College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Stanford University
• Princeton University
• California Institute of Technology

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• University of Minnesota
• University of Maryland College Park
• University of Wisconsin Madison
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Purdue University
• University of California at Berkeley

Classes in the Major

Calculus: Life's not all about creating explosive materials out of kitchen products. This is supposed to be science folks, you're going to have to write some numbers down. Using math like calculus, anything can be quantifiable. The chemicals you need to use, how fast they will expand, how far they shoot. Also how angry Mom gets when you spray her with diet coke. Calculus is just part of the freshman prerequisites you need to get out of the way before taking more in depth science courses. It's an important foundation to build, whether you're a math geek or not.

Chemistry: Surprised? You shouldn't be. In fact, if you are, Shmoop is disappointed with you. Please don the cone of shame and sit in the corner. Now for the rest of you with a little common sense, we're sure you saw this one coming. It's in the name.

Again, this is a freshman course for foundation building. If you are interested in this field, chances are you took AP Chemistry in high school, so this will just act as a supplement to that and make sure all students have the proper working knowledge to take on upper division courses.

Physics: This is where you get to apply that math knowledge Shmoop knows you hold so dearly. Physics is the study of force, inertia, friction and all of that good mathy stuff that deals with movement. This is, yet again, more foundation to lay down. It helps to know how far your potato cannon is going to shoot based on the amount of gun powder you have left.

Chemical Process Design: The lower division prerequisites are done, you're free. Now that your noggin is fortified with all the math and chemistry you need, you get to move on to the good stuff. Process design refers to the actual transformation process. Turning ingredients into products. You'll study things like: Chemical Mass Balances, Momentum Transfer, Staged Separations, and Process Controls. Additionally you'll enroll in lab courses to take your theoretical knowledge into the real world.

Chemical Engineering Theory: The three bad boys here are Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, and Heat and Mass Transfer. You'll still be scribbling equations and killing lots of trees, but the light bulb is growing brighter. These courses have many practical applications and you will feel like you finally understand what this whole major is about. You might even begin to enjoy yourself.