Jul 30, 2024  
2024-2025 University Catalog 
    
2024-2025 University Catalog

Chemical Engineering, BSCHE

Location(s): West Lafayette


About the Program


The Chemical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Chemical Engineering remains a premier source of well-educated, well-prepared chemical engineers, educating students using innovative technologies and fostering an environment that inspires leading-edge research.

Chemical engineers work in a wide range of industries with worldwide impact. Applications include energy; pharmaceuticals and biological materials; the nutritional value of food; environmental protection and restoration; materials for computing, sensing, and communications; personal care, home care, and home health products; and system and data management.

Chemical engineers rely on their knowledge of mathematics and science - particularly chemistry - to overcome technical problems in industry and society. While the chemist studies basic chemical reactions, the chemical engineer applies the results of chemical research and transforms laboratory processes into efficient, full-scale processes or facilities. With their strong problem-solving skills and fundamental background in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology, chemical engineers can seize opportunities to translate industrial problems into competitive advantages. Currently, chemical engineers demand among the highest salaries for college graduates with a bachelor’s degree.

Research here is currently being conducted with polymers and materials, nanoscale science and engineering, fluid mechanics, catalyst design and engineering, sensors, biotechnology, and many others.

Davidson School of Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering Major Change (CODO) Requirements   

Degree Requirements


130 Credits Required

Major Required Courses (46 credits)


CHE 20500 requires a minimum grade of a C or higher. All other Chemcial Engineering Core courses require a minimum grade of a C-.

Other Departmental/Program Requirements (87-97 credits)


First-Year Engineering Requirements (29-39 credits)


 If pursuing Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, CHM 11600 General Chemistry is required to graduate, but not required to complete the First-Year Engineering program.


Click here for First-Year Engineering  requirements.

  • Requirement #1 - Intro to Engineering I (2-4 credits)
  • Requirement #2 - Intro to Engineering II (2-4 credits)
  • Requirement #3 - Calculus I (4-5 credits) (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core) 
  • Requirement #4 - Calculus II (4-5 credits) (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core) 
  • Requirement #5 - Chemistry I (4-6 credits) (satisfies Science #1 for core)
  • Requirement #6 - Physics (4 credits) (satisfies Science #2 for core)
  • Requirement #7 - First-Year Engineering Selective (3-4 credits)
  • Requirement #8 - Written and Oral Communication (6-7 credits) (could satisfy Written Communication, Information Literacy or Oral Communication for core)

Other Departmental Courses (36-40 credits)


General Education Requirements (18 credits)


  • General Education I (Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Sciences) - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science for core)
  • General Education II (Human Cultures: Humanities) - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Human Cultures: Humanities for core)
  • General Education III (Science, Technology & Society) - Credit Hours: 1.00-3.00 (satisfies Science, Technology, & Society for core)
  • General Education IV - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • General Education V (Upper level) - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • General Education VI (Upper level) - Credit Hours: 3.00
    • General Education IV = complete any course from the approved subjects below provided the course is open to students in the offering department and the student qualifies to take the course.
    • General Education V and VI (Upper level) = complete courses from the approved subjects below at the 30000+level courses or courses with required pre-requisite in the same department.

Approved subjects in College of Liberal Arts, School of Management, and/or Honors College include:  

AAS, AD, AGEC, AMST, ANTH, ARAB, ASAM, ASL, CHNS, CLCS, CMPL, COM, CSR, DANC, ECON, EDPS, ENGL, ENTR, FLL/LC, FR, FS, GER, GREK, HDFS, HEBR, HIST, HONR, IDIS, ITAL, JWST, JPNS, LALS, LATN, LING, MARS, MGMT, MUS, OBHR, PHIL, POL, PSY, PTGS, REL, RUSS, SLHS, SOC, SPAN, THTR, TLI, WGSS and NUTR 30300 .

Electives - Credit Hours: 0.00-12.00


  • Electives - Credit Hours: 0.00-12.00 

(Electives may be needed to complete 130 credits based on courses taken and requirements that they fulfill) -see notes

Grade Requirements


  • Students must earn a “C” or better in CHE 20500 to enroll in any other CHE course.

  • Students must earn a “C-” or better in all other CHE Major Required Courses (Chemical Engineering Core).  

GPA Requirements


  • 2.0 overall and major (Chemical Engineering Core) GPA required for Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering degree.  

Course Requirements and Notes


  • 3 credits of CHE 41100CHE 41200CHE 49800, or CHE 49900 may be used to complete the Chemical Engineering Selective. 

  • 3 credits of CHE 41100, 41200, 49800, or 49800 may be used to complete the Engineering or Technical Selective.

  • Students may not earn credit in the following courses: ABE 20100, ABE 21000, ABE 30800, ABE 37000, IE 23000, IE 33000, ME 30900 and ME 31500.

  • Electives may need to be taken to reach 130 credits for the degree if STS course is taken that also completes Engineering Selective or Technical Elective.

  • Electives may need to be taken to reach 130 credits for the degree if HUM/BSS/STS course also fulfills General Education Upper-level Selective.

Pass/No Pass Policy


  • Students may take the ChE General Education Selective Core courses for a letter grade or pass/ no pass option.

University Requirements


University Core Requirements


For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the Provost’s Website.
  • Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
  • Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
  • Information Literacy (IL)
  • Oral Communication (OC)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
  • Science #1 (SCI)
  • Science #2 (SCI)
  • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
  • Written Communication (WC) 

Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement


The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test.  The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused.  There are three different pathways:

  • Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
  • Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
  • Approved course pathway - Complete  one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.

More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue.

Upper Level Requirement


  • Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
  • Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.

Sample First-Year Engineering Plan of Study


Fall 1st Year


  • Requirement #1 - Intro to Engineering - Credit Hours: 2.00-4.00
  • Requirement #3 - Calculus I - Credit Hours: 4.00-5.00
  • Requirement #5 - Chemistry - Credit Hours: 4.00-6.00
  • Requirement #8 - Written or Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00

13-19 Credits


Spring 1st Year


  • Requirement #2 - Intro to Engineering II - Credit Hours: 2.00-4.00
  • Requirement #4 - Calculus II - Credit Hours: 4.00-5.00
  • Requirement #6 - Physics - Credit Hours: 4.00
  • Requirement #7 - First-Year Engineering Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
  • Requirement #8 - Written or Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00

16-21 Credits


Sample Chemical Engineering Plan of Study


Fall 2nd Year


16 Credits


Spring 2nd Year


17 Credits


Fall 3rd Year


16 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


18 Credits


Fall 4th Year


15-18 Credits


Spring 4th Year


  • Credits: 4.00
  • Chemical Engineering Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Engineering Selective II - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • General Education V (Upper level) - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • General Education VI (Upper level) - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 0.00 or more
  • (Electives may be needed to complete 130 credits based on courses taken and requirements that they fulfill)

16 Credits


Pre-Requisite Information


For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.

World Language Courses


World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.