Chemical Engineering (ChE)
Overview
Today's Chemical Engineer applies principles of chemistry and physics to the design and production of materials that undergo chemical changes during manufacturing. Chemical Engineers also play a vital role in efforts to maintain a clean environment and to create substitutes for or find ways to preserve our natural resources.
A Chemical Engineer's tool bag of skills includes a solid understanding of methods of designing and modeling processes with many interactions. MECOP interns focusing on Chemical Engineering can develop skills from real-world experience in mass transfer, heat transfer, chemical reaction engineering, fluid dynamics, and thermal dynamics as well as other projects. Emerging areas of interest in this dynamic field include biochemical engineering, high-temperature ceramic materials, thin film processing, environmental control, waste minimization, polymer processing and rheology, as well as computerized process control.
Key Course Highlights
- Strong Fundamentals in Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics
- Material and Energy Balances
- Transport Processes
- Thermodynamics
- Process Control
- Unit Operations
- Design of Chemical Processes
Internship Project Samples
- Optimization fo Chemical Additions to a Plating Bath
- Qualification of a New Thin Film Deposition Tool
- Metal Etch Process Characterization
- New Product/Process Development
- Raw Material Replacement
Internship History
Active Company Participants
The following participating companies have taken ChE students in the recent past (within the last 5 years):
Student Participation
Participating Universities
MECOP currently accepts Chemical Engineering students from the following universities:
Internship Timeframes
The following timeframes have been laid out by our participating universities for when an internship should be offered. These timeframes have been structured to allow students to participate in the program and not fall behind on their upper-division coursework schedule beyond the terms that internships overlap.
Oregon State University
- Junior Year: Spring-Summer Internship
- Senior Year: Summer-Fall Internship
- Spring-Summer Internship: Internship occurring during Spring and Summer school terms (March through September).
- Summer-Fall Internship: Internship occurring during Summer and Fall school terms (June through December).
Coursework Requirements
Each participating university discipline has a set of required courses that must be taken to stay on schedule for program participation. Theses requirements are optimized to provide the necessary skills to participate in MECOP's internships while minimizing the amount of time added to receiving a degree. If you are a student and want to discuss your current academic qualifications please see our directory of advisors for a list of staff members familiar with MECOP.
- For a full listing of coursework requirements, please visit: https://www.mecopinc.org/students/course-requirements
- Need a spreadsheet to plan your coursework? For sample worksheets, please visit: https://www.mecopinc.org/students/curriculum-plans
Coursework Requirements:
Academic Advisors
- Need to talk to an advisor familiar with MECOP? For advisor contact info, please visit: https://www.mecopinc.org/universities/advisors