Chemical Engineering – Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Return to: USC Viterbi School of Engineering  

HEDCO Building 216
(213) 740-2225
FAX: (213) 740-8053
Email: chemsche@vsoe.usc.edu
chems.usc.edu
Chair: Richard Roberts, PhD

Associate Chair, Undergraduate Programs: C. Ted Lee, Jr., PhD

Director: Pin Wang, PhD

Faculty

Zohrab A. Kaprielian Dean’s Chair in Engineering and Chester F. Dolley Chair in Petroleum Engineering: Yannis C. Yortsos, PhD

Jack Munushian Early Career Chair: Malancha Gupta, PhD

N.I.O.C. Chair in Petroleum Engineering: Muhammad Sahimi, PhD

Robert E. Vivian Chair in Energy Resources: Theodore T. Tsotsis, PhD

Fluor Professor in Process Engineering: S. Joe Qin, PhD (Electrical Engineering and Industrial and Systems Engineering)

Arthur B. Freeman Professorship in Engineering: Andrea Hodge, PhD

Judge Widney Professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry: Ray R. Irani; PhD (Chemistry)

Zohrab A. Kaprielian Fellow in Engineering: Pin Wang, PhD

Professors: S. Joe Qin, PhD (Electrical Engineering and Industrial and Systems Engineering); Richard Roberts, PhD (Chemistry); Muhammad Sahimi, PhD*; Theodore Tsotsis, PhD; Pin Wang, PhD

Associate Professors: Malancha Gupta, PhD; C. Ted Lee Jr., PhD*; Noah Malmstadt, PhD; Katherine S. Shing, PhD^*

Assistant Professors: Nicholas Graham, PhD; Shaama Sharada, PhD; Jongseung Yoon, PhD

Associate Professor of Practice: Robert Young, PhD

Joint Appointments: Edward Crandall, PhD, MD (Medicine); P. Daniel Dapkus, PhD (Electrical Engineering); Stacey Finley, PhD (Biomedical Engineering); Martin Gundersen, PhD (Electrical Engineering); Aiichiro Nakano, PhD (Computer Science, Physics, Biomedical Engineering); Grace Lu, PhD (Physics and Electrical Engineering); George Olah, PhD (Chemistry); Charles G. Sammis, PhD (Geological Sciences); Raymond Stevens, PhD (Biological Sciences and Chemistry); Armand R. Tanguay Jr., PhD (Electrical and Biomedical Engineering); Mark E. Thompson, PhD (Chemistry); Arieh Warshel, PhD (Chemistry); Chongwu Zhou, PhD (Electrical Engineering)

Emeritus Professors: Elmer L. Dougherty, PhD; Murray Gershenzon, PhD (Electrical Engineering); Ronald Salovey, PhD*; Peter Will, PhD (Astronautical Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering)

*Recipient of university-wide or school teaching award.

Chemical Engineering Honor Society: Omega Chi Epsilon

Degree Requirements

Undergraduate Program Educational Objectives

Chemical engineering is the only engineering discipline that makes extensive use of chemical transformations (reactions) in addition to physical transformations (refining, molding or machining) to achieve added value. Chemical engineers are employed in virtually all manufacturing industries, from the basic chemical, biochemical, materials, energy, food, pharmaceutical and microelectronics industries to the myriad consumer product industries. Our various curricula are designed to produce graduates who are broadly educated as well as highly adaptable.

Graduates of the undergraduate program in Chemical Engineering are expected to attain the following objectives within a few years after graduation:

• Apply their technical skills to model, analyze and design complex processes where physical, chemical or biochemical transformations are utilized to produce products and services that benefit society in an economically, environmentally and globally conscious manner.
• Be able to quickly respond to increasingly-rapid technological changes through continuous personal and professional development, and to pursue graduate or professional education in a variety of fields.
• Thrive in multidisciplinary and multicultural setting, and to assume leadership roles in their employment, organization or community.

Undergraduate Program Criteria

The program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering provides a thorough grounding in the basic sciences including chemistry, physics and/or biology, with some content at an advanced level, as appropriate to the objectives of the program. The curriculum includes the engineering application of these basic sciences to the design, analysis and control of chemical, physical and/or biological processes, including the hazards associated with these processes.

Engineer in Chemical Engineering

Requirements for the Engineer in chemical engineering are the same as set forth in the general requirements. See general requirements  for graduate degrees. Only available to graduate students currently enrolled.

Chemical Engineering Three-Two Plan

A special curriculum is available for obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering and a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree in a letters, arts and sciences major in five years. For further information see departmental advisers.

