collageI am currently an undergraduate senior at the University of Connecticut, working to achieve a Bachelors of Science in Engineering (B.S.E) focused in Chemical Engineering. I am currently expected to graduate in May of 2021. My interests are mainly in renewable energies and resources. I hope to find a career in the future in either fields, where I can apply the knowledge I’ve accumulated in order to combat issues like climate change.
Some of the skills I’ve acquired while learning here include some experience in coding languages, such as MATLAB and python. In addition, I’ve also had practice in using modeling programs like Aspen Plus. I also have laboratory experience, working for a research professor for over a year now. Here, I’ve learned many new laboratory skills such as the use of certain scientific instruments and standard safety procedures.
Delving more into research, I have been working under Dr. Kristina Wagstrom in her CACE Laboratory for almost over a year now. Here, I am working on her Monitoring Nitrogen Deposition in Connecticut project, where we test different rainwater samples collected at different locations around the state and in New York too. What is measured in these samples are the levels of nitrogen currently in them, and we determine the possible causes for such concentrations.
What I have recently completed was working on a sponsored project with Pfizer with two other engineering departments at The University of Connecticut. The project was titled “Water Consumption Analysis and Reduction for Pfizer Groton.” Here, we determined possible solutions for the company in order to reduce the amount of water they consume, and ultimately save the company money.
While I currently have no outside experiences (i.e. internships), I have focused all my time and effort on my studies in chemical engineering, and have been working on research and related projects. What I hope is that with all the knowledge and experiences that I’ve accumulated here, that I am able to change the world for the better for future generations. That being said, I’m currently seeking employment for a full-time engineering position.
The field of chemical engineering is always looking for talented, educated students! If you want to study chemical engineering in Connecticut, there are three schools you can attend. Two schools award Associate’s degrees. All three school’s have Bachelor’s-level, Master’s-level, and PhD-level programs. The average cost of tuition in Connecticut is $21,200 per year.
The educational standards you have to meet depend on which degree you decide to pursue. A Bachelor’s degree is perhaps the most popular choice, as it prepares you for entry-level work in this field. You can complete your 120 required credits in four to five years. Bachelor’s-level courses include Chemical Reaction Engineering, Principles of Chemical Engineering, and Introduction to Polymers.
After earning a Bachelor’s degree in this or a similar field, you may want to continue your education at the post-graduate level. This allows you to earn a Master’s degree or PhD; respectively, these degrees take two and seven additional years of study. Post-graduate courses include Chemical Engineering Transport Processes, Biointerfacial Engineering, and Chemical Engineering Kinetics.
Most schools have rigorous lab requirements that you must meet every semester. Lab courses permit you to work with engineering materials and techniques.
In general, tuition in Connecticut tends to be more expensive than the national average. However, it is in line with tuition in other New England states. One of the lower-priced schools in the state is the University of Connecticut. Tuition is $6,011 for residents and $15,485 per semester for non-residents. Yale University may be the most expensive school in the state; students pay $35,500 per year for tuition.
Most schools in Connecticut have impressive scholarship opportunities. The University of New Haven awards the Richard O. Kaufmann Scholarship for Innovative Engineering, which covers the full cost of tuition for four years.
Many jobs require Professional Engineer licensure, so you may want to apply for your license through the State Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. The Principles & Practice of Engineering exam, which is offered twice per year, is required for licensure.
Your salary as a new engineer depends a lot on where you work! However, O*Net reports that the average salary for a chemical engineer in Connecticut is $88,300 per year.
There are a variety of professional organizations that can help you take your career to the next level. Consider joining, for example, the Connecticut Society of Professional Engineers.
Graduate Admissions
To apply for graduate studies in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering:
You must first apply online to the Graduate School at the University of Connecticut. It is preferred that you apply online at the UConn Graduate School website. The online application fee is $75.
You must hold a B.A./B.S. degree from an accredited college or university.
You must submit official transcripts to the Graduate School covering your entire previous academic work (both undergraduate and graduate). It must meet one of the following criteria:
A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 for your entire graduate record or
A grade point average of at least 3.0 for your last two undergraduate years or
Graduate work with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or better (9-12 credits).
