Undergraduate Curriculum

Top ⇑Undergraduate Curriculum    (Printable Curriculum)

The coursework necessary to graduate with a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering can be grouped into the following categories:

1. The engineering courses, including the core chemical engineering courses, engineering technical electives, and the advanced chemistry courses;
2. The basic science and mathematics sequence, which also satisfy the university's scientific inquiry requirements;
3. The university's cultural knowledge (humanities, fine arts, and social science) elective courses, TIDES, public service, and the writing requirement;
4. The technical/engineering elective courses.

The department offers great flexibility in the choice of technical/engineering electives. This flexibility provides the student with significant exposure to technical and business fields that are distinct from chemical engineering, but that help develop complementary skills very useful to a chemical engineer's career goals. This is done by developing a "concentrations-oriented" sequence of technical electives in biomolecular engineering, environmental studies, or materials engineering. Students who wish to obtain advanced degrees in chemical engineering may also take introductory level graduate courses to enhance preparation for graduate school. Students who do not wish to specialize in the concentration-oriented technical elective sequence have a wide variety of courses from which to choose their technical electives.

Top ⇑Undergraduate Core Requirements

The following courses are required by the university to obtain a degree:

• Writing (ENGL 1010, 4 credits)
• Chemical engineering majors are not required to satisfy the foreign language requirement.
• Scientific Inquiry (9-12 credits) This requirement is satisfied by the basic mathematics and science sequence comprising MATH 1210, 1220, 2210, 2240; PHYS 1310, 1320; and CHEM 1070/1170, 1080/1180
• Cultural Knowledge (18 credits): Satisfied by 18 credits including at least six credit hours of Humanities/Fine Arts and at least six credit hours of Social Science
• Public Service (2-3 credits)
• TIDES: Satisfied by TIDE 1450
• Capstone Experience (3+ credits): Satisfied by CENG 4310

Certain modifications to the freshman program may be made by:

• Achievement of advanced standing through Advanced Placement Tests offered by the CEEB
• Use of advanced placement tests in mathematics and chemistry offered on campus during Orientation Week
• Submission of transcripts from other universities for equivalent courses taken prior to entering Tulane

Each freshman is assigned an individual faculty advisor early in the first semester and is expected to consult with him or her regularly. Each upper class is assigned a faculty member to serve as the advisor. Faculty members keep posted office hours for that purpose and are readily available for conferences.

ROTC courses, if elected, are taken in addition to the normal courses. ROTC students may receive 6 technical elective credits for their ROTC courses.

Top ⇑Chemical Engineering Program of Study

First Year
Fall Semester
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
CHEM 1070, 1170	Chemistry I and Lab	4
PHYS 1310	General Physics I and Lab	4
MATH 1210	Calculus I	4
ENGR	Engineering TIDES	1
ENGL 1010	Writing	4
Total		17
Spring Semester
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
CHEM 1080, 1180	General Chemistry II and Lab	4
PHYS 1320	General Physics II and Lab	4
MATH 1220	Calculus II	4
	Cultural Knowledge I	3
Total		15

Second Year
Fall Semester
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
CENG 2110	Material and Energy Balances	3
CENG 2500	Intro to Biotech & Biomolecular Engineering	3
CHEM 2410	Organic Chemistry I	3
CHEM 2430	Organic Chemistry Lab I	1
MATH 2210	Calculus III	4
	Cultural Knowledge II	3
Total		17
Spring Semester
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
CENG 2120	Thermodynamics I	3
CENG 2320	Transport Phenomena I	3
CHEM 2420	Organic Chemistry II	3
CHEM 2440	Organic Chemistry Lab II	1
MATH 2240	Introduction to Applied Mathematics	4
	Cultural Knowledge III	3
Total		17

