UVa Course Catalog (Unofficial, Lou's List)
Complete Catalog for the Chemical Engineering Department    
Class Schedules Index Course Catalogs Index Class Search Page
These pages present data mined from the University of Virginia's student information system (SIS). I hope that you will find them useful. — Lou Bloomfield, Department of Physics
Chemical Engineering
CHE 2202Thermodynamics (3)
Includes the formulation and analysis of the first and second laws of thermodynamics; energy conservation; concepts of equilibrium, temperature, energy, and entropy; partial molar properties; pure component and mixture equations of state; processes involving energy transfer as work and heat; reversibility and irreversibility; and closed and open systems and cyclic processes. Prerequisite: APMA 2120
CHE 2215Material and Energy Balances (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Introduces the field of chemical engineering, including material and energy balances applied to chemical processes, physical and thermodynamic properties of multi-component systems. Three lecture and one discussion hour. Prerequisite: CHEM 1410 or CHEM 1610 or CHEM 1810, and APMA 1110 or MATH 1320.
CHE 2216Modeling and Simulation in Chemical Engineering (4)
Mathematical and computational tools for the analysis and simulation of chemical processes and physicochemical phenomena. Mathematical and numerical methods. Three lecture and one laboratory hour. Prerequisite CHE 2215, CS1110 or CS1111 or CS1112; Pre- or Co-requisite: APMA 2130 or APMA 2501 topic "Differential Equations & Linear Algebra"
CHE 2246Introduction to Biotechnology (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Introduction to the fundamentals of biochemistry and molecular and cell biology emphasizing their relevance to industrial applications of biotechnology. Three lecture hours. Prerequisite: CHEM 1410 or CHEM 1810.
CHE 2595Special Topics in Chemical Engineering (1 - 3)
Chemical Engineering special topics vary by section.
CHE 3316Chemical Thermodynamics and Staged Unit Operations (4)
Offered
Fall 2024
Principles of chemical thermodynamics developed and applied to chemical and phase equilibria. Principles and methods for staged separation processes including distillation, absorption and stripping, extraction, and adsorption systems. Four Lecture Hours. Prerequisite: CHE 2202 and 2215.
CHE 3318Chemical Reaction Engineering (3)
Determination of rate equations for chemical reactions from experimental data. Use of kinetics and transport relations in the design of both batch and continuous reactors; homogeneous, heterogeneous, uncatalyzed and catalyzed reactions. Three lecture hours. Prerequisite: CHE 2216, 3316; corequisite: CHE 3322.
CHE 3321Transport Processes I: Momentum Transfer (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Fundamental principles of momentum transport will be discussed and mathematical methods will be used to describe transport in steady state and unsteady state situations. This course will emplasize the application of these principles and quantitative relations to fluid flow problems. Three lecture hours . Prerequisite: APMA 2130, CHE 2215, 2216.
CHE 3322Transport Processes II: Heat and Mass Transfer (4)
Fundamental concepts of heat and mass transfer; applications of these concepts and material and energy conservation calculations for design of heat exchanger and packed absorption/stripping columns. Four lecture hours. Prerequisites: CHE 2216, 3316, 3321.
CHE 3347Biochemical Engineering (3)
Quantitative engineering aspects of industrial applications of biology including the microbial synthesis of commercial products, environmental biotechnology, and the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals through recombinant microorganisms, transgenic animals, and plants. Three lecture hours. Prerequisite: CHE 2246, CHE 3321, or instructor permission; corequisite: CHE 3318, 3322 or instructor permission.
CHE 3398Chemical Engineering Laboratory I (3)
Experimental study of selected operations and phenomena in fluid mechanics and heat transfer. Students plan experiments, analyze data, calculate results and prepare written and/or oral planning and final technical reports. One hour discussion, four laboratory hours. Prerequisite: CHE 2215 and 3321.
CHE 4417Tissue Engineering (3)
Introduces the fundamental principles of tissue engineering. Topics: tissue organization and dynamics, cell and tissue characterization, cell-matrix interactions, transport processes in engineered tissues, biomaterials and biological interfaces, stem cells and interacting cell fate processes, and tissue engineering methods. Prerequisites: CHEM 1620, APMA 2130, and an introductory course in cell and molecular biology or instructor permission.
