As a chemical engineering major, you will be part of a vibrant community of engineers in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and join a network of alumni who are shaping the modern chemical economy and creating positive impact in our society. Capitalize on advances in chemistry and biology to create new products, design chemical processes, develop energy resources, and protect the environment.

While chemical engineering is a demanding field, you will find having a degree in chemical engineering from UW–Madison will open doors to many exciting career paths and prepare you for a wide range of career opportunities, including:

• Pharmaceuticals
• Personal/beauty care products
• Food processing
• Public health
• Energy and materials
• Air and water quality
• Artificial intelligence
• Manufacturing 
• Plastics & materials recycling
• Environmental sustainability

You will also find that UW–Madison chemical engineers are sought by many companies and industries outside the immediate field. You might choose to join the many alumni who have had successful careers at Fortune 500 companies, pursue graduate studies to become a professor, or pursue other career paths beyond engineering such as entrepreneurship, finance, policy, environmental science, healthcare, law, and business administration. 

Through our program, you will acquire a rigorous education in the fundamental chemical engineering sciences from our award-winning faculty and outstanding mentors. Develop valuable design and problem-solving skills, discover tools and technologies that professional chemical engineers use every day, and explore topics like:

How to Get in

Admission to the College as a First-Year Student

Students applying to UW–Madison need to indicate an engineering major as their first choice in order to be considered for direct admission to the College of Engineering. Direct admission means that students get to start their college career in the engineering program of their choice and have access to engineering-specific resources and facilities. Students who are directly admitted need to meet progression requirements at the end of the first year to guarantee advancement in that program.

Current UW-Madison Students (Cross-Campus Transfer to Engineering)

Off-Campus Transfer to Engineering

With careful planning, students at other accredited institutions can transfer coursework that will apply toward engineering degree requirements at UW–Madison. Off-campus transfer applicants are considered for direct admission to the College of Engineering by applying to the Office of Admissions with an engineering major listed as their first choice. Those who are admitted to their intended engineering program must meet progression requirements at the point of transfer or within their first two semesters at UW–Madison to guarantee advancement in that program. Transfer admission to the College of Engineering is selective. A minimum of 30 credits in residence in the College of Engineering is required after transferring, and all students must meet all requirements for their engineering major. 

The College of Engineering has dual degree transfer agreements with select four-year UW System campuses and a transfer agreement with Madison College. Eligible students in COE's transfer agreements automatically meet progression at the point of transfer.

Off-campus transfer students are encouraged to discuss their interests, academic background, and admission options with the Transfer & Academic Program Manager in the College of Engineering: ugtransfer@engr.wisc.edu.

Second Bachelor's Degree

The College of Engineering does not accept second undergraduate degree applications. Second degree students might explore the Biological Systems Engineering program at UW–Madison, an undergraduate engineering degree elsewhere, or a graduate program in the College of Engineering.

Requirements

University Requirements

All undergraduate students must complete both the following Core General Education (Core GenEd) and University Degree and Quality of Work requirements. The requirements below apply to students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution is Summer 2026 or later. 

Students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution occurred before Summer 2026 should refer to the archived Guide for the requirements that apply to them.

Core General Education (Core GenEd) Requirements

University General Education Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Civics & Perspectives	3 credits of Civics & Perspectives coursework.
Communication & Literacy	6 credits of Communication & Literacy coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingenglishplacement
Humanities & Arts	6 credits of Humanities & Arts coursework.
Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning	6 credits of Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingmathplacement
Natural Science & Wellness	Complete both: 6 credits of Natural Science & Wellness or Natural Science & Wellness + Laboratory coursework. one course must be in Natural Science & Wellness + Laboratory coursework.
Social & Behavioral Science	3 credits of Social & Behavioral Science coursework.
Total Credits	30 credits.

For more information see the policy.

University Degree and Quality of Work Requirements

All undergraduate degree recipients must complete the following minimum requirements. Requirements for some programs will exceed these requirements; see program requirements for additional information.