International applicants must earn a minimum score of 79 (internet-based test), 550 (old paper-based test), or 22/30 on each of the listening, reading and writing sections (new paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A minimum score of 6.5 is required on the IELTS. A minimum score of 53 is required on the PTE test. We cannot make any decisions about your application without this information. For the TOEFL, please submit official scores through ETS. Our University code is 3915. A departmental code is not needed to submit scores. Please contact the test center at which you took the IELTS test to request that your scores be sent to the University of Connecticut. To send PTE scores, please login to your PTE account and follow the directions for sending your scores through their portal.
For all Ph.D. and M.S. applicants applying for the Spring and Fall 2021 semesters, GRE scores are NOT part of our admissions process and will not be considered. Please note, we are no longer accepting applications from international applicants for the Spring 2021 semester. Domestic applicants can submit applications for the Spring 2021 semester until Tuesday, December 1, 2020.
Unofficial transcripts can be uploaded to your online application. If you attended an international university and have one set of original documents or diploma, you can mail them to The Graduate School and they will make a copy and return the original document(s) to you. Please attach an International Transcripts Cover Sheet with your submission. If you submitted these documents when applying for admission to a university in the US that you currently attend, we will accept copies from the registrar or graduate school if they certify that these documents from your prior university were made from the originals. Official transcripts should be mailed to our Graduate School for verification purposes.
The Graduate School
University of Connecticut
Whetten Graduate Center
438 Whitney Road Extension, Unit 1152
Storrs, CT 06269-1152
All applicants must arrange in advance to have at least 3 letters of recommendation submitted on their behalf to complete their application. To ensure the timely completion of applications, students are encouraged to reach out to their references to inform them of the application deadline.
All applicants must submit a personal statement of purpose. You should include your reasons for undertaking graduate work, your ultimate plans, and how you happened to select your desired field. Details about your preparation, your strengths and weaknesses as a student, and any academic honors, scholarships, or fellowships you have received will be helpful as well.
Recommended deadline for submitting the completed applications are as follows:
January 1 for both full-time M.S. and Ph.D. applications for Fall admission. Late applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until all openings are filled.
October 1 for both full-time M.S. and Ph.D. applications for Spring admission. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for Fall admission since Spring admission is not routinely considered.
Financial Aid
Applicants who seek financial aid must indicate so in the appropriate section of the graduate admissions application form. It is the policy of the department to provide financial aid to all full-time graduate students enrolled in the Ph.D. program, throughout their tenure of study. Plan A master’s students may also be considered for support based upon the availability of funds. An attractive benefits package, including discounted medical and dental coverage, is also provided.
Awards are based on academic merit and include graduate assistantships (for teaching or research), university pre-doctoral fellowships, dissertation fellowships, industrial fellowships, and summer fellowships.
All offers of financial aid will be made in writing, usually at the time admission is offered.
Duties associated with teaching assistantships require approximately 10-20 hours per week and may include grading homework assignments, leading discussion sections, reviewing problem sets with students, and supervising undergraduates in the laboratory. Research assistantships and fellowships are somewhat more flexible. Summer research work for additional compensation beyond that normally paid for teaching and/or research duties during the usual academic year frequently is available.
U.S. Student Visa Sponsorship
If you are an international student who requires U.S. student visa sponsorship by the University of Connecticut, please be prepared to submit an immigration document request to the Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) Office. This will be sent to you after you have been admitted by the Graduate School.
Please be prepared to submit the following documents to the ISSS Office after you have been admitted:
Financial Declaration Form
Proof of Support
Copy of Support
Once you have been admitted by the Graduate School, you will be sent a link to request an immigration document where you will be required to upload the materials mentioned above.
Should you have any questions about the required materials, please contact the ISSS Office (international@uconn.edu).
Acceptance
Any offer of admission and financial aid will be made in writing and must be accepted within the period of time stated in the offer letter.
Curriculum
The B.S. in Chemical Engineering degree offered by the School of Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org
The Chemical Engineering curriculum presented below meets both the general graduation requirements as outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog and those of the School of Engineering.
New General Education Requirements went into effect in fall 2005. Every enrolled undergraduate at the University must meet them. Additional requirements for the Chemical Engineering major are listed in the next section below.
The General Education Requirements consist of four Content Areas and five Competencies.
