The new chemical engineering curriculum was approved by the Hampton University faculty and will take effect starting fall 2008.

The proposed changes are expected to improve academic performance and retention of the students, and update the chemical engineering curriculum according to the current trends in chemical industry and chemical engineering education.

The new curriculum is the culmination of several years of effort by the engineering faculty, which involved feedback from our students, alumni, Engineering Advisory Board, chemical engineers working in industry, and accreditation visiting teams from ABET. During discussions, curricula of other peer chemical engineering departments were also consulted.

The underlying reasons for the changes are:

1. To redo the core engineering tools courses while retaining the essential competencies shared by all engineering majors in response to current trends in chemical industry and chemical engineering education.
2. To cover the engineering mathematical analysis more extensively. As a result, the students will be better prepared to handle the topics and the projects assigned in the junior-level chemical engineering courses. They will attain a higher level of competency in the use of numerical methods and computer applications in the solution of engineering problems.
3. To add an entry level biology course so that the chemical engineering students could take an advanced biology course as a technical elective. This was done in response to the emergence of biotechnology under the auspices of chemical engineering. BIO 105-Introduction to Biology is the prerequisite to all upper level biology and biochemistry courses.
4. To streamline the core engineering courses:  In the existing curriculum, there are 23 credits, while in the proposed curriculum, there are 20 credits.
5. To address the requirements of the chemical industry of the 21st century:  computer applications are increased (introduction of the numerical analysis course and increase of the credits of EGR 102 from 2 to 3); opportunities for the students to pursue nanotechnology or biotechnology options are developed (introduction of the BIO 105 and an advanced chemistry elective course); and the chemical engineering courses are aligned to better introduce the students to the basics of chemical engineering.

Proposed Revised Chemical Engineering Curriculum