Undergraduate Degree Concentrations
Students majoring in Chemical Engineering may elect to follow a concentration within the field, choosing from any of the areas listed below. A selection of four to five courses in a given area is required to receive a concentration. Note that some concentrations call for 500-level courses and that an undergraduate who wishes to take any 500-level course must get permission to register from the instructor. These courses may be counted in the “Technical Electives” and “Engineering” categories of the Course Planning Guide, unless noted otherwise. Additional courses may be considered, pending approval.
Students may use up to 1 CU of independent study in CBE or an appropriate department as one of their Concentration courses, pending approval from the Undergraduate Curriculum Chair. To have an independent study considered toward the concentration, students must include a one-paragraph description of the independent study research conducted and how it relates to the concentration with their CBE Concentration Declaration Form.
To declare your concentration, complete the Declare/Update field of study form found on this page here. Courses for which the student has registered but not yet completed are acceptable.
Concentration in Pharmaceutics and Biotechnology
Students majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering may elect to follow a concentration in Pharmaceutics and Biotechnology. The student must include at least four courses in the concentration, choosing from among any of the courses listed below. The field of study will appear on the transcript at graduation, provided that upon successful completion of four acceptable courses, the student submits the concentration declaration form.
| BE 3060 | Cellular Engineering |
| BE 5530 | Tissue Engineering |
| BIOL 2010 | Essentials of Cell Biology |
| BIOL 203/2801 | Essentials of Biochemistry |
| BIOL 2210 | Molecular Biology and Genetics |
| BIOL 4210 | Molecular Genetics |
| BIOL 4825 | Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Superlab |
| CBE 0099* | Undergraduate Research and Independent Study |
| CBE 1500 | Introduction to Biotechnology |
| CBE 4790 | Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering |
| CBE 4800 | Laboratory in Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering |
| CBE 5170 | Principles of Genome Engineering |
| CBE 5270 | Genome Editing and Engineering |
| CBE 5400 | Biomolecular and Cellular Engineering |
| CBE 5540 | Engineering Biotechnology |
| CBE 5550 | Nanoscale Systems Biology |
| CBE 5560 | The Biochemical Engineering of Wine |
| CBE 5570 | Stem Cells, Proteomics and Drug Delivery- Soft Matter Fundamentals |
| CBE 5590 | Multiscale Modeling of Biological Systems |
| CBE 5620 | Drug Discovery and Development |
| CBE 5640 | Drug Delivery |
| CHEM 2510 | Principles of Biological Chemistry |
| CHEM 5510 | Biological Chemistry |
| ENGR 4500/5500 | Biotechnology, Immunology, Vaccines and COVID-19 |
| PHYS/BCHE 2280 | Physical Models of Biological Systems |
| CBE 5520 | Protein Engineering & Practical Applications |
| CBE 4470/5470 | Societally Significant Soft Matter Solutions |
*Students may use up to 1 CU of independent study in CBE or an appropriate department, pending approval from the Undergraduate Curriculum Chair.
Note: To take a 5000-level or higher numbered course, an undergraduate student must obtain permission from the instructor.
Concentration in Polymers and Soft Matter Science and Engineering
Students majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering may elect to follow a concentration in Polymers and Soft Matter Science and Engineering. The student must include at least four courses in the concentration, choosing from among any of the courses listed below. The field of study will appear on the transcript at graduation, provided that upon successful completion of four acceptable courses, the student submits the concentration declaration form.
| CBE 0099* | Undergraduate Research and Independent Study |
| CBE 5110 | Physical Chemistry of Polymers and Amphiphiles |
| CBE 5220 | Polymer Rheology and Processing |
| CBE 5250 | Molecular Modeling and Simulations |
| CBE 5350 | Interfacial Phenomena |
| CBE 5700 | Experimental Methods for Polymer Science and Soft Matter |
| MSE 3300 | Soft Materials: Colloids, Polymers, Gels and Crystals |
| MSE 3600 | Structure of Materials |
| MSE 3930 | Materials Selection |
| MSE/CBE 4300 | Polymers and Biomaterials |
| MEAM 5360 | Viscous Flows: Theory & Modern Applications |
| CBE 4470/5470 | Societally Significant Soft Matter Solutions |
*Students may use up to 1 CU of independent study in CBE or an appropriate department, pending approval from the Undergraduate Curriculum Chair.
