Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Advising

Author: Katie Torrey

What do I need to know to plan out a minor in Bioprocess Engineering?

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Here is some additional scheduling information to help you plan. Go to the Registrar’s Office minor page for the most current list of requirements.

Engineering Course

Select one course below.

  • CM 2110 Material and Energy Balances is usually offered every fall and summer. In the summer there is usually both an in-person and an online section.
  • CM 2200 Intro to Minerals and Materials is usually offered every fall.
  • CEE 3501 Environmental Engineering Fundamentals is usually offered every fall.
  • CEE 3503 Environmental Engineering is usually offered every spring.

Biochemistry Course

Select one course below. ChE students need to plan ahead because of time conflict issues.

  • BL 3020 Biochemistry I is usually offered every fall and occasionally in the summer. For ChE students, this course has a time conflict with senior classes.
  • CH 4710 Biomolecular Chemistry I is usually offered every fall. For ChE students, this course has a time conflict with senior classes.

Applied Biochemistry Course

Select one or more of the courses below.

  • BL 4070 Environmental Toxicology is usually offered every spring. For ChE students, this course has a time conflict with senior classes.
  • BL 4120 Environmental Remediation is usually offered fall of odd years. For ChE students, this course has a time conflict with senior classes.
  • CM 4710 Biochemical Processes is usually offered fall of odd years.

Elective Courses

Select remaining credits from the list below.

  • BL 3210 General Microbiology is usually offered every fall.
  • or BL 3310 Environmental Microbiology is usually offered every spring.
  • BL 4020 Biochemistry II is usually offered every spring.
  • CH 4110 Medicinal Chemistry: Mechanism of Drug Action is usually offered every spring.
  • CH 4120 Medicinal Chemistry: Drug Design is usually offered every fall.
  • CH 4140 Introduction to Pharmaceutical Analysis is usually offered every spring.
  • CH 4720 Biomolecular Chemistry II is usually offered every spring.
  • CM 3025 Bioprocessing Laboratory is usually offered every spring.
  • CM 4780 Biomanufacturing and Biosafety is usually offered fall of even years.
  • Undergraduate research BL 4000 Research in Biology, BL 4995 Research in Biochemistry, CM 4040 Research in Biological Engineering, CM 4080 Research in Biofuels Engineering are offered on demand. If you are interested in doing this then you’ll need to talk to the faculty who are doing research in these areas to see if they have a project you can work on with them. The chemical engineering faculty currently doing research in bioprocessing and biofuels are Dr. Heldt, Dr. Ong and Dr. Shonnard.
  • Enterprise Project Work in the bioprocessing area may be used towards the minor. Email a brief description of your project to the chemical engineering advisor for approval.
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What are the requirements for a minor in mathematics?

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The minor in mathematics is easy to fit in because you just need to take two more math classes. These classes can double count towards your technical electives.

Go to the Registrar’s Office minor page for the most current list of requirements.

Choose one course in Calculus I

You are already required to take calc I.

Choose one course in Calculus II, Linear Algebra, or Statistics

You are already required to take calc II (and linear algebra, but calc II works better for completing the minor.)

Choose at least one of the following

You are already required to take multivariable calculus, which is on this list. This works best for completing the minor because then you only need 6 more credits.

Choose at least one course that emphasizes mathematical logic and reasoning

You’ll need to pick one of these classes. Brush off your mathematical proof skills!

  • MA 3202 Introduction to Coding Theory
  • MA 3210 Introduction to Combinatorics
  • MA 3310 Introduction to Abstract Algebra
  • MA 3450 Introduction to Real Analysis
  • MA 3924 College Geometry with Technology
  • MA 4908 Theory of Numbers with Technology
  • MA 4330 Linear Algebra
  • MA 4760 Mathematical Statistics I

Elective Course

For this last requirement you need to choose either another course from the mathematical logic and reasoning list or any 3 credit, 4000-level MA course (except not MA 4945 which is History of Math).

Dr. Morrison’s Recommendations

Among the mathematical logic and reasoning choices Dr. Morrison recommends:

  • MA 3210 Introduction to Combinatorics
  • MA 4760 Mathematical Statistics I, if you have the prereq which is MA 3720 Probability.

For the elective requirement, Dr. Morrison likes:

  • MA 4525 Applied Vector and Tensor Mathematics
  • MA 4515 Introduction to Partial Differential Equations

Two more possibilities recommended by Prof. Todd King are on the numerical side: 

  • MA 4610 Numerical Linear Algebra
  • MA 4620 Numerical Methods for PDEs

In general, vector and tensor mathematics and PDEs have applications in transport phenomena; statistics is always a practical engineering subject; and combinatorics is a class that is accessible for chemical engineers.

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How can I get involved in research?

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You just need to ask. You’ll need to find a faculty member who has a project you can work on with them. A good place to start is to look at the department faculty page and read about their research topics.

Find two or three who are doing research in an area that sounds interesting to you. Don’t worry about the jargon. You’ll be taught what you need to know as part of the project. Then reach out to them and ask if they have a project you can work on with them.

Introduce yourself and share what interests you about their work. If you’re willing to do the research for credit then you can begin work even if there isn’t funding to pay you. If the first person doesn’t work out then ask some else. You may need to talk to several faculty before finding someone.

There is also a great video on finding a research mentor on the Pavlis Honors College research workshop page.

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What should I minor in?

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Asking what you should minor is like asking what you should major in.  The answer is:  whatever you like.

To help you explore your options, here is a list of minors that other chemical engineering majors have found appealing.  Go to the Registrar’s Office minor page for the most current requirements.

Chemical Engineering Minors

These minors are offered by our department.  They are matched with our faculty’s areas of expertise.

Minors in Related Fields

  • Business or Economics – if you’re interested in engineering management.
  • Foreign Languages – if you’re interested in international business or manufacturing.
  • Mathematics – if you’re interested in graduate studies in engineering or science.
  • Statistics – if you’re interested in almost any area including business, manufacturing, and research.
  • Data Acquisition and Industrial Control – if you’re interested in process automation and control.
  • Sustainable Biomaterials or Environmental Studies – if you’re interested in sustainability and environmental stewardship.
  • Chemistry – if you’re interested in deepening your chemistry knowledge.
  • Pharmaceutical Chemistry – if you’re interested in pharmaceutical manufacturing (but also look at the bioprocess engineering minor).

We’ve also had students minor in unrelated fields because it interested them, like art, music, history, psychology, and others. That’s fine too.

Browse through the full list of minors available at Michigan Tech.

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What information do I need to enroll in the research class?

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You will need the following information from your faculty supervisor.

Research Course

There are five different research courses. You will enroll in the one that matches your research project.

  • CM 4020, mineral processing
  • CM 4040, bioengineering, not biofuels
  • CM 4060, polymer engineering
  • CM 4080, biofuels
  • CM 4000, other topics

Semester

This is the semester you will be working on the research project.

Credits

The number of credits is based on your time commitment per week. You may earn up to 3 credits per semester.

  • One credit = 3 hrs/week
  • Two credits = 6 hrs/week
  • Three credits = 9 hrs/week

Title

You’ll need to provide a title of your project.

Abstract

You’ll need to provide a brief summary of your project.

Final Report

You’ll need to indicate the format of your final report. The report out options are:

  • written report
  • poster
  • oral presentation
  • none

Creating a poster is recommended even if it’s not required because it will allow you to participate in events to share your research experience at Michigan Tech and professional conferences. These are great career building opportunities.

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