Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (BSChE) Degree

The program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (BSChE) is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular and Similarly Named Engineering Criteria.

Program Learning Outcomes (Student Outcomes) for the BSChE Degree 

Upon completing the BSChE degree, students will be able to demonstrate:

  1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  2. 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.
  3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. 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.
  5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Program Educational Objectives for the BSChE Degree

Within 3 to 5 years of graduation, graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (BSChE) degree are expected to be:

  1. Graduate students, professionals, and entrepreneurs who are moving towards leadership positions as exemplary members of the global workforce; and 
  2. Professionals who practice their societal, environmental, and ethical responsibilities.

Requirements for the BSChE Degree 

For general university requirements, see Graduation Requirements. Students pursuing the BSChE degree must complete:

  • A minimum of 95 credit hours to satisfy major requirements. 
  • A minimum of 127 credit hours to satisfy degree requirements.
  • A minimum of 16 courses (48 credit hours) taken at the 300-level or above. 
  • The requirements for one area of specialization (see below for areas of specialization). When students declare the major in Chemical Engineering (associated with the BSChE degree), students must additionally identify and declare one of five areas of specialization, either in:

Because of the common core requirements, it is possible for students to change their area of specialization at any time, even after initially declaring the major. To do so, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this major. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the major’s academic advisor, or where applicable, the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the major's Official Certifier.) Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.

Summary

Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Chemical Engineering95
Total Credit Hours Required for the BSChE Degree127

Degree Requirements

Core Requirements
Chemistry
CHEM 121GENERAL CHEMISTRY I3
or CHEM 111 AP/OTH CREDIT IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY I
CHEM 123GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I1
or CHEM 113 AP/OTH CREDIT IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY LAB I
CHEM 122GENERAL CHEMISTRY II3
or CHEM 112 AP/OTH CREDIT IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY II
CHEM 124GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY II1
or CHEM 114 AP/OTH CREDIT IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY LAB II
CHEM 211
CHEM 213
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I
and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY DISCUSSION I
3
CHEM 301PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY I3
Mathematics and Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research
MATH 101SINGLE VARIABLE CALCULUS I3
or MATH 105 AP/OTH CREDIT IN CALCULUS I
MATH 102SINGLE VARIABLE CALCULUS II3
or MATH 106 AP/OTH CREDIT IN CALCULUS II
MATH 211ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS AND LINEAR ALGEBRA3
MATH 212MULTIVARIABLE CALCULUS 13
CMOR 220INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING COMPUTATION3
Physics
Select 1 from the following: 24
MECHANICS (WITH LAB)
and MECHANICS DISCUSSION
HONORS MECHANICS (WITH LAB)
Select 1 from the following: 34
ELECTRICITY & MAGNETISM (WITH LAB)
and ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM DISCUSSION
HONORS ELECTRICITY & MAGNETISM (WITH LAB)
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Core Courses
CHBE 243CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LAB I2
CHBE 301CHEMICAL ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS3
CHBE 305APPLIED MATHEMATICS AND NUMERICAL METHODS FOR CHEMICAL ENGINEERS II3
CHBE 310FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING3
CHBE 344CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LAB II2
CHBE 350PROCESS SAFETY IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING1
CHBE 390CHEMICAL KINETICS AND REACTOR DESIGN3
CHBE 401TRANSPORT PHENOMENA I3
CHBE 402TRANSPORT PHENOMENA II3
CHBE 403DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS4
CHBE 404CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DESIGN4
CHBE 410APPLIED BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING3
CHBE 411THERMODYNAMICS I3
CHBE 412THERMODYNAMICS II3
CHBE 443CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LAB III3
CHBE 470PROCESS DYNAMICS AND CONTROL3
Area of Specialization
Select 1 from the following Areas of Specialization (see Areas of Specialization below):12
Biomolecular Engineering
Computational Engineering
Energy/Sustainability
Materials/Nanotechnology
Engineering Breadth
Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Chemical Engineering95
Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements *1
University Graduation Requirements *31
Total Credit Hours127

Footnotes and Additional Information 

Areas of Specialization

Students must complete the requirements as listed for one of the following areas of specialization for the BSChE degree program. A minimum of 4 courses (minimum of 12 credit hours) must be taken from one of the areas of specialization as listed below.

Please Note: The following list of approved courses can be used to satisfy the requirements of the area of specialization. Courses not on the list may be taken upon approval of the academic advisor. Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.

Area of Specialization: Biomolecular Engineering

To fulfill the BSChE degree requirements, students pursuing the Biomolecular area of specialization must complete:

  • 1 course (3 credit hours) from the area of specialization Core Requirement
  • 3 courses (9 credit hours) from the area of specialization Elective Requirements
Core Requirement
CHBE 415SEPARATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR PROCESSES3
Elective Requirements
Select 3 courses from the following:9
INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY I
BIOCHEMISTRY I
CELLULAR ENGINEERING
BIOREACTION ENGINEERING
BIOMATERIALS
BIOMECHANICS
TRANSPORT PHENOMENA IN BIOENGINEERING
GENE THERAPY
EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
TISSUE ENGINEERING
Total Credit Hours12
Area of Specialization: Computational Engineering

To fulfill the BSChE degree requirements, students pursuing the Computational Engineering area of specialization must complete:

  • 1 course (3 credit hours) from the area of specialization Core Requirement
  • 3 courses (9 credit hours) from the area of specialization Elective Requirements
Core Requirement
CHBE 415SEPARATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR PROCESSES3
Elective Requirements
Select 3 courses from the following:9
MATRIX ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION TO OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND OPTIMIZATION
MODELING MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS
THEORETICAL NEUROSCIENCE: FROM CELLS TO LEARNING SYSTEMS
NEURAL COMPUTATION
ITERATIVE METHODS FOR SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS AND UNCONSTRAINED OPTIMIZATION
DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS
LINEAR AND INTEGER PROGRAMMING
APPLICATIONS IN COMPUTATIONAL MATHEMATICS
Total Credit Hours12
Area of Specialization: Energy/Sustainability

