Focus and Minors
Customize your chemical engineering degree with a focus or minor. You can choose to focus in depth on an area that will directly benefit your career or support your interests.
Focus for chemical engineering majors
If you’re looking to tailor your undergraduate degree based on career goals or personal interests, you can focus your electives around an area of focus. Focus' are not required, and the options below are intended as a roadmap—a selection of courses to help shape your studies.
These courses may or may not count as a major-approved elective, so always ask your advisor. Note that some courses are only offered once per year (either fall or spring) or alternate years.
Applied mathematics
- MAE 3100 - Introduction to Applied Mathematics*
- MATH 3110 - Introduction to Analysis
Biomedical engineering
- BME 3010/CHEME 4010 - Cellular Principles of Biomedical Engineering
- BME 3020/CHEME 4020 - Molecular Principles of Biomedical Engineering
- BME 6210/CHEME 6310 - Engineering Principles for Drug Delivery
- BIOG 1500 - Investigative Biology Laboratory
- BIOMG 1350 - Introductory Biology: Cell and Developmental Biology
- BIOAP 3160 - Cellular Physiology
- BIOAP 4580 - Mammalian Physiology
- BIOBM 3300 - Principles of Biochemistry, Individual Instruction (or BIOBM 3310 - Proteins and Metabolism)
- BIOBM 4320 - Survey of Cell Biology
Biotechnology
- CHEME 5430 - Bioprocess Engineering
- BME 5010 - Bioengineering Seminar
- BEE 4640 - Bioseparation Processes*
- BIOBM 3300 or 3310 - Principles of Biochemistry
- BIOBM 4320 - Survey of Cell Biology
- BIOMI 2900 - General Microbiology
- BIOMI 2910 - General Microbiology Laboratory Lectures
- BIOMI 4160 - Bacterial Physiology*
Chemical processes
- CHEME 4700 - Process Control Strategies
- CHEME 5430 - Bioprocess Engineering
Computational optimization and big data analytics
- CHEME 6800 - Computational Optimization
- CHEME 6880 - Industrial Big Data Analytics and Machine Learning
- ENGRD 2700 - Basic Engineering Probability and Statistics
- ORIE 3300 - Optimization I
- ORIE 3310 - Optimization II
- ORIE 3510 - Introductory Engineering Stochastic Processes I
Computer-aided design
- CS/ENGRD 2110 - Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures
- CS 3420/ECE 3140 - Embedded Systems
- CS 4320 - Introduction to Database Systems
Economic analysis
- ENGRD 2700 - Basic Engineering Probability and Statistics
- ORIE 3150 - Financial and Managerial Accounting
- ORIE 4150 - Economic Analysis of Engineering Systems
- ORIE 4152/MAE 4610 - Entrepreneurship for Engineers
- NCC 5060 - Managerial Finance
- NBA 5530 - Accounting and Financial Decision Making
Electronic materials
- ECE 3150 - Introduction to Microelectronics
- MSE 3050 - Electronic, Magnetics, and Dielectric Properties of Materials
- MSE 5410/ECE 4360 - Nanofabrication
Energy
- CHEME 5207 - Hydrocarbon Resources
- CHEME 5208 - Renewable Resources from Agriculture
- CHEME 6640 - Energy Economics
- CHEME 6650 - Energy Engineering
- CHEME 6660 - Analysis of Sustainable Energy Systems
- Energy Modules
Environmental quality
- BEE 4750 - Environmental Systems Analysis
- CHEME 5430 - Bioprocess Engineering
- CHEME 6610 - Air Pollution Control
- CEE 3510 - Environmental Quality Engineering
- CEE 6580 - Biodegradation and Biocatalysis
Food science
- FDSC 2000 - Introduction to Physiochemical and Biological Aspects of Foods
- FDSC 3940/BIOMI 3940 - Applied and Food Microbiology
- FDSC 3960 - Food Safety Assurance*
- FDSC 4170, 4180 - Food Chemistry I and II (BIOBM 3300 recommended)
- FDSC 4230 - Food Processing A: Unit Operations and Food Packaging
- FDSC 4250 - Unit Operations and Dairy Foods Processing
Materials science
- CHEME 6400 - Polymeric Materials
- MSE 3010 - Materials Chemistry I*
- MSE 2610/MAE 3120 - Mechanical Properties of Materials, Junior Laboratory II
- MSE 5210 - Properties of Solid Polymers
- MSE 5310 - Introduction to Ceramics*
Polymer processing
- CHEME 6400 - Polymeric Materials
- MSE 5210 - Properties of Solid Polymers
- MSE 5230 - Physics of Soft Materials*
- MSE 5240 - Synthesis of Polymeric Materials*
- FSAD 3350 - Fiber Science*
Quality control
- ENGRD 2700 - Basic Engineering Probability and Statistics
- ORIE 3120 - Industrial Data and Systems Analysis
*Courses offered alternate years. Refer to the current Cornell Course Roster
Undergraduate minors
Students majoring in chemical engineering can pursue a minor based on the parameters defined by the College of Engineering. Students can minor in any field of study in the College of Engineering or across Cornell; however, your schedule must allow for courses related to your minor, you should be aware of potential overlaps, and completing the required courses for your major should be your highest priority.
Work closely with your advisor if you wish to pursue a minor. Completion of the minor is audited by the department or school that offers it.
Popular minors for chemical engineering majors
Applied mathematics — Offered jointly by the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Department of Mathematics
Learn more about the applied mathematics minor
Biomedical engineering — Offered by the Department of Biomedical Engineering
Learn more about the biomedical engineering minor
Minors offered by the Smith School
Engineering entrepreneurship — Offered in partnership with several departments across the College of Engineering, this minor focuses on giving engineering students the skills necessary to identify and evaluate opportunities and begin new business ventures. The coursework leads to an understanding and ability in intellectual property, competition, technology assessment, product development, finance, and accounting.
Learn more about the engineering entrepreneurship minor
Sustainable energy systems — Offered in partnership with other departments in the college, this minor is intended to emphasize the importance of viewing the challenge of meeting the world’s energy needs as a system of interacting themes. Its requirements are designed to provide breadth across a range of energy resource types and conversion, transmission and storage technologies, and the environmental, economic, political, and social consequences of various options.
Learn more about the sustainable energy systems minor