The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering offers degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The department offers two distinct BS degree programs, one in chemical engineering and one in chemical and biological engineering. The Regents of the University of Colorado and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education approved the new BS program in the combined fields of chemical and biological engineering during the summer of 2006. The first graduates of the new program graduated in the spring of 2009 and the program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (www.abet.org).
At the BS, MS, and PhD levels, there are opportunities to specialize via electives, independent study, and research. The BS in chemical engineering also offers optional variations to the core curriculum that allow students to specialize in environmental, computer, microelectronic, and materials aspects of chemical engineering. If a student has an interest that is not included in the following information, special arrangements can usually be made.
Students may carry out part of their studies in another country (see the Office of International Education section), and are encouraged to consider this opportunity, given the international nature of most large chemical and engineering corporations and international cooperation in scientific and engineering research. Many faculty members have significant international experience.
Cooperative Education and Internships. The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering offers a formal Co-Op Program, where students obtain a BS in chemical engineering or chemical and biological engineering and significant industrial experience in five years. A Biotechnology Internships program is also offered for summer internships with local companies.
Senior Thesis. The department offers this program for undergraduates with a strong interest in research. The student carries out a year-long project under the direction of a faculty member in lieu of taking CHEN 4130 Chemical Engineering Laboratory 2 (for ChE students) or CHEN 4810 Biological Engineering Lab (for ChBE students). Students must apply at the end of their junior year.
Chemical and biological engineering research facilities are extensive and modern. Nearly all research equipment is interfaced to computers for automated data collection, monitoring, and control. A full description of chemical engineering research facilities can be found in the Graduate School section.
Course codes for this program are CHEM and CHEN.
Chemical engineers are responsible for producing products based on chemical processing and chemical transformations. They carry out basic research; they design, build, operate, and manage chemical processes and plants; and they supply petroleum products, renewable resources, plastics, detergents, agricultural chemicals, pharmaceuticals, biological compounds, photographic materials, microelectronic devices, and various food and other products. Today’s processes must be energy efficient, nonpolluting, and profitable. Thus, students must master inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, mathematics, statistics, computers, physics, and often biology and biochemistry. Students must learn to apply these fundamentals in the process industries. Paralleling the technical courses are studies in the humanities and the social sciences.
The department prepares its graduates to make significant contributions in many diverse areas. Specifically, within three to five years its graduates will:
At the time of graduation, graduates will demonstrate:
Curricular options have been established in fields of major importance and particular interest. To follow one of these options requires careful planning and course selection by student and advisor.
Bioengineering Option. Since all biological and medical systems involve complex chemical and physical processes, chemical engineering is a natural professional basis for biotechnology research. The department has a strong undergraduate program tailored to meeting the needs of students who are preparing for careers in biomedical engineering, biochemical engineering, or biotechnology. Modern biotechnology has been defined as “applied genetic engineering” and is of considerable importance due to recent advances in molecular biology and genetic engineering. The successful industrial application of these advances will, in large part, depend on new chemical engineering initiatives in the development of high-rate bioreactors, efficient separation and purification techniques for bioproducts, and computer-interfaced instrumentation for optimal bioprocess control.
The courses available for this option are Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering, and Biochemical Separations. In addition, bioengineering option students are required to complete two semesters of general biology and one semester of biochemistry.
The department also offers graduate bioengineering technology research programs at both the MS and PhD levels. These programs are oriented toward specialization in various aspects of biochemical engineering, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, and sensory physiology.
Environmental Option. Chemical engineers can make major contributions in the fields of pollution prevention and control, resource utilization, and environmental improvement. The environmental engineering option is designed to emphasize biological and environmental sciences, the effects of chemicals on the environment, and chemical engineering applications in environmental problems.
The courses taken by students following this option include electives in environmental science and engineering. A capstone course in environmental engineering processes or environmental separations is taken in the senior year.
Materials Option. The need to develop new materials for a rapidly broadening spectrum of applications is one of the major technological challenges confronting applied science. Chemical engineers have the required background in chemistry and transport theory to contribute significantly in this area. This option focuses on polymeric and ceramic materials by complementing the chemical engineering curriculum with elective courses stressing the interrelationship between materials fabrication, structure, properties, and performance.
