
Admission to the College as a Freshman
Students applying to UW–Madison need to indicate an engineering major as their first choice in order to be considered for direct admission to the College of Engineering. Direct admission to a major means students will start in the program of their choice in the College of Engineering and will need to meet progression requirements at the end of the first year to guarantee advancement in that program.
Cross-Campus Transfer to Engineering
UW–Madison students in other schools and colleges on campus must meet the course and credit requirements for admission to engineering degree granting classifications specified in the general college requirements. The requirements are the minimum for admission consideration. Cross-campus admission is competitive and selective, and the grade point average expectations may increase as demand trends change. The student’s overall academic record at UW–Madison is also considered. Students apply to their intended engineering program by submitting the online application by stated deadlines for spring and fall. The College of Engineering offers an online information tutorial and drop-in advising for students to learn about the cross-campus transfer process.
Off-Campus Transfer to Engineering
With careful planning, students at other accredited institutions can transfer coursework that will apply toward engineering degree requirements at UW–Madison. Off-campus transfer applicants are considered for direct admission to the College of Engineering by applying to the Office of Admissions with an engineering major listed as their first choice. Those who are admitted to their intended engineering program must meet progression requirements at the point of transfer or within their first two semesters at UW–Madison to guarantee advancement in that program. A minimum of 30 credits in residence in the College of Engineering is required after transferring, and all students must meet all requirements for their major in the college. Transfer admission to the College of Engineering is competitive and selective, and students who have earned more than 80 transferable semester credits at the time of application are not eligible to apply.
The College of Engineering has dual degree programs with select four-year UW System campuses. Eligible dual degree applicants are not subject to the 80 credit limit.
Off-campus transfer students are encouraged to discuss their interests, academic background, and admission options with the Transfer Coordinator in the College of Engineering: ugtransfer@engr.wisc.edu or 608-262-2473.
Second Bachelor's Degree
The College of Engineering does not accept second undergraduate degree applications. Second degree students might explore the Biological Systems Engineering program at UW–Madison, an undergraduate engineering degree elsewhere, or a graduate program in the College of Engineering.
University General Education Requirements
All undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are required to fulfill a minimum set of common university general education requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of an undergraduate education. This core establishes a foundation for living a productive life, being a citizen of the world, appreciating aesthetic values, and engaging in lifelong learning in a continually changing world. Various schools and colleges will have requirements in addition to the requirements listed below. Consult your advisor for assistance, as needed. For additional information, see the university Undergraduate General Education Requirements section of the Guide.
General Education |
* The mortarboard symbol appears before the title of any course that fulfills one of the Communication Part A or Part B, Ethnic Studies, or Quantitative Reasoning Part A or Part B requirements. |
Summary of Requirements
The following curriculum applies to students admitted to the chemical engineering degree program.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Mathematics | 19 | |
Physics | 10 | |
Chemistry | 20 | |
Life Science | 6 | |
Core Engineering Requirement | 49 | |
Professional Breadth | 6 | |
Communication Skills | 6 | |
Liberal Studies Requirement | 16 | |
Total Credits | 132 |
Mathematics Requirement
Transfer students must have equivalent math courses to meet the calculus requirement with a minimum of 12 credits to cover the three-course basic math sequence. Any deficiency in total math credits must be made up with electives in science or engineering.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
MATH 221 | Calculus and Analytic Geometry 1 | 5 |
or MATH 217 | Calculus with Algebra and Trigonometry II | |
or MATH 275 | Topics in Calculus I | |
MATH 222 | Calculus and Analytic Geometry 2 | 4 |
or MATH 276 | Topics in Calculus II | |
MATH 234 | Calculus--Functions of Several Variables | 4 |
MATH 320 | Linear Algebra and Differential Equations | 3 |
or MATH 319 | Techniques in Ordinary Differential Equations | |
STAT 324 | Introductory Applied Statistics for Engineers | 3 |
