(58c) Outcomes of a Chemical Engineering Option within a General Engineering Program at a Liberal Arts College

Hope College is a small liberal arts college of approximately 3,000 students with nationally recognized programs in the sciences. Over two decades, the physics department progressed from offering a few engineering courses to the development of a general engineering program which received ABET accreditation in 2000.

The renamed physics and engineering department began offering coursework in chemical engineering in 2002-03. Engineering became a separate department during the 2006-07 academic year and it currently offers emphasis options consisting of a set of elective courses in chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering, as well as emphasis options in mechanical, civil, electrical, and computer engineering. This presentation details the development and structure of the chemical/biochemical/environmental engineering options with a focus on their unique features and the outcomes of program graduates.

The number of chemical engineering graduates has grown from one or two students per year in the first three graduating classes from 2005 to 2007 to five in 2008. Eleven class of 2011 sophomores are currently following the chemical engineering course sequence. Two of the first four graduates are currently enrolled in Ph.D. programs and another is in an M.S. program. Over 80 percent of students in the option participated in a significant undergraduate research experience before graduation.

Another major strength of the program is its natural implementation of multidisciplinary engineering experiences in projects and coursework for students. Some of these ideas may be adaptable to traditional chemical engineering departments in their efforts to promote multidisciplinary experiences. Challenges include limited faculty and laboratory resources, lack of visibility for a small new program, and the constant quest to fit the “square peg” of chemical engineering into the “round hole” of general engineering.