Premedicine Curriculum Track. This track is offered for students preparing for medical school. Since chemical engineering already requires most of the premed courses, it is a logical choice for students who desire an engineering degree and the opportunity to pursue a medical profession.
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Sophomore Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Junior Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Senior Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
The chemical engineering field has traditionally had a natural affinity and synergy with the fields of molecular and cellular biology including biotechnology, pharmaceutical sciences, tissue engineering, and medicine. These synergies have led the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering to establish this new degree track in the combined fields of chemical and biological engineering. Graduates of this new program will be trained in the traditional field of chemical engineering with foci on chemical transformations and separations; however, they will have further knowledge and ability in applying these skills to the emerging areas in biological engineering such as biotechnology, metabolic engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences. In contrast to the traditional BS in chemical engineering, students must master additional skills in biology, medicine, bioseparations, biological laboratory skills, and biological transformations.
The department prepares its graduates to make significant contributions in many diverse areas. Specifically, within three to five years, graduates will:
At the time of graduation, graduates will demonstrate:
Premedicine Curriculum Track. This track is offered for students preparing for medical school. Since chemical and biological engineering already requires most of the premed courses, it is a logical choice for students who desire an engineering degree and the opportunity to pursue a medical profession.
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Sophomore Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Junior Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Senior Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Major areas of current research interest in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering are biomaterials and tissue engineering, biosensing, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, catalysis and surface science, computational science and engineering, energy, fluids and flows, interfaces and self-assembly, membranes and separations, nanomaterials and nanotechnology, polymers and soft materials, protein engineering and synthetic biology.
Admission. General criteria for regular admission to the master’s program include a bachelor’s degree with a 3.000 or better overall GPA from a college or university of recognized standing, equivalent to the degree given at this university (or college work equivalent to that required for such a degree, at least 96 semester hours of which must be acceptable toward a degree at this university); promise of ability to pursue advanced study and research, as judged by previous scholastic record or otherwise; and adequate preparation to begin graduate study in the chosen field.
A candidate for the master of science degree in chemical engineering must fulfill the following departmental requirements:
It is expected that a qualified student can complete the master’s degree in less than two calendar years. A graduate student with a bachelor’s degree in a field related to chemical engineering can obtain the master’s degree in chemical engineering but may be required to make up deficiencies in background. Programs are arranged on an individual basis.
Course Requirements. The following courses are required for any MS degree plan:
A degree plan must be prepared at the beginning of the academic program in consultation with an advisory committee. The student is urged to maintain close contact with this advisory committee during the entire course of study.
The MS thesis committee must consist of three members, including at least two graduate faculty members from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Admission. (The standards of admission to the MS program also apply to ME degree applicants.) A 3.000 overall undergraduate GPA is required for regular admission.
ME Degree Advisor. All ME candidates should see the chemical engineering master of science degree advisor for counseling.
Requirements for Graduation. Students orally defend their written reports as specified in the ME degree description, and a comprehensive examination is administered by the student’s advisory committee on the report and course work.
A candidate for the doctor of philosophy degree must meet the requirements as described under requirements for advanced degrees in the Graduate School section. A minimum of 30 semester hours of courses numbered 5000 or above is required for the degree, including those applied toward an MS degree. These must include all five core courses listed previously.
All PhD students in chemical engineering must satisfy a communication skills requirement. This includes performing an advanced teaching assistantship and demonstrating satisfactory communication skills on the PhD comprehensive examination. Students whose primary language is English may choose to demonstrate foreign language proficiency instead of being judged on their communications skills on the comprehensive exam.
The PhD dissertation committee must consist of five members, including at least three from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and at least one from within CU-Boulder, but outside the department. A graduate faculty member of the department must serve as chair of the committee.
The new Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Program is an interdisciplinary MS and PhD program aimed at providing a rigorous education in materials science and engineering and the fundamental physics, engineering, chemistry, and biology that underlie this discipline. Educational goals are achieved through both course work and training in cross-disciplinary research supervised by one or more science and engineering faculty members.
The program offers six unique tracks of study:
The MSE program is directed by Professor Christopher Bowman of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. For more information on this new program, visit mse.colorado.edu/welcome.html.