2024-2025 Academic Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Degree Core Requirements | ||
CHE 2114 | Mass and Energy Balances (C-) | 3 |
CHE 2164 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | 3 |
CHE 3015 | Process Measurement & Control | 3 |
CHE 3114 | Fluid Transport | 3 |
CHE 3134 | Separation Processes | 3 |
CHE 3144 | Mass Transfer | 3 |
CHE 3154 | Heat Transfer Analysis | 3 |
CHE 3185 | Chemical Reactor Analysis and Design | 2 |
Subtotal | 23 | |
Major Requirements | ||
CHE 2004 | Chemical Engineering Sophomore Seminar | 1 |
CHE 3124 | Chemical Engineering Simulations and Process Modeling | 3 |
CHE 3186 | Chemical Reactor Analysis and Design | 2 |
CHE 4014 | Chemical Engineering Laboratory 1 | 4 |
CHE 4185 | Process and Plant Design 1 | 4 |
CHE 4186 | Process and Plant Design | 4 |
CHEM 1035 | General Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 1045 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
CHEM 1036 | General Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 1046 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
CHEM 2535 | Organic Chemistry | 3 |
or CHEM 2565 | Principles of Organic Chemistry | |
CHEM 2536 | Organic Chemistry | 3 |
or CHEM 2566 | Principles of Organic Chemistry | |
CHEM 2545 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
CHEM 3625 | Physical Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
MATH 2114 | Introduction to Linear Algebra | 3 |
MATH 2204 | Introduction to Multivariable Calculus | 3 |
Introduction to Differential Equations | ||
STAT 4604 | Statistical Methods for Engineers | 3 |
or STAT 4705 | Probability and Statistics for Engineers | |
Major Electives | ||
CHE Electives | 6 | |
Technical Electives | 6 | |
Career Bridge Experience 2 | ||
Bridge Experience 2 | ||
Subtotal | 55 | |
Pathways to General Education | ||
Pathways Concept 1 - Discourse | ||
ENGL 1105 | First-Year Writing (1F) | 3 |
ENGL 1106 | First-Year Writing (1F) | 3 |
ENGL 3764 | Technical Writing (1A) | 3 |
Pathways Concept 2 - Critical Thinking in the Humanities | ||
Select six hours in Pathway 2 | 6 | |
Pathways Concept 3 - Reasoning in the Social Sciences | ||
Select six hours in Pathway 3 | 6 | |
Pathways Concept 4 - Reasoning in the Natural Sciences | ||
PHYS 2305 | Foundations of Physics | 4 |
PHYS 2306 | Foundations of Physics | 4 |
Pathways Concept 5 - Quantitative and Computational Thinking | ||
MATH 1225 | Calculus of a Single Variable (5F) | 4 |
MATH 1226 | Calculus of a Single Variable (5F) | 4 |
MATH 2214 | Introduction to Differential Equations (5A) | 3 |
Pathways Concept 6 - Critique and Practice in Design and the Arts | ||
Select 3 hours in Pathway 6a | 3 | |
ENGE 1215 & ENGE 1216 | Foundations of Engineering and Foundations of Engineering | 4 |
or ENGE 1414 | Foundations of Engineering Practice | |
Pathways Concept 7 - Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States | ||
Pathways 7 | 3 | |
Subtotal | 50 | |
Total Credits | 128 |
Entry into CHE 4014 Chemical Engineering Laboratory and CHE 4185 Process and Plant Design is restricted to students who have an in-major GPA of 2.0 or better.
Career Bridge Experiences help prepare students for post-graduation life and develop a professional identity. Internships, Co-ops, and Undergraduate Research are examples of possible Career Bridge Experiences. Students must participate in a Career Bridge Experience to complete the BS CHE degree. Because some of these experiences are not credit bearing, the ENGE 3900 course is used to track and assess student participation in a Career Bridge Experience and to record fulfillment of this degree requirement on the transcript. Students should enroll in ENGE 3900 during the semester (or one of the semesters) that they undertake the Career Bridge Experience. Enrollment in ENGE 3900 requires approval of a Career Bridge Plan. Further information about acceptable Career Bridge Experiences and the process for submitting a Career Bridge Plan are explained in CHE 2004.
