Faculty of Engineering

In a world where population growth, economic development, and increased demands for energy, food, and healthcare all exert increasing pressures on natural resources, common development needs have to be met in a sustainable manner, without compromising the functioning of ecosystems. No single discipline is better poised to confront these third-millennium challenges than chemical engineering. Chemical engineers apply scientific and engineering principles to develop processes or systems for the economic production and distribution of useful and value-added materials through the physical, chemical, or biochemical transformation of matter. This must be accomplished with attention paid to economics, health and safety, and environmental impact.

Chemical engineers combine a sound background in the fundamental understanding of science and mathematics with highly-developed problem-solving skills to improve existing processes or methods, or to implement new ones. Chemical engineers are distinguished from physical scientists, such as chemists, by their training in the "engineering method": the use of heuristics to cause the best change in a poorly understood situation, within the available resources.

Chemical engineers design, analyze, optimize, and control processing operations, or guide others who perform these functions, in industry, government, universities, or private practice. Most materials encountered in daily life have been impacted by chemical engineering at some stage. Chemical engineers will continue to be in demand as chemical engineering evolves from its origins in the petrochemical and nuclear industries, to its current wide range of application in industries such as fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, advanced materials and manufacturing, alternative energy, software, and cybernetics.

Current and future activity areas include:

• Energy: conservation; renewable and non-renewable resources; fuel cells and batteries; hydrogen economy.
• Materials: petrochemicals; biochemicals and foods; nanomaterials; consumer goods; pulp and paper; plastics and polymers; pharmaceuticals; etc.
• Environment: pollution prevention; pollution control; climate change mitigation; recycling; environmental safety and regulations; etc.

In a world faced with growing shortages of non-renewable resources and a finite amount of renewable resources, persons wishing to use their talents to optimize the recovery or utilization of matter and energy will find Chemical engineering a challenging and satisfying career, one which will place them in enviable positions with respect to the availability of employment opportunities. In addition to technical positions, chemical engineers often move into managerial functions within their companies. Traditionally, significant numbers of women enter chemical engineering and this trend continues.

Offering students a first-rate opportunity to obtain a sound, relevant background in chemical engineering, the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo is one of the largest and most active departments in North America. Full-time faculty, each of whom specializes in a particular sub-field through research and consulting activities, bring depth as well as breadth to the instruction and professional development of students.

Chemical Engineering at Waterloo is a co-operative education program and offers many advantages:

• an opportunity through work terms to gain exposure to a variety of job-related experiences within chemical engineering 
• work term salaries effectively reduce the costs associated with university education 
• Waterloo graduates receive favourable recognition from employers for their work term experiences 
• work terms can offer an opportunity to travel through a worldwide network of co-op employers 
• academic terms become more meaningful and relevant against a background of work term related experience

Chemical Engineering Curriculum

The curriculum offers courses in life science and material science to provide the fundamentals required for future careers in biotechnology or nanotechnology. There are four technical elective courses that can be taken to gain depth in different areas of application of chemical engineering.

The main emphasis in the first and second year is on courses in science and mathematics which provide the foundations upon which engineering skills can be built. The upper-year core and elective courses assume and require this background.

Engineering is both a quantitative and an applied discipline, which requires a strong mathematical ability. Courses in calculus, algebra, engineering computation, differential equations, engineering economics, and statistics help develop this ability. More specialized engineering mathematics courses extend into the third year.

To perform successfully, the chemical engineer must be able to design, analyze, and control processes to produce useful and desirable products from less valuable raw materials in an efficient, economic, and socially responsible way. The knowledge and skills essential for achieving these goals are developed in the core Chemical Engineering courses taken mainly in the third and fourth years (e.g., in fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, thermodynamics, reactor design, biotechnology, process control, process and equipment design). Most of these courses are a mixture of theory and practice. Computer simulations and hands-on laboratory experiences are used in several courses to reinforce the theoretical principles.

Students in the fourth year complete a group project in direct collaboration with one of their professors. These projects allow students to focus on topics and industries of special interest for their career goals. Numerous Canadian companies also sponsor projects, reinforcing the bridge between academic and work term experience. There are opportunities to compete in national and international design competitions.

In the third and fourth years, students select technical elective courses to further develop their understanding of, and ability to use, engineering principles applied to important Canadian industrial sectors. Courses from other departments in Engineering and the University are available as electives.

An important component of the development of a professional engineer, which receives emphasis throughout the entire four-year curriculum, is frequent practice in learning to communicate technical results clearly, accurately, and effectively to others. Written practice is provided in the requirement for co-op work-term reports, which are graded by faculty members. Written and oral report requirements in laboratory and other courses provide additional practice opportunities.

Accelerated Master's Program in Chemical Engineering

Provision is made for outstanding students to pursue an Accelerated Master's Program. This program provides a quicker route to the Master of Applied Science (MASc) degree. Admission is normally granted to qualified students possessing a consistently good cumulative academic record at the end of the 3A term. See Accelerated Master's Programs in Engineering for more details.

Complementary Studies Electives (CSEs)

A total of five Complementary Studies Electives (CSEs), not including MSCI 261, must be taken. The first of these courses must satisfy the Communication Skills Milestone (see below). If some Complementary Studies Electives are satisfied online or from other institutions on a Letter of Permission, when not in an academic term, each term's minimum course load must be maintained by substituting an approved "free" elective (technical or non-technical).