Note: To take a 5000-level or higher numbered course, an undergraduate student must obtain permission from the instructor.
Concentration in Energy and the Environment
Students majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering may elect to follow a concentration in Energy and the Environment. The student must include at least four courses in the concentration, choosing from any of the courses listed below. The field of study will appear on the student’s transcript at graduation provided that, upon successful completion of four acceptable courses, the student submits the concentration declaration form.
| CBE 0099* | Undergraduate Research and Independent Study |
| CBE 3250 | Renewable Energy |
| CBE 3750 | Engineering and the Environment |
| CBE 4215/5215 | Energy and Sustainability |
| CBE 5050 | Carbon Capture |
| CBE 5440 | Computational Science of Energy and Chemical Transformations |
| CBE 5450 | Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage |
| CBE 5460 | Industrial Catalysis |
| EAS 3010** | Climate Policy and Technology |
| EAS 4010** | Energy and Its Inputs |
| EAS 4020** | Renewable Energy and Its Impacts |
| EAS 4030** | Energy Systems and Policy |
| ENGR 2500 | Energy Systems, Resources and Technology |
| ENGR 5030 | Engineering in Oil, Gas & Coal |
| ENVS 1000 | Introduction To Environmental Science |
| ESE 5210 | The Physics of Solid State Energy Devices |
| ESE 5670/OIDD 2610 | Risk Analysis and Environmental Management |
| MEAM 2250 | Engineering in the Environment |
| MEAM 5020 | Energy Engineering in Power Plants and Transportation Systems |
| MEAM 5030 | Direct Energy Conversion: From Macro to Nano |
| MSE 4550/5550 | Electrochemical Engineering of Materials |
| MSE 5450 | Energy Storage and Technology |
| CBE 5430 | Sustainable Development of Water Resources |
| EESC 1030 | Oceanography |
*Students may use up to 1 CU of independent study in CBE or an appropriate department, pending approval from the Undergraduate Curriculum Chair.
** Course can be used as a TBS (Technology, Business and Society) Elective
Note: To take a 5000-level or higher-numbered course, an undergraduate student must obtain permission from the instructor.
Concentration in Nanotechnology (Only for students who entered Fall 2019 and earlier)
Students majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering may elect to follow a concentration in Nanotechnology. The student must include at least five courses in the concentration, choosing from among any of the courses listed below. The field of study will appear on the transcript at graduation, provided that upon successful completion of five acceptable courses, the student petitions to have the concentration added to her/his transcript. Students are also encouraged to consider the Minor in Nanotechnology offered by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). A student considering this minor, should consult the MSE department before taking courses.
NOTE: Students entering in Fall 2020 or later will not have the option to declare this concentration.
| BIOL 2810 | Biochemistry |
| BIOL 4210 | Molecular Genetics |
| CBE 0099* | Undergraduate Research and Independent Study |
| CBE 1500 | Introduction to Biotechnology |
| CBE 4790 | Intro to Biochemical Engineering |
| CBE 4800 | Biochemical Engineering Lab |
| CBE 5350 | Interfacial Phenomena |
| CBE 5520 | Cellular Engineering |
| CBE 5540 | Engineering Biotechnology |
| CBE 5550 | Nanoscale Systems Biology |
| CHEM 5510 | Biological Chemistry |
| ESE/MSE 5250 | Nanometer Scale Science and Engineering |
| MSE 2600 | Macro and Nanoscale Materials |
| MSE 4650/5650 | Fabrication and Characterization of Nanostructured Devices |
*Students may use up to 1 CU of independent study in CBE or an appropriate department, pending approval from the Undergraduate Curriculum Chair.
Note: To take a 5000-level or higher numbered course, an undergraduate student must obtain permission from the instructor.
In This Section:
Your CBE Contact:
Hannah Wright
Undergraduate Coordinator
Phone: 215-573-0290
Office: 311A Towne Building
Email: wrighth@seas.upenn.edu