Undergraduate Programs

Each year, the department recognizes chemical engineering student achievement and excellence by making several awards and scholarships, which are supported largely by generous donations from alumni, corporations and professional societies.

Applications for awards and scholarships are solicited during the Spring semester.

Awards and Scholarships for Second and Third Year Students

Alvin Hurd McNeilly Memorial Scholarship The Alvin McNeilly Scholarship is given annually to a 3rd year ChE student who has demonstrated high academic achievement. Scholarship funds are applied to the student’s tuition in the 4th year.

Dudley M. Harman Scholarship The Dudley M. Harman Scholarship recognizes outstanding academic achievement and interest in the chemical engineering profession with a partial tuition scholarship. Scholarship funds are applied to the student’s tuition in the 4th year.

Via Brothers Award The Via Brothers Award recognizes outstanding leadership and service in addition to excellent academic performance. The award is given to a 3rd year ChE student. Applications are solicited in the Spring and awards are made by the ChE faculty. The award is a cash prize.

Gregory J. Canty Research Award The Gregory J. Canty Research Award funds outstanding undergraduate students who propose a project to be carried out in the summer following application for the award and the subsequent academic year. The amount of the award is typically between $2,500 and $3,000 and will be granted on a competitive basis to current second- and third-year undergraduate chemical engineering students. Click here for more information on the required application documents.

Robert Thomson Scholarship The Robert Thomson Scholarship recognizes chemical engineering students who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement. Scholarship funds are applied to the student’s tuition in the 4th year.

Donald F. Othmer Academic Excellence Award The Othmer Award is sponsored by AIChE and is given to the ChE student with the highest GPA after the 2nd year. Nominations are made by the ChE faculty.

Edward and Lois Paul Award The Edward and Lois Paul Award is awarded to a chemical engineering student who also has a passion for music. The award is a cash prize.

Excellence in Research Award Awarded to student(s) who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in undergraduate research as noted by publications, patents, posters and presentations. The award is a cash prize.

Excellence in Leadership Award Awarded to student(s) who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and service to their class, department, the Engineering School, and the University as noted by their vision and initiative, ability to execute, teamwork, collaboration, communication, social skills, and having earned the respect of their peers and faculty. The award is a cash prize.

Excellence in Diversity Award Awarded to outstanding students(s) who have exhibited an unparalleled commitment to one of our core values: creating an inclusive community. This student has shown exceptional dedication to raising the consciousness of the Chemical Engineering community at UVA and advocating for diversity in all areas. The award is a cash prize.

Awards for Fourth Year ChE Students

David Lee Preddy Award This award is made possible by funds given to the department by the Preddy family in memory of David Preddy (BS '53), an alumnus of the department who passed away after a very successful, but unfortunately brief career with Dow Chemical Co. The cash prize award recognizes interest and achievement in chemical engineering design and is presented by the ChE faculty in the Spring to one or more graduating ChE students.

Louis T. Rader Chemical Engineering Prize The Louis T. Rader Chemical Engineering Prize is given to one or more ChE students who have demonstrated academic ability, an ability to get along well with others, and an ability to work hard. The cash prize award is presented by the ChE faculty in the Spring to one or more 4th year ChE students.

American Institute of Chemists Award The award, sponsored by the American Institute of Chemists Foundation, is given to the student with the highest GPA in a Chemistry-related discipline, including Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, and Biochemistry. Nominations are made by the ChE faculty

All UVA ChE students interested in studying at universities outside the USA should visit the UVA INTERNATIONAL STUDIES OFFICE (ISO) and speak to PROF. ERIC ANDERSON, the department study abroad coordinator.

STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES TAILORED FOR CHEMICAL ENGINEERING MAJORS.

The Study Abroad site provides two study abroad tools: 1) a Curricular Design Tool to adjust a student's engineering curriculum to incorporate courses taken abroad, including those outside of engineering, and 2) an engineering-specific database for international courses and programs. It also has step-by-step guidelines, degree-specific and ISO advising resources, a suggested timeline and resources for preparations, and cultural and logistical resources for passport and visa information.

The ISO site contains the most authoritative and complete information about study opportunities and guidance for all types of arrangements.

CHE undergraduates who wish to spend one semester studying abroad often do so during their 4th, 5th, or 6th semesters. With careful planning, SEAS students in the B.S. ChE major may spend one of these semesters abroad and still graduate on schedule, but careful planning is required.

If at all possible, the courses taken at a foreign university should count towards the B.S. ChE degree, serve as prerequisites to later courses and fit within the course schedule.

