectrum of chemical engineering activities.

All requirements listed below are in addition to University graduation requirements, including University general education and College of Engineering requirements. Students may also add an emphasis in the Biochemical, Environmental, or Materials areas by completing that emphasis area’s requirements.

Visit the JCCC/MU General Education guide for equivalent courses. 

Admission Requirements

Transfer Students - Students wishing to transfer to MU from an accredited college or university are subject to University regulations described in this catalog. The College of Engineering cooperates with many colleges through articulation agreements that help students transfer to MU with maximum ease and minimum loss of credits. A student may contact the College of Engineering Admissions Office to determine if their home institution participates in an agreement with the College of Engineering.  Students who have completed all courses specified in the articulation agreement will be admitted into their desired degree program. All other transfer students are admitted on program discretion. Typically, transfer students with freshmen status must satisfy the same requirements as students entering college for the first time. Other students are admitted only after review of their transcript. 

To be recommended for a BS degree from the College of Engineering, a student transferring from an accredited institution must complete at least 30 upper-level credits in the degree program at a UM System campus. At least 21 of the 30 credits must be upper-level engineering courses approved by the department awarding the degree. A student transferring with senior standing from another UM System campus must complete the last 15 credits in residence on the campus where the degree program is located. Twelve of these 15 credits must be in engineering and approved by the department awarding the degree. 

Any student whose enrollment in any college-level academic program resulted in dismissal, departure or who is on probation will not be admitted to the College of Engineering. 

International Admission - International undergraduate students interested in studying in the College of Engineering can  visit the MU Office of International Admissions for information on academic and English language admission requirements.  Any questions regarding international student admissions can be directed to that office at inter@missouri.edu. 

GPA Requirements for Graduation from the College of Engineering:  

• GPA of record of at least 2.0
• GPA of at least 2.0 in all engineering courses offered by one of the four campuses of the UM System. "Engineering courses" include all courses that are offered through the College of Engineering or its equivalent on the four campuses, or that have "Engineering" in the curricular designator. Only the last grade in a repeated course will be used in the calculation.