Chemical Engineering at UMBC

Students interested in Chemical & Environmental Engineering earn BS in Chemical Engineering which requires the same chemical engineering core classes, and specialize their degree with one of three tracks. The program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Traditional

prepares students for careers in industries such as chemical processing, food processing, metallurgy, energy conversion, petroleum refining and pharmaceutical production

Biotechnology / Bioengineering

prepares students who are interested in working in the biotechnology industry, pursuing graduate work in biochemical or biomedical engineering or going to medical school

Environmental Engineering & Sustainability

prepares students to apply basic chemical engineering principles in the field of environmental engineering such as cleaning up air and water pollution and managing chemical processes to minimize environmental impact

Compare coursework across all tracks (.pdf)

Application

All students apply to UMBC through the Undergraduate Admissions office. At the time of application students designate any major. All Chemical Engineering students will be accepted as Pre-Chemical Engineering. Freshmen may pursue any of our Pre-Majors without additional review. Transfer students’ transcripts will be evaluated to determine eligibility for the Pre-Major. See Transfer Information for additional resources and information.

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Why UMBC?

CBEE Undergraduate Programs Mission

Our mission is to instill a capacity for life-long learning based on competence in chemical engineering principles coupled with critical thinking, cooperation and communication skills.

Academic Specialization

Core classes with science and technical electives to focus on:

Chemical Engineering

Engineering Environmental Engineering & Sustainability

Engineering Biotechnology & Bioengineering

Small Classes

Individual attention is provided to students in lectures and laboratory classes.

For example, Sophomore (Intro to Chemical Engineering) and Junior level classes average 35 – 45 students per section. Sophomore laboratory classes have ~20 students per section and Senior lab has ~15 students per section.

Student Awards

Student Testimonials

Undergraduate Research

Our faculty include undergrads on exciting, funded research projects in the areas of biomedical, environmental and bioprocess engineering.

For example, in 2019, 14 undergrads worked in Dr. Marten’s on cellular engineering and systems biology research.

Undergraduate Research Award and Recognition

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Our programs include funded opportunities and scholarships such as Meyerhoff, MARC U*STAR, and Undergraduate Research Awards. Students often present their work at URCAD and are sponsored to attend national meetings to present their work (e.g., ACS).

For more info on UMBC undergraduate research in general, visit https://research.umbc.edu/undergraduate-research-opportunities-and-resources/.

Internships

Over the past 5 years, over 75% of our students have participated in an engineering internships (industry or government) or academic undergraduate research.

Jobs & Salary

In 2018, 86% of our graduates started their first job within six months of graduation, working at places such as: Exxon Mobil, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Northrop Grumman, US Navy, and many more! Starting annual salaries range from $60,000 – $80,000.

CBEE managed mailing list for Chemical Engineering related jobs

Graduate School

Our students have pursued graduate studies in diverse programs (Chemical, Biochemical, Bioengineering, Biomedical, Nuclear, Environmental Engineering, and even Medical schools) at universities which include: UC Berkeley, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford, UC Boulder, Cornell and many more!

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