In this blog post, I’ll introduce what you learn in the Chemical and Biological Engineering major and the various career paths you can pursue after graduation.
My major is Chemical and Biological Engineering. Having loved chemistry since I was a child, I struggled a lot between the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering as I prepared to enter college. While studying just chemistry was appealing in its own right, I was ultimately drawn to the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering by the mysterious allure of the terms “chemical engineering” and “biology.” The term “chemical engineering” gave me the impression of a field closely tied to cutting-edge technologies like nanotechnology, while the word “biology” brought to mind researchers working in areas such as stem cell research and new drug development. That’s why it seemed even more appealing to me. Students from other departments likely have a similar impression when they think of chemical and biological engineering. However, once I enrolled in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and actually began studying the major, I realized that the content was vastly different from what I had imagined in high school.
To truly understand the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, it’s best to take a close look at the major’s curriculum. If you examine our department’s curriculum, you’ll see that although the name is “Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering,” the actual major consists of 40% physics, 50% chemistry, and 10% biology. If, like me, you chose this major simply because you liked chemistry, you’ll likely struggle quite a bit with the physics courses. During my freshman year, I was able to enjoy college life relatively stress-free while taking my favorite chemistry and biology courses, but as I entered my sophomore year and began taking more specialized major courses, I started to wonder if this department was truly the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. This is because chemical engineering is closely related to physics, while bioengineering is closer to biology. In my third year, as I took courses like fluid mechanics and heat transfer, I once again faced frustration due to the physics requirements. From the second half of my third year until graduation, students can choose elective courses based on their interests, and I believe the courses taken during this period best define the Chemical and Biological Engineering major. Since the required major courses—such as Physical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry—are foundational courses in chemical engineering, it is difficult to fully understand exactly what field I am studying based on these required courses alone. However, through elective courses taken after my junior year—such as Polymer Chemistry, Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, and Separation Processes—I was able to get a sense of the specific fields in which I would work or conduct research after graduation.
Compared to other majors, Chemical and Biological Engineering covers a very broad range of fields. According to the department’s website, the fields covered by the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering include process development, inorganic nanomaterials and catalytic processes, semiconductors and electrochemistry, biology and the environment, and organic polymer materials. Process development refers to the process of manufacturing products in a chemical plant. Process development involves creating efficient production processes based on knowledge related to chemical reactions, such as fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and chemical thermodynamics. Second, inorganic nanomaterials and catalytic processes are related to nanotechnology; catalysts are substances that accelerate chemical reactions and play a crucial role in them. This field focuses on chemical reactions occurring on the surfaces of materials. Third, semiconductors and electrochemistry are fields that utilize and study electrical chemical reactions, with semiconductors and fuel cells being prime examples of research in this area. Fourth, the biological and environmental fields involve research related to biology and water treatment in environmental engineering. Finally, organic polymer materials research focuses on the synthesis and properties of organic and polymeric substances.
As chemical and biological engineering covers such a wide range of fields, career paths after graduation are also very diverse.
Students who complete their bachelor’s degree typically choose to enter the workforce. Many of our department’s graduates join petroleum-related companies, such as oil refining or petrochemical firms, where they can apply their major-specific knowledge. Engineering is also a common career path for students. Some students work in fields unrelated to their major, such as finance or consulting. Graduates who complete master’s or doctoral programs mostly pursue research positions or become professors. Finally, some graduates pursue careers in various other fields, such as the National Technical Civil Service Examination, becoming patent attorneys, or entering professional graduate schools for pharmacy, dentistry, or medicine. As the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering offers a diverse range of major courses and a wide array of career opportunities, students can study with anticipation and excitement about the roles they will play in this field in the future.