CHE 4442Applied Surface Chemistry (3)
Factors underlying interfacial phenomena, emphasizing thermodynamics of surfaces, structural aspects, and electrical phenomena. Application to areas such as emulsification, foaming, detergency, sedimentation, fluidization, nucleation, wetting, adhesion, flotation, and electrophoresis. Three lecture hours. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
CHE 4445Fundamentals of Process Safety (3)
This course will cover the fundamentals of Process Safety. We will apply chemical engineering fundamentals to identify various hazards within chemical processes and will assess the risks associated with these hazards. This course will also cover the process design approaches and other commonly adopted industry practices used to mitigate, control and/or manage risks associated with chemical processes. Coreq: CHE 3322 or MAE 3140; Prereq: CHE 3321 or MAE 3210
Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023
CHE 4448Bioseparations Engineering (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Principles of bioseparations engineering, including specialized unit operations not normally covered in regular chemical engineering courses. Processing operations downstream of the initial manufacture of biotechnology products, including product recovery, separations, purification, and ancillary operations such as sterile processing, clean-in place and regulatory aspects. Three lecture hours. Prerequisite: CHE 3322
CHE 4449Polymer Chemistry and Engineering (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Analyzes the mechanisms and kinetics of various polymerization reactions; relations between the molecular structure and polymer properties, and how these properties can be influenced by the polymerization process; fundamental concepts of polymer solution and melt rheology. Applications to polymer processing operations, such as extrusion, molding, and fiber spinning. Three lecture hours. Pre- or Co-requisite CHE 3321 or BME 3240 or MAE 3140
CHE 4450Energy Science and Technologies (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Overview of energy technologies with an emphasis on materials research and development concepts and current production. The scope of these technologies within the broader contexts of innovation and energy policy. Topics will include fossil fuels, electrochemical energy storage, fuel cells, and photovoltaics. Prerequisite (CHEM 1410 or CHEM 1610 or CHEM 1810) AND (CHE 2202 or MAE 2100 or MSE 3050).
CHE 4452Data Science in Chemical Engineering (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
This course provides a practical introduction to data science and machine-learning for chemical engineers. These tools, not covered in the core UG ChE curriculum, have become increasingly relevant and widely used in the chemical engineering industry. Course topics include data storage and retrieval, dimensional reduction, classification, regression algorithms, resampling and regularization, and case studies in chemical engineering. Pre-requisite: (CS 1110 or CS 1111 or CS 1112 or CS 1113 or CS 1110 place-out exam) OR (APMA 2130 or MATH 3250) OR APMA 3110 OR CHE 2216 OR equivalent
Course was offered Spring 2024
CHE 4456Bioproduct and Bioprocess Engineering (3)
The course focuses on engineering's role in commercialization of vaccines and biologics. Biologics are more complex than small molecule drug products. This course includes an overview of vaccines and biologics from historical context, product, process and analytical technologies, immunology, clinical, regulatory and ethical considerations, economics, risk mitigation, and impact on human health. Prerequisites: 4th year in CHE or BME
CHE 4474Process Synthesis, Modeling, and Control (2)
Offered
Fall 2024
Combining chemical engineering unit operations to create complete manufacturing processes, including safety, environmental, and economic considerations. Modeling processes using commercial simulation software. Analysis and design of control systems for chemical plants. Three lecture hours. Prerequisite: CHE 3318 and CHE 3322; Corequisite CHE 4475
Course was offered Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
CHE 4475Introduction to Process Safety (1)
Offered
Fall 2024
Understanding hazards and risk in a chemical process, managing risk by providing the appropriate layers of protection to reduce the frequency and severity of incidents, and learning from incidents when they happen. Introduction to the engineering and industry concepts. This course is an introduction to the engineering and industry concepts. One lecture hour. Prerequisites: CHE 3318 and CHE 3322. Co-requisite: CHE 4474
Course was offered Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
CHE 4476Chemical Engineering Design (3)
Application of academically acquired skills to the practice of chemical engineering in an industrial environment: industrial economics; process synthesis and selection; flow sheet development; equipment sizing; plant layout and cost estimation. Report preparation and oral presentations. Use of commercial process simulation software. Two lecture hours, two discussion hours, and design laboratory. Prerequisite: CHE 2216 and CHE 3318 and CHE 3322 and CHE 4438 and CHE 4475.
CHE 4491Chemical Engineering Laboratory II (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Continuation of CHE 3398; emphasizes separations, chemical reaction, and process dynamics and control. One discussion and four laboratory hours. Prerequisite: CHE 3318, 3322, and 3398.
CHE 4561Special Topics in Chemical Engineering (1 - 3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Applies engineering science, design methods, and system analysis to developing areas and current problems in chemical engineering. Topics are announced at registration. Prerequisite:Third or Fourth-year standing and instructor permission.
CHE 4562Special Topics in Chemical Engineering (3)
Applies engineering science, design methods, and system analysis to developing areas and current problems in chemical engineering. Topics are announced at registration. Prerequisite: Fourth-year standing and instructor permission.