University General Education Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Total Degree	120 degree credits.
Residency	Complete 30 credits in residence. A course is considered “in residence” if it is taken when in undergraduate degree-seeking status and: is offered by UW-Madison and completed on the UW-Madison campus or at an approved off-site location, or is offered by UW-Madison in an online or distance format, or is completed during participation in a UW-Madison study abroad/study away program.
Quality of Work	Achieve at least the minimum grade point average specified by the school, college, and/or academic program.
Math	Demonstrate minimal mathematics competence by: placing above MATH 96, successfully completing MATH 96 at UW-Madison, or transferring the equivalent of MATH 96 or a more advanced mathematics course from another institution (content such as MATH 112, 114, 211, 221, 222, 234).
English Language	If required to take the UW-Madison English as a Second Language Assessment Test (MSN-ESLAT), demonstrate minimal English language competence by: earning credit for ESL 118 at UW-Madison, or achieving a qualifying MSN-ESLAT placement test score.
Language	Complete one: 2 high school units of a single language other than English, or one course with the second semester Language designation.
Major Declaration	Declare and complete the requirements for at least one major.

College of Engineering Degree Granting Programs’ Common Requirements 

The College of Engineering departments collaborated and adopted a common set of guidelines in their degree granting program (major) requirements. Engineering departments incorporate specific coursework within their curricula to meet these guidelines. Students should refer to specific coursework detailed below the Summary of Requirements.

College of Engineering Degree Granting Programs’ Common Requirements 

University General Education Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Communication	All College of Engineering majors require two levels of communication coursework: Engineering Communication 1: one course with the Communication A designation or satisfaction of Communication A based on eligible UW Placement Score. Engineering Communication 2: each major specifies one course (e.g. INTEREGR 397) which also carries the Communication B designation.
Quantitative Reasoning	All College of Engineering majors require a math sequence that incorporates two levels of quantitative reasoning.
Humanities or Literature	All College of Engineering majors require a minimum of 6 credits with the Humanities or Literature breadth designations. See major Liberal Studies Electives Requirement below.
Social Sciences	All College of Engineering majors require a minimum of 3 credits with the Social Sciences breadth designation. See major Liberal Studies Electives Requirement below.
Natural Sciences	All College of Engineering majors require specific coursework that incorporates a minimum of 6 credits with the Biological, Natural, or Physical Science breadth designations.
Ethnic Studies	All College of Engineering majors require at least one course of at least 3 credits with the Ethnic Studies designation. This course may also be used to satisfy the Social Sciences or Humanities or Literature requirement.

Chemical Engineering, BS Curriculum

This curriculum applies to students admitted to the degree program this Guide academic year. Curricular requirements for students admitted in previous semesters are available in the Archive section of Guide.

Summary of Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Mathematics		16
Physics		10
Chemistry		17
Life Science		3
Advanced Science		6
Core Engineering Requirement		52
Professional Breadth		6
Communication Skills		6
Liberal Studies Electives		16
Total Credits		132

Mathematics Requirement

The calculus requirement must be met with a minimum of 12 credits to cover the three-course basic math sequence. Any deficiency in total math credits must be made up with electives in science or engineering.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
MATH 221	Calculus and Analytic Geometry 1	5
MATH 222	Calculus and Analytic Geometry 2	4
MATH 234	Calculus--Functions of Several Variables	4
MATH 320	Linear Algebra and Differential Equations	3
Total Credits		16

Physics Requirement

Credit shortages caused by transfer physics courses at fewer than 6 credits for the required courses must be made up with another physics course.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PHYSICS 201	General Physics	5
or PHYSICS 207	General Physics
PHYSICS 202	General Physics	5
or PHYSICS 208	General Physics
Total Credits		10

Chemistry Requirement 

Credit shortages caused by transfer of freshman chemistry courses at fewer than 9 credits must be made up with chemistry, biochemistry, or chemical engineering courses. Students who complete CHEM 115 & CHEM 116 will fulfill CHEM 103 & CHEM 104 and CHEM 329 requirements.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
General Chemistry (choose one)		5-9
CHEM 109	Advanced General Chemistry (preferred)
CHEM 103 & CHEM 104	General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II
CHEM 329	Fundamentals of Analytical Science	4
CHEM 343 & CHEM 345 & CHEM 344	Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry II and Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory	8
Total Credits		17-21

Life Science

Students who meet the Introductory Biology requirement with an AP exam are encouraged to take an additional advanced science elective.¹ 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Introductory Biology requirement (choose one)		3
ZOOLOGY 153	Introductory Biology
ZOOLOGY/​BIOLOGY/​BOTANY  151	Introductory Biology
Total Credits		3

 Advanced Science

Students who meet the Introductory Biology requirement with an AP exam are encouraged to take an additional advanced science elective.¹ 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Advanced Science requirement (choose two)		6
BIOCHEM 501	Introduction to Biochemistry (recommended)
CHEM 562	Physical Chemistry II (recommended)
BIOCHEM 507	General Biochemistry I
BIOCHEM 508	General Biochemistry II
CHEM 511	Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 547	Advanced Organic Chemistry
CHEM 665	Biophysical Chemistry
GENETICS 466	Principles of Genetics
MICROBIO 303	Biology of Microorganisms
ZOOLOGY 570	Cell Biology
Total Credits		6

¹

BIOCORE 381 Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics and BIOCORE 383 Cellular Biology may be used to satisfy the Life Science Requirement and one Advanced Science Elective. Other courses may be substituted by petition.

