Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
The CBE curriculum page that includes course requirements and a 4 year sample course of study is located here.
No, CBE concentrations are optional. But if you are interested in declaring a concentration, you must complete the “declare/update field of study” form on Path. CBE concentrations can be found here.
CBE students may only declare one concentration.
For all students entering Fall 2025 and onward, CBE will no longer accept AP Chemistry (EAS 091) as a substitute for Chemistry 1012. CBE Students must take Chemistry 1012 (one of the engineering sections) or take the placement test here at Penn.
Yes, you may place out of both General Chemistry course requirements as a CBE student.
Yes, Honors Chemistry, CHEM 1151/1161 are acceptable substitutes for CBE students.
Yes, both Gen Chem Lab I and II are a requirement for all CBE students. Gen Chem Lab I and II are considered separate courses from General Chemistry I and II. It is recommended that you take these labs in your first two semesters alongside your General Chemistry courses.
Instructions and application for lab waivers can be found here. *Students must pass the placement test or take the Gen Chem course in order to apply for a lab waiver.
Yes, if your labs are waived, you must replace the credit with a natural science course.
A full list can be found here. *Instructions for how to submit these credits can be found on the linked page as well.
Follow the sample course of study as a guideline for what courses to choose each semester. You may also meet with your undergrad academic coordinator to discuss your requirements and schedule.
Prerequisites are enforced. The CBE curriculum has a specific structure that requires each student to take core courses in a specific sequence. Each core course is offered once per academic year. It is important that you take courses “on schedule” so you do not fall behind or have to wait a year to take a required course.
Yes, CBE students can study abroad. It is important that you work with your undergrad academic advisor and undergrad curriculum chair to discuss your course plans abroad. Due to the unique course offerings here at Penn, it is difficult to find equivalent CBE courses abroad. It is also recommended that students interested in traveling abroad plan to do it before junior spring. You may find the steps to study abroad here.
You may find a list in the SEAS undergrad handbook here.
A technical elective is any SEAS approved/attributed Math, Natural Science or Engineering course. The CBE major has a 5cu technical elective requirement.
Taking PHYS 0150/0170 and 0151/0171 waves one cu of your Math/Nat.Sci/Eng tech elective only. All CBE students must complete a lab tech elective.
A complete list of no credit courses can be found here.
TBS courses can be found here.
Yes, you may take 1cu worth of any course that may count towards your free credit. As long as the course is not on the SEAS no credit list. You may also take SEAS approved courses for SS/H and TBS credit that are offered by the college and other schools. Those courses can be found here.*This is not an exhaustive list.
Yes, the SEAS policy on this can be found here.
The independent study application can be found on this page here. All instructions are outlined on the application form.
Yes it is *usually possible. First, discuss the substitution with your undergrad academic advisor. You will need to submit a CBE Core Course Substitution form for core courses and technical electives. You will need to submit a Undergraduate SEAS Petitions form on Path to request a substitution for all other courses.
Yes, CBE students may also take CBE 3200 to fulfill their ethics requirement. Note–CBE 3200 will not count towards general elective requirements the same way EAS 2030 will. CBE 3200 is an engineering course.
The CBE minor requirements can be found on the curriculum page here. You may declare a minor by submitting the declare/update field of study form on Path.
Reach out to your undergraduate academic coordinator to discuss changing your assigned advisor.
If you are already a Penn Engineering student, you will need to complete the declare/update field of study form found on Path. You should also discuss the CBE curriculum with the undergrad academic advisor. If you are enrolled in another undergraduate school, you will need to follow the instructions outlined in the student handbook here.
The application process is outlined here. The policies for the AM and your eligibility can be found here.
It is not a requirement to complete a 4 year plan, but it is strongly recommended.
If you have trouble understanding your worksheet or one of your courses seems “missing” contact your undergraduate academic coordinator.
You are only allowed to take your SS/H, TBS and Free Elective courses as pass/fail.
We advise all CBE students to take Math 2400 and not ESE 2030.
You may only double count 2 courses of an engineering minor towards your CBE major. The other schools–The College, Wharton and the Nursing school, may allow you to double count up to 6 courses; you must confirm the double counting rules with your minor advisor.
Class of 2028 and beyond will not be eligible for retroactive credit.
Students may take Physical Chemistry (CHEM 2210), Quantum Physics of Materials (MSE 2210) or Orgo II (w/wo lab–CHEM 2420). *Note–students who plan to take P. Chem Lab (CHEM 2230) for their lab tech elective, must plan to take the prerequisite CHEM 2210.
Yes, this is an acceptable substitute for CBE students.
Prerequisites are enforced in the CBE department. However, if you have a special circumstance, you should discuss it with your undergrad academic coordinator.
You may only request an increase beyond 5.5 CUs if you have already completed a full semester at Penn and are in good academic standing. Only a .5 or 1 cu increase each term will be approved. A 1.5 or 2 cu increase over one semester is not recommended, so make sure you plan your schedule each semester to accommodate for increases of .5 or 1 cu. Only dual degree students or seniors who need more cus to graduate on time may request credit increases during the advance registration period. All other students will need to wait until your semester grades are posted for cu increase requests to be approved for the upcoming semester. A request must be submitted before the add deadline. You must submit the max cu increase form on Path to request a cu increase. The course load policy is found in the handbook here.
Good academic standing for a Penn engineering student is considered a gpa of 3.0 or better and no outstanding incompletes.
Students must register for no less than 4 cus to be considered full time.
Unfortunately, only full time study is offered to undergraduate students.
Yes, seniors may petition for part time study in their final semester. The policy for this is found in the handbook here.
