Chemical engineers can be occupied with a very broad range of challenges and solutions. From developing the smallest chemical structures in a lab – small enough to fit on a chip – to maintaining, improving or designing giant-sized reactors and installations.
This study will prepare you for this broad and fascinating field. Throughout the programme, chemistry is not your end goal, but the starting point for deepening, broadening and sustainably applying chemical technology.
Modules Chemical Science & Engineering
During this three-year bachelor's programme, you will follow twelve modules: four modules per year. Each module covers a theme and brings together all the main aspects of your studies: theory and practice, research and solution design, self-study and teamwork.
Overview modules
Module 1 | Chemistry15
In this first module, chemistry takes centre stage. You will work on your basic knowledge of atoms and the periodic table, the electronic structure of atoms and molecules, acids and bases, covalent bonds and different reactions. You will finish off this module with a practical and a team project, in which you tackle a challenging sustainable-chemistry topic.
Module 2 | Process Engineering15
You will learn all about thermodynamics and thermodynamic cycles. For the team project, you will be challenged to design a suitable reactor for your own process, along with the first separation stage, including recycling. The size of the recycle stream is a design variable. Minimal use of raw materials and energy is an important design criterion. During the practical class, you will come across reactor types and distillations again.
Module 3 | Materials Science15
In order to predict how materials and their properties will behave, you need to know more about the material's atoms and atom structures. The central theme in this module is the relationship between a material's properties and its structure at atomic level. You will be learning about quantum mechanics and materials at a molecular level. In your team project, we will challenge you and your fellow students to come up with a possibility for using a certain material for a new energy application.
Module 4 | Equilibria & Electrochemistry15
You will learn all about chemical equilibrium reactions, phase transitions and electrochemical processes. These issues play a crucial rolein the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries, among others, where they are used in manufacturing andpurification processes and for the analysis of material composition. The theoretical part of Electrochemistry will teach you the basics as well as the large-scale industrial processes for electrochemical production of base chemicals like hydrogen. In the accompanying practicum and project you will carry out your own experiments and use a conceptual modelling approach to learn to understand the relationship between experimental phenomena, observations, measurements, theories and assumptions.
Module 5 | Industrial processes15
You will learn how to design and study chemical processes. You will do this at a molecular level, where reaction kinetics and catalysis play an important role. At process level, you will get familiar with the most important process steps involved in making a desired product from different raw materials, such as petroleum, natural gas and biomass. For the Sustainable Industrial Chemistry project, together with your fellow classmates, you will study a process in detail. The challenge is to see if you can make it more sustainable and to assess its societal implications.
Module 6 | Transport Phenomena15
How can you apply the fundamental aspects and the basic equations for describing transport of impulse, mass and energy to situations in engineering and everyday life? This question is the starting point for this module. The ability to draft and (numerically) solve conservation laws (balances) is an essential skill for (chemical) engineers. In module 6 you will learn all about these subjects. In your modelling project, you will directly apply the knowledge you have gained, using experiments to verify the models and determine the unknown parameters.
Module 7 | Molecules & Materials15
Did you know that materials at nano-scale have very different properties than the same materials in larger dimensions? And that you can change the properties of materials by letting molecules organise themselves into larger units, such as on surfaces and nanoparticles? In this module, you will learn more about this. You will also study organic and bioorganic chemistry, colloid chemistry and perform (bio) organic experiments. You will work with a selection of modern spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques for qualitative and quantitative analysis of (mixtures of) molecules.
Module 8 | Elective module15
In this module, you can choose between process technology or material science. These are also directions you can specialise in if you enter our Master's programme Chemical Engineering.
A) PROCESS TECHNOLOGY: PROCESS DESIGN (DESIGNING)
You will get started with reactor technology and separation techniques. For example, the core of a process is the reactor, where the raw material is converted into the desired product. Besides the desired product, the reactor may produce raw materials, by-products and (sometimes) solvents. This mixture has to be separated, so you can obtain the product and the raw materials at the desired purity level. In order to do this, you need to know all about separation steps and the different techniques used. In the project belonging to this module, you will apply all the knowledge you have gained.