Total Credits | 19 |
Physics Requirement
Transfer students who receive fewer than 6 credits for the required courses must make up the credit shortage with another physics course.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
PHYSICS 201 | General Physics | 5 |
or PHYSICS 207 | General Physics | |
PHYSICS 202 | General Physics | 5 |
or PHYSICS 208 | General Physics | |
Total Credits | 10 |
Chemistry Requirement
Credit shortages cause by transfer of freshman chemistry courses at fewer than 9 credits must be made up with chemistry, biochemistry, or chemical engineering courses.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
General Chemistry (choose one) | 5 | |
Advanced General Chemistry ((preferred)) | ||
General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II | ||
CHEM 329 | Fundamentals of Analytical Science | 4 |
CHEM 343 & CHEM 345 & CHEM 344 | Introductory Organic Chemistry and Intermediate Organic Chemistry and Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 8 |
CHEM 562 | Physical Chemistry | 3 |
Total Credits | 20 |
Life Science
Students who meet the Introductory Biology requirement with an AP exam are encouraged to take two advanced biology electives.1
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Introductory Biology requirement (choose one) | 3 | |
Introductory Biology | ||
Introductory Biology | ||
Advanced Biology requirement (choose one) | 3 | |
Introduction to Biochemistry | ||
General Biochemistry I | ||
Cell Biology | ||
Principles of Genetics | ||
Biology of Microorganisms | ||
Total Credits | 6 |
1 | BIOCORE 381 Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics and BIOCORE 383 Cellular Biology may be used to satisfy the Life Sciences Requirements. |
Core Engineering Requirement
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
CBE 150 | Introduction to Chemical Engineering | 1 |
CBE 250 | Process Synthesis (with a grade of C or better) | 3 |
CBE 255 | Introduction to Chemical Process Modeling | 3 |
CBE 310 | Chemical Process Thermodynamics (with a grade of C or better) | 3 |
CBE 311 | Thermodynamics of Mixtures (with a grade of C or better) | 3 |
CBE 320 | Introductory Transport Phenomena (with a grade of C or better) | 4 |
CBE 324 | Transport Phenomena Lab | 3 |
CBE 326 | Momentum and Heat Transfer Operations | 3 |
CBE 424 | Operations and Process Laboratory | 5 |
CBE 426 | Mass Transfer Operations | 3 |
CBE 430 | Chemical Kinetics and Reactor Design | 3 |
Select one of the following: | 3 | |
Chemical Engineering Materials | ||
Polymer Science and Technology | ||
Introduction to Colloid and Interface Science | ||
CBE 450 | Process Design | 3 |
CBE 470 | Process Dynamics and Control | 3 |
CBE Electives 2 | 6 | |
Total Credits | 49 |
2 | Chemical Engineering electives may be chosen from any of the CBE courses that are not required, numbered 300 or above (excluding seminar courses). A maximum of two credits of co-op work (CBE 1 Cooperative Education Program) may be used to meet the CBE elective requirement. BSE/FOOD SCI 642 Food and Pharmaceutical Separations can be taken as a CBE elective. Qualified undergraduates may take graduate-level (600 or 700) courses to fulfill this requirement. |
Professional Breadth
Select 6 credits
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Professional Breadth Credits 3 | 6 | |
Courses 300+ from the following College of Engineering departments and programs may be used: | ||
Biomedical Engineering | ||
Civil and Environmental Engineering | ||
Electrical and Computer Engineering | ||
Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics | ||
Engineering Professional Development | ||
Geological Engineering | ||
Industrial Engineering | ||
Interdisciplinary Courses (Engineering) | ||
Materials Science and Engineering 4 | ||
Mechanical Engineering | ||
Nuclear Engineering | ||
Engineering Physics | ||
Courses 300+ from the following departments in the College of Letters and Sciences may be used: | ||
Chemistry | ||
Computer Sciences | ||
Math | ||
Physics | ||
The following courses may also be used: | ||
Accounting Principles | ||
Biology of Microorganisms | ||
Introduction to Biochemistry | ||
General Biochemistry I | ||
Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics | ||
Cellular Biology | ||
Food and Pharmaceutical Separations | ||
Environmental Economics | ||
Environmental Ethics | ||
Introduction to Finance | ||
Principles of Genetics | ||
History of Technology | ||
Statistical Experimental Design | ||
Cell Biology | ||
Total Credits | 6 |
Students may petition the department to allow other courses related to engineering professional practice. To request that a course not listed above be used, the student should fill out the Professional Breadth Requirement Course Request form available online and submit it to the advisor. The department will then determine if the course can be counted toward the Professional Breadth Requirement. Petitions must be submitted before the beginning of the semester in which the course is to be taken.