Content Area 1 – Arts and Humanities: six credits from two different departments
Content Area 2 – Social Sciences: six credits taken from two different departments
Content Area 3 – Science and Technology: engineers far exceed this requirement so it is not discussed
Content Area 4 – Diversity and Multiculturalism: six credits including three credits in International courses
Courses in Content Areas 1, 2 and 3 must be taken in six different departments
Within Content Area 4, at least three credits shall address issues of diversity outside the USA and one course may also count as a Content Area 1, 2 or 3 course.
Four of the five Competencies are fulfilled by our listed curriculum, including: Computer Technology, Information Literacy, Quantitative (Q), and Writing (W). Information on the fifth competency, Second Language, can be found in the Academic Regulations section of the Undergraduate Catalog (search for “foreign language” on that site).
Course selections for the above Content Areas and more details regarding the Competencies are available in the General Education Requirements site.
Chemical Engineering Curriculum
All engineers have a common first semester and the disciplines diverge as the years progress. You may learn more about curriculum requirements of the School of Engineering in the Engineering Section of the Undergraduate Catalog.
It is important to work with your advisor to ensure you stay on track and so you may learn more about the flexibility and options inherent in our program. Existing students should be tracking their progress with a formal Plan of Study. This is a list of allowable courses to fulfill professional requirements.
Our curriculum offers the flexibility for students to include a minor course of study, often with few additional credits. Choose from a minor in molecular and cell biology, pre-med, materials engineering, math, environmental engineering, chemistry and more.
School of Engineering
Requirements
Majors
Additional Information
School of Engineering website
Kazem Kazerounian, Ph.D. Dean
Daniel Burkey, Ph.D. Associate Dean
Whitney L. Losapio, Director of Undergraduate Advising
Degrees Offered and Accreditation
The School of Engineering offers four-year programs leading to:
Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.) degrees
Biomedical Engineering (128-credits)*
Chemical Engineering (128-credits)*
Civil Engineering (128-credits)*
Computer Science and Engineering (126-credits)# Computer Engineering (126-credits)
Electrical Engineering (126-credits)*
Engineering Physics (128-credits)
Environmental Engineering (128-credits)*
Materials Science and Engineering (129-credits)*
Mechanical Engineering (128-credits)*
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees
Computer Science (120-credits)#
Management and Engineering for Manufacturing (138-credits)* (jointly offered with the School of Business) and accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
The programs shown above that are asterisked (*), are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. The programs shown above with the pound sign (#) are accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.
EUROTECH
The School of Engineering and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offer a five-year, double-degree EUROTECH program leading to a B.S. in Engineering degree and a B.A. degree in German. The program includes German Language courses specially designed to include engineering content, engineering courses taught partly in German, and a six-month internship in a company in Germany.
Students who wish to concentrate their elective work in a second field within the School of Engineering may elect a double major program. This program requires the completion of all requirements in both majors. Students are required to inform the Director of Undergraduate Advising if they change or add a major.
The School of Engineering also offers Minors in Bioinformatics, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Electronics and Systems, Engineering Management, Environmental Engineering, Information Assurance, Information Technology, Materials Science and Engineering, Nanomaterials, and Nanotechnology. Please refer to the Minors section of this publication for these and other relevant minor descriptions.
Admission Requirements
See Admission to the University section of this catalog. All students admitted to the School of Engineering are required to take a calculus placement survey prior to attending summer orientation or registering for their first semester. Based on the survey results, students may be required to take additional preparatory course work that may not be counted toward graduation. Students not admitted into the School of Engineering at the time of entry to the University may apply for admission to a major through the School of Engineering, Undergraduate Programs Office. Admission is competitive. Decisions will be based on several criteria including the applicant’s academic record, courses completed, and space availability. Students in the School may request a change to their major later by submitting an application to the undergraduate programs office and meeting the admission criteria for that major.
Admission to Junior Year
Students should declare their major as soon as possible, but no later than the second semester of their sophomore year.