A total of 6 hours of CHE elective are required from the following list. If you take more than six hours, the excess hours will count toward Technical Electives. All CHE Electives must be taken A-F. Students are responsible for the satisfaction of prerequisites required for their chosen electives.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
CHE 4104 | Process Materials | 3 |
CHE 4114 | Energy and Climate Change Solutions | 3 |
CHE 4214 | Introduction to Polymer Materials | 3 |
CHE 4224 | Introduction to Polymer Processing | 3 |
CHE 4304 | Biological Transport Phenomena | 3 |
CHE 4334 | Introduction to Colloidal and Interfacial Science | 3 |
CHE 4404 | Machine Learning in Chemical Sciences and Engineering | 3 |
A total of 6 hours of technical electives are required from the following list. All Technical Electives must be taken A-F. No courses may double-count as both CHE elective and technical elective. Students are responsible for the satisfaction of prerequisites required for their chosen electives. If there is a course you are interested in taking and it is not on the approved list, talk to Dr. Goldstein for approval to substitute a course.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Biochemistry | ||
BCHM 2024 | Concepts of Biochemistry | 3 |
BCHM 3114 | Biochemistry for Biotechnology and the Life Sciences | 3 |
BCHM 4115 | General Biochemistry | 4 |
BCHM 4116 | General Biochemistry | 3 |
Biomedical Engineering | ||
BMES 2104 | Introduction to Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
BMES 4064 | Introduction to Medical Physiology | 3 |
Chemical Engineering | ||
CHE 4104 | Process Materials | 3 |
CHE 4114 | Energy and Climate Change Solutions | 3 |
CHE 4214 | Introduction to Polymer Materials | 3 |
CHE 4224 | Introduction to Polymer Processing | 3 |
CHE 4304 | Biological Transport Phenomena | 3 |
CHE 4334 | Introduction to Colloidal and Interfacial Science | 3 |
CHE 4404 | Machine Learning in Chemical Sciences and Engineering | 3 |
CHE 4544 | Protein Separation Engineering | 3 |
CHE 4974 | Independent Study 3 | 1-3 |
CHE 4994 | Undergraduate Research 3 | 1-3 |
Chemistry | ||
CHEM 2114 | Analytical Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 3615 | Physical Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 3626 | Physical Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
CHEM 4074 | Laboratory in Polymer Science | 2 |
CHEM 4114 | Instrumental Analysis | 3 |
CHEM 4124 | Instrumental Analysis Laboratory | 1 |
CHEM 4404 | Physical Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 4414 | Inorganic Chemistry Lab | 2 |
CHEM 4514 | Green Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 4524 | Identification of Organic Compounds | 3 |
CHEM 4534 | Organic Chemistry of Polymers | 3 |
CHEM 4554 | Drug Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 4616 | Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences | 3 |
CHEM 4624 | Materials Chemistry in Energy Sciences | 3 |
CHEM 4634 | Polymer and Surface Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 4734 | Environmental Soil Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 4994 | Undergraduate Research 3 | 1-19 |
Civil and Environmental Engineering | ||
CEE 5104 | Environmental Chemistry | 3 |
Computer Science | ||
CS 3114 | Data Structures and Algorithms | 3 |
Engineering | ||
ENGR 3124 | Introduction to Green Engineering | 3 |
Food Science and Technology | ||
FST 4104 | Applied Brewing Science and Engineering | 3 |
FST 4504 | Food Chemistry | 3 |
Mathematics | ||
MATH 4564 | Operational Methods for Engineers | 3 |
Materials Science and Engineering | ||
MSE 3204 | Fundamentals of Electronic Materials | 3 |
MSE 4394 | Introduction to Molecular Dynamics Simulation | 3 |
MSE 4544 | Laboratory In Polymer Science | 2 |
MSE 4574 | Biomaterials | 3 |
Nuclear Science and Engineering | ||
NSEG 3145 | Fundamentals of Nuclear Engr | 3 |
Physics | ||
PHYS 3324 | Modern Physics | 4 |
PHYS 4564 | Polymer Physics | 3 |
Sustainable Biomaterials | ||
SBIO 3434 | Chemistry and Conversion of Sustainable Biomaterials | 3 |
SBIO 3444 | Sustainable Biomaterials and Bioenergy | 3 |
SBIO 3454 | Society, Sustainability Biomaterials and Energy | 3 |
4974 Independent Study and 4994 Undergraduate Research cannot be requested through online course request. Interested students are encouraged to contact potential research mentors, who will initiate the process. Contact Drs Martin and Bortner for more information about ChemE Car and ChemE Cube Teams, respectively.
