All colleges that provide bachelor's degrees in chemical engineering have core requirement courses that must be taken before majoring in chemical engineering. These core course requirements include mathematics, physics, English, science, history and social studies. Some of the core course requirements can be achieved through elective courses in a variety of areas, but a chemical engineering student will benefit from taking some basic chemistry and biology courses before proceeding onto a chemical engineering major. The core requirement courses are generally taken within the first two years of college.
The basic major courses or basic sequence courses begin after the core courses are complete and generally begin in the third year of college. These courses include two courses in chemical engineering, four courses in chemistry, three courses in advanced mathematics, four physics courses and at least one course in English or writing. Many different courses can be used for each type. For example, the four courses in chemistry can include the principles of chemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry or physical chemistry just as long as those courses meet the grade level of chemistry. Grade level of courses are measured by the year -- chemistry 101 is a freshman or first-year course, while chemistry 308 is a junior year or third-year chemistry course that provides more advanced studies of chemistry.
Major courses are the more advanced courses required for a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. The courses include approximately 13 courses in chemical engineering. The courses run from second-year chemical engineering to fourth-year chemical engineering courses. There are two elective courses that are available at the major course level, but these two electives must be approved by a technical adviser as well as pertain to the engineering degree. An advanced course in physical therapy is not considered an elective course at the major course level. A first-, second-, third- or fourth-year course in biology fits into the approved elective courses.
Other major required courses are those designed to enhance the chemical engineering student's skills in this field. These courses cover a host of electives in certain areas such as fine arts, humanities, history, social science and different courses that utilize a laboratory as part of the course. These courses are different than the core courses because they are more advanced grade-level courses. An example of this kind of major required course is a third-year course in English.