Chemical Engineering Joint Majors

Joint major programs with the College of Engineering are offered in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, and Chemical Engineering and Nuclear Engineering.


General Requirements

The joint major programs of study contain comparable proportions of coursework in Materials Science and Engineering or Nuclear Engineering and in Chemical Engineering. Students are enrolled concurrently in both the College of Engineering and the College of Chemistry, but their college of residence will be Chemistry. Continuing students may petition for change to a joint major program after they attain sophomore standing.

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering

Many of the engineering problems facing the nation in the next decades will require solution by engineers who have training in both chemical process engineering and materials engineering. Three typical examples are coal gasification and liquefaction, extraction of metals from low-grade ores and wastes, and environmental control of metallurgical processes.

Chemical Engineering and Nuclear Engineering

The areas of nuclear technology that depend heavily upon chemical engineering training include isotope separation, fuel reprocessing, waste management, feed material preparation, fuel chemistry, effluent control, fusion reactor fuel processing, and new reactor types.


Joint Major Programs of Study

Joint Major Program in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science (131-133 Units)

Joint Chem Eng & Mat Science Courses (Year 1)
Freshman YearFallSpring
Math 1A, 1B, Calculus 4 4
Chemistry 4A, 4B (or 1A, 1AL, 1B), General Chemistry 5 5
Physics 7A, Physics for Scientists and Engineers - 4
1Eng 7, Intro to Computer Programming for Scientists and Engineers or CS 61A, Structure & Interpretation of Computer Programs - 4
2English R1A or equivalent 4 -
Mat Sci 45 and 45L, Properties of Materials with Lab 4 -
Total Units 17 17
Joint Chem Eng & Mat Science Courses (Year 2)
Sophmore YearFallSpring
Math 53, 54, Multivariable Calculus; Linear Algebra and Differential Equations 4 4
Physics 7B, 7C, Physics for Scientists and Engineers 4 4
Bio 1A** or BioE 11 - 3
Chem Eng 130, Mathematics & Statistics in Chemical Engineering 4 -
Chem Eng 140, Intro to Chemical Process Analysis 4 -
Chem Eng 141, Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics - 4
Chem Eng 150A, Transport Processes - 4
Total 16 19
Joint Chem Eng & Mat Science (Year 3)
Junior YearFallSpring
Mat Sci 102, Bonding, Crystallography, and Crystal Defects 3 -
Mat Sci 103, Phase Transformations and Kinetics - 3
3Mat Sci Elective - 3
Chem 12A, Organic Chemistry 5
Chemistry 120A, Phy4sical Chemistry or Physics 137A, Quantum Mechanics 3-4 -
Chem Eng 142, Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Engineering 4 -
Chem Eng 150B, Transport and Separation Processes 4 -
2Breadth Elective - 9
Total 19-20 15
Joint Chem Eng & Mat Science (Year 4)
Senior YearFallSpring
3Mat Sci Elective 3-4 -
Mat Sci 112, Corrosion - 3
Mat Sci 120, Materials Production 3 -
Mat Sci 130, Experimental Materials Science 3 -
Chem Eng 154*
or
CI70L§, Chemical Engineering Laboratory
3-4 3-4
Chem Eng 160, Chemical Process Design - 4
Chem Eng 162, Dynamics and Control of Chemical Processes - 4
2Breadth Electives 3 6
Total 15-17 20-21

Joint Major Program in Chemical Engineering and Nuclear Engineering (127-129 Units)

