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Undergraduates

Policies

This page contains a summary of important Chemical Engineering department policies and resources that relate to student progress and success. 

Full-Time Study

Full-time students must complete 12 or more credits per quarter that are applicable to the BSChE degree. An average of 15 hours per quarter is required to complete the minimum graduation requirements in the conventional 12 quarters. Once enrolled in CHEM E 310, students are required to move through the core coursework as a cohort (see the Plan of Study); any deviation from the stated plan requires a petition. Students who fail to maintain registration in core coursework are dropped from the department. Students will be notified that they are due to be dropped from the department and may appeal the decision by submitting a letter outlining the extenuating circumstances and a graduation plan before the start of CHEM E 310.

Part-time attendance is possible subject to approval by the chair of the department. Application for part-time status should be made prior to the first day of the quarter. Students who have received permission to attend part time must complete at least one course each quarter applicable to their degree. See the continuation policy for more details. 

Plan of Study

Students are expected to follow the Plan of Study and be prepared to take CHEM E 310 (prerequisites: PHYS 122 and MATH 307) during the spring quarter following placement or admission. Prior to autumn quarter following CHEM E 310, students are expected to have the following courses, or their equivalents, complete. Students who fail to do so are dropped from the department as outlined in the continuation policy.

CHEM 142 (or 143 or 145)
CHEM 152 (or 153 or 155)
CHEM 162 (or 153 or 165)
CHEM 237 (or 223)
CHEM 238 (or 224)

MATH 124
MATH 125
MATH 126
MATH 207 (or AMATH 351)
MATH 208 (or AMATH 352)

PHYS 121
PHYS 122
PHYS 123

ENGL 131
CHEM E 310
CHEM E 375

Minimum Grades

Students must obtain a minimum 2.0 grade in CHEM E 310 to remain in the department. Students who fail to do so are dropped from the department. Students must maintain a quarterly 2.00 GPA. Any students whose quarterly GPA falls below 2.00 is placed on departmental probation. See the continuation policy for more details. 

All students must maintain both an overall and a chemical engineering 2.00 GPA. (For chemical engineering courses which are repeated, the chemical engineering GPA is based only on the first time a course is taken.) The minimum passing grade for any course is 0.7. A student may repeat a chemical engineering course only if less than that minimum grade (i.e., a failure) is received in a departmental course.

S/NS Grading Option

Students may choose the S/NS grading option only for free elective courses. Students considering taking a course S/NS should think about their plans for the future, since these grading options can reflect poorly on things like graduate school and scholarship applications. S/NS grading is not an option for courses required for admission or to meet major course requirements. See the continuation policy for more details. 

Double Degrees and NME Option

Students seeking to pursue two or more degrees must submit an academic plan for approval by the department. Once approved, the academic plan will define the number of credits and courses applicable towards the degrees that must be completed each quarter to maintain satisfactory progress. Students may not add a second major after completion of the junior core. See the continuation policy for more details. 

Students admitted to the nanoscience and molecular engineering option (NME) must adhere to all the above criteria. Since NME coursework is offered in specified quarters only, student must enroll in these courses to be considered making satisfactory progress. Students not making satisfactory progress toward the NME option are dropped from that option. See the continuation policy for more details. 

Academic Misconduct

UW ChemE students are expected to act with integrity and to complete the BSChemE in a way that is consistent with the College of Engineering policy regarding academic integrity and misconduct.  Please visit the webpage and carefully read the policy and guidance. If you have questions, ask your professor or an advisor. 

Returning after an Absence

A student who has withdrawn from the UW or from a required chemical engineering course or who is dropped for non-payment of fees must obtain approval of the department admissions committee before registering or maintaining preregistration for subsequent chemical engineering courses. See the continuation policy for more details. 

Review and Notification of Progress

The progress of each student is reviewed each quarter. If a student's performance fails to meet the standards outlined above, the student is placed on probation the following quarter. The student receives notification in writing of the reason for probation. If the student does not remove his or her deficiencies in the following quarter, the student is notified in writing that he or she has been dropped from the Department. Students may appeal for continuation in the Department of Chemical Engineering. For more information about the appeals process, please review the Appeals page