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SUPPORTING COURSES

Prerequisites
GE (University Core)
Chemistry
Biology
Math

Prerequisites

Note: The best tool for course work planning is our worksheets (download here), which contain all of the information on the course planning webpages.

Most courses in the chemical engineering curriculum have prerequisites that qualify students to be admitted to more advanced classes. The prerequisites are carefully chosen to prepare student for each future course as well as professional engineering endeavors. Taking courses in the correct sequence provides the maximum chance for success at the university and beyond. Moreover, accreditation of the department by ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) requires students to comply with prerequisites.

Prerequisites for each course are listed in the official university catalog. Students should be aware of the following concerning prerequisites:

  • Grades of E, I, W, or WE mean the prerequisite has not been met.
  • Concurrent enrollment does not satisfy prerequisite requirements except in cases found here.
  • Students taking Independent Study courses that are prerequisites should ensure they complete all work early enough for the grade to be posted prior to the start of the next semester.

Common problems with prerequisites are:

  • Students delay/drop Chem 467 and cannot take Ch En 373.
  • Students delay/drop WRTG 316 (formerly Engl 316) and cannot take Ch En 479.
  • Students delay/drop Stat 201 and cannot take Ch En 345.
  • Students delay/drop Ch En 386 and cannot take Ch En 436 or the L3 Exam.
  • Students delay/drop Ch En 376 and cannot take Ch En 476 or the L3 Exam.
  • Students delay/drop Ch En 311 and cannot take Ch En 376.
  • Students delay/drop Ch En 476 and cannot take Ch En 451.

The best way to avoid prerequisite problems is the follow the course plan you filled out for admission into the professional program and available here.

In certain instances, student may need to have a prerequisite waived. This usually occurs with co-ops, internships, sickness, etc. In such situations, the student should fill out the waiver form and turn it into the department academic advisor Lavdie Huff (lavdie_huff@byu.edu). She will forward the request to the department undergraduate committee who will then consider your situation and give its decision within 1 week.

Students should understand that granting of waivers is not taken lightly. Reasons such as poor course planning, failing/withdrawing from/incomplete prerequisite courses, not knowing or misunderstanding requirements, and other such excuses are not valid justification—even if graduation is delayed—and will result in denial of the waiver petition.

Prerequisite Waiver Form

Elective Courses Form

GE (University Core) Courses

Caution: Examples of courses are given below, but the university changes GE courses regularly. Students should refer to the official university catalog for the current courses that fulfill GE requirements. Despite this, the principles discussed below are general and apply regardless of the exact courses used as examples.

Global and Cultural Awareness

Within the GE (University Core) are requirements for:

  • History of Civilization 2
  • Arts
  • Letters
  • GCA

If care is taken when selecting courses, these 4 requirements may be fulfilled by taking only 2 classes. This is explained below.

  • Each Civ 2 course double-counts as either Arts, Letters, or GCA
  • Many Arts and Letters courses double-count as GCA
  • Students should take one of the following:
    • Civ 2/Art + Lett/GCA (Civ 2 course that double-counts as Arts AND a Letters courses that double-counts as GCA.)
      • Example: ARTHC 202 + IHUM 242
    • OR
    • Civ 2/Lett + Art/GCA (Civ 2 course that double-counts as Letters AND an Arts course that double-counts as GCA.)
      • Example: CL CV 202 + MUSIC 203

There is also a way to fulfill the GCA requirement with religion courses. Specifically, the following religion courses count as GCA (as of March 2018).

  • REL C 351 - Survey of World Religions
  • REL C 352 - Survey of Christianity
  • REL C 357 - Survey of Judaism and Islam
  • REL C 358 - Survey of Eastern Religions

If one of these religion courses are taken, taking an Arts or Letters courses that also counts as GCA is not needed.

Social Science (Econ 110)

Students are required to take Econ 110 for the major. This course counts as Social Science. Students should realize that other social science courses that fulfill the GE requirement will not fulfill the department Econ 110 requirement.

Chemistry Courses

Normal Chemistry Sequence

The normal sequence of chemistry courses is Chem 111, 112, 357, and 467, taken during the first 2.5 years. Two hours of advanced laboratory credit must also be taken in addition to any freshman chemistry laboratory.

Possible Changes to the Chem 111/112 Sequence

The Chem 105/106/107 sequence may be substituted for Chem 111 and 112, but this is not recommended as it will place students at a disadvantage in later courses--namely Chem 467 (Physical Chemistry). This substitution is usually done only if a student has an AP Chemistry score of 4 (credit for Chem 105) or 5 (credit for Chem 105/106). However, even if students have such AP credit, Chem 111/112 is still recommended as it better prepares students for the major. (The chemistry department makes all its majors take Chem 111/112 even if they passed the AP exam.)