Joint Chem Eng & Nuclear Engineering Courses (Year 1)
Freshman YearFallSpring
Math 1A, 1B, Calculus 4 4
Chemistry 4A, 4B (or 1A, 1AL, 1B), General Chemistry 5 5
Physics 7A, Physics for Scientists and Engineers - 4
1Eng 7, Intro to Computer Programming for Scientists and Engineers or CS 61A, Structure & Interpretation of Computer Programs - 4
2English R1A or equivalent 4 -
2Breadth Elective 3-4 -
Total Units 16-17 17
Joint Chem Eng & Nuclear Engineering Courses (Year 2)
Sophmore YearFallSpring
Math 53, 54, Multivariable Calculus; Linear Algebra and Differential Equations 4 4
Physics 7B, 7C, Physics for Scientists and Engineers 4 4
Chem Eng 130, Mathematics & Statistics in Chemical Engineering 4
Chem Eng 140, Intro to Chemical Process Analysis 4 -
Chem Eng 141, Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics - 4
Chem Eng 150A, Transport Processes - 4
Total Units 16 16
Joint Chem Eng & Nuclear Engineering Courses (Year 3)
Junior YearFallSpring
Mat Sci 45 and 45L, Properties of Materials with Lab 4 -
Nuc Eng 101, Nuclear Reactions and Radiation 4 -
Nuc Eng 104, Radiation Detection and Nuclear Instrumentation Lab - 4
Nuc Eng 150, Nuclear Reactor Theory - 4
Nuc Eng 162 or Bio1A - 3
Chem Eng 142, Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Engineering 4 -
Chem Eng 150B, Transport and Separation Processes 4 -
2Breadth Elective - 3-4
Total Units 16 14-15
Joint Chem Eng & Nuclear Engineering Courses (Year 4)
Senior YearFallSpring
Upper Division Engineering Elective - 3-4
4Nuc Eng Electives 6 -
Chemistry 120A, Physical Chemistry or Physics 137A, Quantum Mechanics 3-4 -
Chem Eng 154*
or
CI70L§, Chemical Engineering Laboratory
3-4
Chem Eng 160, Chemical Process Design or Nuc Eng 170A, Nuclear Design - 3-4
Chem Eng 162, Dynamics and Control of Chemical Processes - 4
2Breadth Electives 3-4 6-8
Total Units 15-18 16-20

1CS 61A vs. Engineering 7: CS 61A is a foundational programming course that teaches important concepts like debugging code, persistence in debugging code, and writing clean code that minimizes bugs and is reproducible. Eng 7 places a greater emphasis on numerical methods. Since some of the material in Eng 7 is covered in CBE 130, the Chemical Engineering faculty recommend taking CS 61A. They note that CS 61A will teach students how to think critically about and design a project before you start coding. This foundation will provide a good transition to CBE 130 and other upper-division CBE classes, which will cover the scientific aspects of coding. The faculty also note that CS 61A will likely be more work than Eng 7, but that CS 61A will help build proficiency in coding which will pay off in the future.

2The breadth elective requirement is comprised of 22 units, including one semester of Reading & Composition (R1A), the American Cultures requirement, and the breadth series requirement. 

3Mat Sci Electives must include one course from Mat Sci 104, 111, 113, 117, C118, or 151; and one course from Mat Sci 121, 122, 123, or 125.

4Nuc Eng Electives: Students select six units of upper division Nuc Eng courses.

Chem 12A = 112A for Spring 2017 or earlier.

*Even/Odd Student ID rule applies: Normal timing for students with even SID numbers is spring of junior year, and for students with odd SID numbers is fall of senior year. Extenuating circumstances due to issues such as transfer status should be discussed with 154 instructor.

**It is strongly recommended to complete a semester of organic chemistry before taking Bio 1A. Students should consider taking BioE 11 instead of Bio 1A, since you do not take Chem 12A (organic) until the Fall of junior year.

§ CBE C170L may be used to satisfy the Chemical Engineering lab requirement in lieu of CBE 154 beginning in Spring 2022, not before. Students who take both C170L and 154 may use one to satisfy the lab requirement and the other to satisfy either the CBE elective requirement or an engineering elective. C170L may NOT be used to satisfy both the lab requirement AND an elective or concentration requirement.


Petition Guidelines

How to declare the Chemical Engineering Joint Majors

The Joint Major petition requires approval from the relevant faculty adviser in each College and from each College's Undergraduate Dean or Dean's Representative:

Faculty Advisers' Signatures

Dean's Signatures

Please complete a 4 year plan for the faculty advisers. 

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