Seek equivalents to the following:

• CHE 2202: Thermodynamics
• CHE 2216: Computer Modeling and Simulation in Chemical Engineering
• CHE 3316: Chemical Thermodynamics and Staged Unit Operations
• CHE 3318: Chemical Reaction Engineering
• CHE 3321: Transport Operations I. (Fluid Mechanics, Momentum Transfer)
• CHE 3322: Transport Operations II. (Heat and Mass Transfer)
• CHE 4438: Process Instrument Control
• CHE electives, such as CHE 3347: Biochemical Engineering; CHE 4449: Polymer Chemistry and Engineering; CHE 4442: Applied Surface Chemistry

Important: The student's ChE Advisor must approve all courses for credit taken in other universities. The form for transfer credit, available in the Office of the SEAS Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, should be used. The student's advisor, or the CHE advisor for international studies, can help procure the necessary information, if it is not readily available online, and assist in determining equivalencies.

If it is not possible to take approved ChE courses at a chosen foreign university, the length of a student's program may be extended unless arrangements can be made to take equivalents to the courses missed in another U.S. university during a summer. ChE departments at Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, and elsewhere often teach such courses in summer.

The following kinds of courses can also usefully be studied abroad:

• SEAS HSS electives
• SEAS Unrestricted Electives
• B.S. ChE Technical Electives
• APMA courses that match APMA 2130, 3080, 3100, or 3120

The normal suggested schedule for Semester 4 is:

• APMA 3110 Probability & Statistics
• CHEM 2420 Organic Chemistry II
• CHE 2216 Computer Model & Simulation in Chemical Engineering
• CHE 2202 Thermodynamics
• College of Arts & Sciences Second Writing Requirement, STS 2xxx, or STS 3xxx

Equivalents for all of these courses are likely to be offered abroad. Both of these can be taken at UVA in Semester 6. Note that many foreign courses are part of a full-year course rather than given in a single semester.

The normal suggested schedule for Semester 5 is:

• CHE 3316 Chemical Thermodynamics and Staged Unit Operations
• CHE 3321 Transport Processes I
• CHEM 3610 Physical Chemistry
• CHEM 2411 Organic Chemistry Lab
• Unrestricted Elective

Equivalents for all of these courses except CHE 3316 are likely to be offered abroad. Note that many foreign courses are part of a full-year course rather than given in a single semester and so the final examination may not be given until the end of spring, requiring a student to return to the foreign university.

The normal suggested schedule for Semester 6 is:

• CHE 3318 Chemical Reaction Engineering
• CHE 3322 Transport Processes II
• CHE 3398 Chemical Engineering Lab I
• Tech Elective
• HSS Elective

Equivalents for all of these courses are likely to be offered abroad, though the arrangements for the laboratory course may be difficult to meet. All of the ChE courses must be completed before taking the UVA ChE courses in Semesters 7 and 8. Note that many foreign courses are part of a full-year course rather than given in a single semester.

Every year, students transfer into the UVA Chemical Engineering program from other programs at UVA, the Virginia Community College System, or other Colleges or Universities.

If you are considering transferring to UVA Chemical Engineering, please contact the ChE Undergraduate Program Coordinator to discuss your plan of study or to ask specific questions about the UVA  B.S. in Chemical Engineering degree program.

Questions about the admissions process or other details about applying to UVA should be directed to The Office of Undergraduate Admission, and questions about the Intra-University Transfer process should be directed to the UVA Engineering Office of Undergraduate Programs.

The core chemical engineering Curriculum at UVA typically is completed as a three-year sequence. It is possible to transfer to UVA Chemical Engineering and complete your degree in two years, but doing so requires transfer credit for CHE 2202 (Thermodynamics), CHE 2215 (Material & Energy Balances), and CHE 2216 (Modeling & Simulation in ChE) at a minimum (in addition to other transfer coursework). Students interested in completing an Intra-University Transfer or changing their major to chemical engineering should take the second-year CHE courses in the normal sequence regardless of whether they have completed the transfer process or not as doing so is important for staying on track for four-year graduation. Please contact the ChE Undergraduate Program Coordinator if you have questions regarding potential CHE course transfer credit or your plan of study. 

Current UVA Engineering Students:

• Please contact the ChE Undergraduate Program Coordinator to discuss your plan of study and to complete the paperwork necessary to CHANGE YOUR MAJOR.

Current UVA Students Needing to Transfer into UVA Engineering (Intra-University Transfers):

• Learn about the UVA Engineering INTERNAL TRANSFER PROCESS.
• Contact the ChE Undergraduate Program Coordinator if you have specific questions about the chemical engineering degree program.

Students at Other Colleges or Universities:

• Learn about the EXTERNAL TRANSFER PROCESS.
• Contact the ChE Undergraduate Program Coordinator if you have specific questions about the chemical engineering degree program.

Graduates of the Chemical Engineering program at the University of Virginia will utilize their technical competency, breadth of knowledge, communication and teamwork skills, and adaptability to serve effectively and ethically in the chemical engineering profession; to become technical leaders in industry, government or academia; or to pursue advanced study in engineering and applied sciences and in professions such as law, business, and medicine.

• An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
• An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration for public health, safety, and welfare as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
• An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
• An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
• An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
• An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
• An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.