Chemical Engineering

On an average day in the U.S., we consume 9 million barrels of gasoline, 4 million barrels of diesel, 63,000 tons of fertilizer, 350,000 tons of paper and 74,000 tons of plastics.

The bachelor of science (B.S.) degree in chemical engineering from the University of Idaho prepares you to play a crucial role in the production of these high-demand products.

As a student in the rigorous chemical engineering program, you learn to combine the science of chemistry with the disciplines of engineering, physics and math to understand industrial chemical processing.  These processes are used to transform raw materials into useful products.   As a chemical engineer you will make improvements to existing processes that reduce costs, improve quality and reduce environmental impact as well as develop new processes.

Through classroom learning and hands on laboratory experience, you will develop skills for analyzing chemical processes:

• Chemical accounting, how do you balance what goes into a chemical processing unit with what comes out plus the amount generated. 
• How do you use distillation, leaching, membranes, filtering, flotation, and other processes to transform raw materials?
• How are materials transported around the chemical plants, through pipelines, and into the microscopic pores of a catalyst?
• How far will a chemical reaction proceed? Do you need to add or remove heat?
• How are computers used to monitor and control chemical processes?
• How do you find chemical engineering solutions that make a profit and minimally impact the environment?

Students design and conduct experiments using modern laboratory equipment, such as, the atomic force microscope (AFM) system, scanning Raman spectroscopy and gas chromatographs. Hands-on learning opportunities include local, regional and national competitions, the chance to design and construct a small chemically powered car, and undergraduate research alongside our internationally recognized faculty.

Prepare for Success

Do you enjoy chemistry? Mathematics? Physics? Do you thrive on being challenged? Do you revel in the satisfaction of solving complex problems?

If so, a career in chemical engineering could be for you. Prepare for the program in high school by taking courses in chemistry, general engineering, calculus, biology and physics.

Students who have not taken advanced placement exams in the areas of chemistry and mathematics while in high school are encouraged to do so before beginning the program.

Your First Year

During the first two years of the chemical engineering program, you complete University of Idaho core requirements and take prerequisite engineering courses to build your foundation in chemistry, math and physics. Placement exams are given at the beginning of each semester in the areas of mathematics and chemistry. During your first year, you may take:

• Introduction to Chemical Engineering, ChE 110, weekly presentations by chemical engineers from industry.
• Computations in Chemical Engineering,  ChE 123 
• Principles of Chemistry, Chem 111 and Chem 112
• Analytic Geometry & Calculus, Math 170 and Math 175
• Engineering Physics, Phys 211

The above list is typical for first year chemical engineering majors but several variations are possible. Most engineering students earn their undergraduate degree in four years, however, some students like the flexibility that a five-year plan provides.

What You Can Do

Your versatile expertise positions you for diverse career opportunities in:

• Pulp and paper
• Chemical manufacturing
• Petroleum and fuel processing
• Nuclear and energy applications 
• Electronic materials
• Biotechnology
• Biomedical engineering
• Pharmaceuticals
• Environmental engineering

Opportunities

Chemical engineers have discovered new fabrics to enhance athletic performance, created new compounds to improve how medicines are absorbed and administered, designed biocompatible materials for prosthetics, and experimented with alternative fuel using microbes and other renewable energy solutions.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the annual 2005 starting salary for a graduate with a bachelor of science in chemical engineering was $55,900.

Companies that hire our chemical engineering graduates:

• Alcoa
• Applied Materials
• Battelle Pacific Northwest
• Bechtel
• British Petroleum
• Chevron
• CH2M Hill
• Department of Energy
• DOW
• Dupont
• Georgia Pacific
• Hewlett-Packard Company
• INL
• Intel
• Ivensys
• Lincoln Tissue and Paper
• Longview Fiber
• Louisiana Pacific
• Micron
• Potlatch Corporation
• Solutia
• Terragraphics
• Weyerhaeuser

Current Research

Undergraduate chemical engineering students at the University of Idaho have rare opportunities to engage in leading research alongside internationally recognized faculty. Areas of research and expertise include:

• Chemical reaction engineering
• Simulation, optimization and process design for the pulp and paper industry and for food applications
• Hazardous waste characterization and bioremediation
• Membrane, nanoscience, fluid mechanics, biochemical engineering
• Mass transfer research

Activities

• American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
• Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI)

Hands-On Experience

Engineering Design EXPO:
For your senior capstone, apply everything you’ve learned to develop a solution to a real-life engineering problem. Working as part of a team of other engineering students, you will design and present your capstone project at the University of Idaho Engineering Design Expo, the Pacific Northwest's largest interdisciplinary event, showcasing the world of engineering and technological innovation.

Chem-E-Car Competition:
Teams of chemical engineering students design and construct a chemically powered vehicle for this annual competition hosted by AIChE.

Waste-Management Environmental Research Consortium (WERC):
This annual competition is held annually at New Mexico State University. Teams of college students from around the U.S. and world, design solutions for real-world environmental problems. Over the past 15 years, the University of Idaho teams have earned more than 32 trophies, a traveling trophy and $56,000 in prize monies.

American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Conference:
Chemical engineering students have opportunities to compete in AIChE regional and national conferences.

Junior Engineering, Mathematics, and Science (JEMS):
Students demonstrate chemical engineering experiments to high school juniors and seniors that come to the University of Idaho campus for the two-week summer camp each July.

Facilities

Both undergraduate and graduate students use the chemical engineering laboratory’s state-of-the-art equipment, including:

• Two-story distillation column for separating liquid feeds
• Gas stripping column for removing acetone from water
• Double effect evaporators for energy efficient purification
• Chemical reactors using a catalyst
• Membrane-based gas separation for separating air into O₂ and N₂
• Atomic force microscope (AFM) system for analyzing nano-scale properties
• Process control lab for computer control of production processes
• Supporting analytical equipment, such as gas chromatographs

Most equipment is made of glass, allowing for optimal viewing.