Kettering University in Flint, Mich., now offers students an opportunity to prepare for the fast-growing field of Chemical Engineering with a new academic degree program.

Chemical Engineering will play a central role in solving the major problems confronting the U.S. economy including energy, health care, the state of the environment and the emergence of nanotechnology.

Kettering’s Chemical Engineering (CHME) degree is an interdisciplinary program. With the exception of six new courses, the curriculum was constructed from courses and laboratories currently offered at the University. The 161 credit-hour curriculum satisfies Chemical Engineering ABET requirements.

Faculty from both the Chemistry/Biochemistry and Mechanical Engineering departments will teach the Chemical Engineering courses. Future plans include potentially introducing nuclear engineering courses to expand the program and to enable students to work in areas that address the current energy situation.

“With new programs such as the Chemical Engineering program, Kettering is building on its strengths to expand and enhance our students’ educational opportunities,” said Dr. Michael Harris, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “It is part of our institutional commitment to be intentional and to provide programs that are relevant and current,” he added.

That relevancy is evident in Kettering’s role in the Swedish Biogas project to produce alternative energy from waste removed from the city of Flint’s wastewater treatment plant. Flint has been identified by the state as a new Center of Energy Excellence in Michigan.

Kettering will collaborate with Linköping University in Sweden, working toward adapting municipal vehicles so they can utilize the bio-methane as fuel. Students in the CHME program will have research and employment opportunities through the biogas project with Sweden.

The project, a collaboration of Swedish Biogas International (SBI), Kettering University, and the city of Flint, with support from the C.S. Mott Foundation, Swedish agencies, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), is the first step in developing Flint as the Center for Energy Excellence.

To read more on Kettering’s Chemical Engineering program, visit: www.kettering.edu