Looking for information about your undergraduate studies? Check out the topics below to answer your questions!
Still have questions about the academic program? Contact:
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Lilian Lam Josephson
Academic Program Coordinator, Drew Sonnenberg
Beginning Fall 2024, we are phasing out the Undergraduate Advising Manual. The academic requirements and sample programs can be found in the e-Catalogue.
View Undergraduate Advising Manuals for students entering 2018 – 2023
These program-specific sample Plans of Study are a reference tool for students to get an idea of what their full four years of coursework could look like across their undergraduate program.
Sample Plans of Study and Required Courses for students entering Fall 2022
The procedure for obtaining an exception to any ChemBE requirement is as follows: First, the student must meet with their academic advisor to discuss the circumstances leading to the exception request. If your academic advisor agrees that an exception may be warranted, the student and academic advisor will fill out a WSE Undergraduate Substitution-Exception-Waiver (SEW) Form and email it to the Director of Undergraduate Studies with their academic advisor and the Academic Program Coordinator CC’d. The Director of Undergraduate Studies will then evaluate the request and reply to the student’s email to either approve the request or explain why the request cannot be approved. If approved, the Academic Program Coordinator and academic advisor will file the form in the student’s file in the to reflect this exception and respond via email to verify this change has been processed.
What type of research you are conducting, and under which faculty member, will determine what research course you should register for:
- EN.540.511 – ChemBE Undergraduate Research: UG Research conducted within ChemBE. Students sign up for the section instructed by the PI they are doing research under.
- EN.540.501 – Interdepartmental Undergraduate Research: Research conducted by ChemBE students outside of the School of Engineering. Students sign up for the section instructed by their Faculty Advisor.
Click here for a list of each faculty members research section number.
Many undergraduate students choose to be involved in research. They can find opportunities to work in research laboratories in the ChemBE department or in other programs at Hopkins. Students can start research as early as freshman year. The university limits the total number of research credits to 6 per academic year (starting in June). For more information about Research policies, see ASEN Catalog Special Situations.
Joining a Research Group in the Engineering School
If you are interested in joining a research group in the engineering school, the first step is to meet with your faculty advisor. Your advisor will go over your academic record with you to determine if you are prepared for a research project. Next, you should (i) investigate the research interests of different faculty members by reading their departmental webpages and publications and (ii) make appointments to talk to faculty members whose research interests you. Contact the faculty member by email to find out if there is an opening in their lab and if they are willing to serve as your Principal Investigator (PI). Include a resume, a transcript, and any useful information in your application. You may also speak to graduate students in the research group for more information.
To register for research credits, the student should begin by meeting with their intended research professor to discuss the expectations for the research project and agree on the nature of the final deliverables (experiments, report, presentation, etc.). They should also clarify how much work (time) is expected per credit of research. Once the student and research professor set these expectations, the student will use the Independent Academic Work form in SIS (Under “Online Forms” on the “Registration” tab) to register for their PI’s research course and section.
To register to conduct research with a PI in another WSE department, you will have to register for that department’s research course number. Each WSE department has their own specific research course number, so make sure you are registering for the correct course number and section based on you PI’s department in WSE and your PI’s section of that course.
At the end of the semester, the student’s PI will review the deliverables of that student, verify that the student invested enough time to earn the pre-agreed upon credits, and assign them a grade. Up to 4 credits from this type of research may count as Engineering Elective credits.
Joining a Research Group outside the Engineering School
If students wish to join research laboratories in another school in JHU (ex. the Medical School), they must consult with their academic advisor to transfer the final research grade from the other school into WSE. After receiving approval from their advisor, students use the Independent Academic Work form in SIS (Under “Online Forms” on the “Registration” tab) to register for their ChemBE faculty advisor’s section of 540.501 – Interdepartmental Undergraduate Research”. They must establish a set of deliverables and expectations the faculty member serving as their PI and convey these deliverables to their ChemBE faculty advisor. At the end of the semester, students must send an e-mail to their ChemBE faculty explaining the nature of their project and how they met the requirements set by their PI. It is also the students’ responsibility to remind their PI to send a final grade and number of credits to the ChemBE faculty advisor. The ChemBE faculty advisor will then enter this grade in SIS. To count credits from 540.501 as engineering electives, students must fill out the Research as Engineering Elective Form, which should only be submitted upon completion of the research.
Credits received for unpaid research from another university might be eligible to transfer to Hopkins. Follow the WSE procedure for any credit transfer. If research takes place in a university outside the United States, the transfer of credits follows the procedures of the Study Abroad office. They will count as undesignated credits.
Students doing research outside of the Engineering School may be allowed to use their research credits as engineering elective credits.
Complete the Research Credits Outside of WSE form upon completion of that semester’s research.
Using Research as MCB or IN Elective Credit
Up to 3 credits of research may be used for MCB or IN Elective credit but this must be approved by the DUS. Credits earned from either 540.511 or 540.501 can be used in this way. In either case, upon completion of the research, you will submit a Research as Engineering Elective Form, and indicate that you would like the credits to count towards either your MCB or your INT track. To be approved, you must be able to explain in detail how your work in the lab was directly related to your track’s content area. Final deliverables from the research itself can be used as evidence that the research was track-relevant.
Safety Course for Research
Students who join a research group must take the online laboratory safety course through myLearning. Most students meet this requirement since they must take the online safety course before joining any lab course. It does not replace 540.490 but allows students to start research.
Students must have a grade point average of at least 2.00 in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Core courses to graduate. These core courses are: 500.113, 540.202, 540.203, 540.301, 540.303, 540.304, 540.306, 540.309/310 (or 540.314), 540.311 (or 540.313), 540.315, 540.409 and 540.490. Students with a ChemBE GPA of 3.6 and above will automatically receive Department Honors on their Official Transcript at graduation (no application required).
ChemBE students have the option to spend a semester studying abroad in a variety of countries. This is best during sophomore and junior year and requires a good deal of planning. Interested students should work with the Study Abroad Office to discuss their various options. They must then meet with their advisor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies to review their plan and sign off on the Study Abroad form.
ChemBE Students have the option to take a Laboratory Course at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in Copenhagen during the summer before their senior year. This course substitutes for EN.540.311/313 in the ChemBE curriculum. Contact the Academic Coordinator or Director of Undergraduate Studies for more information.
The ChemBE curriculum is structured such that students learn material in a logical order, starting with fundamental concepts and culminating in senior year’s design courses and Senior Lab. The prerequisites for the courses guide the progress of the students through their 4 years of education. With very few exceptions, instructors will enforce these prerequisites to preserve the quality of the program and the educational experience of the students.
Students must consult the Johns Hopkins University Undergraduate and Graduate Programs Catalog (ASEN Catalog) for details regarding university requirements, grading options, customized academic learning, academic standing, etc.
In addition, freshmen should refer to “Engineering 101, Program Planning Guide for First-Year Engineering Students” published by the Whiting School of Engineering (WSE).
The department’s Safety Resource Center includes information about lab safety requirements.
Additional information about lab safety at JHU can be found on the JHU Lab Safety website.
The Johns Hopkins University student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) serves as a connection between the department’s undergraduate students and their future in chemical engineering. AIChE JHU is an entirely student-run organization.