Plan Your Schedule

Taking time for a co-op, where you work with engineers in industry for a semester or longer, is the number one thing you can do for getting a great job offer when you graduate. About half of our graduates each year have gone on co-op before graduating.

If you are interested in fitting in a co-op take a look at our suggested schedule for the best time to co-op and the suggested co-op schedule for accelerated students.

If you are interested in working in research and development in industry or thinking about going on to graduate school then you should plan to get undergraduate research experience with a faculty member.

Minors are focus areas that can be added to your degree program. If you have additional interests browse through the minors available in our department and others. Minors that have been popular with chemical engineering students include:

• Minor in Alternative Energy Technology
• Minor in Bioprocess Engineering
• Minor in Mineral Processing
• Minor in Polymer Science and Engineering
• Minor in Spanish, French, or German
• International Minor in Spanish, French, or German
• Minor in Math
• Minor in Economics
• Minor in Global Business
• Minor in Data Acquisition and Industrial Control
• Minor in Environmental Studies

And more….

The Enterprise program is an opportunity for you to work with other students on real-world sponsored projects. There are many Enterprise teams to choose from. The two Enterprise teams housed in our department have been popular with chemical engineering students.

Senior design is an important part of our curriculum. You are required to take senior design courses during both fall and spring of your senior year. Students choosing to participate in Enterprise may be able to incorporate their Enterprise project into senior design. Students have also done their senior design projects outside the department.

If you are interested in a research career then you should consider going to graduate school after completing your undergraduate degree. There are things that you can do now to prepare for graduate school.

Take a look at our suggested schedule for grad school prep for accelerated students.

We have an accelerated BS/MS program in chemical engineering. This program allows you to use some of your undergraduate credits towards a coursework MS degree.

There are many more opportunities available on campus that can help you develop both personally and professionally. You may want to consider the following organizations and programs:

• American Institute of Chemical Engineers
• Engineers Without Borders
• Society of Women Engineers
• Pavlis Honors College