Similar programs are available in cooperation with certain liberal arts colleges. Such programs are particularly suited for obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the liberal arts college and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at USC.

Programs

Bachelor’s Degree

• •  Chemical Engineering (BS)
• •  Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering Emphasis, (BS)
• •  Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Emphasis, (BS)
• •  Chemical Engineering, Nanotechnology Emphasis, (BS)
• •  Chemical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering Emphasis, (BS)
• •  Chemical Engineering, Polymer/Materials Science Emphasis, (BS)
• •  Chemical Engineering, Sustainable Energy Emphasis (BS)

Minor

• •  Nanotechnology Minor

Master’s Degree

• •  Chemical Engineering (MS)

Doctoral Degree

• •  Chemical Engineering (PhD)

Courses

Chemical Engineering

• •  CHE 120 Introduction to Chemical Engineering
• •  CHE 205 Numerical Methods in Chemical Engineering
• •  CHE 301g Introduction to Engineering Biology
• •  CHE 330 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
• •  CHE 350 Introduction to Separation Processes
• •  CHE 390 Special Problems
• •  CHE 391 L Introduction to Nanotechnology Research
• •  CHE 405 Applications of Probability and Statistics for Chemical Engineers
• •  CHE 410 Introduction to Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
• •  CHE 442 Chemical Reactor Analysis
• •  CHE 443 Viscous Flow
• •  CHE 444a L Chemical Engineering Laboratory
• •  CHE 444b L Chemical Engineering Laboratory
• •  CHE 445 Heat Transfer in Chemical Engineering Processes
• •  CHE 446 Mass Transfer in Chemical Engineering Processes
• •  CHE 450 Sustainable Energy
• •  CHE 460 L Chemical Process Dynamics and Control
• •  CHE 461 Formation Evaluation
• •  CHE 462 Economic, Risk and Formation Productivity Analysis
• •  CHE 463 L Introduction to Transport Processes in Porous Media
• •  CHE 464 L Petroleum Reservoir Engineering
• •  CHE 465 L Drilling Technology and Subsurface Methods
• •  CHE 472 Polymer Science and Engineering
• •  CHE 474 L Polymer Science and Engineering Laboratory
• •  CHE 475 Physical Properties of Polymers
• •  CHE 476 Chemical Engineering Materials
• •  CHE 477 Computer Assisted Polymer Engineering and Manufacturing I
• •  CHE 480 Chemical Process and Plant Design
• •  CHE 485 Computer-Aided Chemical Process Design
• •  CHE 486 Design of Environmentally Benign Process Plants
• •  CHE 487 Nanotechnology and Nanoscale Engineering through Chemical Processes
• •  CHE 488 Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering
• •  CHE 489 Biochemical Engineering
• •  CHE 490x Directed Research
• •  CHE 491 Nanotechnology Research for Undergraduates
• •  CHE 499 Special Topics
• •  CHE 501 Modeling and Analysis of Chemical Engineering Systems
• •  CHE 502 Numerical Methods for Diffusive and Convective Transport
• •  CHE 510 Energy and Process Efficiency
• •  CHE 513 Principles of Combustion
• •  CHE 523 Principles of Electrochemical Engineering
• •  CHE 530 Thermodynamics for Chemical Engineers
• •  CHE 531 Enhanced Oil Recovery
• •  CHE 532 Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium
• •  CHE 540 Viscous Flow
• •  CHE 541 Mass Transfer
• •  CHE 542 Chemical Engineering Kinetics
• •  CHE 544 Heat Transmission
• •  CHE 550a Seminars in Chemical Engineering
• •  CHE 550b Seminars in Chemical Engineering
• •  CHE 554 Principles of Tissue Engineering
• •  CHE 560 Advanced Separation and Bioseparation Processes
• •  CHE 572 Advanced Topics in Polymer Kinetics and Rheology
• •  CHE 582 Fluid Flow and Transport Processes in Porous Media
• •  CHE 590 Directed Research
• •  CHE 594a Master’s Thesis
• •  CHE 594b Master’s Thesis
• •  CHE 594z Master’s Thesis
• •  CHE 596 Chemical Reactions in the Atmosphere
• •  CHE 599 Special Topics
• •  CHE 611 Stochastic Modeling and Simulation
• •  CHE 690 Directed Research
• •  CHE 790 Research
• •  CHE 794a Doctoral Dissertation
• •  CHE 794b Doctoral Dissertation
• •  CHE 794c Doctoral Dissertation
• •  CHE 794d Doctoral Dissertation
• •  CHE 794z Doctoral Dissertation