Supplementary Scholastic Standards
To be in good academic standing in the School of Engineering, students must maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA after completing 24 or more credits. Students must maintain a minimum 2.3 cumulative GPA to continue in the School of Engineering. Students who fall below a 2.3 cumulative GPA after 24 credits in residence will be re-moved from the School of Engineering and moved to the Academic Center for Exploratory Students. Residence means courses completed at one of the UConn campuses and does not include Early College Experience or non-degree courses. Students will have the opportunity to appeal this decision. If a student’s cumulative GPA falls between 2.3 and 2.5, they will be considered on academic probation for the School of Engineering. Students on academic probation will be reduced to a 14-credit load until the cumulative GPA improves to at least 2.5. Students may stay in the School of Engineering while on academic probation with the reduced credit load.
Scholarships
The School of Engineering offers academic merit based scholarships to continuing students. The University offers merit based scholarships to eligible incoming first-year students.
Faculty Advisors, Professional Advisors and Academic Support
Advising in the School of Engineering is mandatory for every student, every semester. Academic advising in the School of Engineering is done jointly by trained professional staff and faculty advisors. Typically, first- and second-year students are assigned to a professional staff advisor in order to assist students in their transition to college, aid students in navigating the University, and collaborate in course selection and academic planning. Faculty advisors typically meet with engineering students with junior or senior standing in order to assist students in their course selection, counsel them in meeting their educational and career goals, and provide discipline-specific mentorship. Faculty advisors and professional staff advisors are assigned to students entering the School of Engineering according to the student’s major. The School of Engineering provides additional content-specific academic support via the Engineering Tutoring Center. The Engineering Tutoring Center is staffed by undergraduate engineering students and provides 40+ hours of weekly tutoring to all students on a walk-in basis.
School Academic Requirements
Students in the School of Engineering must complete the following requirements:
General Education Requirements
The University has adopted General Education Requirements in a variety of curricular areas, which must be satisfied as part of every bachelor’s degree program. Additionally, each student must demonstrate competency in the University of Connecticut’s five fundamental areas. These requirements appear in the General Education Requirements section of this Catalog .
Additionally, all engineering students are required to complete:
A Plan of Study form submitted during the first semester of the junior year
MATH 1131Q and 1132Q (or MATH 1125Q, 1126Q, and 1132Q), ENGR 1000 and CSE 1100 or 1010 and PHIL 1104
All majors, except B.S. in Computer Science majors, are required to complete CHEM 1127Q (or CHEM 1147Q) and PHYS 1501Q and 1502Q or PHYS 1201Q, PHYS 1202Q and PHYS 1230/1530 or PHYS 1401Q and PHYS 1402Q
The University writing (W) course requirement is fulfilled through required major-specific W course work. Most programs have the required two W courses specified in the curriculum. If there are not two W courses in the program, each student must take a minimum of one W course outside the major to satisfy the University’s General Education writing requirements.
Credit Restrictions
Students should read carefully the course descriptions in the Undergraduate Catalog before they register because some of the course credits may not count toward graduation. The following courses may not be counted for credit toward graduation in the School of Engineering: MATH courses numbered 1110Q and below. No course taken on a Pass/Fail basis may be counted for credit toward the required credits for graduation nor toward any course requirements for the School of Engineering.
Major Requirements and Normal Sequences
In addition to the University General Education requirements and the School requirements listed above, the requirements for the specific majors are listed in the following pages. Additionally, students successfully completing these courses will have met their general education information literacy exit requirement for this major. Full program details, normal/updated course sequences, and accreditation requirements can be found in the respective Guide to Course Selection for each major.
Accreditation Graduation Requirements
These requirements are for the following programs: Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Management and Engineering for Manufacturing, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.
ABET Requirements
Humanities Credits: Minimum 18 credits – including CA 1, CA 2, CA 4 including English 1010, 1011, or 2011
Math/Science Credits: Minimum of 30 credits (any CA 3 class) including all courses from CHEM, PHYS, EEB, BIOL, MARN, MATH, MCB, NUSC, NRE, PNB, GSCI, GEOG, and STAT (unless restricted by program or school). SPSS courses may be used to satisfy this requirement if approved by the Office of the Dean.
Engineering Credits: Minimum of 45 credits from BME, CHEG, CE, CSE, ECE, ENGR, ENVE, MEM, MSE, ME excluding ENGR 1000 and ENGR 1166
Accreditation Documentation Statements
The program educational objectives are intended to be statements that describe the expected accomplishments of graduates during the first several years following graduation from the program. Each program’s educational objectives are listed within the actual program.
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