Third Year
Fall Semester
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
CENG 3110	Thermodynamics II	3
CENG 3230	Numerical Methods for Chemical Engineering	3
CENG 3330	Transport Phenomena II	3
	Cultural Knowledge IV	3
	Technical Elective	3
Total		15
Spring Semester
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
CENG 3240	Unit Operations Lab	4
CENG 3340	Separation Processes	3
CENG 4150	Kinetics & Reactor Design	3
CENG 3020	Chemistry & Engineering Science in the Community	2
CHEM	Advanced Chemistry*	3/4
Total		15/16

Fourth Year
Fall Semester
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
CENG 4310	Chemical Process Design	3
CHEM	Advanced Chemistry*	3/4
	Cultural Knowledge V	3
	Engineering Elective	3
	Advanced Technical Elective	3
Total		15/16
Spring Semester
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
CENG 4600	Practice School I	3
CENG 4620	Practice School II	3
CENG 4500	Process Control	3
	Cultural Knowledge VI	3
	Advanced Engineering Elective	3
Total		15

*Advanced Chemistry course can be chosen from Applied Biochemistry (CENG 4450, 4460), Physical Chemistry (CHEM 3110, 3120), Inorganic Chemistry (CHEM 3210) or Biochemistry (CHEM 3830, 3840). Other course with permission only.

Top ⇑Concentration Oriented Curriculum

In addition to the required core chemical engineering courses, the basic science and mathematics sequence, and the cultural knowledge courses, four technical electives will be required; two of which must be in one of the engineering subjects areas (e.g. CENG, BMEN, ENGR, or ENGP). These technical electives may (but need not) constitute a concentration in one of three areas: Biomolecular Engineering, Environmental Studies, and Materials Engineering.

A concentration consists of four courses in the following tracks:

1. Biomolecular Engineering
   CENG 2500 (required course), and 4 courses chosen from:
   CENG 4400, CENG 4450, CENG 4460, CENG 4710, CELL 1010, CELL 2050, CELL 3010, CELL 3110, BMEN 3030/3130, BMEN 3040/3140.
2. Environmental Studies
   CENG 4130/6130, and three courses chosen from Environmental Biology, Environmental Geology, or Environmental Studies. These three courses must be approved by the department.
3. Materials Engineering
   ENGR 3120, CHEM 3210 (also an Adv. Chem. Elective) and 3 courses chosen from:
   CENG 4130/6130, CENG 4550/6550, CENG 4890, BMEN 3230.

With the exception of Environmental Studies, each of the above concentrations contains two or more courses from an engineering subject area. Note that for the Environmental studies concentration, additional engineering courses will be required to satisfy the engineering technical elective requirement.

Technical Electives

Technical electives are normally engineering, science, math, or approved business courses. Approved business courses are ACCN 2010, ACCN 3010, FINE 3010, MHSC 3010, and CBMA 3010. Note that several of these require prerequisites (e.g. ECON 1010, MATH 1230, and PSYC 1010) which students may or may not be able to use to satisfy their cultural knowledge requirements.

Students may also petition the department through their advisor or the department chair, to have courses fulfill the technical elective requirement. The student should submit a brief request, in writing, indicating which course is being submitted for approval. The course catalog description of the course and most recent syllabus (available through the department of instruction) must accompany the request. The student will be informed in writing within two weeks of the request whether the course has been approved as a technical elective. It will then be general policy that this course is acceptable as a technical elective, and will be added to the list of approved technical electives.

An Advanced Technical Elective is a 3000-level or above course that meets the above requirements. An Advanced Engineering Technical Elective is a 3000-level or above course from an engineering subject area.

Premedical Curriculum in Chemical Engineering

A premedical program via the chemical engineering curriculum provides an excellent foundation for medical studies. If the student does not proceed to medical school, there is an opportunity for a professional career in industry.

Premedical students make the following changes:

Technical Elective can be replaced with either of the two biology courses, EEOB 1010. 1110 and CELL 1010, 1110. The remaining biology course must be taken, but will not count toward a degree in chemical engineering.

Premedical students should also take a second English course as one of their humanities and social science electives. Some medical schools may require it.