Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, BSE
Chemical Engineers apply concepts from the physical sciences (chemistry and physics) and life sciences (biochemistry and microbiology) to the design and optimization of processes for the efficient production of products ranging from fuels and chemicals to pharmaceuticals to advanced materials. Penn’s chemical engineering department provides students with both a strong foundation in engineering fundamentals and exposure to modern chemical engineering technologies. The program's versatility allows our students to excel in diverse careers in the chemical industries, research, medicine, law, government, and education.
For more information: https://www.seas.upenn.edu/prospective-students/undergrad/majors/chemical-and-bimolecular-engineering/
The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2026 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.
Curriculum
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering | ||
| ENGR 1050 | Introduction to Scientific Computing | 1 |
| CBE 1600 | Introduction to Chemical Engineering | 1 |
| CBE 2300 | Material and Energy Balances of Chemical Processes | 1 |
| CBE 2310 | Thermodynamics of Fluids | 1 |
| CBE 3500 | Fluid Mechanics | 1 |
| CBE 3510 | Heat and Mass Transport | 1 |
| CBE 3530 | Molecular Thermodynamics and Chemical Kinetics | 1 |
| CBE 3600 | Chemical Process Control | 1 |
| CBE 3710 | Separation Processes | 1 |
| CBE 4000 | Introduction to Product and Process Design | 1 |
| CBE 4100 | Chemical Engineering Laboratory | 1 |
| CBE 4510 | Chemical Reactor Design | 1 |
| CBE 4590 | Product and Process Design Projects | 1 |
| Math and Natural Science | ||
| MATH 1400 | Calculus, Part I | 1 |
| MATH 1410 | Calculus, Part II | 1 |
| ESE 2030 | Linear Algebra with Applications to Engineering and AI | 1 |
| or ENM 2030 | Linear Algebra with Applications to Engineering and AI | |
| MATH 2300 | Introduction to Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations | 1 |
| or ENM 2510 | Analytical Methods for Engineering | |
| PHYS 0140 | Principles of Physics I (without laboratory) 1 | 1 |
| or PHYS 0150 | Principles of Physics I: Mechanics and Wave Motion | |
| or PHYS 0170 | Honors Physics I: Mechanics and Wave Motion | |
| or MEAM 1100 | Introduction to Mechanics | |
| PHYS 0141 | Principles of Physics II (without laboratory) 1 | 1 |
| or PHYS 0151 | Principles of Physics II: Electromagnetism and Radiation | |
| or PHYS 0171 | Honors Physics II: Electromagnetism and Radiation | |
| or ESE 1120 | Engineering Electromagnetics | |
| CHEM 1012 | General Chemistry I 2 | 1 |
| or CHEM 1151 | Honors Chemistry I | |
| CHEM 1101 | General Chemistry Laboratory I | 0.5 |
| CHEM 1022 | General Chemistry II | 1 |
| or CHEM 1161 | Honors Chemistry II | |
| CHEM 1102 | General Chemistry Laboratory II | 0.5 |
| CHEM 2410 | Principles of Organic Chemistry I | 1 |
| or CHEM 2411 | Principles of Organic Chemistry I with Laboratory | |
| Advanced Chemistry Elective: CHEM 2420, CHEM 2421, CHEM 2210, MSE 2210 | 1 | |
| Technical Electives | ||
| CBE Elective (3000 level or above) | 1 | |
| SEAS Engineering (EUNG) 3 | 1 | |
| Lab Elective: CHEM 2411 & CHEM 2421, CHEM 2230, CBE 4800, CBE 3300A & CBE 3300B | 1 | |
| STEM Elective 4, 5 | 2 | |
| Ethics Requirement | ||
| EAS 2030 | Engineering Ethics 6 | 1 |
| or CBE 3200 | Basic Chemical Process Safety | |
| General Electives 7 | ||
| Select 4 Social Science or Humanities courses | 4 | |
| Select 2 Social Science or Humanities or Technology in Business and Society courses | 2 | |
| Select one Free Elective Course 8 | 1 | |
| Total Course Units | 37 | |
- 1
One less Technical Elective required if PHYS 0150 Principles of Physics I: Mechanics and Wave Motion/PHYS 0151 Principles of Physics II: Electromagnetism and Radiation or 0170/0171 taken.
- 2
AP Chemistry (EAS 0091) not accepted. Students must take placement test at Penn or take CHEM 1012 or CHEM 1151.