Core Engineering Requirement

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
CBE 150	Introduction to Chemical Engineering	1
CBE 250	Process Synthesis (with a grade of C or better)	3
CBE 255	Introduction to Chemical Process Modeling	3
CBE 310	Chemical Process Thermodynamics (with a grade of C or better)	3
CBE 311	Thermodynamics of Mixtures (with a grade of C or better)	3
CBE 320	Introductory Transport Phenomena (with a grade of C or better)	4
CBE 324	Transport Phenomena Lab	3
CBE 326	Momentum and Heat Transfer Operations	3
CBE 355	Statistics for Chemical Engineers	3
CBE 424	Operations and Process Laboratory	5
CBE 426	Mass Transfer Operations	3
CBE 430	Chemical Kinetics and Reactor Design	3
Materials Requirement, select one of the following:		3
CBE 440	Chemical Engineering Materials
CBE 540	Polymer Science and Technology
CBE 547	Introduction to Colloid and Interface Science
CBE 450	Process Design	3
CBE 470	Process Dynamics and Control	3
CBE Electives 2		6
Total Credits		52

²

Chemical Engineering electives may be chosen from any of the CBE courses that are not required, numbered 300 or above (excluding seminar courses, except CBE 555 Seminar-Chemical Engineering Connections and CBE 554 Chemical Engineering and the Community). A maximum of two credits of co-op work (CBE 1 Cooperative Education Program) may be used to meet the CBE elective requirement. Qualified undergraduates may take graduate-level (600 or 700) courses to fulfill this requirement.  

Professional Breadth

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Professional Breadth Credits 3		6
Courses numbered 300 and above from the following College of Engineering departments and programs may be used:
Biomedical Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics
Engineering Professional Development
Geological Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Interdisciplinary Courses (Engineering)
Materials Science and Engineering 4
Mechanical Engineering
Nuclear Engineering
Engineering Physics
Courses numbered 300 and above from the following departments in the College of Letters and Sciences may be used:
Chemistry
Computer Sciences
Math
Physics
The following courses may also be used:
ACCT I S 300	Accounting Principles
BIOCHEM 501	Introduction to Biochemistry
BIOCHEM 507	General Biochemistry I
BIOCORE 381	Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
BIOCORE 383	Cellular Biology
BSE 364	Engineering Properties of Food and Biological Materials
BSE/​ENVIR ST  367	Renewable Energy Systems
ECON/​A A E/​ENVIR ST  343	Environmental Economics
ENVIR ST/​GEOSCI  411	Energy Resources
ENVIR ST/​PHILOS  441	Environmental Ethics
FINANCE/​ECON  300	Introduction to Finance
FOOD SCI 550	Fermented Foods and Beverages
GEN BUS 310	Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance for Non-Business Majors
GEN BUS 311	Fundamentals of Management and Marketing for Non-Business Majors
GENETICS 466	Principles of Genetics
M H R 300	Managing Organizations
MICROBIO 303	Biology of Microorganisms
STAT 424	Statistical Experimental Design
ZOOLOGY 570	Cell Biology
Total Credits		6

Students may petition the department to allow other courses related to engineering professional practice. To request that a course not listed above be used, the student should fill out the Professional Breadth Requirement Course Request form available online and submit it to the faculty advisor. The department will then determine if the course can be counted toward the Professional Breadth Requirement. Petitions must be submitted before the beginning of the semester in which the course is to be taken. 

³

The objective of this requirement is to provide students with skills to interact with professionals from other disciplines. Suitable courses for this requirement include courses in engineering (excluding CBE) and science, as well as a variety of other disciplines.

⁴

Full degree credit is not allowed if a student takes both CBE 440 Chemical Engineering Materials and M S & E 350 Introduction to Materials Science. In this case M S & E 350 Introduction to Materials Science will be awarded only 1 degree credit.

