Updating the chemical engineering curriculum for the 21 ^st century

The field of chemical engineering is evolving, and curricula must evolve to match the new world in which graduates of our programs will find themselves. There is a general consensus that there should be ever-greater emphasis on biological-based processes and on batch processes. But does this force a decreased emphasis on chemical processes and continuous processes? Feedback from alumni and from industry continues to indicate the need for an even greater emphasis on written and oral communication skills, as well as the ability to function well in teams and in multidisciplinary environments. But does this require less emphasis on engineering fundamentals? Students often have difficulty synthesizing material from various courses. Can design content be introduced throughout the curriculum to help resolve this without adverse effects? These are the types of issues that must be addressed by all departments when they undergo their periodic program reviews. The chemical engineering department at New Jersey Institute of Technology has just completed an extensive top-to-bottom review and revision of the curriculum for its Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering degree. This paper will review the input that was received from our various constituencies, and will discuss how the above (and other) issues were resolved in the redevelopment of our program.