Program Overview

Chemical and Biological Engineering Program

The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department offers a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, with tracks in Biological Engineering and Process Engineering. The fields of chemical and biological engineering are extremely broad, encompassing all technologies and industries where chemical processing is utilized in any form.

Program Description

Students with baccalaureate (BS) Chemical Engineering degrees from the Colorado School of Mines can find employment in many diverse fields, including advanced materials synthesis and processing, product and process research and development, food and pharmaceutical processing and synthesis, biochemical and biomedical materials and products, microelectronics manufacturing, petroleum and petrochemical processing, and process and product design.

Program Educational Objectives

The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department has established three program educational objectives for all its graduates. Within three to five years of completing their degree, graduates will:

• Be in graduate school or in the workforce utilizing their education in chemical engineering fundamentals
• Be applying their knowledge of and skills in engineering fundamentals in conventional areas of chemical engineering and in contemporary and growing fields
• Have demonstrated both their commitment to continuing to develop personally and professionally and an appreciation for the ethical and social responsibilities associated with being an engineer and a world citizen

Combined Baccalaureate/Masters Degree Program

The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department offers the opportunity to begin work on a Master of Science (with or without thesis) degree while completing the requirements of the BS degree. These combined BS/MS degrees are designed to allow undergraduates engaged in research, or simply interested in furthering their studies beyond a BS degree, to apply their experience and interest to an advanced degree.

Curriculum

The Chemical Engineering curriculum is structured according to the goals outlined above. The programs of study are organized to include three semesters of science and general engineering fundamentals followed by five semesters of chemical engineering fundamentals and applications.

Chemical Engineering Fundamentals

The following courses represent the basic knowledge component of the Chemical Engineering curriculum:

• CBEN201: Material and Energy Balances
• CBEN307: Fluid Mechanics
• CBEN314: Chemical Engineering Heat and Mass Transfer
• CBEN357: Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
• CBEN375: Chemical Engineering Separations

Chemical Engineering Applications

The following courses are applications-oriented courses that build on the student's basic knowledge of science and engineering fundamentals:

• CBEN312: Unit Operations Laboratory
• CBEN313: Unit Operations Laboratory
• CBEN402: Chemical Engineering Design
• CBEN403: Process Dynamics and Control
• CBEN414: Chemical Process Safety
• CBEN418: Kinetics and Reaction Engineering

Degree Requirements

The total semester hours required for the Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering degree is 134.5.

Specialty Tracks in Chemical Engineering

Students can choose from two specialty tracks: Biological Engineering and Process Engineering. Each track has its own set of required courses and electives.

Biomedical Engineering Minor

To obtain a Biomedical Engineering (BME) minor, students must take at least 18 credits related to Biomedical Engineering. Two courses (8 credits) of biology are required, and two restricted requirements include Intro to Biomedical Engineering and at least 3 credits of engineering electives related to BME.

Courses

A list of courses offered by the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department can be found in the course catalog. Courses include:

• CBEN110: Fundamentals of Biology I
• CBEN120: Fundamentals of Biology II
• CBEN198: Special Topics
• CBEN199: Independent Study
• CBEN200: Computational Methods in Chemical Engineering
• CBEN201: Material and Energy Balances
• CBEN202: Chemical Process Principles Laboratory
• CBEN210: Intro to Thermodynamics
• CBEN250: Introduction to Chemical Engineering Analysis and Design
• CBEN298: Special Topics
• CBEN299: Independent Study
• CBEN304: Anatomy and Physiology
• CBEN305: Anatomy and Physiology Lab
• CBEN306: Anatomy and Physiology: Bone, Muscle, and Brain
• CBEN307: Fluid Mechanics
• CBEN308: Heat Transfer
• CBEN309: Anatomy and Physiology: Bone, Muscle, and Brain Laboratory
• CBEN310: Introduction to Biomedical Engineering
• CBEN311: Introduction to Neuroscience
• CBEN312: Unit Operations Laboratory
• CBEN313: Unit Operations Laboratory
• CBEN314: Chemical Engineering Heat and Mass Transfer
• CBEN315: Introduction to Electrochemical Engineering
• CBEN320: Cell Biology and Physiology
• CBEN321: Intro to Genetics
• CBEN322: Biological Psychology
• CBEN323: General Biology II Laboratory
• CBEN324: Introduction to Brewing Science
• CBEN325: MCAT Review
• CBEN340: Cooperative Education
• CBEN350: Honors Undergraduate Research
• CBEN351: Honors Undergraduate Research
• CBEN357: Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
• CBEN358: Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics Laboratory
• CBEN360: Bioprocess Engineering
• CBEN365: Introduction to Chemical Engineering Practice
• CBEN368: Introduction to Undergraduate Research
• CBEN375: Chemical Engineering Separations
• CBEN398: Special Topics
• CBEN399: Independent Study
• CBEN401: Process Optimization
• CBEN402: Chemical Engineering Design
• CBEN403: Process Dynamics and Control
• CBEN408: Natural Gas Processing
• CBEN409: Petroleum Processes
• CBEN411: Neuroscience, Memory, and Learning
• CBEN412: Introduction to Pharmacology
• CBEN413: Introduction to Bioelectricity
• CBEN414: Chemical Process Safety
• CBEN415: Polymer Science and Technology
• CBEN416: Polymer Engineering and Technology
• CBEN418: Kinetics and Reaction Engineering
• CBEN420: Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering
• CBEN422: Chemical Engineering Flow Assurance
• CBEN430: Transport Phenomena
• CBEN431: Immunology for Engineers and Scientists
• CBEN432: Transport Phenomena in Biological Systems
• CBEN435: Interdisciplinary Microelectronics
• CBEN440: Molecular Perspectives in Chemical Engineering
• CBEN450: Honors Undergraduate Research
• CBEN451: Honors Undergraduate Research
• CBEN454: Applied Bioinformatics
• CBEN460: Biochemical Process Engineering
• CBEN461: Biochemical Process Engineering Laboratory
• CBEN469: Fuel Cell Science and Technology
• CBEN470: Introduction to Microfluidics
• CBEN472: Introduction to Energy Technologies
• CBEN480: Natural Gas Hydrates
• CBEN498: Special Topics
• CBEN499: Independent Study

Faculty

The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department has a diverse faculty with expertise in various areas of chemical and biological engineering. The faculty includes:

• Professors: Andrew M. Herring, Carolyn A. Koh, David W. M. Marr, Colin A. Wolden
• Associate Professors: Sumit Agarwal, Moises A. Carreon, Keith B. Neeves, Amadeu K. Sum, Jennifer Wilcox, Ning Wu
• Assistant Professors: Nanette R. Boyle, Kevin J. Cash, Diego A. Gómez-Gualdrón, Melissa D. Krebs, Joseph R. Samaniuk
• Teaching Associate Professors: Jason C. Ganley, Tracy Q. Gardner, Rachel M. Morrish, Cynthia L. Norrgran, Charles R. Vestal
• Teaching Assistant Professors: Michael D.M. Barankin, C. Joshua Ramey
• Professor of Practice: John L. Jechura
• Professors Emeriti: Robert M. Baldwin, Annette L. Bunge, Anthony M. Dean, James F. Ely, John O. Golden, J. Thomas McKinnon, Ronald L. Miller, E. Dendy Sloan, Jr., J. Douglas Way, Victor F. Yesavage