- 3
CBE 3990 can be used.
- 4
Independent Study (CBE 0099) can be used.
- 5
Students may choose from the list of approved courses found here.
- 6
CBE 3200 also counts as engineering elective.
- 7
Must include a Writing Seminar from the list below:
WRIT 0020 (H), WRIT 0021 (SS), WRIT 0100 (H),WRIT 0110 (H), WRIT 0120 (H), WRIT 0130 (H), WRIT 0140 (H), WRIT 0150 (H), WRIT 0160 (SS), WRIT 0170 (SS), WRIT 0220 (TBS), WRIT 0230 (H), WRIT 0250 (H), WRIT 0260 (H), WRIT 0270 (H), WRIT 0280 (SS),WRIT 0300 (H), WRIT 0310 (TBS), WRIT 0320 (-), WRIT 0330 (H), WRIT 0340 (SS), WRIT 0370 (SS), WRIT 0380 (SS), WRIT 0390 (H), WRIT 0400 (TBS), WRIT 0410 (H), WRIT 0480 (SS), WRIT 0490 (H), WRIT 0500 (SS), WRIT 0550 (SS), WRIT 0570 (H), WRIT 0580 (H), WRIT 0590 (SS),WRIT 0650 (TBS), WRIT 0670 (H), WRIT 0680 (H), WRIT 0730 (H), WRIT 0740 (TBS)
- 8
-
Penn Engineering undergraduates may not use courses on this list toward their degree:
- ASTR 0001
- CHEM 1011
- CIS (CSE)
- EAS 5030 (SEAS UG students may register for EAS 4030 for TBS credit)
- EAS 5050 (SEAS UG students may register for EAS 3010 for TBS credit)
- Education (inter-session courses)
- MATH 1300, MATH 1700
- MCIT courses
- Military Science
- Naval Science (except NSCI 1020, NSCI 2010 , NSCI 2020, NSCI 3010, NSCI 4010, NSCI 4020)
- Organizational Dynamics (DYNM) courses
- PHYS 1100, below PHYS 0140 (except PHYS 0050, PHYS 0051)
- Statistics below 4300 (Note: effective Fall 2021 STAT 4050 and STAT 4220 can only be used as free electives)
- Perelman School of Medicine (MED courses)
- Wharton Global Youth Pre-Baccalaureate courses
- The Green Program (TGP) study abroad
Concentrations
Students can select one of the following concentrations:
Energy and the Environment
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Select 4 courses from the following list: | 4 | |
| Undergraduate Research and Independent Study | ||
| Renewable Energy | ||
| Engineering and the Environment | ||
| Carbon Capture | ||
| Computational Science of Energy and Chemical Transformations | ||
| Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage | ||
| Fundamentals of Industrial Catalytic Processes | ||
| Climate Policy and Technology | ||
| Energy and Its Impacts: Technology, Environment, Economics, Sustainability | ||
| Renewable Energy and Its Impacts: Technology, Environment, Economics, Sustainability. | ||
| Energy Systems and Policy | ||
| Energy Systems, Resources and Technology | ||
| The Physics of Solid State Energy Devices | ||
| Engineering in Oil, Gas and Coal, from Production to End Use | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Science | ||
| Climate Risks and Opportunities | ||
| Climate Risks and Opportunities | ||
| Energy Engineering in Power Plants and Transportation Systems | ||
| Engineering in the Environment | ||
| Direct Energy Conversion: from Macro to Nano | ||
| Electrochemical Engineering of Materials | ||
| Electrochemical Engineering of Materials | ||
| Materials for Energy and Environmental Sustainability | ||
| Oceanography | ||
| Total Course Units | 4 | |
Pharmaceutics and Biotechnology
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Select 4 courses from the following list: | 4 | |
| Cellular Engineering | ||
| Principles, Methods, and Applications of Tissue Engineering | ||
| Cell Biology | ||
| Molecular Biology and Genetics | ||
| Essentials of Biochemistry | ||
| Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Superlab | ||
| Undergraduate Research and Independent Study | ||
| Introduction to Biotechnology | ||
| Societally Significant Soft Matter Solutions | ||
| Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering | ||
| Laboratory in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering | ||
| Principles of Genome Engineering | ||
| Advancements and Applications in Genome Editing and Engineering | ||
