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Quick Facts for Prospective Undergraduate Students

BSCHE Program

The Chemical Engineering Department offers a professional program leading to the bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering (BSCHE).  The first two years of this program are considered to be pre-professional and permit unrestricted enrollment for any student who qualifies for admission to the University of Florida. The remaining two or more years are considered to constitute the professional program.  All students electing to major in chemical engineering must successfully complete the minimum College of Engineering pre-professional program requirements.

The admission requirements have been arrived at after a very careful study of the experiences of thousands of students over a long period of years. In every case minimum requirements have evolved from studies of student performance at the University of Florida. These studies have had as a primary objective the identification factors that would indicate a reasonable chance for successful completion of University of Florida work.

Please refer to the University of Florida Undergraduate Catalog for the requirements for admission as a freshmen, transfer, or change of major.

Unit Operations Laboratories

This laboratory, commonly referred to as the "Unit Ops", is designed to give you hands-on experience with pilot-scale equipment that represent several of the unit operations commonly found in the chemical process and related industries. We find that many of our graduates become involved in plant operations early in their careers and exposure to large processing equipment is educational. The Unit Ops Laboratory is also intended to reinforce the chemical engineering sciences, introduce design of experiments and treatment of data, introduce analytical tools, and practice reporting

Scholarships

There are many ways that UF students can defray the cost of their college education. The university participates in numerous programs such as National Merit, National Achievement and National Hispanic.

National Merit Scholarship Program - UF offers a scholarship to all National Merit and National Achievement finalists who name the university as their college of first choice. To qualify, students must take the PSAT/NMSQT during their junior year in high school. A year-long research or study abroad program also is part of the scholarship package. Scholarships range in value from approximately $24,000 to $60,000.

Non- Florida Merit and Achievement Scholars scholarships include a waiver for the out of- state portion of their fees. For more information, contact the Office of Admissions at (352) 392-1365.

Florida Bright Futures Scholarship - The Florida Department of Education established this endowment to develop emerging talent in the state. Currently, Bright Futures awards approximately $10,000 to incoming freshmen who qualified and applied during their senior year of high school. Best of all, Bright Futures can be added to any other scholarship.
Contact your high school guidance office or the Florida Department of Education, 255 Collins Building, Tallahassee, FL 32399, toll-free 1-888-827-2004.

The College of Engineering and the Department of Chemical Engineering also administer some scholarships. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of financial need, academic performance, geographical location, student activities, and/or area of specialization. As a normal rule, scholarships are limited to U S citizens and many are limited to Florida residents. The majority of the scholarships require the student have an upper division grade point average from the University of Florida.
Read more: CHE Scholarships & Financial Aid & UF's Scholarships Site.

Student Group

• The typical freshman class at UF is 6,300.
• UF received more than 20,000 applications for the 2001 freshman class.

Student Outcomes

According to a recent workforce commission, the starting salaries for chemical engineers are among the highest in any engineering field.  Currently, the average starting salary for B.S. graduates exceeds $50,000 per year.

Also see the American Institute of Chemical Engineer's Web address for career information http://www.aiche.org.

Housing

The Division of Housing provides services to residents and supports their academic and personal development with well-maintained facilities, quality educational and social programs and a diverse community environment. There are 23 residence hall communities offering a variety of living options and amenities such as room styles, visitation plans and special interest programs like honors housing and the Leader/Scholar Program.

Students are not required to live on campus; however, more than 75% of incoming freshmen choose to live in university housing. The most prevalent room style is the air-conditioned double room, which accommodates two residents. All rooms are furnished with beds, dressers, desks, chairs and window coverings, and include local phone service, cable television service and high speed data service connections to student rooms.

Housing assignments are made on a first come, first served space-available basis. Freshmen who apply early and respond to the Division of Housing in a timely manner will receive priority for campus housing. Limited on-campus housing is available for transfer students. Interested transfer students can apply for housing up to twelve months before their initial semester of enrollment. Transfer housing offers cannot be made until students are admitted to UF.

Students may choose from several Gator Dining Services meal plans designed for flexibility, convenience and value. In addition to full-service campus dining facilities, a Gator Dining declining balance account may be used at specialty restaurants located on campus, including Chickfil- A, KFC, Burger King, Wendy’s, Little Caesar’s Pizza and Taco Bell.

Costs

Annual Undergraduate Cost Estimates.
Prices quoted were projected in June 2001.

Tuition per hour

* Tuition per credit hour and other fees are subject to change. Tuition is based on 30 credit hours a year and includes the student health fee.
** Off-campus housing is more expensive. Please budget an additional $770, at least. Off-campus transportation costs cannot be estimated.
*** Annual computer cost estimates vary depending on level and degree program. These figures represent an annual cost for purchase or lease of computer equipment (including printer, modem/ethernet and CD-ROM).

Please note: Students entering UF in a nonresident status should budget for out-of-state tuition for their entire undergraduate program, as reclassification for tuition purposes is very difficult.

Computer Requirement

Permanent access to a computer is required of all students. The university expects each student entering the university and continuing students entering the junior year to acquire computer hardware and software appropriate to the degree program. Computer competency is required for graduation; class assignments may require use of a computer, academic advising and registration can be done by computer and official university correspondence is often sent via e-mail.

The College of Engineering requires that all engineering students have access to a mobile (notebook) computer for engineering courses in order to be able to function in the current learning environment. Starting Fall 2001, some engineering courses will require the use of mobile computers for coursework. Students are required to access electronic forms of information, submit assignments and communicate with other students and faculty electronically.

The University and Department

The University of Florida is located in sunny Gainesville, consistently ranked one of the top ten best places to live in the U.S. by Money magazine for the past five years. A city of approximately 93,500, it is situated in north-central Florida. Gainesville is served by several airlines and bus lines and is located along 1-75, 1 hour south of 1-10 and 2 hours north of Orlando and Tampa. The Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico are within a 2-hour drive. A combined state university and land-grant college, the University of Florida has sixteen upper-division colleges and schools and four professional colleges (dentistry, law, medicine, and veterinary medicine).

The College of Engineering consists of twelve degree-granting departments. The chemical engineering department's graduate study and research emphasize chemical engineering science (transport phenomena, thermodynamics, kinetics and catalysis, interfacial phenomena, and materials science), chemical engineering systems (chemical and biochemical reaction engineering, computer-aided design, optimization, and control), and interdisciplinary chemical engineering (electrochemical engineering, microelectronics, biomedical interfaces, and cell and tissue engineering).

Visiting Campus

The Office of Admissions in 201 Criser Hall conducts information sessions at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Monday - Friday (excluding holidays). Weather permitting, each session is followed by a student-guided walking tour of central campus. Allow two hours for your visit. Contact the admissions office during evening hours or sign up for a tour from our Web site. From I-75 (exit 76) go four-and-one-half miles east on SR 26 to SW 13th Street. The main UF entrance is on SW 13th Street (US 441), one block south of University Avenue (SR 26).