ChemE Water Launch Project

All freshmen in Chemical Engineering take an introductory class, Current Topics in Chemical Engineering.   Each year, the students are engaged in a design project.  Check out the video of this year's project, a water launch apparatus.   

Chemical Engineers Make a Difference

Our society faces a variety of challenges that need chemical engineers: we require new and better medicines, improved environment, alternative energy supplies, specialized composite materials, faster microprocessors, increased food supplies, and better utilization of our natural resources. Each challenge has a common element - the chemical basis and a process that shapes the chemicals into desirable products. Thus, meeting many of society’s challenges requires the "engineering of chemistry".

This is exactly where chemical engineers make a difference. We provide leading-edge solutions to society’s needs. Chemical engineers use the language of mathematics to describe the chemical and physical behavior of molecules, and then use that language to design, operate, and control processes that produce materials and energy. In doing so, we make full use of the principles of chemistry, physics, and mathematics to benefit human welfare.

Quality

Every member of the Chemical Engineering faculty holds a doctorate degree from one of the outstanding universities in the United States, and many have been awarded national honors by professional societies. Each CHE course is taught by a faculty member. We also have extensive industrial experience, and our computer software and laboratory process units reflect those used in industry. Our students benefit from a nationally accredited curriculum that carefully balances theory and application.

We encourage students to participate in extra curricular activities. Extensive student-faculty interaction and a focus on the development of the whole person are trademarks of our department.

Employment Opportunities

Chemical engineers are found in almost all industries: automotive, semiconductor, pulp and paper, film, textile, food, fertilizer, mineral, biomedical, and, of course, chemical refining and petroleum manufacturing. The types of employment vary from managing manufacturing, to inventing better processes and products, to marketing technology. Education in chemical engineering prepares an individual to pursue a wide range of endeavors with many opportunities to contribute to society. The average starting salary for KSU B.S. CHE graduates in 2010 was $61,750 per year. About two-thirds of our B.S. graduates take jobs with industry. The others pursue advanced education in engineering, medicine, law, and other fields. A bachelor’s degree in Chemical engineering is a wonderful base on which to build a future.