A student in protective goggles smiling in the lab

Chemical Engineering

Creating safer, more environmentally friendly plastics. Turning biomass into useful products. Improving methods for drug delivery. Working on advances in biomaterials. Designing fuel cells and exploring nanomaterials to catalyze reactions. Whatever your passion, a diverse array of options are available to students pursuing a degree in this field, including wide-ranging opportunities. Chemical & Petroleum Engineering at KU.

Information appearing in this guide is subject to change. Please talk with your departmental advisor about degree requirements on a regular basis. A recommended 5-year course sequence is also available.

First year - fall
CourseCourse TitleHours
C&PE 111Introduction to the Profession1
CHEM 170H *Chemistry for the Chemical Sciences I 5
ENGL 101Composition3
MATH 125HCalculus I4
 KU Core Elective H3
 TOTAL HOURS16
First year - Spring
CourseCourse TitleHours
C&PE 112Introduction to the Profession II1
CHEM 175HChemistry for the Chemical Sciences II5
PHSX 210HGeneral Physics I for Engineers3
PHSX 216General Physics I Laboratory1
ENGL 102HCritical Reading and Writing3
MATH 126HCalculus II4
 TOTAL HOURS17
Second year - Fall
CourseCourse TitleHours
C&PE 211Material & Energy Balances4
CHEM 330HOrganic Chemistry I3
CHEM 331Organic Chemistry I Lab2
PHSX 212HGeneral Physics II3
MATH 220HApplied Differential Equations3
MATH 290HElementary Linear Algebra2
 TOTAL HOURS17
Second year - Spring
CourseCourse TitleHours
C&PE 221Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics I3
C&PE 325Numerical Methods and Statistics3
MATH 127HCalculus III4
 Advanced Science Elective3
 Engineering Elective***3
PHSX 236General Physics II Laboratory1
 TOTAL HOURS17
Third year - fall
CourseCourse TitleHours
C&PE 511Momentum Transfer3
C&PE 512Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics II3
CHEM 525Physical Chemistry for Engineers4
 KU Core Elective**H3
 Engineering Elective***3
 TOTAL HOURS16
Third year - Spring
CourseCourse TitleHours
C&PE 525Heat and Mass Transfer4
C&PE 524Chemical Engineering Kinetics & Reactor Design3
 Advanced Science Elective3
C&PE 522Economic Appraisal of C&PE Projects2
 KU Core Elective**H3
 TOTAL HOURS15
Fourth year - fall
CourseCourse TitleHours
C&PE 611Design of Unit Operations3
C&PE 615Introduction to Process Dynamics and Control3
C&PE 616Chemical Engineering Laboratory I4
 Engineering Elective***3
 KU Core Elective**H3
 TOTAL HOURS16
Fourth year - spring
CourseCourse TitleHours
C&PE 613Chemical Engineering Design4
C&PE 624Process Safety and Sustainability3
C&PE 626Chemical Engineering Laboratory II3
 Engineering Elective***3
 TOTAL HOURS13

Optional Concentrations

As part of their Chemical Engineering degree, students may opt to pursue an emphasis in the following areas. Except where noted, these do not require additional credit hours. For course details, please visit the department website or handbook.
Biomedical
Materials Science
Environmental
Premedical (adds additional hours)
Petroleum

CURRICULUM NOTES
* CHEM 130 & 135 can be substituted for CHEM 170 & 175.
** Students must ensure these electives collectively meet all remaining KU Core requirements for Breadth of Knowledge and Culture and Diversity.
*** Refer to the Chemical Engineering Handbook
H Honors equivalent course is available.

CORE DISTRIBUTION

GE 1.1 CRITICAL THINKING: PHSX 210H
GE 1.2 QUANTITATIVE LITERACY: MATH 125H

GE 2.1 WRITTEN COMMUNICATION: ENGL 101 & ENGL 102
GE 2.2 ORAL COMMUNICATION: C&PE 613, 616 & 626

GE 3H ARTS & HUMANITIES: ELECTIVE
GE 3N NATURAL SCIENCES: CHEM 170H
GE 3S SOCIAL SCIENCES: ELECTIVE

AE 4.1 DIVERSITY IN UNITED STATES: ELECTIVE
AE 4.2 GLOBAL AWARENESS: ELECTIVE

AE 5.1 ETHICS & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: C&PE 522 and C&PE 624

AE 6.1 INTEGRATION & CREATIVITY: C&PE 613

2023-2024 Curriculum