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Option Requirements in Chemical Engineering

You can find the option requirements below or in this easy-to-read graphic.

  1. Ma 2, Ph 2 a, Ch/ChE 9, ChE 15, Ch 21 ab†, Ch 41 ab†, ChE 62, ChE 63 ab, Ch/ChE 91 (or En/Wr 84), ACM 95 ab, ChE 101, ChE 103 abc, ChE 105, ChE 126, and one of [Ec 111, BEM 102, BEM 103]1.
  2. Completion of a track (biomolecular, sustainability, process systems, materials, or computational), each consisting of at least 72 units of science or engineering courses. Students should inform the executive officer of their track choice by the beginning of the spring quarter of the sophomore year by providing a planned schedule for completion of all degree requirements. Requirements for the tracks are as follows.
a. Biomolecular Track: ChE/BE 163, Ch/Bi 110, [ChE 130 or ChE 90 c], and additional units of bioengineering or biochemical engineering electives or approved related courses.3,4b. Sustainability Track: two of [ChE 111, ESE 101, ESE 102, ESE 103], one of [ChE 128, ChE 90 c, Ge 114a], and additional units of 100-level ESE electives, 100-level EST electives or approved related courses.3,4,5c. Process Systems Track: ChE 118, ChE 120, [ChE 128 or ChE 90 c], and additional units of engineering electives, courses from the other tracks, or approved related courses.3d. Materials Track: [ChE 128 or ChE 90 c]; one course on materials synthesis or processing selected from [Ch/ChE 1472, ChE 1152, MS 133]; at least one course on the physical basis of structure and properties selected from [Ch 120, ChE/Ch 1482, MS 115, MS/APh 1222, MS 131, MS 132]; and additional units of chemical engineering, materials science, or applied physics elective courses selected from [ChE/Ch 1552, ChE/Ch 164, ChE/Ch 165, APh 109, APh 114 ab, any MS course], or approved related courses.3,4e. Computational Track: ACM/IDS 104, ChE 141, at least one course sequence from [Ch 121 ab; BE 163 & BE 191a2; ESE 101 & ESE 1362; Ae 232 ab2; ChE 90 abc], and additional units from ChE 142 or approved courses in IDS, ACM, CS or related options.

3. Passing grades must be earned in all courses required by the Institute and the option. None of the courses satisfying option requirements may be taken pass/fail (except when courses are only available P/F).

4. Passing grades must be earned in a total of 486 units, including courses listed above.

†As of March 2021, Ch 21c and Ch 41c are no longer option requirements, and these changes will first appear in the 2021-22 catalog, pending approval. Students who matriculated in 2020 or earlier may petition to substitute any courses for Ch 21c and Ch 41c, if desired.

1The 9 units of Ec 11 or BEM 103 partially satisfy the Institute requirements in humanities and social sciences, but the 9 units of BEM 102 do not.

2Course is not typically offered every academic year.

3No more than 18 units of [ChE 90ab or ChE 80] may count as track electives.

4ChE 118 and/or ChE 120 may be elected provided the design project undertaken contains a significant component relevant to the track.

5Students in the sustainability track are encouraged to take one policy-related course [BEM/Ec/ESE 1192 or ME/EE/EST 1172] as a track elective