Undergraduate
The Catalyst for Career Success
In 2013, NC State’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering was fourth in the nation in undergraduate chemical engineering degrees awarded. More than 90% of those students head straight into full-time jobs or to graduate school. Chemical engineering grads go on to serve in a host of industries — from biofuels and pharmaceuticals to fibers and plastics — and pursue groundbreaking research in subject areas that range from polymer science to nanoengineering to environmental and green engineering.
The department’s close ties with industry ensure that students glean all the skills they need to succeed in the real world. From research collaborations and sponsored design projects to career fairs and on-campus interviews, we work with an extensive network of partners to offer our undergraduates every advantage.
Academics
At NC State, experience is education. Chemical and biomolecular engineering students take what they learn in the lab and the classroom and apply their knowledge to partner with world-renowned faculty and internship and co-ops with major industry partners.
As a national leader in chemical engineering and biomolecular research, we push our students forward and test their ideas through undergraduate research and senior design projects.
Choose Your Path
The CBE Department offers a broad array of curricula, courses, and concentrations.
Undergraduate Research
Participation in undergraduate research allows students to gain true experiential education and take part in the process of discovery, develop new skills, and co-author scientific journals.
Undergraduate researchers are mentored by various faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Students generally work for salary, no salary, or academic credit for CHE 497/498 — Chemical Engineering Projects — where they work with their advisor to develop a semester-long timeline. For more on specific programs, browse the research areas available for undergraduates.
Senior Design
The senior design experience is formative for our students. The senior design course sequence challenges student teams to design a wide variety of chemical engineering-related processes and products. Successful completion of a project requires team members to complement their technical skills with teamwork, leadership, project management, and communication skills.
Each year, up to 30 different process or product design projects are proposed by faculty members and industrial sponsors. Student teams also have the opportunity to propose their own projects. NC State faculty advisors are assigned to guide the teams, and industrial sponsors normally assign a technical advisor who serves as the company consultant throughout the project life. Interdisciplinary projects are highly encouraged.
Senior Design Day is the culmination of the nine-month design experience. Held at the end of each spring semester, the event is an opportunity for the teams to report the results of their work during formal presentations and at a poster session which sometimes includes student-built prototypes. Students’ families, industrial project sponsors, faculty members, and invited guests all attend the Senior Design Day.
Admissions
Learn to tackle the world’s emerging problems at one of the top chemical and biomolecular engineering departments in the nation. Join the Wolfpack and work with world-renowned faculty and major industry partners to forge your path into the field of chemical engineering.