Chemical Engineering (CHEG)

Keisha B. Walters
Professor and Department Head
3202 Bell Engineering Center
479-575-7455
Email: keisha.walters@uark.edu

Heather Walker
Associate Department Head for Undergraduate Programs
3202 Bell Engineering Center
479-575-5382
Email:  hlw@uark.edu

Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering Website

Chemical engineering deals with the creation, design, operation, and optimization of processes that derive practical benefits from chemical or physical changes principally involving chemical and biochemical reactions. The profession is quite broad and has traditionally provided the technology for: supplying energy and fuel; synthesizing materials such as plastics, chemicals, fertilizers, and pharmaceuticals; and managing environmental and safety concerns of physical and chemical processes. Some new applications of the principles of chemical engineering at nanoscales are being made in sustainable energy production and detection of gene mutations, protein configurations, and virus serotypes as well as thermal destruction of cancer cells.

Chemical engineers have a variety of traditional job opportunities in industries such as petroleum production and processing, chemical manufacturing, food processing, pharmaceutical production, and process equipment manufacturing. Job opportunities may involve research, development, design, manufacturing, sales, or teaching as professional activities. The chemical engineer can also move easily into environmental engineering, nuclear engineering, oceanography, biomedical engineering, pharmacology, law, medicine, or other multidisciplinary fields.

In chemical engineering, students obtain a broad foundation in chemistry, mathematics, physics, communication skills, economics, and the humanities. Courses in material and energy balances, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, process control, computer methods, safety, and design provide students with the background and learning skills required of the practicing chemical engineer. The curriculum includes elective courses that enable a student to prepare for immediate employment or further study at the graduate level or the professional level, such as for medical school. The chemical engineering program also serves as an excellent preparation for dental, pharmacy, or law school.

The educational objective of the undergraduate program in the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering is to prepare students for careers and professional accomplishment after graduating, including:

• Successfully practicing as an engineer or in another professional pursuit, including traditional or emerging fields of chemical engineering, to make a positive impact locally and globally.
• Actively involved in professional lifelong learning, both informal and formal, that deepens their knowledge and readiness to contribute to advancing science, technologies and solutions essential for the future, including successfully participating in a graduate or professional program.

The program prepares graduates to achieve these educational objectives through development of their skills as outlined in our educational outcomes and taught in our curriculum.

Completion of the degree requirements provides graduates with the following learning outcomes:

• An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
• An ability to apply the engineering design process to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration for public health and safety, and for global, cultural, social, environmental, economic, and other factors as appropriate to the discipline
• An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
• An ability to communicate effectively with a range or 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 recognize the ongoing need to acquire new knowledge, to choose appropriate learning strategies, and to apply this knowledge
• An ability to function effectively as a member or leader of a team that establishes goals, plans tasks, meets deadlines, and creates a collaborative and inclusive environment

Requirements for B.S. in Chemical Engineering

Each student in chemical engineering is required to complete 128 hours of coursework including the 35-hour University Core. To be eligible for graduation, all students must complete at least 30 hours of Chemical Engineering (CHEG) classes at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville that are required for the degree. Each student in chemical engineering is also required to complete six semester hours of technical electives, three semester hours of Advanced Science electives, three semester hours of Chemical Engineering electives, and three semester hours of Advanced Science or Chemical Engineering electives.  As discussed in the department’s Undergraduate Advising Manual, students can select elective courses to better prepare for employment or further study in areas such as:

• Biotechnology
• Biomedical engineering
• Environmental engineering
• Food process engineering
• Materials engineering
• Microelectronics
• Nanotechnology
• Nuclear engineering
• Pre-medicine
• Simulation and optimization

Additional opportunities are available to enhance the educational experience of students in these areas. Students should consult their academic adviser for recommendations.

Chemical Engineering B.S.Ch.E.

