My son is a graduating senior and is planning on attending UF this fall as an undergraduate chemical engineering major. Can anyone give me information about how the engineering program works for students and any internship/recruitment opportunities that are available? Any information would be appreciated.
How does the program works?
Here is a great little Viewbook on the Chem E department.
http://www.che.ufl.edu/PDF/ChE_Viewbook_2015.pdf
Next, download the Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering Curriculum Plan:
http://www.che.ufl.edu/PDF/CurrentUnderGradStudents/13_BSChECurriculumPlan.doc
The curriculum lays out the core classes he’ll be taking over the next few years. By the time he completes his sophomore year, he’ll have a sense of which technical electives he should choose and what areas he wants to focus on. Around that same time, he’ll determine if he wants to minor is another subject or do the combine degree program (BS/MS) which will allow him to earn his masters after 1 additional year’s worth of classes.
http://www.che.ufl.edu/Cur_UnderGrad_Course_Info.htm
Any internship/recruitment opportunities that are available?
Yes, but you have to go out and get them. UF is fairly well recruited for Chem E’s (and other engineering majors). As a freshman he should attend Career Showcase in the fall. It’s hard to earn an internship as a freshman, but it’s a good experience and will help prep him for next year. Job fairs are the number 1 source of internships and jobs, so learn to love Career Showcase. 
http://www.crc.ufl.edu/employers/employerCareerFairs.html
http://www.che.ufl.edu/aiche/images/cheme_gatorhead.png
He should also join UF’s AIChE chapter. It’s a great way for him to meet other Chem E’s, go on tours, meet recruiters and network. He’ll become more engaged in his 2, 3 and 4th years, but joining now will also get him on the mailing list. This is another source of internship/co-op info (the best source may be talking with other Chem E students!). AIChE also has a Mentor/Mentee program.
Finally, as a freshman he should focus on meeting other students and building his circle of friends. He should join a few clubs, play intermural sports and try to have some fun.
Almost forget, he can also pursue research, while at UF. This link has the best explanation about how to find a research opportunity at UF.
http://www.honors.ufl.edu/Research.aspx
And here is a list of Chem E faculty and what research areas they are currently pursuing, to give you a sense of what he may want to try while at UF.
http://www.che.ufl.edu/PDF/Research_Overview.pdf
He should also join one of the design teams, like the ChemE Car Competition. Recruiters love to ask questions about your experience working on a design team.
http://www.che.ufl.edu/aiche/images/oldimages/chemE_car_photos.JPG
Welcome to the Gator Nation!
Wow ! Gator88NE, you are our great hero ! The information you gave us is so so much appreciated .
Thank you so much for being on CC to help all of us. God Blessed !
Im a Senior ChemE. My freshman year was filled with general engineering courses like math, physics, and chemistry. Up till the day I had to decide which engineering discipline i wanted to major in, my mind was set on mechanical. The day before, I did an hour of research and changed my mind to chemical. I’m so glad I did and don’t regret it one bit. Sophomore year I took basic chemical engineering courses like fluids, thermo, etc. Junior year is when he can expect to be faced with the “harder” courses. I say “harder” because it’s only hard if you allow it to be. Someone who understands it better conceptually is smarter than someone who understands it better mathematically. If he makes it to Senior year, which he should because I’ll be honest when I tell you I’ve been half-asing it for the past 3 years, he’ll be okay. Internship experience is so much more important than GPA in my opinion and anyone in industry would probably tell you the same. He has the summer between sophomore-junior & junior-senior to find an internship. I prefer that over co-ops because I personally hate taking a semester off school and then having to come back. 90% of companies out there that hire chemE interns only hire students with >3.0 GPA, which I absolutely despise since its widely considered to be one of the most if not the most rigorous degree offered. I hate chemistry and all the chemistry courses I had to take. Every chemical engineer that I’ll be working for told me the same thing when I met them. He’ll expected to be an engineer, not a chemist.