3 | The objective of this requirement is to provide students with skills to interact with professionals from other disciplines. Suitable courses for this requirement include courses in engineering (excluding CBE) and science, as well as a variety of other disciplines. |
4 | Full degree credit is not allowed if a student takes both CBE 440 Chemical Engineering Materials and M S & E 350 Introduction to Materials Science. In this case M S & E 350 Introduction to Materials Science will be awarded only 1 degree credit. |
Communication Skills
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
ENGL 100 | Introduction to College Composition 5 | 3 |
or COM ARTS 100 | Introduction to Speech Composition | |
or LSC 100 | Science and Storytelling | |
or ESL 118 | Academic Writing II | |
INTEREGR 397 | Engineering Communication (was EPD 397 before Fall 2020) | 3 |
5 | For Part A of the General Education Communication Requirement (3 cr) students must select one course with an "a" designation in "g" of the "geBLC" information in the Course Guide. Some students will be exempt from this requirement based on their placement test scores or advanced placement in English. CBE 424 Operations and Process Laboratory satisfies Part B of the General Education Communication Skills Requirement. |
Liberal Studies Electives
Students must complete 16 credits of liberal studies according to the College of Engineering requirements6.
6 | 1. Liberal studies elective courses must be classified as either Humanities, Social Studies, or Literature courses (identified by the letters H, S, L, or Z in "B" of the "geBLC" information in the Guide). At least six credits must have a breadth designation of Humanities (H, L, or Z), and at least three credits must have a designation of Social Studies (S or Z). Foreign language courses count as H credits. 2. A three-credit ethnic studies course must be selected from the College of Letters & Science. Acceptable courses are identified by the letter "e" in Guide. If appropriate, the ethnic studies course may be among those used to satisfy the concentration requirement. 3. A minimum of two liberal studies courses must be taken from the same department or program. At least one of these two courses must be at an intermediate or advanced level (designated in Guide). 4. Retroactive credits may be awarded for foreign-language work done in high school. The following conditions apply:
5. English composition courses, English as a Second Language courses, and basic communications arts courses are not accepted as liberal studies electives. |
Free ElectIVES
Students fulfilling their course requirements with fewer than 132 credits must take additional free-elective credits to comply with the 132-credit minimum graduation requirement.
Course Substitution Regulations
- Any student may, with advisor approval, replace up to 12 credits of required courses in the curriculum, except CBE 424 Operations and Process Laboratory, by an equal number of credits of other courses within the limitations listed under (3) below.
- Any student who wishes to amend the curriculum by more than 12 credits or wishes to appeal the advisor's decision in (1) or to request exception to (3) below must submit a written request to the chair of the department, who will bring it to the department faculty for consideration.
- Restrictions on course substitutions are as follows:
- Physics courses may be replaced by science or engineering courses.
- Chemistry/life science courses must be replaced by courses with significant chemistry/life science content.
- Engineering courses must be replaced by engineering courses.
- Lab courses must be replaced by courses with an equal number of hours of lab courses.
- English as a Second Language courses, and MATH 112 Algebra, MATH 113 Trigonometry, and MATH 114 Algebra and Trigonometry may not be used for course substitutions.