Eight-Semester Degree Program

The following section contains the list of courses required for the Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering degree. Not all courses are offered every semester, so students who deviate from the suggested sequence must pay careful attention to course scheduling and course prerequisites. Students wishing to follow the eight-semester degree plan should see the Eight-Semester Degree Policy in the Academic Regulations chapter for university requirements of the program. Entering freshmen will be required to participate in selected Freshman Engineering Student Services.

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Students have demonstrated successful completion of the learning indicators identified for learning outcome 2.1, by meeting the prerequisites for MATH 24004.

²

The Fine Arts Elective courses which satisfy General Education Outcome 3.1 include:  ARCH 10003, ARHS 10003,  COMM 10003,  DANC 10003, LARC 10003, MUSC 10003, MUSC 100H3,  MUSC 10103, MUSC 101H3, MUSC 13303,  THTR 10003, THTR 10103, or THTR 101H3.

³

The Social Sciences Elective courses which satisfy General Education Outcomes 3.3 and 4.1 include:  ANTH 10203,  COMM 10203,  HDFS 14003,  HDFS 24103, HIST 11193,  HIST 11293, HIST 20903, HUMN 111H4,  HUMN 211H4, INST 28103, INST 281H3, PLSC 20103, PLSC 28103, PLSC 281H3, RESM 28503, SOCI 10103, SOCI 201H3, or SOCI 20103.

⁴

The Humanities Elective courses which satisfy General Education Outcomes 3.2 and 5.1 include:  CLST 10003, CLST 100H3, CLST 10103, HUMN 112H4, PHIL 20003, PHIL 200H3,  PHIL 21003.

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The Social Sciences Elective courses which satisfy General Education Outcome 3.3 include:  AGEC 11003, AGEC 21003,  ANTH 10203,  COMM 10203, ECON 21003, ECON 22003,  ECON 21403,  EDST 20003, HDFS 14003,  HDFS 24103,  HDFS 26003,  HIST 11193, HIST 111H3, HIST 11293, HIST 112H3, HIST 20003,  HIST 20103, HIST 20903, HUMN 111H4, HUMN 211H4, INST 28103, INST 281H3, PLSC 20003,  PLSC 20103,  PLSC 21003, PLSC 28103, PLSC 281H3, PSYC 20003,  RESM 28503,  SOCI 10103, SOCI 201H3,  SOCI 20103.  Note, courses cannot be counted twice in degree requirements.

Elective Options in Chemical Engineering

Each student in chemical engineering is required to complete six semester hours of technical electives and nine semester hours of Advanced Science electives.  At least three semester hours must be taken from the list of Science Electives.

Technical Electives

In general, any upper level (3000-level or above) course in the sciences, math or engineering may serve as a technical elective, with prior approval by your academic adviser. BIOL 20003, BIOL 24103, BIOL 23373 and BIOL 24003 are 2000-level courses that can also serve as technical electives, and are also useful for students applying to medical school. INEG 23303, INEG 24103 and INEG 35103 are statistics-oriented classes, and may be used for technical elective credit.  Upper-level courses in non-technical areas such as business may also serve as technical electives with prior approval by your academic adviser.  There is no specific list of approved technical electives.

Advanced Science and Chemical Engineering Electives

A list of the approved Advanced Science or Chemical Engineering courses is shown below.  Once again, each student in chemical engineering is required to complete nine semester hours of Advanced Science electives.  At least three semester hours must be taken from the list of Science electives.  Courses not on the list may satisfy the requirement with student appeal and approval by the Chemical Engineering faculty. 

Science Electives

Chemical Engineering Electives

• Any graduate Chemical Engineering class (excluding seminar)--instructor permission is required
• Any senior level Chemical Engineering elective class excluding research, co-op/internship, special problem or ChE Car

Students are encouraged to select elective courses to better prepare for employment or further study in areas such as:

• Biotechnology
• Biomedical engineering
• Environmental engineering
• Food process engineering
• Materials engineering
• Microelectronics
• Nanotechnology
• Nuclear engineering
• Pre-medicine
• Simulation and optimization

Additional opportunities are available to enhance the educational experience of students in these areas.  Students should consult their academic adviser for recommendations.

