Prospective Undergraduate Students

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Why should you be a ChemE student at The Ohio State University?
Chalkboard that says 'Why are chemical engineers the best?"

"Big-school opportunities, small, home-town feel."

With The Ohio State University being one of the largest universities in the United States, and its Chemical Engineering program being the second largest in the country after Georgia Tech, vast opportunities abound.

 There is a dazzling range of opportunities for learning, research, and career and leadership development. Some students might anticipate that Ohio State's size sets the stage for an impersonal student experience, but many students find the opposite to be true. Once students get into their major and begin taking classes with their cohorts, many find that the program has a small, home-town or even family feel. 

OPPORTUNITIES

Doctor Andre Palmer welcoming students

The undergraduate program in the William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering offers students an exciting and rewarding experience while providing a solid foundation in both the theoretical and applied aspects of chemical engineering. 

Read about a few of our successful alumni to see the broad range of career options our students have at their disposal, including industry work, consulting, entrepreneurial ventures, management, and even careers in medicine and law.

Degrees

Students have the option of obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, or a Combined BS/MS degree in chemical engineering.

The program also offers a minor in Petroleum Engineering.

Diverse Curriculum and Areas of Focus

One of the trademarks of a chemical engineer is the ability to improve existing materials and processes to achieve safer and more cost-efficient outcomes. Chemical engineers today can work at the cellular and molecular level to perform such things as metabolic engineering, nanomanufacturing, research involving medical diagnostics and innovative materials used in medical devices, and much more. As such, there are a number of research areas that students might choose to focus on.

Scholastics

  • Average freshman ACT composite score - 30.1. The national average is 20.8 and scores of 28-36 represent the top 10%.
  • Overall percentage of students participating in the honors program - 42.2%.
  • High student retention - 92.6% for students enrolled in the freshman engineering honors program in chemical engineering.
  • Scholarships - On average, 120+ CBE students receive annual department scholarship assistance.

Demographics

Undergraduate student enrollment is 37.2% female and 7.3% underrepresented minority*. International students represent
7 countries.
• Graduate student enrollment is 31.4% female and 3.9% underrepresented minority*. International students represent
7 countries.

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Research and Work Experience

Along with their academic work, students are provided the opportunity to become involved in undergraduate research where they will work alongside graduate students and professors, and to gain work experience by completing a co-op and internship for companies such as Battelle Memorial Institute, Procter and Gamble, Exxon Mobil, General Mills, Scotts Co., DOW Chemical, Unilever, DuPont, Merck, Marathon Oil, Shell Oil Co., and many more. 

Student Organizations

Joining and actively participating in social and professional organizations brings students closer together and provides many career benefits, as well. Two of the most prominent organizationas are the student chapter of AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) and Chem-E Car, a national competition involving the creation of a car that is powered through chemical reactions.

Facilities

Located in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry (CBEC) building, students have state-of-the art facilities and hands-on collaborative learning experiences that prepare them to meet today's diverse, interdisciplinary demands.

Hands-On Learning

An integral part of chemical engineering education at Ohio State is the "Unit Operations" portion of the program. Students find Unit Ops to be invaluable in their preparation for careers in a variety of capacities and industries (Visit this website to see a virtual tour of "Unit Operations").

Another key learning experience is Capstone Design, otherwise known as Process Design and Development-CBE 4764, is the last required course in the chemical engineering undergraduate curriculum. The Capstone experience is taught primarily through project-based learning and strives to give students an opportunity to grapple with open-ended problems in which they don’t have enough information and often don’t even start with a well-defined question. Ohio State has partnered with companies, often through alumni, to offer students valuable experiences. Most companies are local, but some overseas companies have come to campus to participate in the class.

To commemorate the final Unit Ops held in Old Koffolt Labs prior to moving into the new Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry (CBEC) building in 2015, we made a short video providing a quick view into what Unit Ops has meant to students.  We hope you enjoy it!

 

 

If you have a disability and experience difficulty accessing this content, contact Engineering Technology Services at etshelp@osu.edu.

More About Chemical Engineering at Ohio State

The William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering aspires to the following:

Vision

The William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering will provide an outstanding educational experience to our students and serve the profession and society by creating new knowledge through cutting-edge disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and disseminating this knowledge to industry, government, the scientific community and the general public. 

This new knowledge will consist of, but not be limited to, peer-reviewed publications, materials, processes, systems, software and other work products that will enhance societal quality of life. 

We will also create a learning environment that fosters diversity in teaching, scholarship and personnel practices.  

Mission

  • To create new knowledge in the field of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering through cutting-edge research and pass this new knowledge on to our students, our profession, and society in general.
  • To educate undergraduate and graduate students in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and foster cross-fertilization of allied fields.
  • To serve the public, academic, industrial and government communities through consultation, collaborative efforts, entrepreneurial activity, dissemination of research results and outreach activities.
  • To create a learning environment that fosters diversity in scholarship, teaching and in student, faculty and staff composition.
  • To instill in our students an appreciation of, and the necessity for, life-long learning, team work and to provide them the skills to prosper in a global economy.

​Student Outcomes

In order to meet our vision and mission, the Department has developed program educational objectives for which each graduate of the program should achieve as they grow professionally through their career.  Visit this website for The program educational objectives.  

In support of the program's educational objectives, each student is expected to meet each of the following student outcomes upon graduation:

  1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
  2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
  3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
  5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
  6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
  7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.