CHE 4995Chemical Engineering Research (1 - 3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Library and laboratory study of an engineering or manufacturing problem conducted in close consultation with a departmental faculty member, often including the design, construction, and operation of laboratory scale equipment. Requires progress reports and a comprehensive written report. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
CHE 5456Bioproduct & Bioprocess Eng (3)
The course focuses on engineering's role in commercialization of vaccines and biologics. Biologics are more complex than small molecule drug products and present unique challenges in commercialization. This course includes an overview of vaccines and biologics from historical context, product, process and analytical technologies, immunology, clinical, regulatory and ethical considerations, economics, risk mitigation, and impact on human health. Prerequisites: 4th year or higher CHE or BME standing or Instructor Permission
CHE 5561Special Topics in Chemical Engineering (1 - 3)
Applies engineering science, design methods, and system analysis to developing areas and current problems in chemical engineering. Topics are announced at registration.
CHE 5562Special Topics in Chemical Engineering (1 - 3)
Applies engineering science, design methods, and system analysis to developing areas and current problems in chemical engineering. Topics are announced at registration.
CHE 6438Process Control and Dynamics (3)
Introduction to dynamics and control of process systems, controllers, sensors, and final control elements. Development and application of time- and frequency-domain characterizations of subsystems for stability analyses of closed control loops. State-space models, principles of sampled-data analysis and digital control techniques. Elementary systems identification with emphasis on dead time, distributed parameters, and nonlinearities. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
CHE 6442Applied Surface Chemistry (3)
Factors underlying interfacial phenomena, with emphasis on thermodynamics of surfaces, structural aspects, and electrical phenomena; applications such as emulsification, foaming, detergency, sedimentation, flow through porous media, fluidization, nucleation, wetting, adhesion, flotation, electrocapillarity. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
CHE 6445Fundamentals of Process Safety (3)
This course will cover the fundamentals of Process Safety. We will apply chemical engineering fundamentals to identify various hazards within chemical processes and will assess the risks associated with these hazards. This course will also cover the process design approaches and other commonly adopted industry practices used to mitigate, control and/or manage risks associated with chemical processes. Prerequisites: Chemical Engineering graduate student
Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023
CHE 6447Biochemical Engineering (3)
Introduction to properties, production, and use of biological molecules of importance to medicine and industry, such as proteins, enzymes, and antibiotics. Topics may include fermentation and cell culture processes, biological mass transfer, enzyme engineering, and implications of recent advances in molecular biology, genomics, and proteomics. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
CHE 6448Bioseparations Engineering (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Principles of bioseparations engineering including specialized unit operations not normally covered in regular chemical engineering courses. Processing operations downstream of the initial manufacture of biotechnology products, including product recovery, separations, purification, and ancillary operations such as sterile processing, clean-in place and regulatory aspects. Bioprocess integration and design aspects. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
CHE 6449Polymer Chemistry and Engineering (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Analyzes the mechanisms and kinetics of various polymerization reactions; relations between the molecular structure and polymer properties, and how these properties can be influenced by the polymerization process; fundamental concepts of polymer solution and melt rheology. Applications to polymer processing operations, such as extrusion, molding, and fiber spinning. Three lecture hours. Prerequisite: CHE 3321 or instructor permission.
CHE 6450Energy Science and Technologies (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Overview of energy technologies with an emphasis on materials research and development concepts and current production. The scope of these technologies within the broader contexts of innovation and energy policy. Topics will include fossil fuels, electrochemical energy storage, fuel cells, and photovoltaics.
CHE 6452Data Science in Chemical Engineering (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
This course is a practical introduction to data science and machine learning with specific focus on chemical engineering applications. Lectures focus first on foundational programming skills, and the course continues with an overview of various techniques and algorithms used to solve real world chemical engineering problems. Substantial time is devoted to model selection and validation, and case studies in chemical engineering are explored. Prerequisites: Chemical Engineering graduate student
Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023
CHE 6476Process Design and Economics (4)
Factors that determine the genesis and evolution of a process. Principles of marketing and technical economics and modern process design principles and techniques, including computer simulation with optimization. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
CHE 6561Special Topics in Chemical Engineering (3)
Special Topics in CHE
CHE 6605Research Methods (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
The course provides practical instruction on the conduct of research at UVa. Students will be introduced to such topics as research infrastructure, responsible conduct of research, laboratory safety, time management, data management, literature searching methods, critical reviewing of the scientific literature, writing research proposals, and presenting scientific research findings.
Course was offered Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Fall 2020
CHE 6615Advanced Thermodynamics (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Development of the thermodynamic laws and derived relations. Application of relations to properties of pure and multicomponent systems at equilibrium in the gaseous, liquid, and solidphases. Prediction and calculation of phase and reaction equilibria in practical systems. Prerequisite: Undergraduate-level thermodynamics or instructor permission.
CHE 6618Chemical Reaction Engineering (3)
Fundamentals of chemical reaction kinetics and mechanisms; experimental methods of determining reaction rates; introduction to heterogeneous catalysis; application of chemical kinetics, along with mass-transfer theory, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics, to the design and operation of chemical reactors. Prerequisite: CHE 6625 and 6665.
