CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and

Biomolecular Engineering
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAM
Chemical engineers work with chemical change and chemical processing.
You might develop ways to produce chemicals, or design, build, and operate
a chemical production plant. You might search for new sources of energy or
work to clean up the environment. Or you might play an important role in
new technologies such as semiconductor processing and biotechnology or in
the development of new materials such as
polymers and ceramics.
BREAK Chemical engineers are involved in producing all
THE RULES to
kinds of goods, from plastics, textiles, and fertilizers,
to processed foods and antibiotics. Chemical
CONTEMPLATE engineers also work in new areas of biotechnology,
NEW including designing new methods to fight life-

APPLICATIONS threatening diseases and more effective ways to

deliver medications.
Chemical engineers are in demand in many fields, including, petroleum, chemical,
pharmaceutical, electronics, consumer-products, and food-processing industries. Many
find professional opportunities in government agencies, research laboratories, and
academic institutions, and a good number rise to positions of considerable technical and
managerial responsibility.
Cornell’s undergraduate program in Chemical Engineering (ChemE) offers a sequence
of courses beginning in your sophomore year and extending through your senior year.
The fundamental analytic tools of chemical
engineering—chemical kinetics, chemical
thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics—are CHEME REQUIRED COURSES
developed in the second and third years. ENGRD 2190 Chemical Process Design &
These tools are used to analyze the units Anaylsis
of chemical processes: chemical reactors, CHEM 2510 Introduction to Experimental
bio-reactors, distillation columns, and heat Organic Chemistry
exchangers. As a senior, students design CHEM 2900 Introductory Physical
chemical processes by integrating process Chemistry Laboratory
units with attention to economics, safety, CHEM 3530 Principles of Organic Chemistry
and environmental impact. Concentrations or
in biomolecular engineering, polymeric CHEM 3570 Organic Chemistry for the Life
materials, and energy are available. Sciences
CHEM 3890 Honors Physical Chemistry I
During your first year, students should
CHEM 3900 Honors Physical Chemistry II
take CHEM 2090: Engineering General
Chemistry (or CHEM 2150: Honors General CHEME 3010 Career Perspectives
and Inorganic Chemistry, if you have scored CHEME 3130 Chemical Engineering
of 5 on the CEEB AP Chemistry Exam), and Thermodynamics
CHEM 2080: General Chemistry II. CHEME 3230 Fluid Mechanics
CHEME 3240 Heat and Mass Transfer
CHEME By the Numbers CHEME 3320 Analysis of Separation
ChemE undergraduate students 230 Processes
CBE graduate students 177 CHEME 3720 Introduction to Process
Dynamics and Control
Starting salaries of B.S. Chemical CHEME 3900 Chemical Kinetics and Reactor
Engineering graduates (for 2018) Design
CHEME 4320 Chemical Engineering
Low $54,000 Laboratory
Median $74,000
CHEME 4620 Chemical Process Design
High $110,000
SOME AREAS OF MASTER OF ENGINEERING
FACULTY RESEARCH DEGREE PROGRAM CHEME SAMPLE ELECTIVE COURSES
CHEME 2880 Biomolecular Engineering:
battery power, storage, The Master of Engineering (M.Eng.)
Fundamentals and Applications
and transmission degree at Cornell’s Robert Frederick
Smith School of Chemical and CHEME 4010 Cellular Principles of Biomedical
biochemistry and Engineering
Biomolecular Engineering, enables new
biophysics of biological as well as practicing, engineers to earn CHEME 4020 Molecular Principles of
systems Biomedical Engineering
professional degrees while building
expertise in related fields. The diverse CHEME 4130 Introduction to Nuclear Science
biological network personal and academic backgrounds of and Engineering
fragility our faculty and students, and Cornell’s CHEME 4610 Concepts of Chemical
vast facilities, make this an exceptional Engineering Product Design
biomass conversion CHEME 4630 Practice of Chemical Engineering
program in which to pursue one of the
Product Design
biomedical research and following areas of specialization:
biotechnology CHEME 4700 Process Control Strategies
• computational informatics; CHEME 4810 Biomedical Engineering
energy harvesting • energy economics and engineering; CHEME 4840 Microchemical and Microfluidic
efficiency of solar cells Systems
using photonic crystals • food science;
CHEME 4880 Global Food, Energy, and Water
• medical and industrial biotechnology; Nexus
geothermal science
• product design CHEME 5204 Turbomachinery Applications
interfacial science CHEME 5205 Industrial Applications of Fluid
This professional degree gives you the Dynamics
material properties in opportunity to:
CHEME 5207 Hydrocarbon Resources
nanofibers • gain specialized focused knowledge in CHEME 5208 Renewable Resources from
areas central to chemical engineering;
photonic materials and Agriculture
solar energy capture • deepen your knowledge of one topical CHEME 5430 Bioprocess Engineering
area related to chemical engineering CHEME 5500 Software Carpentry
polymer rheology by specializing in an area of study,
CHEME 5540 Introduction to Molecular
such as polymers, electronic materials,
protein conformational engineering management, food
Simulation
studies engineering, etc.;
CHEME 5720 Managing New Business
Development
soft matter • broaden your skills (e.g., take courses in
finance, marketing, language proficiency,
surface science of entrepreneurship, etc.);
organic and inorganic
materials • undertake original research in one of
the faculty research programs.
synthetic biology
systems biology
transport in complex
fluids

Cornell University is an equal-opportunity

cheme.cornell.edu
affirmative-action educator and employer.
Produced by the Office of Engineering
Admissions.