Chemical Engineering

Department Chair: Roger C. Lo

Department Office: EN2-100

Telephone: (562) 985‑1508

Website: Chemical Engineering Department

Faculty: Ehsan Barjasteh, Ji-Hwan Kang, Roger C. Lo, Sergio Mendez, Sara Moghtadernejad, and Yu Yang

Undergraduate Advisor: Sergio Mendez

Graduate Advisor: Yu Yang

General Education Advising: Engineering Student Success Center

Administrative Support Coordinator: Liz Flores

Career Possibilities

Chemical Engineer • Process Engineer • Environmental Engineer • Petroleum Engineer • Automation Control Engineer • Chemical Research Engineer • Chemical Test Engineer • Biochemical Engineer • Biomedical Engineer • Fire and Explosions Engineer • Food Hygiene Engineer • Pharmaceutical Engineer • Thermo-fluid Engineer • Energy Engineer • Nuclear Engineer • Product/Process Development Scientist • Safety Engineer • Manufacturing Engineer • Technical Sales • Management • Technical Writer • Quality Control Specialist • Consultant (Some of these careers require additional education or experience. For more information, see www.careers.csulb.edu.)

Introduction

Chemical Engineering is a major that opens the way for many career opportunities. As the name implies, chemical engineers must build a foundation on engineering, science, and mathematics while specializing in the application of chemistry to engineering systems. This is a versatile major that also encourages students to take courses from other engineering disciplines and biological sciences. In general, chemical engineers integrate their broad knowledge and analytical skills to design, implement and optimize chemical processes that convert raw materials into valuable products in a sustainable manner. Chemical engineers ensure that processes are operated safely and economically with minimum energy consumption and waste emission. Many of our graduates find career opportunities in traditional industries such as petroleum refining, energy production, chemical manufacturing and pharmaceuticals. Because of their diverse technical skill set, our graduates are increasingly finding employment in emerging industries such as alternative energy, biomedical engineering, environmental engineering, semiconductors, materials, and nanotechnology.

Program Educational Objectives

The Chemical Engineering bachelor degree program’s educational objective statement is directed towards the career accomplishments and expectations of the alumni. The objectives of the program are that recent alumni become successful in their professional careers, and that they continue on a path of professional development.

Chemical Engineering alumni:

Are on track for a fulfilling and successful professional career.
Are contributors and leaders in providing solutions to important societal challenges as responsible and ethical professionals.
Have taken ownership of their own personal growth and further professional development.

The faculty members of the Department of Chemical Engineering strive to continuously improve the program and the curriculum as well as laboratory facilities to ensure the professional career success of our recent graduates. The goal is to prepare students for a wide range of career routes that use chemical engineering principles with a solid foundation in engineering, math, science, and societal awareness. The scope of this program is broadened by courses from general education as well as specialized technical elective courses in chemical engineering and other engineering disciplines. Students develop teamwork skills and gain interdisciplinary experience particularly in laboratory courses, lecture courses with laboratory components, and the capstone design class that require team projects. This program provides ample opportunities for students to develop communication skills such as oral and poster presentations as well as written technical reports. Students are encouraged to participate in life-long learning activities such as professional meetings on or off campus and field trips. The goal is to have a comprehensive, student-centered program that can allow us to meet the educational objectives.

Chemical Engineering Advisory and Development Council

The Department of Chemical Engineering Advisory and Development Council, consisting of outstanding engineers and executives from industry and government in Southern California, provides guidance to our program. Its mission is to advise and assist in developing the Department and to support its efforts to serve students, the community, and industry. This liaison between the University and industry ensures that industry concerns are addressed in our curricula and provides career guidance for our graduates.

ABET Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (http://www.abet.org).

Other Related Programs

Minor in Environmental Engineering: Students interested in obtaining a Minor in Environmental Engineering should contact the Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Advisor. Students who take required Chemistry courses are encouraged to consider a minor in Chemistry. See the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics section of this catalog.

Master of Science in Chemical Engineering: Students wishing to pursue advanced study may be interested in the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering (MSChE) degree. The thesis work is supervised by the Chemical Engineering Faculty. For detailed MSChE requirements, see the College of Engineering section of this catalog.

Joint-Ph.D. Program: Students interested in pursuing the degree of Ph.D. in Engineering and Computational Mathematics should refer to the requirement description in the College of Engineering section of this catalog. The dissertation work is supervised by the Chemical Engineering Faculty.

Grade Requirements

In addition to other University requirements, all students must obtain a grade of “C” or better in each prerequisite for any chemical engineering course. Also, required Written English (GE A1), Speech (GE A2), and Interdisciplinary (IC) courses must be taken for a letter grade, not Credit/No Credit.

Programs

Graduate and Professional Degrees

Chemical Engineering, M.S.

Undergraduate Degrees

Chemical Engineering, B.S.

Minor

Environmental Engineering Minor

Courses

Chemical Engineering