To fulfill the BSChE degree requirements, students pursuing the Energy/Sustainability area of specialization must complete:

  • 1 course (3 credit hours) from the Core Requirement
  • 3 courses (9 credit hours) from the area of specialization Elective Requirements
Core Requirement
CHBE 415SEPARATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR PROCESSES3
Elective Requirements
Select 3 courses from the following:9
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
SUSTAINABLE WATER PURIFICATION FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD
CHEMISTRY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE
FATE AND TRANSPORT OF CONTAMINANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT & HUMAN HEALTH
ENVIRONMENTAL HYDROGEOLOGY
PHYSICAL CHEMICAL PROCESSES FOR WATER QUALITY CONTROL
TECHNOECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND ENGINEERING DECISION TOOLS
INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL PROCESSES AND THE ENERGY TRANSITION
INDUSTRIAL CATALYSIS AND PETROCHEMICAL PROCESSES
EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS
ROCK DEFORMATION AND RHEOLOGY
DECISION MAKING AND ECONOMICS IN THE ENERGY INDUSTRY
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT
Total Credit Hours12
Area of Specialization: Materials/Nanotechnology

To fulfill the BSChE degree requirements, students pursuing the Materials/Nanotechnology area of specialization must complete:

  • 1 course (3 credit hours) from the area of specialization Core Requirement
  • 3 courses (9 credit hours) from the area of specialization Elective Requirements
Core Requirement
CHBE 415SEPARATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR PROCESSES3
Elective Requirements
Select 3 courses from the following:9
BIOMATERIALS APPLICATIONS
PROPERTIES OF POLYMERS
INTRODUCTION TO MATERIALS SCIENCE FOR ENGINEERS
MATERIALS PROCESSING AND NANOMANUFACTURING
THERMODYNAMICS IN MATERIALS SCIENCE
MECH PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SOLIDS
MATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION FROM NANO TO MACRO
CERAMICS AND GLASSES
COMPUTATIONAL MATERIALS MODELING
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY & DIFFRACTION
PROPERTIES, SYNTHESIS AND DESIGN OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS
Total Credit Hours12
Area of Specialization: Engineering Breadth

To fulfill the BSChE degree requirements, students pursuing the Engineering Breadth area of specialization must complete:

  • 1 course (3 credit hours) from the area of specialization Core Requirement
  • 3 courses (9 credit hours) from the area of specialization Elective Requirements
Core Requirement
CHBE 415SEPARATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR PROCESSES3
Elective Requirements
Select 3 courses from at least 3 categories below: 19
Basic Science
INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY I
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
THE EARTH LABORATORY
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
MODERN PHYSICS
Environmental Engineering Courses
PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
MECHANICS OF SOLIDS AND STRUCTURES
FATE AND TRANSPORT OF CONTAMINANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT
Materials Science Engineering Courses
INTRODUCTION TO MATERIALS SCIENCE FOR ENGINEERS
MECH PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SOLIDS
PROPERTIES OF POLYMERS
Bioengineering Courses
BIOMATERIALS
BIOMECHANICS
TRANSPORT PHENOMENA IN BIOENGINEERING
METABOLIC ENGINEERING
Sustainability and Energy Courses
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
PETROLEUM PHASE BEHAVIOR AND FLOW ASSURANCE
Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research Course
MATRIX ANALYSIS
Other Approved Engineering Course(s)
INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL ELECTRONICS I
Total Credit Hours12

Footnotes and Additional Information

Policies for the BSChE Degree

Program Restrictions and Exclusions

Students pursuing the BSChE degree should be aware of the following program restriction:

  • As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, under Declaring Majors, Minors and Certificates, students may not obtain both a BA and a BS in the same major. Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (BSChE) Degree may not additionally pursue the BA Degree with a Major in Chemical Engineering.

Transfer Credit 

For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the designated transfer credit advisor for the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content). The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with the applicable transfer credit advisor as well as their academic program director when considering transfer credit possibilities. 

Additional Information 

For additional information, please see the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering website: https://chbe.rice.edu/.

Opportunities for the BSChE Degree

Academic Honors

The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.

Fifth-Year Master's Degree Option for Rice Undergraduate Students 

In certain situations and with some terminal master's degree programs, Rice students have an option to pursue a master’s degree by adding an additional fifth year to their four years of undergraduate studies.

Advanced Rice undergraduate students in good academic standing typically apply to the master’s degree program during their junior or senior year. Upon acceptance, depending on course load, financial aid status, and other variables, they may then start taking some required courses of the master's degree program. A plan of study will need to be approved by the student's undergraduate major advisor and the master’s degree program director.

As part of this option and opportunity, Rice undergraduate students:

  • must complete the requirements for a bachelor's degree and the master's degree independently of each other (i.e. no course may be counted toward the fulfillment of both degrees).
  • should be aware there could be financial aid implications if the conversion of undergraduate coursework to that of graduate level reduces their earned undergraduate credit for any semester below that of full-time status (12 credit hours).
  • more information on this Undergraduate - Graduate Concurrent Enrollment opportunity, including specific information on the registration process can be found here.

Rice undergraduate students completing studies in science and engineering may have the option to pursue the Master of Chemical Engineering (MChE) degree. For additional information, students should contact their undergraduate major advisor and the MChE chair of the department graduate studies committee. 

Additional Information 

For additional information, please see the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering website: https://chbe.rice.edu/.