CHE 6625Transport Processes (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Integrated introduction to fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and mass transfer. Development of the basic equations of change for transport of momentum, energy, and mass in continuous media. Applications with exact solutions, consistent approaches to limiting cases and approximate solutions to formulate the relations to be solved in more complicated problems. Prerequisite: Undergraduate transport processes
CHE 6630Mass Transfer (3)
Fundamental principles common to mass transfer phenomena, with emphasis on mass transfer in diverse chemical engineering situations. Detailed consideration of fluxes, diffusion with and without convection, interphase mass transfer with chemical reaction, and applications. Prerequisite: CHE 6625 and 6665.
CHE 6665Techniques for Chemical Engineering Analysis and Design (3)
Offered
Fall 2024
Methods for analysis of steady state and transient chemical engineering problems arising in fluid mechanics, heat transfer, mass transfer, kinetics, and reactor design. Prerequisite: Undergraduate differential equations, transport processes, and chemical reaction engineering.
CHE 7716Applied Statistical Mechanics (3)
Introduction to statistical mechanics and its methodologies such as integral equations, computer simulation and perturbation theory. Applications such as phase equilibria, adsorption, transport properties, electrolyte solutions. Prerequisite: CHE 6615, or other graduate-level thermodynamics course, and instructor permission.
CHE 7744Electrochemical Engineering (3)
Electrochemical phenomena and processes from a chemical engineering viewpoint. Application of thermodynamics, electrode kinetics, interfacial phenomena, and transport processes to electrochemical systems such as batteries, rotating disk electrodes, corrosion of metals, and semiconductors. Influence of coupled kinetics, interfacial, and transport phenomena on current distribution and mass transfer in a variety of electrochemical systems. Prerequisite: Graduate-level transport phenomena (e.g., CHE 6625) and graduate-level mathematical techniques (e.g., CHE 6665), or instructor permission.
CHE 7796Graduate Seminar (1)
Offered
Fall 2024
Weekly meetings of graduate students and faculty for presentations and discussion of research in academic and industrial organizations. May be repeated.
CHE 7993Independent Study (1 - 12)
Offered
Fall 2024
Detailed study of graduate course material on an independent basis under the guidance of a faculty member.
CHE 7995Supervised Project Research (1 - 12)
Offered
Fall 2024
Formal record of student commitment to project research for Master of Engineering degree under the guidance of a faculty advisor. May be repeated as necessary.
CHE 8000TNon-UVa Transfer/Test Credit Approved (1 - 48)
Non-UVa Transfer/Test Credit Approved
CHE 8581Special Topics in Chemical Engineering (1 - 3)
Special subjects at an advanced level under the direction of staff members. Prerequisite: Permission of the staff.
Course was offered Fall 2012
CHE 8582Special Topics in Chemical Engineering (1 - 3)
Special subjects at an advanced level under the direction of staff members. Prerequisite: Permission of the staff.
CHE 8819Advanced Chemical Engineering Kinetics and Reaction Engineering (3)
Advanced study of reacting systems, such as experimental methods, heterogeneous catalysis, polymerization kinetics, kinetics of complex reactions, reactor stability, and optimization. Prerequisite: CHE 6618 or instructor permission.
CHE 8820Modeling of Biological Processes in Environmental Systems (3)
Use of mathematical models to describe processes such as biological treatment of chemical waste, including contaminant degradation and bacterial growth, contaminant and bacterial transport, and adsorption. Engineering analyses of treatment processes such as biofilm reactors, sequenced batch reactors, biofilters and in situ bioremediation. May include introduction to hydrogeology, microbiology, transport phenomena and reaction kinetics relevant to environmental systems; application of material and energy balances in the analysis of environmental systems; and dimensional analysis and scaling. Guest lectures by experts from industry, consulting firms and government agencies to discuss applications of these bioremediation technologies. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
CHE 8833Specialized Separation Processes (3)
Less conventional separation processes, such as chromatography, ion-exchange, membranes, and crystallization using in-depth and modern chemical engineering methods. Student creativity and participation through development and presentation of individual course projects. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
CHE 8897Graduate Teaching Instruction (1 - 6)
Offered
Fall 2024
For master's students.
CHE 8993Independent Study (1 - 12)
Detailed study of graduate course material on an independent basis under the guidance of a faculty member.
CHE 8998Master's Research (1 - 12)
Offered
Fall 2024
Formal record of student commitment to master's thesis research under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Registration may be repeated as necessary.
CHE 9897Graduate Teaching Instruction (1 - 6)
Offered
Fall 2024
For doctoral students.
CHE 9999Dissertation Research (1 - 12)
Offered
Fall 2024
Formal record of student commitment to doctoral research under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Registration may be repeated as necessary.