Chemical Engineering, BS

Chemical Engineers combine science with engineering technology to make an essential contribution to many industries, including biotechnology, semiconductor processing, environmental engineering, manufacturing, and industrial chemicals. The Chemical Engineering degree also provides a strong foundation for graduate degrees in a range of disciplines. The Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering has excellent laboratory facilities for courses and student research.

The Chemical Engineering Program at SJSU is designed to provide a solid engineering foundation and then allow the student to develop some specialization in an area of interest. The Chemical Engineering Bachelor of Science degree program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Program Criteria and the Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Program Criteria. The department also offers a combined Chemical Engineering BS + MS program.

Program Learning Outcomes

Program Roadmaps

The 4-Year and 5-Year Roadmaps are available online. Roadmaps should be used in consultation with the catalog and your advisor to identify additional requirements for completing the major (for example, course grade minimums). Associate Degrees (ADT) Pathways are also available online.

Major-Specific Graduation Requirements

The following course in Preparation for the Major must be completed with a “C- or Better”: ENGL 1B .

The following required courses in the Major Lower Division Core must be satisfied with a “C or better”: PHYS 50 , MATH 31 , and MATH 32 or MATH 32X .

The CHE Sophomore and Junior Core consists of a “C-” or better in {CHE 110A , CHE 110B , CHE 115 , CHE 151 , CHE 160A , CHE 162 and CHE 190 } and a “C-” or better in ENGR 100W . Students receiving more than one passing grade less than “C-” in any CHE Junior Core course(s) will have to repeat the course(s). Only one passing grade below “C-” is allowed. The Junior Core must be satisfied with a GPA of 2.0 or better. The Junior Core must be satisfied in order to enroll in Senior Core course(s).

The CHE Senior Core consists of {CHE 161L , CHE 163L , CHE 165A , CHE 165B , CHE 185 , CHE 160B , and CHE 158 }. Students receiving more than one passing grade less than a “C-” in any CHE Junior or Senior courses will have to repeat the course(s). Only one passing grade below “C-” is allowed in all CHE core courses. The Senior Core must be satisfied with a GPA of 2.0 or better. Students can repeat any CHE Junior or Senior Core course only once. Failure to pass any CHE Junior or Senior Core course with a grade of “C- or better” after the second attempt will result in disqualification from the CHE major.

Prerequisite Requirements

Enrollment in any chemistry course requires that the prerequisite courses be passed with a grade of “C or better” (C- not accepted). Exceptions may be made only with instructor consent or if not explicitly stated in the course description. Refer to the course descriptions for specific information regarding course prerequisites.

1. Complete the Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

Students must satisfy the specific degree requirements for their undergraduate major and fulfill the following University degree requirements:

Academic (123 units total with an average 2.0 GPA - “C” or better)
General Education (GE) (34 Lower Division + 9 Upper Division)
American Institutions (AI) (0-6 units) (may be satisfied in GE Areas 3A, 3B, 4, UD 3, or UD 4)
Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) 3 units (see Writing in the Disciplines)
Physical Education (PE) (0-2 units)
Units in Residence (30 units, including 24 upper division and 12 in major)
Upper Division Units (40 units, including 12 upper div in major for BA, 18 upper div in major for BS)
Undergraduate Policies & Procedures

Apply for Graduation
Information about the Commencement Ceremony and Conferral of the Degree

Summary of Degree Units

Core Lower Division General Education: 12 (10 units may be satisfied by major coursework, 3 units of 1B waived, 3 units of 5B waived)

American Institutions/ US123 Requirements: 6 (Note: may be satisfied by GE coursework)

Upper Division General Education: 6 (3 units may be satisfied by major coursework)

Physical Education: 0 (waived)

Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR): 0 (3 units satisfied by ENGR 100W)

Major Preparation: 31

Major Requirements: 68

Total: 123

2. Major Preparation (31 units)

CHEM 1A - General Chemistry 5 unit(s) (GE Area 5A and 5C / Formerly Area B1 and B3)
CHEM 1B - General Chemistry 5 unit(s) (GE Area 5A and 5C / Formerly Area B1 and B3)
ENGL 1B - Argument and Analysis 3 unit(s) (GE Area 3B / Formerly Area C2) (Or equivalent second semester composition course.)
MATH 30 - Calculus I 3 unit(s) (GE Area 2 / Formerly Area B4) (or MATH 30X )
MATH 31 - Calculus II 4 unit(s) (GE Area 2 / Formerly Area B4) (Or MATH 31X )
MATH 32 - Calculus III 3 unit(s) (GE Area 2 / Formerly Area B4) (Or MATH 32H or MATH 32X )
PHYS 50 - General Physics I: Mechanics 4 unit(s) (GE Area 5A and 5C / Formerly Area B1 and B3)
PHYS 51 - General Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism 4 unit(s) (GE Area 5A and 5C / Formerly Area B1 and B3)

3. Major Requirements (68 units)

Core Courses (16 units)

CE 99 - Introductory Statics 2 unit(s) (CE 95 also accepted.)
ENGR 10 - Introduction to Engineering 3 unit(s)
MATE 25 - Introduction to Materials 3 unit(s)
CHEM 112A - Organic Chemistry 3 unit(s)
CHEM 112B - Organic Chemistry 3 unit(s)
CHEM 113A - Organic Chemistry Lab 2 unit(s)

Major Courses (43 units)

ENGR 100W - Engineering Reports 3 unit(s) (WID + GE UD Area 2/5 / Formerly Area R)
CHE 110A - Mathematical Methods in Chemical and Materials Engineering 2 unit(s) (Transfer students with MATH 33A (C- or better) or MATH 33LA (C- or better) may use these in lieu of CHE 110A.)
CHE 110B - Computational Methods in Chemical Engineering 2 unit(s)
CHE 114 - Data Science in Chemical and Materials Engineering 3 unit(s)
CHE 115 - Industrial Chemical Calculations 3 unit(s)
CHE 151 - Process Engineering Thermodynamics 4 unit(s)
CHE 158 - Kinetics and Reactor Design 3 unit(s)
CHE 160A - Unit Operations I 4 unit(s)
CHE 160B - Unit Operations II 4 unit(s)
CHE 161L - Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Laboratory 2 unit(s)
CHE 162 - Engineering Statistics and Analysis 2 unit(s)
CHE 163L - Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Laboratory II 2 unit(s)
CHE 165A - Plant Design I 2 unit(s)
CHE 165B - Plant Design II 2 unit(s)
CHE 185 - Chemical Process Dynamics and Control 2 unit(s)
CHE 190 - Introduction to Transport Phenomena 3 unit(s)

Technical Electives (9 units)

ABET required upper division chemistry (3 units)

CHEM 130A - Biochemistry 4 unit(s)
CHEM 135 - General Biochemistry 4 unit(s)
CHEM 161A - Physical Chemistry 3 unit(s)

CHE Technical Electives (6 units)

Technical electives can be chosen from designated courses for breadth or focus in one of the four areas of Biochemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Semiconductor and Materials Processing, and Alternative Energy and Sustainability with advisor approval.

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