Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Advising

How does doing Enterprise for senior design work?

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If you are involved in Enterprise, you may use an Enterprise project as your capstone design project, pending departmental approval. You need to be taking an Enterprise project work course (ENT 2950, 2960, 3950, 3960, or 3980) during the Spring semester before your senior classes to qualify for this.

Students choosing this option will take the following design classes senior year.

Fall Semester

CM 4855 Process Analysis and Design I. 3 credits. All ChE students take this course.

ENT 4950 Enterprise Project Work V Capstone. 2 credits. You will need departmental permission to enroll in this class. This class can count towards your technical or free electives.

Spring Semester

CM 4860 Process Analysis and Design II. 2 credits. All ChE students take this course.

ENT 4960 Enterprise Project Work VI Capstone. 2 credits. This course will substitute for CM 4861 Capstone Design Project (1 credit) on your online degree audit. The additional credit can count towards your technical or free electives.

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What is graduate school?

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After your Bachelors degree you can continue going to school to get an advanced degree. In engineering this would be a Masters or PhD.

In our program you can get a coursework Masters, thesis Masters, or PhD. The coursework Masters is just like it sounds. It’s where you take additional advanced engineering classes. You can complete a coursework Masters in a year.

The thesis Masters and PhD are both research degrees. There is a coursework component to them, but you will also work on a research project with a faculty member. A thesis Masters usually takes 1.5-2 years to complete. A PhD takes several years to complete.

If you’d like to work at a university, national lab, or in research and development for a company then you will likely need a PhD.

You can change disciplines. Your graduate degree can be in a different or more specialized discipline than your undergraduate degree.

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Can I take graduate courses while still an undergrad?

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Yes, but you will need special permission to enroll. You can either:

  • use the courses as technical electives. Many of our graduate courses are approved for this.
  • or, you can use the courses towards a Michigan Tech graduate degree under “Senior Rule”.

Senior Rule

You are allowed to take courses to apply to a graduate degree during your last year of undergraduate. However, once a course is approved for senior rule then it may no longer be used towards your undergraduate degree.

You will need to submit the approval to the Registrar’s Office by Wednesday of week 2 for the course semester. Read all the details on the Registrar’s Office webpage.

We allow up to 6 credits of graduate courses to be completed under senior rule.

Accelerated Master’s

This program allows you to double count up to 6 credits towards both an undergraduate and graduate degree. You need to apply before graduating to be eligible. Read all the details on the Accelerated Master’s webpage.

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What can I do to prepare myself for graduate school in engineering?

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There are things you can do now to prepare for graduate school.

Participate in undergraduate research

This is important. A PhD or thesis masters is a research degree, and doing research as an undergraduate can open many doors. This is true even if you eventually decide to do a coursework masters. We recommend looking for opportunities at Michigan Tech, and off-campus at another university, business, or research lab.

Take additional math classes

Graduate engineering classes are very math intensive and so additional math courses work can help prepare you. Statistics is useful in almost all areas. Dr. Morrison also has some recommendations.

Practice your writing and presenting skills

You need these skills to be successful in graduate school and your career. If you participate in undergraduate research there are opportunities to present a poster of your research during department events, campus events, and professional conferences.

Keep your books

Your books and notes will be useful for reviewing core engineering topics when you’re taking the more advanced graduate courses.

Attend research seminars and graduate defenses

These events happen on campus throughout the year and are open to the public. Look for posters and emails announcing them. Seek out presentations in areas that interest you, even if they are in other departments. Research is interdisciplinary and the things you learn and people you meet could help you in the future.

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What chemical engineering electives are being offered next semester? next year?

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We plan to offer the following chemical engineering electives in future semesters.

Fall 2022

  • CM 2200  Intro to Minerals and Materials (3 credit)
  • CM 3450  Computer-Aided Problem Solving (3 credits)
  • CM 3979  Alternative Energy Technology and Processes (1 credit)
  • CM 4610  Intro to Polymer Science (3 credits)
  • CM 4780  Biomanufacturing and Biosafety (3 credits) This is an alternate-year class and will not be offered next year.
  • plus the undergraduate research courses

Spring 2023

  • CM 3025  Bioprocessing Lab (1 credit)
  • CM 3830  Mineral Processing and Extraction Lab (1 credit)
  • CM 4510   Interfacial Engineering (3 credits) This is an alternate-year course and will not be offered next year.
  • CM 4620  Polymer Chemistry (3 credits)
  • CM 4740  Hydrometallurgy/Pyrometallurgy (4 credits)
  • plus the undergraduate research courses

Fall 2023

  • CM 2200  Intro to Minerals and Materials (3 credit)
  • CM 3450  Computer-Aided Problem Solving (3 credits)
  • CM 3979  Alternative Energy Technology and Processes (1 credit)
  • CM 4610  Intro to Polymer Science (3 credits)
  • CM 4710  Biochemical Processes (3 credits) This is an alternate-year class and will not be offered next year.
  • plus the undergraduate research courses

Spring 2024

  • CM 3025  Bioprocessing Lab (1 credit)
  • CM 3830  Mineral Processing and Extraction Lab (1 credit)
  • CM 4505   Particle Technology (3 credits) This is an alternate-year course and will not be offered next year.
  • CM 4620  Polymer Chemistry (3 credits)
  • CM 4740  Hydrometallurgy/Pyrometallurgy (4 credits)
  • plus the undergraduate research courses

Undergraduate Research Courses

These classes are always offered. You will need special permission to enroll in it. There is more information on how this works on our undergraduate research page.

  • CM 4000  Undergraduate Research (1-3 credits)
  • CM 4020  Undergrad Research in Mineral Proc Engineering (1-3 credits)
  • CM 4040  Undergrad Research in Bioengineering (1-3 credits)
  • CM 4060  Undergrad Research in Polymer Engineering (1-3 credits)
  • CM 4080  Undergrad Research in Biofuels Engineering (1-3 credits)
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How do I figure out which classes to take next semester?

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You need two items to figure this out:

  • Your transcript. Go to Banweb to see your unofficial transcript.  It is extremely important to look at it and know exactly what classes are on it.
  • A flowchart or sample schedule for your catalog year.  All of our advising handouts are available on the Degree Requirements page, sorted by catalog year.

Start by crossing off the classes that you have completed and are currently enrolled in. Run your online degree audit on Banweb to see if it matches. If you see anything that doesn’t match then see your academic advisor to find out why.

Choose classes that are next on the flowchart/sample schedule. It’s usually useful to plan for several semesters out. Review your plan with your academic advisor. It really helps to have a second set of eyes look at your plan.

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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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