Communication Skills Milestone

Strong communication skills are essential to academic, professional, and personal success. To achieve the Communication Skills Milestone, Chemical Engineering students must successfully complete a foundational course on communication. This course must be taken as the first Complementary Studies Elective course (CSE in the 1B term) and selected from the following list:

• ENGL 109 Introduction to Academic Writing
• ENGL 129R/EMLS 129R Written Academic English
• EMLS 101R Oral Communications for Academic Purposes
• EMLS 102R Clear Communication in English Writing
• SPCOM 100 Interpersonal Communication
• SPCOM 223 Public Speaking

Failure to achieve the Communication Skills Milestone before the end of the 2A term will result in a term decision of May Not Proceed (MNP). Communication skills are further developed and evaluated through work-term reports, as well as through design-focused (CHE 180, CHE 181, CHE 383, CHE 482, CHE 483) and investigation-focused courses (CHE 390, CHE 490, CHE 491).

Work-term Reports and Reflection Milestone

Reflection is an integral part of work-integrated learning. To achieve the Work-term Reflection Milestone, Chemical Engineering students must complete a minimum of four reflective work-term reports, one associated with each work term. These are short, structured reports offering the opportunity to reflect on practical experience obtained in the context of their academic learning and the experience requirements for professional licensure.

Students are expected to continue to develop technical communication skills in the workplace. To facilitate this, students must take PD 11 Processes for Technical Report Writing as one of their PD electives, and also complete CHE 450 Technical Work-term Report.

Ethics and Equity Milestone

This degree milestone must be met by all graduating Chemical Engineering students by either completing one course from the following list (can be taken as a CSE):

• PHIL 215 Professional and Business Ethics
• PHIL 219J Practical Ethics
• PHIL 315/GENE 412 Ethics and The Engineering Profession

or by completing PD 22 Professionalism and Ethics in Engineering Practice.

Options, Minors, and Specializations

A number of Faculty or University Options, Specializations and Electives for Engineering Students are listed and described in the Engineering section. Students who satisfy the option requirements (usually seven or eight courses) will have the appropriate designation shown on their transcript.

Minors are sequences of courses, usually totaling eight to 10, which are arranged in conjunction with another department outside of Engineering, such as Economics, Biology, Psychology, etc. Approval from both Chemical Engineering and the other department is required.

Usually students must take extra courses to complete a minor or a designated option. Students in Chemical Engineering are most frequently interested in the Artificial Intelligence Option, the Biomechanics Option, the Entrepreneurship Option, the Environmental Engineering Option, the Life Sciences Option, the Management Sciences Option, the Statistics Option, and the Water Resources Option.

The Faculty of Engineering recognizes three designated specializations within the BASc degree in Chemical Engineering: Energy and Environmental Systems and Processes Specialization, Materials and Manufacturing Processes Specialization, and Chemical Process Modelling, Optimization and Control Specialization. These specializations are described in more detail below. Students interested in pursuing one of these specializations must take four required technical elective courses from the corresponding list of approved technical electives (List 1, List 2, or List 3). An average of at least 60% in the four specialization courses and a grade of at least 50% in each of the four courses is required. Students who satisfy the requirements for Faculty Options, Specializations and Electives for Engineering Students will have the appropriate designation shown on their diploma and transcript.

1. The Energy and Environmental Systems and Processes Specialization(List 1) provides students with an opportunity to examine in-depth systems and processes related to energy sources, conversion and management or the assessment and control of impacts to the environment resulting from industrial activity, depending on the exact combination of courses selected. Students interested in the design of energy or pollution control systems may be particularly interested in this specialization.
2. The Materials and Manufacturing Processes Specialization (List 2) provides students with an opportunity to examine in-depth the properties, methods of production and processing of a broad spectrum of technologically relevant materials including polymers, metals, alloys, ceramics, composites, as well as materials of biological origin, finding application in the medical, pharmaceutical, and food industries. Focus on a specific class of materials depends on the exact combination of courses selected. Students interested in the production or processing of engineering materials may be particularly interested in this specialization.
3. The Chemical Process Modelling, Optimization and Control Specialization (List 3) provides students with an opportunity to examine in-depth mathematical and computational approaches underpinning the simulation, optimization, and control of processes related to the production of energy and materials. Students interested in process simulation and/or optimization, in addition to control of chemical processes, may be particularly interested in this specialization.

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Academic Curriculum

The following curriculum is applicable to students entering Chemical Engineering in the fall 2019 term and beyond. Students admitted prior to 2019 should consult the Calendar pertinent to their year of admission for the applicable requirements. Note that CHE 425 must be completed in addition to a total of five approved Complementary Studies Electives (excluding Engineering Economics) and four approved Technical Electives (TE).

Approved Technical Electives

Technical Elective (TE) courses for Chemical Engineering students are organized in three main thematic areas and may be selected from the following lists. Only one non-CHE course is permitted if CHE 499 is chosen. Otherwise, students may select up to two non-CHE TE courses. Courses from other departments (i.e., non-CHE) will likely require permission of the instructor and/or other prerequisites. Consult this Calendar for prerequisites and terms of offering. In brackets are recommended minimum levels that CHE students should be enrolled in before attempting a given course. Variations from this course selection list must be approved by the Department.

List 1 - Energy and Environmental Systems and Processes

List 2 - Materials and Manufacturing Processes

List 3 - Chemical Process Modelling, Optimization and Control

All undergraduate course descriptions including Chemical Engineering can be found in the Course Descriptions section of this Calendar.