Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Undergraduate Program Information

The major offers a curriculum based in math, science, and engineering to provide a well-rounded education for the many different engineering opportunities available upon graduation.

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Transfer students

Interested in transferring to Chemical and Biological Engineering? Find transfer requirements here.

Claire Lavelle, Counselor, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Walter Scott Jr. College of Engineering, Colorado State University, September 20, 2019

Do you have a question that's not featured on this page? Undergraduate Advisor Claire Lavelle is happy to help! Email your question here.

Suggested program plan

The CBE curriculum is designed so that the courses from one semester serve as the foundation for those taken in subsequent semesters. This relationship among courses is expressed in the course catalog as lists of prerequisites courses.

Understanding the importance of these prerequisites is important for planning which courses will be taken when, especially when one considers that CBE courses are offered only once per year (i.e., either in the fall or the spring semester).

Of particular importance in the first two years of the CBE program are the requirements for math (MATH) and physics (PH) courses. 

Course requirements

Foundational courses

  • Calculus and Differential Equations (4 semesters)
  • Introductory Chemistry (2 semesters, with labs)
  • Organic Chemistry (2 semesters, with lab)
  • Physics (2 semesters, with labs)
  • Intro to Matlab (CBE160)
  • Intro to Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE 101)

Major-related courses

  • Material and Energy Balances (CBE 201)
  • Intro to Biological Engineering (CBE 205)
  • Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (CBE 210)
  • Molecular Concepts and Applications (CBE 310)
  • Chemical Reactor Design (CBE 320)
  • Heat Transfer and Thermal Separations (CBE 332)
  • Momentum Transfer and Mechanical Separation (CBE 331)
  • Process Simulation (CBE 330)
  • Momentum and Heat Transfer Laboratory (CBE 333)
  • Equilibrium-Staged Separations (CBE 341)
  • Process Control and Instrumentation (CBE 430)
  • Rate-Controlled Separations (CBE 442)
  • Mass Transfer and Separation Laboratory (CBE 443)
  • Chemical and Biological Engineering Design I and II (CBE 451 & 452)
  • Professional Development Seminar (CBE 393)

Electives

Students choose a bioscience science elective course (such as microbiology or materials science) as well as 6 credits of technical elective course, and 3 additional credits of engineering classes.

University core classes

In addition to the courses listed, university core classes and electives will appear in the curriculum.

B.S.Degree Checklist

Download our checklist of credits required for each year of your undergraduate education.

Objectives and program details

The Chemical and Biological Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.

ABET Accreditation

The Chemical and Biological Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.