Chemical Engineering Major

Chemical Engineering Major

Chemical Engineering

Major

The Chemical Engineering major is a unique blend of engineering, mathematics, and basic sciences. Chemical engineers use this background to solve a wide range of problems.

Offered by the Department of Chemical & Biological Science & Engineering

Chemical engineering is perhaps the broadest and most diverse field in all of engineering. Any commercial process or product that uses or contains molecules probably involved a chemical engineer at some stage of development. This includes all materials used by the military, including such basic items as food, clothing, fuel, water, explosives, metals, polymers, ceramics, semiconductors, medicines, artificial organs, and prostheses, just to name a few. 

Chemical engineers design these materials at the molecular level, optimize the design for specific applications, and develop efficient methods for production, packaging, and distribution. Chemical engineers are also very concerned with the conversion between matter and energy, particularly since almost all chemical reactions require or produce energy. In terms of contemporary social problems, chemical engineers are at the forefront of efforts to develop new and more efficient energy sources, and we are critical to efforts at environmental remediation, including waste recycling and remediation. Within the military, chemical engineers are uniquely qualified to address problems in fuel and water production and distribution, power generation, as well as detection, decontamination, and protection against chemical and biological agents.

Our program envisions an army that is prepared for all dimensions of modern warfare, drawing upon disciplined, highly trained, chemical engineers to develop solutions to the challenges facing the nation. This philosophy is the basis of our mission statement:

The mission of the chemical engineering program is to prepare commissioned leaders of character who possess the intellectual capital to leverage new and emerging technologies. 

Interested Cadets

A cadet majoring in chemical engineering must complete 25 core (including CH102, PH206, and MA205) and 18 program courses for a total of 43 academic courses. The program includes 15 required and 3 elective courses.

Required Courses

  • CH362: Mass & Energy Balances
  • MA364: Engineering Mathematics
  • CH363: Separation Processes
  • CH364: Chemical Reaction Engineering
  • CH367: Intro to Automatic Process Control
  • CH383: Organic Chemistry I
  • MC300: Fundamentals of Engineering Mechanics & Design
  • MC311: Thermal-Fluid Systems I
  • MC312: Thermal-Fluid Systems II
  • EE301: Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering
  • CH400: Chemical Engineering Professional Practice
  • CH402: Chemical Engineering Process Design
  • CH459: Chemical Engineering Laboratory
  • CH365: Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
  • CH485: Heat & Mass Transfer

Three engineering electives must be taken to complete the requirements of the major.

Suggested areas of specialization are:

Materials Engineering

  • MC364 Mechanics of Materials
  • MC380 Engineering Materials
  • Open Engineering Elective

Industrial Engineering

  • SE301 Foundations of Eng. Design & Sys Management
  • EM411 Project Management
  • EM420 Production Operations Management

Decision Analysis

  • SE301 Foundations of Eng. Design & Systems Management
  • EM481 Systems Simulation
  • SM484 System Dynamic Simulation

Advanced Control Systems

  • EE360 Digital Logic w/Embedded Systems
  • SM484 System Dynamic Simulation
  • XE475 Mechatronics

Energy Conversion Systems

  • EE377 Electrical Power Generation
  • ME472 Energy Conversion Systems
  • ME480 Heat Transfer

Power Systems

  • MC306 Dynamics
  • ME491 Mechanical Power Plants
  • EE377 Electrical Power Generation

Nuclear Energy

  • NE300 Fundamentals of Nuclear Engineering
  • NE350 Radiological Engineering Design
  • NE450 Nuclear Weapons

Bioengineering

  • CH300 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering
  • CH350 Introduction to Bioengineering
  • CH450 Bioengineering Modeling and Analysis

Learn More

Cadets have numerous opportunities to participate in activities that will expand their intellectual and social interests within their field including scholarship opportunities, Projects Day participation, and a summer Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD) program, USMA-run academic enrichment experience.

Chemical engineering cadets have earned recognition from a variety of prestigious organizations, including the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, the National GEM Consortium, the Fulbright Scholar Program, and the Phi Kappa Phi and Tau Beta Phi Honor Societies. Graduates from our program have also gone on to conduct graduate-level studies at well-renowned universities such as Stanford University, the University of Cambridge, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Honor Societies:

To learn more about enrichment in this area of study, visit the Department of Chemical & Biological Science & Engineering or the Center for Molecular Science.

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Chemical Engineering at the United States Military Academy is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the commission's General Criteria and Program Criteria for Chemical Engineering and similarly named engineering programs.

Current ABET Chemical Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) Student Outcomes

Student outcomes are statements that describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. 

Cadets who qualify for graduation with a Chemical Engineering major from USMA will demonstrate:

  • an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  • an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
  • an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  • an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
  • an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  • an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  • an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

ABET Chemical Engineering program educational objectives

Program educational objectives are broad statements that describe the career and professional accomplishments that the program is preparing graduates to achieve.

The Chemical Engineering program seeks to prepare future Army officers for productive and rewarding careers in engineering or related professions for service to the nation.

Five to seven years after graduation, cadets who majored in Chemical Engineeri will have been successful Army officers who:

  • Demonstrate effective leadership by leveraging chemical engineering expertise and precise technical communication.
  • Contribute to the solution of complex problems in a dynamic environment.
  • Apply disciplined technical expertise to succeed in advanced study programs.

For the current and recent enrollment and graduate statistics, click the link for “View by Major” under the section "Enrollment for Select Majors."