Introduction to Chemical Engineering

Send feedback about this page to Dr. Robert Hesketh (Rowan University) or Dr. Milind Joshipura (Nirma University)

Introduction to Engineering Syllabi

• Purdue University
• University of Notre Dame: Introduction to Chemical Engineering Analysis - includes a large number of examples using python
• Hesketh Section (Rowan University): Emphasis on ChE Examples

Textbooks

General Freshman Engineering Textbooks 

• Engineering Fundamentals: An Introduction to Engineering, 7th ed. by Saeed Moaveni
• Studying Engineering, 5th ed. by Steffen Peuker and Jennifer Mott
• Exploring Engineering An Introduction to Engineering and Design by Robert Balmer and William Keat
• Introduction to Engineering: Modeling and Problem Solving by Jay Brockman 
• Engineering Fundamentals and Problem Solving, 6 ed. by Arvid R. Eide, Roland D. Jenison, Larry L. Northup, and Steven K. Mickelson
• Concepts in Engineering, 2nd ed. Mark Holtzapple and W. Reece
• Introduction to Engineering, 3rd ed. Paul H. Wright 
   

• Strategies for Creative Problem Solving, 3rd ed. by H Scott Fogler and Steven E. LeBlanc

• Developing a Freshman Introduction to Engineering Textbook: This is an ASEE article reviewing current freshman engineering texts and developing a new one

Screencasts

• LearnChemE (University of Colorado Boulder): Learning strategy videos and other resources
• Art of Engineering: Freshman introduction from Columbia University
• Top 10 Tips for Engineering Freshmen from StayWithItEng
• Engineers Beyond Engineering - The Art of Being an Engineer: Philippe Rival at TEDxImperialCollege
• Why We Need Engineers Now More Than Ever | Elanor Huntington | TEDxSydney
• How to Pass an Engineering Exam
• Freshman Engineering Lectures: Marshall University

What Does a Chemical Engineer Do?

• History of Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology: A history of chemical engineering that encompasses its conceptual origins in Great Britain, subsequent struggle for survival in the United States, and a cornucopia of contributions made in this century (by Wayne Pafko)
• "What is a Chemical Engineer?": This website defines chemical engineering and gives examples of the work of chemical engineers (by Wayne Pafko)
• American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
  • What do Chemical Engineers do?
  • Career FAQ's: A summary of the results of an interview of three AIChE members, representing different career paths in chemical engineering. They answer students' most frequently asked questions about education and launching their careers
• "Cool Careers - Chemical Engineer": YouTube video by MindFuel Canada
   

Experiments and Activities Employed in First-Year Introduction to Engineering Courses

• Reverse-engineering coffee machines:
  • The Competitive Assessment Laboratory: Introducing Engineering Design via Consumer Product Benchmarking - Marchese, Ramachandran, Hesketh, and Schmalzel
  • Wake-Up to Engineering: - Hesketh
• An Introduction to Drug Delivery for Chemical Engineers: - Farrell and Hesketh
• Fluidized Bed Polymer Coating Experiment - Hesketh, Slater, Farrell, and Carney handout
• Using a Cogeneration Facility to Illustrate Engineering Practice to Lower-Level Students: - Hesketh and Slater
  • Cogeneration
    
    • Student tour handout
    • HYSYS simulation of collected data
  • Flowrate and temperature (Data acquisition & analog)
  • Pressure hydrostatic and vacuum (Data acquisition & analog) Penny Seymour
• Chromium Pollution: An Experiment Adapted for Freshman Engineering Students -Seymour
• ChemECar Experiments in a Chemical Engineering Freshman Seminar - Bowman
• Freshman Chemical Engineering Experiment: Charged up on Electrophoresis & Brewing with Bioreactors - Minerick and Schulz

Teaching tips

• Survey of First Year Engineering Programs - Brannan and Wankat
• How We Teach: Freshman Introduction to Chemical Engineering: Survey on the freshman engineering courses, what topics are taught, in what environment they are taught, and how they are assessed. Teaching methods and novel approaches are focus elements of this survey. Innovative teaching methods in general introduction to engineering courses are included (Silverstein et al.)
• Current Resources for Freshman Engineering: ASEE (American Society of Engineering Education) First-Year Programs Division
• A Survival Guide to Chemical Engineering - Bullard
• Results & Lessons Learned from a Chemical Engineering Freshman Design Laboratory - Butterfield and Branch (University of Utah)

Updated and verified August 10, 2026