Communication Skills

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Engr Comm 1 5
INTEREGR 156	Introduction to Writing, Speaking, and Ethics for Engineers	3
or ENGL 100	Introduction to College Composition
or COM ARTS 100	Introduction to Speech Composition
or LSC 100	Science and Storytelling
or ESL 118	Academic Writing II
Engr Comm 2
INTEREGR 397	Engineering Communication	3

⁵

Some students will be exempt from this requirement based on their placement test scores or advanced placement in English.

Liberal Studies Electives

Complete 16 credits of liberal studies elective according to CoE Liberal Studies Guidelines.

Free Electives

Students fulfilling their course requirements with fewer than 132 credits must take additional free-elective credits to comply with the 132-credit minimum graduation requirement.

Course Substitution Regulations

1. Any student may, with advisor approval, replace up to 12 credits of required courses in the curriculum, except CBE 424 Operations and Process Laboratory, by an equal number of credits of other courses within the limitations listed under (3) below.
2. Any student who wishes to amend the curriculum by more than 12 credits or wishes to appeal the advisor's decision in (1) or to request exception to (3) below must submit a written request to the chair of the department, who will bring it to the department faculty for consideration.
3. Restrictions on course substitutions are as follows:
   1. Physics courses may be replaced by science or engineering courses.
   2. Chemistry/life science courses must be replaced by courses with significant chemistry/life science content.
   3. Engineering courses must be replaced by engineering courses.
   4. Lab courses must be replaced by courses with an equal number of hours of lab courses.
   5. English as a Second Language courses, and MATH 112 College Algebra, MATH 113 Trigonometry, and MATH 114 Precalculus may not be used for course substitutions.

Honors in Research Program

The Honors in Research program in Chemical Engineering is designed for students who wish to have a more in-depth research experience and is particularly recommended for students considering enrollment in a PhD program. To be accepted into the Honors in Research program, students must have completed at least two semesters on the UW-Madison campus with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and should find a faculty mentor. Students register for 1-3 credits of CBE 489 Honors in Research and are expected to complete at least 8 credits of CBE 489 over 2-3 semesters. Students must also write a senior thesis and present the work to a committee of faculty. Students meeting all requirements, and maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.3, will receive the Honors in Research designation upon graduation.

Learning Outcomes

1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies

Four-Year Plan

Sample Four-Year Plan

First Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
CHEM 109	5	CHEM 329	4
MATH 221	5	MATH 222	4
CBE 150	1	PHYSICS 201	5
Liberal Studies Elective	3	Liberal Studies Elective	3
Engr Comm 1	3
	17		16
Second Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
CBE 2501	3	CBE 255	3
CHEM 3432	3	MATH 320	3
MATH 234	4	CBE 3101	3
PHYSICS 202	5	CHEM 345 & CHEM 344	5
ZOOLOGY 153	3	Liberal Studies Elective	3
	18		17
Third Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
CBE 3111	3	CBE 326	3
CBE 3201	4	CBE 324	3
CBE 355	3	INTEREGR 397	3
Professional Breadth Elective	3	Advanced Science Elective	3
Advanced Science Elective	3	Liberal Studies Elective	4
	16		16
Fourth Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer	Credits
CBE 426	3	CBE 450	3	CBE 424	5
CBE 430	3	CBE 470	3
CBE Elective	3	CBE Elective	3
Materials Elective	3	Professional Breadth Elective	3
Liberal Studies Elective	3
	15		12		5
Total Credits 132

¹

CBE 250 Process Synthesis and CBE 320 Introductory Transport Phenomena, CBE 310 Chemical Process Thermodynamics, and CBE 311 Thermodynamics of Mixtures  require a grade of C or better.

²

CHEM 343 Organic Chemistry I requires a grade of C or better.

Advising and Careers

Advising

Engineering Career Services

Accreditation

Accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the commission's General Criteria and Program Criteria for Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular, and Similarly Named Engineering Programs. 

Program Educational Objectives for the Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering 

We recognize that our graduates will choose to use the knowledge and skills that they have acquired during their undergraduate years to pursue a wide variety of career and life goals, and we encourage this diversity of paths. Whatever path our graduates may choose, we expect them to be meeting the following objectives at least three to five years after graduation: 

1. continue to exhibit strong skills in problem solving, leadership, teamwork, and communication; 
2. use these skills to contribute to the various communities, both local and global, within which they work, live, and function;   
3. make thoughtful, well-informed career choices; and 
4. demonstrate a continuing commitment to and interest in education (their own and others’) 

Note: Undergraduate Student Outcomes, number of degrees conferred, and enrollment data are made publicly available at the Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Program website. (In this Guide, the program's Student Outcomes are available through the "Learning Outcomes" tab.)