Chemical Engineering

The undergraduate major in Chemical Engineering provides students with a solid foundation and the necessary skills to assume leadership roles in industry and government agencies. Chemical engineers are recruited and educated about design, synthesis and processing of chemicals and materials in variety of industries including industrial chemicals and petroleum, environmental engineering, electronics, agriculture, food processing, and power generation. Chemical Engineering impacts society by providing efficient processes for making a range of products including nanotechnology, plastics, food, alternative fuels, and recycled products. Because of the variety of fields that are relevant to this profession, the undergraduate program covers a broad range of subjects, including chemistry, physics, materials, thermal/mass/fluids/heat transfer, as well as computer-aided engineering, design, scale-up, and manufacturing. The innovative curriculum at UC Merced provides a rich educational experience that exposes students to engineering fundamentals, laboratory skills, unit operations, and advanced computational tools to solve realistic engineering problems.

The program also prepares students to pursue graduate studies in a variety of majors that not only include chemical production and processing, but also focus on exciting current topics like materials, nanotechnology, environmental engineering, and a culminating laboratory and design experience.

Chemical Engineering Program Learning Outcomes

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 specific 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 context;
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.

Programs

• Chemical Engineering, B.S.
• Chemical Engineering, Computational Emphasis, B.S.
• Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering Emphasis, B.S.
• Chemical Engineering, Nanotechnology Emphasis, B.S.
• Chemical Engineering, Semiconductor Emphasis, B.S.