Chemical ENGINEERING ABET Goals
The educational objectives of the undergraduate Chemical Engineering Program focus on both the general knowledge and the specific skills and attitudes that graduates should possess upon completion of the program. These are specified in terms of the educational objectives of the general engineering core and additional objectives specific to the Chemical Engineering Program.
These objectives are consistent and with the mission statement of Brown University, as published on the University web site:
The mission of Brown University is to serve the community, the nation, and the world by discovering, communicating, and preserving knowledge and understanding in a spirit of free inquiry, and by educating and preparing students to discharge the offices of life with usefulness and reputation. We do this through a partnership of students and teachers in a unified community known as a university-college.
The Division of Engineering pursues a three-fold purpose: to equip students with a solid foundation for productive careers; to advance the knowledge base for future technologies; and to merge teaching, scholarship, and practice in the pursuit of solutions to human needs. These purposes clearly continue the Brown tradition of usefulness and service. They also focus especially on creating knowledge of a particular type ?the technological advances (and their scientific foundations) that play such a prominent role in furthering the quality of life in an age of information and global competition. The Brown curriculum in general makes students accountable for their academic choices, granting both the freedom to determine a uniquely suited educational path and the responsibility to become broadly educated. Translating those values into a technical degree program offers a challenge, in that many technical and scientific knowledge components have a consecutive and progressive character. The Division of Engineering establishes a number of requirements, yet, wherever possible, offers students options and "sub-options" through which they tailor their programs to meet individual needs and interests. The Engineering core constitutes a mostly fixed set of requirements for all engineers. Through the core curriculum, we prepare students from a wide range of backgrounds for successful completion of an undergraduate degree in an engineering or science field, especially an ABET-accredited degree in Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Materials, or Mechanical Engineering. By basing all of these engineering disciplines in a common core of science and engineering topics, we foster both an interdisciplinary approach to understanding problems and a multidisciplinary environment for learning and team-building.
At the same time, a fundamental principle of a liberal education is that students should understand how knowledge is obtained and organized in the broad areas encompassing the humanities, social sciences, and physical and life sciences. It is important to understand how these fields of knowledge define their objects of study and how they employ different methods of investigation. Within these areas, effort should be made to integrate the course choices in a coherent way. For example, one possibility is to take a sequence of courses that provide both continuity and depth in a subject matter; another is to take several courses that deal with the same subject matter but from different perspectives. In this way, students may begin to build upon what they have learned in one course, coming ultimately to a deeper understanding of an area of study.
Program Objectives
We expect our Chemical and Biochemical Engineering program graduates to:
I. Pursue distinctive scientific and technical careers, beginning with entry-level engineering positions in industry or graduate study in chemical or biochemical engineering, or related fields; to pursue other professional careers that involve the application of the engineering method;
II. Successfully apply the principles of chemical or biochemical engineering, as well as problem-solving skills and critical and independent thinking to a broad range of multidisciplinary, complex 21st-century problems; to communicate effectively in written and oral form to diverse professions and audiences; to pursue technical approaches and innovations that satisfy the future needs of society in a safe and environmentally responsible manner;
III. Adopt the scientific method as a cornerstone of their lifelong liberal education and use their broad understanding of human institutions, behavior, and values to achieve leadership in their chosen endeavors.