Waiving Chem 107

For students not taking the Chem 111/112 sequence, Chem 107 must be either taken or waived. Students who had a significant chemistry laboratory experience in high school and earned either a 4 or 5 on the AP Chemistry test may get Chem 107 waived. To do this you must visit the department academic advisor (330 EB). As evidence of your laboratory experience, bring either your laboratory notebook or a copy of the laboratory syllabus provided by your AP teacher.

Organic Chemistry

The chemistry department teaches two sequences of Organic Chemistry: a one-course sequence for chemical engineers (Chem 357) and a two-course sequence (Chem 351/352). Chem 357, the recommended route, is a prerequisite for ChEn 378 Materials and is only taught during Fall semester. It should be taken during the fall of the sophomore year.

A chemical engineering student may opt to take the two-course sequence, Chem 351 and 352. This route is desirable if the student wishes to attend medical or dental school which require a full year of organic chemistry. If the two-course option is taken, Chem 351 should be taken in the fall semester of the sophomore year and Chem 352 in the winter semester of the sophomore year. The extra three hours from Chem 352 may be counted towards the EMSB elective.

Students taking either the one-course sequence or the two-course sequence can also take organic chemistry lab (Chem 353) to fulfill the advanced chemistry lab requirement.

To summarize, two options exist for the O-chem course (not lab) work. Take either:

  • Chem 357 (3 credits)

or

  • Chem 351 (3 credits) and
  • Chem 352 (3 credits)

Note that students cannot take 351 and then take 357 to satisfy the requirement.

Physical Chemistry

The chemistry department teaches two sequences of Physical Chemistry: a one-course sequence for chemical engineers (Chem 467) and a two-course sequence for chemistry majors (Chem 462/463). Chem 467 is a prerequisite for ChEn 373 Thermodynamics and is only taught during Fall semester, and therefore should be taken during the fall of the junior year. It covers introductory classical thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and quantum mechanics.

A chemical engineering student may opt to take the two-course sequence, Chem 462 and 463. This route is desirable if the student wishes to specialize in thermodynamics or thermophysical properties. If the two-course option is taken, Chem 462 must be taken in place of Chem 467 in fall of the junior year. The extra three hours from Chem 463 may be counted towards the EMSB elective.

Students taking either the one-course sequence or the two-course sequence can also take one or both P-chem labs (Chem 464 and 465) to fulfill the advanced chemistry lab requirement.
To summarize, two options exist for the P-chem course (not lab) work:
Take either:

  • Chem 467 (3 credits)

or

  • Chem 462 (3 credits) and
  • Chem 463 (3 credits)

Note that students cannot take 462 and then take 467 to satisfy the requirement.

Biology Courses

The department of chemical engineering currently requires BIO 100 for the BS degree. This course is introductory and is not recommended for students who had any biology in high school or for those student planning on medical school or careers in biological engineering. The following courses or combination of courses may be substituted for BIO 100 and are recommended.

  1. BIO 130
  2. MMBIO 221
  3. MMBio 240 (only in taken Fall 2017 or later)*
  4. PDBIO 120 (only in taken Fall 2017 or later)*

These options also fulfill the University Core (GE) requirement for Biological Science.

The following courses may not be substituted for the department BIO 100 requirement even though they do fulfill the university requirement for Biological Science

  1. MMBIO 121
  2. NDFS 100
  3. PWS 100
  4. PWS 150
  5. PWS 168
  6. UNIV 291

* Prior to Fall 2017, students were required to take both MMBio 240 (3 credits) and PDBio 120 (2 credits) to fulfill the GE requirement. If students took both these courses before Fall 2017, then they will count towards graduation. PDBio 120 alone or MMBio 240 alone, if taken before Fall 2017, will not count.

Math Courses

Recommended Math Sequence

The recommended sequence of advanced mathematics courses is Math 302 and 303 (Mathematics for Engineering I and II, offered Fall/Winter).

The Math 213, 314, and 334 (Elementary Linear Algebra, Calculus of Several Variables, and Ordinary Differential Equations, offered Fall/Winter/Spring) sequence may be substituted for Math 302 and 303.

Students completing either route will fulfill the required 8 credit hours of advanced Math. Mixing and matching from both sequences is not recommended. For example, taking 302 and 334 leaves you one credit hour short. Math 391R (1 credit) is not acceptable to complete the needed 8 credit hours because no seminar course capable of being taken for repeated credit, such as Math 391R, automatically satisfies credit hour requirements in the Chemical Engineering curriculum. You would have to take another approved, non-seminar advanced math course to meet or exceed the requirement for 8 credit hours of advanced math (generally defined as 300 level or higher courses).

Deviations from the two acceptable Math sequences must be pre-approved by the department (see the department academic adviser). In some special circumstances, the department may approve these deviations if the student goes through the petitions process.