- Department of Chemical Engineeringvs Department of Materials Sciencevs Department of Chemistry
- What is the difference between the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Chemistry?
Chemical Engineering is the addition of engineering to chemistry. After understanding the concepts of chemistry, we use engineering methods to manufacture mass production, while taking cost, profit, and environmental impact into account. Compared to the Department of Chemistry, which focuses on exploring the causes of chemical changes and the rationale behind them, the Department of Chemical Engineering focuses more on practical application and production process. Take the development of pharmaceutical companies as an example, the Department of Chemistry is responsible for the development of new drugs through the basic principles of chemistry, such as the well-known vaccine development. The Department of Chemical Engineering uses mathematics, physics, biology, and chemistry methods to meet the company's needs of low cost and high production, and also due to the rising awareness of environmental protection in recent years, we need to make sure the process is environmentally friendly as well.
- What is the difference between the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Materials?
The Department of Materials is a new department that recently became independent from the Department of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering, which focuses on the structure, properties, and preparation of solid-state materials (such as metals and ceramics). The full name of the Department of Materials is the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. In contrast, their "Science" part indicates they are more inclined to the principal theory of science. Chemical Engineering also includes materials, but we are more concerned of the practical application of materials, such as the application of catalyst materials in chemical reactions, the application of porous materials in adsorption and separation procedures, and the application of biomedical materials in molecular sensing. In addition, Chemical Engineering focuses more on the production, improvement, and process of materials.
- Is it more “Chemical” or more “Engineering”?
One way to understand this is to look at the compulsory courses in the Department of Chemical Engineering. There are three main core courses in the Department of Chemical Engineering: Thermodynamics, Reaction Engineering, Fluid Mechanics and Transport Phenomena. Judging from the title of the courses, only Reaction Engineering involves chemical reactions, while the other two core courses focus more on physics and engineering.
Therefore, the main idea of the curriculum is engineering-related professional knowledge. Other theoretical courses such as organic chemistry and analytical chemistry are relatively unimportant. Thus, we can say that “Chemical” in the Department of Chemical Engineering is only an adjective, and the noun will be “Engineering”. Our goal is to make graduates of the Department of Chemical Engineering able of applying physics and chemistry knowledge to practical problems and achieve mass production through process design, while at the same time minimizing costs and waste.
- Do chemical engineers have to learn a wide range of things?
The development and application of science today have moved in the direction of cross-field cooperation. Indeed, the compulsory courses of the Department of Chemical Engineering not only cover engineering-related professional knowledge but also cover subjects such as material mechanics, organic chemistry, electrical engineering, etc. Among the elective courses, courses related to emerging fields such as biochemistry and biomedicine, and programming (AI-related) are also included. Graduates of the Department of Chemical Engineering should master the basic knowledge of each field, this will be the foundation for cross-field cooperation in the future. In addition, when facing difficult engineering problems in the future, one should be able to think from multiple perspectives.
- Since there are a lot of compulsory courses, do we still have time to pursue our own choice?
Becoming a qualified engineer is a difficult road. First, it is not something that can be achieved in a short period of time, and there will be many compulsory courses during one’s freshman and sophomore years. When friends from other departments worried about not having enough credits, the timetable of students in the Department of Chemical Engineering is already filled up with compulsory courses. Also, since we value practical application very much, in addition to the study of theoretical knowledge, there will also be many experimental courses. But the hardship will pass after junior year, and life will be much easier than the previous two years. In junior and senior years, students can choose their preferred elective courses, or even cross-college courses, based on their experiences from freshman and sophomore year. Get ready for the future!
- Under what conditions can undergraduate freshmen apply for credit exemptions or exemptions from courses?
The eligibility criteria for credit exemptions or course exemptions vary. For detailed information, please refer to the National Taiwan University's website for new and transfer students (http://reg.aca.ntu.edu.tw/newstu/index.htm), which provides the most detailed explanations for undergraduate programs, including the NTU Course Credit Exemption System (http://curri.aca.ntu.edu.tw/aca_doc/waive.asp), prerequisite courses in basic subjects, and exemption certification exams (http://apc.aca.ntu.edu.tw/fcc/index.aspx).
- What are the graduation credits and semester credit requirements for students in the Chemical Engineering Department?
a. Depending on the year of enrollment, there may be minor adjustments. Please use the link to access the system for querying required courses and credits for bachelor's programs: http://140.112.161.31/NTUVoxCourse/QPService/infoQuery.aspx
b. The duration of study in the department is four years, with a maximum extension of two years allowed. Leave of absence is limited to four semesters.