Honors Program Requirements

Chemical engineering students enrolled in the Honors College are encouraged to complete the requirements to graduate with honors. In addition to grade point requirements, Honors College students must complete a total of at least 12 hours of honors course credits including a minimum of 6 hours of honors course credits in chemical engineering. The student must also participate in a design or research project culminating in an Honors Thesis. Thesis credit in the department will be satisfied by Honors College students in one of the following ways:

• Completion of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Design Competition Problem individually following contest rules as part of CHEG 44403 Chemical Engineering Design II;
• Completion of a design contest problem as part of a team, such as the WERC competition in CHEG 44403 Chemical Engineering Design II; or
• Completion of CHEG 4880V Special Problems at the direction of a faculty mentor.

Regardless of the thesis project, an Honors Thesis and oral presentation will be prepared by the student and approved by the Department Honors Committee and the faculty mentor.

Ackerson, Michael D., Ph.D. (University of Arkansas), M.S., B.S. (University of Missouri-Rolla), Associate Professor, 1986, 1997.
Beitle, Karen, M.S.(University of Arkansas), B.S. (University of Pittsburgh), Instructor, .
Beitle, Robert R., Ph.D., M.S.Ch.E., B.S.Ch.E. (University of Pittsburgh), Professor, Jim L. Turpin Professorship in Chemical Engineering, 1993, 2006.
Carreon Garciduenas, Maria de Lourdes, Ph.D. (University of Louisville), M.S., B.S. (Universidad Michoacana), Associate Professor, 2023.
Clausen, Ed, Ph.D., M.S.Ch.E., B.S.Ch.E. (University of Missouri-Rolla), University Professor, Charles W. Oxford Professorship in Chemical Engineering, 1981, 2018.
Hestekin, Christa, Ph.D. (Northwestern University), B.S.Ch.E. (University of Kentucky), Associate Professor, Ansel and Virginia Condray Endowed Professorship in Chemical Engineering, 2006, 2013.
Hestekin, Jamie A., Ph.D. (University of Kentucky), B.S.Ch.E. (University of Minnesota-Duluth), Professor, Maurice E. Barker Chair in Chemical Engineering, 2006, 2017.
Kim, Daesoo, Ph.D., M.S. (University of Arkansas), B.S. (Suncheon National University), Instructor, 2022.
Monroe, Jacob, Ph.D. (University of California, Santa Barbara), B.S. (University of Virginia), Assistant Professor, Ray C. Adam Endowed Chair in Chemical Engineering, .
Mourot, Michael, B.S. (University of Arkansas), Instructor, .
Nayani, Karthik, Ph.D. (Georgia Institute of Technology), B.S.Ch.E. (Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur), Assistant Professor, 2020.
Richardson, Will, Ph.D. (Texas A&M University), B.S. (University of Arkansas), Associate Professor, Bates Teaching Professorship in Chemical Engineering, .
Spicer, Tom O., Ph.D., M.S., B.S. (University of Arkansas), Professor, Robert E. Babcock Sr. Professorship in Chemical Engineering, 1981, 1997.
Vega, Jose L., Ph.D. (University of Arkansas), M.S., Licenciatura (Universidad de Santiago de Compostela), Instructor, 2020.
Walker, Heather L., Ph.D., M.S.Ch.E., B.S.Ch.E. (University of Arkansas), Teaching Assistant Professor, 2008, 2014.
Walters, Keisha, Ph.D., M.S., B.S. (Clemson University), Professor, Kevin W. and Marie L. Brown Department Head Chair in Chemical Engineering, Ralph E. Martin Leadership Chair in Chemical Engineering, 2021.
Wickramasinghe, Ranil, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota-Twin Cities), M.S., B.S. (University of Melbourne, Australia), Distinguished Professor, Ross E. Martin Chair in Emerging Technologies, 2011, 2021.