Students who complete 9 credits from any of the following sets of courses will have completed a “Track.” While this will not be acknowledged on the student’s transcript or diploma, the student is welcome to identify the completion of the Track on their resume/curriculum vitae. Undergraduate research must be in a topic closely related to track and no more than 3 credits of approved research may be applied toward a track. Completion of a track is not required for the BS degree in CHE.
Chemical Engineers design and operate many industrial and power plants and can influence the output of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases, as well as other chemicals and materials that can negatively impact the environment. Chemical Engineers can positively impact climate change through process design, selection of appropriate materials, and careful control of process operating conditions, and through the implementation of decarbonization and climate change mitigation strategies. “Climate and Energy Solutions” is a track within the Chemical Engineering major where students will receive additional training in areas such as sustainable and renewable energy production, increased efficiency, decarbonization, green and sustainable materials, planning for low energy and low environmental impacts, and other strategies for mitigating climate change and environmental effects. By judicial selection of courses, students may complete the Green Engineering minor and Climate and Engineering Solutions track.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
CHE 4114 | Energy and Climate Change Solutions | 3 |
Select a minimum of 6 credit hours from the following: | ||
CEE 4134 | Environmental Sustainability - A Systems Approach | 3 |
CHE 4994 | Undergraduate Research | 1-19 |
CHEM 4514 | Green Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 4624 | Materials Chemistry in Energy Sciences | 3 |
ECE 4364 | Alternate Energy for Climate Sustainability | 3 |
ENGR 3124 | Introduction to Green Engineering | 3 |
ENGR 4134 | Environmental Life Cycle Assessment | 3 |
ESM 4194 | Sustainable Energy Solutions for a Global Society | 3 |
ME 4154 | Industrial Energy Systems | 3 |
ME 4324 | Energy Systems: Theory and Applications | 3 |
SBIO 2504 | Circular Economy Analytics for Sustainable Systems | 3 |
SBIO 3444 | Sustainable Biomaterials and Bioenergy | 3 |
SBIO 3454 | Society, Sustainability Biomaterials and Energy | 3 |
Large-scale numerical simulations and autonomous experimentation have revolutionized many disciplines in science and engineering. To meet the growing workforce demand for tackling massive amounts of data in chemical industries, the “Computational and Data Sciences” track offers a uniquely interdisciplinary set of courses teaching the basic methodologies and applied tools of data analytics with domain-specific examples. The track prepares students for a broad variety of career paths that leverage computation and data for solving urgent societal problems: from energy and biomedical materials design, to advanced manufacturing, to intelligent chemical processes with on-the-fly diagnosis, forecasting, and optimization, to opportunities not yet foreseen.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
CHE 4404 | Machine Learning in Chemical Sciences and Engineering | 3 |
Select a minimum of 6 credit hours from the following: | ||
AOE 4024 | An Introduction to the Finite Element Method | 3 |
CHE 4994 | Undergraduate Research | 1-19 |
CMDA 4654 | Intermediate Data Analytics and Machine Learning | 3 |
CS 4884 | Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Capstone | 3 |
MSE 4394 | Introduction to Molecular Dynamics Simulation | 3 |
Chemical Engineering principles are central to a broad range of bioengineering solutions to health and medicine problems, including protein and pharmaceutical engineering, tissue engineering, fermentation, wastewater treatment, and the development of novel bioreactors for product synthesis. The “Healthcare Technologies” track will allow students with a particular interest in one or more of these topics to focus their technical electives in that area. By judicial selection of courses, students may complete the Biomedical Engineering minor and Healthcare Technologies track.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
CHE 4304 | Biological Transport Phenomena | 3 |
Select a minimum of 6 credit hours from the following: | ||
BMES 4064 | Introduction to Medical Physiology | 3 |
CHE 4544 | Protein Separation Engineering | 3 |
CHE 4994 | Undergraduate Research | 1-19 |
CHEM 4554 | Drug Chemistry | 3 |
CS 4884 | Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Capstone | 3 |
ESM 4105 | Engineering Analysis of Physiologic Systems | 3 |
MSE 4574 | Biomaterials | 3 |
University Policy 91 outlines university-wide minimum criteria to determine if students are making satisfactory progress towards the completion of their degrees. The CHE Department fully supports this policy. Specific expectations for satisfactory progress for Chemical Engineering majors are as follows:
All CHE-prefix courses except CHE 4144 Business and Marketing Strategies for the Process Industries are used to calculate in-major GPA.
