Chemical Engineering Educational Mission and Goals

Educational Mission of the Engineering Program

The educational mission of the Chemical Engineering program is to provide students with a unique interdisciplinary academic foundation on which to continue developing intellectual capacity, and the scholarly training needed to address complex problems in chemical engineering and materials science with emphasis on advances in biochemical engineering, biomedical engineering, and nanotechnology.

Undergraduate Major in Chemical Engineering

Program Educational Objectives: Graduates of the program will (1) demonstrate a broad knowledge in the field of chemical engineering; (2) demonstrate critical reasoning and the requisite quantitative skills in seeking solutions to chemical engineering problems; (3) demonstrate skills for effective communication and teamwork; (4) effectively lead chemical engineering projects in industry, government, or academia; (5) exhibit a commitment to lifelong learning. (Program educational objectives are those aspects of engineering that help shape the curriculum; achievement of these objectives is a shared responsibility between the student and UCI.)

Program Outcomes for undergraduate students in Chemical Engineering:

  1. An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering to chemical engineering problems.
  2. An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data.
  3. An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability.
  4. An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams.
  5. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve chemical engineering problems.
  6. An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.
  7. An ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
  8. A broad education necessary to understand the impact of chemical engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.
  9. A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning.
  10. A knowledge of contemporary issues in chemical engineering.
  11. An ability to use techniques, skills, and modern engineering and computing tools necessary for chemical engineering practice.
  12. A thorough grounding in chemistry and a working knowledge of advanced chemistry such as organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, materials, biochemistry, or environmental science, selected as appropriate to the goals of the program.
  13. A working knowledge, including safety and environmental aspects, of material and energy balances applied to chemical processes; thermodynamics of physical and chemical equilibria; heat, mass, and momentum transfer; chemical reaction engineering; continuous and stage-wise separation operations; process dynamics and control, and process design.