CUE Home >> College News >> New Undergraduate Degree Offered in Chemical and Biological Engineering

CUE 2006

New Undergraduate Degree Offered in Chemical and Biological Engineering

High student interest in the bio-option in chemical engineering and a plethora of bio-related job opportunities have led to the introduction of a new bachelor of science degree in chemical and biological engineering, starting in fall 2006.

The new degree, which is expected to be approved by the Board of Regents and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education this spring, will focus on living systems by adding courses in biology, biochemistry, and biological engineering to the core curriculum in chemical engineering. The department will continue to offer the existing bachelor's degree in chemical engineering as well.

The new degree offering follows the renaming of the department to chemical and biological engineering in 2003, a change reflecting the department's strong research programs in biotechnology, biomaterials, and bioengineering. Student interest in biological engineering also has increased to the level where 50 percent of undergraduates in the department this year are pursuing the bio-option, according to interim department chair David Clough.

The new bachelor's degree, which will be one of 12 undergraduate majors offered by the college this fall, is the first new undergraduate degree introduced in the college since environmental engineering was added in 1998.