| Principles of Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering | ||
| Societally Significant Soft Matter Solutions | ||
| Engineering Biotechnology | ||
| Nanoscale Systems Biology | ||
| The Biochemical Engineering of Wine | ||
| Stem Cells, Proteomics and Drug Delivery - Soft Matter Fundamentals | ||
| Multiscale Modeling of Chemical and Biological Systems | ||
| Drug Discovery and Development | ||
| Drug Delivery Systems: Targeted Therapeutics and Translational Nanomedicine | ||
| Principles of Biological Chemistry | ||
| Biological Chemistry I | ||
| Modern Biotechnology for Engineers | ||
| Modern Biotechnology for Engineers | ||
| Physical Models of Biological Systems | ||
| Total Course Units | 4 | |
Polymers and Soft Matter Science and Engineering
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Select 4 courses from the following list: | 4 | |
| Introduction to Polymers | ||
| Physical Chemistry of Polymers and Amphiphiles | ||
| Societally Significant Soft Matter Solutions | ||
| Polymer Rheology and Processing | ||
| Molecular Modeling and Simulations | ||
| Interfacial Phenomena | ||
| Societally Significant Soft Matter Solutions | ||
| Experimental Methods and Autonomous Experimentation in Soft Materials Research -Theory and Practice | ||
| Self-Assembly of Soft Materials | ||
| Structure at the Nanoscale | ||
| Materials Selection | ||
| Introduction to Polymers | ||
| Viscous Fluid Flow and Modern Applications | ||
| Total Course Units | 4 | |
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Course Units | |
| CBE 1600 | Introduction to Chemical Engineering | 1 |
| CHEM 1012 | General Chemistry I | 1 |
| CHEM 1101 | General Chemistry Laboratory I | .5 |
| MATH 1400 | Calculus, Part I | 1 |
| PHYS 0140 | Principles of Physics I (without laboratory) | 1 |
| Course Units | 4.50 | |
| Spring | ||
| CHEM 1022 | General Chemistry II | 1 |
| CHEM 1102 | General Chemistry Laboratory II | .5 |
| MATH 1410 | Calculus, Part II | 1 |
| PHYS 0141 | Principles of Physics II (without laboratory) | 1 |
| General Elective: WRIT 0001-0991 with SS (EUSS), H (EUHS), or TBS (EUTB) | 1 | |
| Course Units | 4.50 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CBE 2300 | Material and Energy Balances of Chemical Processes | 1 |
| CHEM 2410 | Principles of Organic Chemistry I | 1 |
| ENGR 1050 | Introduction to Scientific Computing (General Elective: SS, H) | 1 |
| ESE/ENM 2030 | Linear Algebra with Applications to Engineering and AI | 1 |
| General Elective: SS, H | 1 | |
| Course Units | 5.00 | |
| Spring | ||
| CBE 2310 | Thermodynamics of Fluids | 1 |
| CBE 3500 | Fluid Mechanics | 1 |
| CHEM 2420 | Principles of Organic Chemistry II | 1 |
| MATH 2300 or ENM 2510 | Introduction to Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations or Analytical Methods for Engineering | 1 |
| General Elective: SS or H or TBS | 1 | |
| Course Units | 5.00 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CBE 3510 | Heat and Mass Transport | 1 |
| CBE 3600 | Chemical Process Control | 1 |
| Free Elective | 1 | |
| General Elective: SS, H, or TBS | 1 | |
| Technical Elective | 1 | |
| Course Units | 5.00 | |
| Spring | ||
| CBE 3530 | Molecular Thermodynamics and Chemical Kinetics | 1 |
| CBE 3710 | Separation Processes | 1 |
| Laboratory Technical Elective | 1 | |
| General Education: Ethics Course | 1 | |
| Course Units | 4.00 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CBE 4000 | Introduction to Product and Process Design | 1 |
| CBE 4100 | Chemical Engineering Laboratory | 1 |
| CBE 4510 | Chemical Reactor Design | 1 |
| Technical Elective | 1 | |
| General Elective: SS or H or TBS | 1 | |
| Course Units | 5.00 | |
| Spring | ||
| CBE 4590 | Product and Process Design Projects | 1 |
| Technical Elective | 1 | |
| Technical Elective | 1 | |
| General Elective: SS or H or TBS | 1 | |
| Course Units | 4.00 | |
| Total Course Units | 37.00 | |