Students must have had 2 years of a foreign language in high school or one year at the college level (6 credit hours) of the same language. College-level credits used to meet this requirement do not count towards the degree.
First Year | ||
---|---|---|
Fall Semester | Credits | |
CHEM 1035 | General Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 1045 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
ENGL 1105 | First-Year Writing | 3 |
MATH 1225 | Calculus of a Single Variable | 4 |
ENGE 1215 | Foundations of Engineering | 2 |
Elective (Pathways Concept 2, 3, or 7) | 3 | |
Credits | 16 | |
Spring Semester | ||
CHEM 1036 | General Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 1046 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
ENGL 1106 | First-Year Writing | 3 |
MATH 1226 | Calculus of a Single Variable | 4 |
PHYS 2305 | Foundations of Physics | 4 |
ENGE 1216 | Foundations of Engineering | 2 |
Credits | 17 | |
Second Year | ||
Fall Semester | ||
CHEM 2535 or CHEM 2565 | Organic Chemistry or Principles of Organic Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 2545 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
CHE 2114 | Mass and Energy Balances (C-) | 3 |
PHYS 2306 | Foundations of Physics | 4 |
MATH 2114 | Introduction to Linear Algebra | 3 |
MATH 2204 | Introduction to Multivariable Calculus | 3 |
Credits | 17 | |
Spring Semester | ||
CHEM 2536 or CHEM 2566 | Organic Chemistry or Principles of Organic Chemistry | 3 |
CHE 2004 | Chemical Engineering Sophomore Seminar | 1 |
CHE 2164 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | 3 |
CHE 3134 | Separation Processes | 3 |
MATH 2214 | Introduction to Differential Equations | 3 |
Elective (Pathways Concept 2, 3, or 7) | 3 | |
Credits | 16 | |
Third Year | ||
Fall Semester | ||
CHE 3114 | Fluid Transport | 3 |
CHE 3124 | Chemical Engineering Simulations and Process Modeling | 3 |
CHE 3185 | Chemical Reactor Analysis and Design | 2 |
ENGL 3764 | Technical Writing | 3 |
Elective (Pathways Concept 2, 3, or 7) | 3 | |
Credits | 14 | |
Spring Semester | ||
CHEM 3625 | Physical Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
CHE 3015 | Process Measurement & Control | 3 |
CHE 3154 | Heat Transfer Analysis | 3 |
CHE 3144 | Mass Transfer | 3 |
Select one of the following: | 3 | |
Statistical Methods for Engineers | ||
Probability and Statistics for Engineers | ||
Credits | 13 | |
Summer Semester | ||
CHE 4014 | Chemical Engineering Laboratory | 4 |
Credits | 4 | |
Fourth Year | ||
Fall Semester | ||
CHE 3186 | Chemical Reactor Analysis and Design | 2 |
CHE 4185 | Process and Plant Design | 4 |
ENGE 3900 | Bridge Experience | 0 |
Elective (Pathways Concept 2, 3, or 7) | 3 | |
CHE Elective | 3 | |
Technical Elective | 3 | |
Credits | 15 | |
Spring Semester | ||
CHE 4186 | Process and Plant Design | 4 |
CHE Elective | 3 | |
Technical Elective | 3 | |
Elective (Pathways Concept 2, 3, or 7) | 3 | |
Elective (Pathways Concept 6a) | 3 | |
Credits | 16 | |
Total Credits | 128 |
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