University Degree Requirements
Total Degree | To receive a bachelor's degree from UW–Madison, students must earn a minimum of 120 degree credits. The requirements for some programs may exceed 120 degree credits. Students should consult with their college or department advisor for information on specific credit requirements. |
Residency | Degree candidates are required to earn a minimum of 30 credits in residence at UW–Madison. "In residence" means on the UW–Madison campus with an undergraduate degree classification. “In residence” credit also includes UW–Madison courses offered in distance or online formats and credits earned in UW–Madison Study Abroad/Study Away programs. |
Quality of Work | Undergraduate students must maintain the minimum grade point average specified by the school, college, or academic program to remain in good academic standing. Students whose academic performance drops below these minimum thresholds will be placed on academic probation. |
- an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
- 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
- an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
- 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
- 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
- an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
- an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies
- ability with engineering application of the basic sciences to the design, analysis, and control of chemical, physical, and biological processes, including the hazards associated with these processes.
SAMPLE FOUR-YEAR PLAN
First Year | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
CHEM 109 | 5 | CHEM 329 | 4 | ||
MATH 221 | 5 | MATH 222 | 4 | ||
CBE 150 | 1 | PHYSICS 201 | 5 | ||
Communications A | 3 | Liberal Studies Elective | 3 | ||
Liberal Studies Elective | 3 | ||||
17 | 16 | ||||
Second Year | |||||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
CBE 2501 | 3 | CBE 255 | 3 | ||
CHEM 3432 | 3 | MATH 320 or 319 | 3 | ||
MATH 234 | 4 | CBE 310 | 3 | ||
PHYSICS 202 | 5 | CHEM 345 & CHEM 344 | 5 | ||
ZOOLOGY 153 | 3 | STAT 324 | 3 | ||
18 | 17 | ||||
Third Year | |||||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
CBE 311 | 3 | CBE 326 | 3 | ||
CBE 3201 | 4 | CBE 324 | 3 | ||
Professional Breadth Elective | 3 | CHEM 562 | 3 | ||
Advanced Biology Elective | 3 | INTEREGR 397 (was EPD 397) | 3 | ||
Liberal Studies Elective | 3 | Liberal Studies Elective | 4 | ||
16 | 16 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
CBE 426 | 3 | CBE 450 | 3 | CBE 424 | 5 |
CBE 430 | 3 | CBE 470 | 3 | ||
CBE Elective | 3 | CBE Elective | 3 | ||
Materials Elective | 3 | Professional Breadth Elective | 3 | ||
Liberal Studies Elective | 3 | ||||
15 | 12 | 5 | |||
Total Credits 132 |
1 | CBE 250 Process Synthesis and CBE 320 Introductory Transport Phenomena both require a grade of C or better. |
2 | CHEM 343 Introductory Organic Chemistry requires a grade of C or better. |
Advising
Each College of Engineering program has academic advisors dedicated to serving its students. Program advisors can help current College of Engineering students with questions about accessing courses, navigating degree requirements, resolving academic issues and more. Students can find their assigned advisor on the homepage of their student center.
Engineering Career Services
Engineering Career Services (ECS) assists students in identifying pre-professional work-based learning experiences such as co-ops and summer internships, considering and applying to graduate or professional school, and finding full-time professional employment during their graduation year.
ECS offers two major career fairs per year, assists with resume writing and interviewing skills, hosts workshops on the job search, and meets one-on-one with students to discuss offer negotiations.
Students are encouraged to utilize the ECS office early in their academic careers. For comprehensive information on ECS programs and workshops, see the ECS website or call 608-262-3471.
Professors
Eric V. Shusta (Chair)
Michael David Graham
George Huber
Daniel J. Klingenberg
David M. Lynn
Manos Mavrikakis
Regina Murphy
Sean P. Palacek
Brian F. Pfleger
Thatcher Root
John Yin
Associate Professors
Ross E. Swaney
Victor Zavala Tejada
Assistant Professors
Styliani Avraamidou
Matthew Gebbie
Siddarth Krishna
Marcel Schreier
Reid Van Lehn
research professor
William Banholzer
See also Chemical and Biological Engineering Faculty Directory.
Accreditation.
Accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.
Note: Undergraduate Program Educational Objectives and Student Outcomes are made publicly available at the Departmental website. (In this Guide, the program's Student Outcomes are designated by our campus as "Learning Outcomes.")