B) MATERIAL SCIENCE: THE CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY OF MATERIALS
You will familiarize yourself with the relationships between a material's basic properties and structure, and its functional application. After all, every device – whether it is an artificial hip or a pair of sunglasses – combines the properties of different materials to achieve a certain purpose. You will attend lectures on material synthesis and characterization, and then apply your knowledge practically, discussing the mechanical, thermal and dielectric properties of materials. In the second half of the module you will set to work on a project involving inorganic materials.
Modules 9&10 | Electives30
During modules 9&10 you have elective space, you can choose form the following options:
Studying abroad is an invaluable adventure and we definitely recommend it! You will learn to approach issues from a different cultural perspective and develop the flexibility to work in various teams and circumstances. These are all skills that will come in handy later on.
Get your second-degree teaching qualification: do you want to teach after completing this programme? Use your minor to obtain your second-degree teaching qualification.
Free electives (minors) offer you a way to broaden your knowledge by taking modules from other programmes at the University of Twente. Popular minors, for example, are Science, Finance for Engineers, and Geo-Information Systems.
Modules 11&12 | Bachelor Assignment30
You will spend the last two modules writing your bachelor’s thesis and graduating. In module 11, next to courses in Research, Ethics and Statistics, you also choose from a variety of elective courses (like Biochemistry, Bionanotechnology, Process Equipment Design, etc.). You start preparing your capstone. In module 12 you will write a research plan and conduct independent literature research. For your bachelor’s assignment, you will work with one of our departments, conducting independent research under the guidance of a PhD student. On successful completion of the twelve modules, you will receive your Bachelor’s diploma and you can officially call yourself Bachelor of Science in Chemical Science & Engineering.
First time at university
As a first-year student, you will face a lot of new experiences. We’d like to explain a few of them to you.
During your three-year bachelor's programme, you will take 12 modules (4 modules per year). Each module, you will address a theme that is hot in society, business or industry. This theme will bring together all the components of your study: theory and practice, research, designing solutions, self-study and teamwork.
A fixed part of every module is the team project, in which you and your teammates apply the knowledge you have acquired to a current challenge and design a workable solution. This learning method is part of the Twente Education Model (TOM): an innovative approach to studying that you will only find at the University of Twente.
Study credits – how do they work? Student workload at Dutch universities is expressed in EC, also named ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System), which is widely used throughout the European Union. In the Netherlands, each credit represents 28 hours of work. You need to acquire 60 credits each year.
Your programme assigns fixed numbers of hours to each assignment, project report or exam. In the first year, you need to get at least 45 out of 60 points to be able to continue to the second year.
Did you get 45 EC or more? Then you can enter the second year Our aim is to get you in the right place as soon as possible, which is why we use the principle of a binding recommendation. You will receive a positive recommendation if you have obtained 45 or more of the 60 EC in the first year. A negative recommendation is binding and means you have to leave the programme. Under certain circumstances, we may give you a positive recommendation despite a low score. For example, if we are confident that you are in the right place.
Do personal circumstances such as illness or problems interfere with your study performance? Student Affairs Coaching & Counselling (SACC) is there to support you.
Student association Alembic
Alembic is the student association for the Chemical Science & Engineering programme. The association is committed to representing the interests of students enrolled in the Bachelor’s programme Chemical Science & Engineering and the corresponding Master’s programme Chemical Engineering, and specifically those of Alembic members. Being a member of Alembic means you will have an unforgettable time studying, receive discounts on textbooks and enjoy the possibility of taking part in committees. But there’s much more! For example, Alembic has its own ‘living room’, were you can enjoy a coffee, or get to know senior students, who can help you with your studies if you get stuck. In short: Alembic is an ‘extended family’ where you will always be welcome.
