Academic Program and Objectives
The Department of Chemical Engineering offers academic programs
that lead to the bachelors, masters, and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical
Engineering, with specialty tracks available in the undergraduate
program. Many undergraduates and all graduate students conduct
research projects under the direction of faculty, in addition to
regular courses.
For more information, see the following specific pages:
Undergraduate Program
The Department of Chemical Engineering offers a
curriculum leading to an ABET-accredited
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Chemical Engineering.
A biology track and
pharmaceutical track are
available for students who wish to emphasize specific applications of
chemical engineering.
A curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in
Chemical and Ocean Engineering
is offered in cooperation with the Department
of Ocean Engineering. All programs require courses in material and energy
balances, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, heat and mass transfer,
process dynamics and control, industrial reaction kinetics, and economic
plant design. In the chemical and ocean option, assignments during the senior
year emphasize ocean-related applications.
Chemical Engineering is a multidisciplinary program based
on a strong foundation in chemistry, physics, mathematics, economics, computer
science, and (to a growing extent) biology. The student learns to
analyze various processes, work with different types of equipment,
visit different industries, and, in a team approach, integrate these
principles into economic design of industrial plants and processes.
The principles can be applied to a broad
range of industries from chemical processing, food processing, biotechnology,
and pharmaceutics to materials, ocean processing, and environmental clean-up.
Our student body is diverse, with enrollment typically 50% or more women
and minorities. Our graduates are in demand and receive some of the highest
starting salaries for people with university undergraduate degrees; an
average starting salary of $59,361 was reported in 2007 for Chemical Engineering graduates.
We place approximately
two-thirds of our students in Rhode Island and nearby Connecticut and
Massachusetts areas.
Official regulations about the major are described in the undergraduate
Chemical Engineering section of the
URI Catalog.
Graduate Program
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