Concentration in Biochemical Engineering

The concentration in Biochemical Engineering is open to students majoring in Chemical Engineering. It provides students with specialized coursework and training to better prepare them for engineering careers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The courses for this program fit into the required Advanced Chemistry Elective and Technical Electives that all Chemical Engineering students are required to take. Students must take a total of 15 credits. The following nine credits are required:

BIOCHEM 275 Cellular and Molecular Biology
CHEM 423 Biochemistry for Chemists
CHEM-ENG 592B Introduction to Biochemical Engineering

Students must also take an additional six credits of advanced coursework or research in special topics in bioengineering. These six credits must be engineering courses. Approved courses are:

BioChem 657 Drug Design

ChE 220 Chemical Engineering Principles of Biological Systems

ChE 575 Tissue Engineering

ChE 576 Bioprocessing Engineering Lab (may be taken in lieu of Chem-Eng 402 Senior Lab)

ChE 597B Soft Materials and Biomaterials

ChE 597C Introduction to Biomolecular Engineering                                                                      

ChE 597D Nanostructured Biomaterials                                                                                        

ChE 296, 396, 496 Independent Study in bioengineering                                                                    

ChE 296H, 396H, 496H Honors Independent Study in bioengineering                                                      

ChE 499Y, 499T Honors Senior Thesis in bioengineering

ChE 697A Special Topics: Molecular and Systems Biotechnology

Additional courses may be used to meet this requirement, but advance approval of the Undergraduate Program Director (UPD) is required. Students wishing to fulfill this requirement with an independent study or thesis must gain approval of the topic by the UPD before enrolling for credit. Only three-credit independent study courses may be used to fulfill this requirement.

A typical sequence of courses for students in the program is listed below. Students are encouraged to take BIOCHEM 275 during a fall semester. (Please check course offering & availability first)

Freshman
Fall
ENGLWP 112 College Writing
ENGIN 110 Introduction to Chemical Engineering
MATH 131 Calculus I
CHEM 111 General Chemistry I
Social World Elective
Spring
CHEM-ENG 120 Chemical Engineering Fundamentals
PHYSICS 151 General Physics I
MATH 132 Calculus II
CHEM 112 General Chemistry

Sophomore
Fall
PHYSICS 152 General Physics II
CHEM-ENG 291A Professional Development Seminar
CHEM-ENG 220 ChE Principles of Biologoical Systems or BIOLOGY 151 Introductory Biology I
MATH 233 Multivariate Calculus
CHEM 261 Organic Chemistry I
Spring
CHEM-ENG 226 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics I
MATH 331 Ordinary Differential Equations for Scientists and Engineers
CHEM 262 Organic Chemistry II
CHEM 269 Organic Chemistry Lab for Nonmajors
Social World Elective

Junior
Fall
BIOCHEM 275 Cell and Molecular Biology
CHEM-ENG 325 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics II
CHEM-ENG 330 Chemical Engineering Fluid Mechanics
CHEM-ENG 391A Professional Development Seminar
CHEM-ENG 475 or CHEM 475 Physical Chemistry
CHEM-ENG 320 Kinetics and Reactor Design
Spring
ENGIN 351 Writing in Engineering
CHEM-ENG 333 Heat and Mass Transfer
CHEM-ENG 338 Separations
CHEM-ENG 361 Mathematical Modeling
CHEM 423 Biochemistry

Senior
Fall
CHEM-ENG 401 Chemical Engineering Laboratory I
CHEM-ENG 444 Chemical Process Design I
CHEM-ENG 446 Process and Control Dynamics
CHEM-ENG 491A Professional Development Seminar
CHEM-ENG 592B Introduction to Biochemical Engineering
Spring
CHEM-ENG 576 Bioprocessing Engineering Lab
Bioengineering Special Topic
Technical Elective
Social World Elective
Social World Elective