While the College Board lists the following AP classes as the most useful in preparation for chemical engineering, it would be great to narrow down the importance of each course individually in regards to a chemical engineering major.
AP Biology
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
AP Chemistry
AP Computer Science A
AP Environmental Science
AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
AP Physics C: Mechanics
For example, I need to decide between taking AP Physics C and AP Chemistry during my senior year. I had always been told that AP Physics C is vital for any engineering major, but I’m now unsure of its relevance in chemical engineering. If need be I can and will take both courses, but I would like to hear which is more important.
As a chemical engineering major, you’ll be required to take Physics, Calc, Chem, CS, and likely Bio as well. A 4/5 on any of those exams could let you skip an intro class so you really can’t go wrong except with APES which is a pretty useless course.
As far as which is most important to prep for chemical engineering courses, it’s certainly calculus, probably followed by chemistry. Both tend to be weed-out type classes as well, so AP credit would go a long way.
The material from Physics C is actually not very important at all in ChemE. The physics topics that actually matter to ChemEs, like thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, are almost completely absent from Physics C.
Here’s how I’d list them in order of importance:
Calculus
Chemistry
Computer Science/Biology (tie)
Physics
Environmental Science
This is the perfect answer. Thanks so much!
In addition to the helpful advice above: you will probably have to take physics classes covering AP Physics material, however, so even an honors or regular class in physics would probably be a good idea.