Note: 黑料社鈥檚 new Course Catalogue will replace the eCalendar. The Course Catalogue is expected to go live the week of April 22nd. When the new site is published, "mcgill.ca/study" will be redirected to the new Course Catalogue website.
Course information on this site is not reflective of offerings for the 2025鈥�2026 academic year. Some irregularities may occur as we move operations to the incoming Course Catalogue.
The central purpose of engineering is to pursue solutions to technological problems in order to satisfy the needs and desires of society. Chemical engineers are trained to solve the kinds of problems that are typically found in the 鈥�chemical process industries鈥�, which include:
as well as substantial portions of the:
The technological problems and opportunities in these industries are often closely linked to social, economic, and environmental concerns. For this reason, chemical engineers often deal with these questions while working in management, pollution abatement, product development, marketing, and equipment design.
By means of complementary courses, students can also obtain further depth in technical areas and breadth in non-technical subjects. Some students elect to complete a minor in biotechnology, nanotechnology, management, materials engineering, computer science, environmental engineering, chemistry, or another minor (see Minor Programs for minors available to engineering students).
The solution to many environmental problems requires an understanding of technological principles; a Chemical Engineering degree provides an ideal background. In addition to relevant material learned in the core program, a selection of environmental complementary courses and minor programs is available. The involvement of many Chemical Engineering faculty members in environmental research provides the opportunity for undergraduate students to carry out research projects in this area.
The B.Eng. curriculum also provides the preparation necessary to undertake postgraduate studies leading to M.Eng., M.Sc., or Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering. Students completing this curriculum acquire a broad, balanced education in the natural sciences with the accent on application. Thus, for those who do not continue in Chemical Engineering, it provides an exceptionally balanced education in applied science. For others, it will form the basis of an educational program that may continue with a variety of studies such as business administration, medicine, or law. Versatility is, therefore, one of the most valuable characteristics of Chemical Engineering program graduates.
The Chemical Engineering program comprises 143 credits (114 credits for those who completed the Quebec CEGEP program in Pure and Applied Sciences).
Students must obtain a grade of C or better in all core courses. For the Department of Chemical Engineering, core courses include all required courses (departmental and non-departmental) as well as technical complementary courses.
The has for many years been affiliated with both the (Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering) which is one of the member societies of the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) and with the (American Institute of Chemical Engineers). is free for all full-time undergraduate students at 黑料社. CSChE and AIChE members gain access to a range of benefits, including registration rates at the Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, as well as member rates in the American Chemical Society (ACS) and affiliated events. The student chapter also organizes a series of local social, educational, and sporting events. Recent events have included student鈥損rofessor banquets, parties, speakers, broomball games, and joint events with the Montreal Section of the CIC (), which gives students a chance to network with practising chemical engineers in the Montreal region.
Program credit weight: 143 credits ...
For more information, see Chemical Engineering (143 credits).
Courses CHEE 582 and CHEE 584 comprise a Polymeric Materials course sequence, while courses CHEE 380 and CHEE 484 present fundamental aspects of materials science and engineering, respectively. Additional courses in the polymer materials area are available in the Chemistry Department (e.g., CHEM 574). The Department has considerable expertise in the polymer area.
Courses CHEE 370 and CHEE 474 make up a sequence in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology. Students interested in this area may take additional courses, particularly those offered by the Bioengineering (Faculty of Engineering); by the Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry (Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences); and courses in biochemistry and microbiology. The food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries are large industries in the Montreal area, and these courses are relevant to these industries and to the new high-technology applications of biotechnology.
A third sequence of courses is offered in Energy, comprising CHEE 400 Principles of Energy Conversion and CHEE 401 Energy Systems Engineering. Additional courses that offer topics related to energy are CHEE 511 Catalysis for Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals and CHEE 541 Electrochemical Engineering.
The fourth area in which there is a sequence of courses is Pollution Control. The Department offers three courses in this area: CHEE 521, CHEE 591, and CHEE 593. As some water pollution control problems are solved by microbial processes, course CHEE 474 is also relevant to the pollution control area. Additional courses in this area are listed in the Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) - Minor Environmental Engineering (21 credits).
A Minor in Biotechnology is also offered by the Faculties of Engineering and Science with emphasis on molecular biology and chemical engineering processes. A full description of the program appears in the Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) - Minor Biotechnology (for Engineering Students) (24 credits).
