CBE Undergraduate Areas of Study Open

The Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering offers two Bachelor of Science degrees: the BS in Chemical Engineering (BS-ChE) and the new BS in Biomedical Engineering (BS-BME). Within the BS-ChE degree, students may choose the major in Chemical Engineering or the major in Chemical-Materials Engineering. Within the new BS-BME degree, students may choose from among three diverse areas of study that reflect new directions in the broader field of biomedical engineering – Cell & Bioprocess Engineering, Biomaterials & Biopolymers Engineering, or Image & Signal Process Engineering.

BS Degree Program in Chemical Engineering

Major in Chemical Engineering

The most common major, it prepares students for employment or further studies in traditional areas of chemical engineering, such as inorganic chemicals, petrochemical engineering, agricultural chemicals, paints and coatings, and biochemicals.

Major in Chemical-Materials Engineering

Chemical engineers have extensively developed and studied the molecular structures and dynamics of materials - including solids, liquids, and gases - in order to develop macroscopic descriptions of the behavior of such materials. In turn, these macroscopic descriptions have allowed the construction and analysis of unit processes that facilitate desired chemical and physical changes. This constant interplay between molecular scale understanding and macroscopic descriptions is unique and central to the field of chemical engineering.

BS Degree Program in Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical engineering concerns the application of chemical engineering principles and practices to large-scale living organisms, most specifically human beings. As one of the newest sub-disciplines of chemical engineering, the field is a rapidly evolving one involving chemical engineers, biochemists, physicians, and other health care professionals. Biomedical research and development is carried out at universities, teaching hospitals, and private companies, and it focuses on conceiving new materials and products designed to improve or restore bodily form or function. Because of increasing interest in this field of study, the BS degree in Biomedical Engineering also provides an avenue for students interested in pursuing a career in medicine, biotechnological patent law, or biomedical product sales and services. The motivation for creating three majors within the BS-BME degree is to allow students to build depth in one of three major areas within the field of biomedical engineering.

Major in Cell & Bioprocess Engineering

Biomedical engineers are employed in diverse areas such as artificial limb and organ development, genetic engineering research, development of drug delivery systems, and cellular and tissue engineering./p>

Major in Biomaterials & Biopolymers Engineering

Engineering professionals are engaged in medical research to model living organisms (pharmacokinetic models), and to make biomedical devices (e.g., drug delivery capsules, synthetic materials, and prosthetic devices).

Major in Image & Signal Process Engineering

The field of signal and image processing encompasses the theory and practice of algorithms and hardware that convert signals produced by artificial or natural means into a form useful for a specific purpose. The signals might be speech, audio, images, video, sensor data, telemetry, electrocardiograms, or seismic data, among others. erested in pursuing a career in medicine, biotechnological patent law, or biomedical product sales and services.