What's the difference between Chem and ChemE?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>What's the difference between Chem and ChemE?</p>

2

<p>Chemistry=Theory, ChemE=application.</p>

<p>That's very general, but it holds pretty true.</p>

3

<p>ChemE pays significantly more, but is more difficult.</p>

4

<p>Chem can be made much easier. For ChemE that isn't possible. Chem has more labs and no chemE courses. The physics requirements are easier. The math requirements are less (no diff eq). Overall, it's just easier. Lots of ChemEs drop into Chem but no Chems go to ChemE. That's the truth. Quote from my 1st chemE prof who is awesomely crazy is this: "I have had 2 majors and 2 minors. The liberal arts minors? Cake! Chemistry? CAKE!! ChemE is will be hard and many of you won't stay in it. But for those of you that do there are many more oppotunities that await you than those other majors. Stick with it. It's worth it."</p>

<p>ChemE has the highest drop-out (out of the major) rate on campus above ECE and others. It's a great major but you've gotta be ready for it. It hasn't let up yet and I'm on my sophomore year.</p>

<p>Here's the curriculums for the majors:
ChemE: <a href="http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/chem_eng/undergrad/cur4year.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/chem_eng/undergrad/cur4year.htm&lt;/a>
Specialized Chem (B.S.): <a href="http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/chem/undergrad/curchem.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/chem/undergrad/curchem.html&lt;/a>
Chem (B.A.): <a href="http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/chem/undergrad/curslet.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/chem/undergrad/curslet.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

5

<p>To clarify, some schools do require diff. eq. for their chem majors:</p>

<p><a href="http://revelle.ucsd.edu/fin4/pages/2005/12chem.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://revelle.ucsd.edu/fin4/pages/2005/12chem.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Math 20d is differential equations.</p>

<p>:)</p>

6

<p>The college of chemistry workshop guy at Berkeley gave this overbroad generalization:</p>

<p>"If you want to make this much [makes motion indicating an inch or two in size] of something, that's chemistry. If you want to make this much [makes motion indicating the size of a big table or larger] of something, or many tons of something, that's chemical engineering."</p>

7

<p>chemical engineering is taking a lab reaction and making it into a million tons of it using a single reactor to be used later in industry.chemistry is the science of looking at things at the molecular level.</p>

8

<p>Yeah the specialized chem program at U of I requires diff eq. Just found that out the other day. Good call karthi.</p>