Skip to Main Content

The University of Tennessee

Enter the name of your College, Department, or Unit Here

Frequently Used Tools:




About Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Departmental Vision Statement:

Chemical engineering graduates of The University of Tennessee, Knoxville possess the knowledge base, intellectual skills, and professional commitment that prepare them for innovative technical leadership, graduate study, productive service to society, and continued professional growth through lifelong learning.

To fulfill this vision, and in accordance with the University’s overall mission as a Land-Grant institution, the department has the threefold mission to:

  1. provide excellence in chemical engineering education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels,
  2. provide a strong research program to fortify the educational process and advance engineering knowledge, and
  3. serve industries in Tennessee and the nation by providing educational opportunities, research services, and technical assistance.

Finally, the Undergraduate Program has the following Educational Objectives:

  1. Graduates of the UT chemical engineering program who enter professional practice will demonstrate a high level of technical competence, along with career progression toward positions of technical or managerial leadership.
  2. Graduates of the UT chemical engineering program who pursue full-time graduate or advanced professional study will complete their programs of study successfully.
  3. Graduates of the UT chemical engineering program will continue their professional growth through lifelong learning.

The Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering is one of the oldest engineering programs in the South. It was included as an option in Chemistry as early as 1905 and became a separate department in 1936. The Masters program was begun in 1935 and the Ph.D. program in 1949. The University of Tennessee’s Ph.D. program was the first doctoral program in engineering offered by any institution in Tennessee, public or private. The undergraduate program in chemical engineering has been continuously accredited since 1939, making it one of the four oldest accredited chemical engineering programs in the South.

The department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and The University of Tennessee are ideally located in a geographic region with a high density of major chemical companies and smaller consulting firms. Our programs reach out to other engineering and science departments at UT, to the nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory and to industry, forming larger partnerships and creating an unsurpassed teaching and research environment. Both students and faculty realize the benefits of these collaborations through the development of high-quality, interdisciplinary programs.

Our student body is very diverse with a significant female and minority representation. Many of the students participate in the engineering co-op program 60%) or engineering internships (20%).

Knoxville is one of the most pleasant cities in the United States in which to live, and The University of Tennessee one of the most appealing environments you could choose for either an undergraduate or graduate education. We look forward to hearing of your further interest.

For more information on the chemical engineering department, visit: http://www.che.utk.edu

You might also want to visit: