Chemical and Paper Engineering

Kecheng Li, Chair
Main Office: A-217 Floyd Hall (Parkview Campus)
Telephone: (269) 276-3500
Fax: (269) 276-3501

Said Abubakr
Mert Atilhan
Lois Lemon
Alexandra Pekarovicova
Dewei Qi
Abdus Salam
Priyanka Sharma
James Springstead
Qingliu Wu
Brian Young

The Department of Chemical and Paper Engineering offers three Bachelor of Science programs (chemical engineering, paper engineering, and graphic and printing science), as well as a Master of Science program, and a Ph.D. program in Paper and Printing Science. The department also offers a Master of Science program in Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. program in Engineering. These programs provide extensive scientific and technical education and prepare graduates for professional employment in research and development, manufacturing, process engineering, marketing, and management. The paper program focuses on pulp, paper, environmental, and allied fields. The graphic and printing science program emphasizes printing science, prepress operations, inks, and related fields. The chemical engineering program focuses on the chemical process industries, with emphasis on energy management, life sciences, pollution prevention, pulp and paper, and related fields.

Accelerated Graduate Degree Program
The Department of Chemical and Paper Engineering offers two Master of Science degrees as part of the Accelerated Graduate Degree Program (AGDP). The Master of Science in Paper and Printing Science (Accelerated) and the Master of Science in Engineering (Chemical - Accelerated) allows undergraduate students an opportunity to complete the requirements for both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees at an accelerated pace. Undergraduate students may count up to 12 (but not less than 6) credit hours of 5000/6000-level courses taken during their undergraduate studies at WMU toward a Master of Science in Paper and Printing Science within 24 months of completing their bachelor’s degree in paper engineering (emphasis in paper engineering) chemical engineering (emphasis in pulp & paper), or graphic and printing science. Undergraduate students may count up to 12 (but not less than 6) credit hours of 5000/6000-level courses taken during their undergraduate studies at WMU toward a Master of Science in Engineering (Chemical) within 24 months of completing their bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. Students enrolled in AGDP in the Department of Chemical and Paper Engineering may choose either the thesis option or the non-thesis option, which will allow them to complete an AGDP degree by completing combined graduate and undergraduate credit hours.

Academic Advising
Students should contact the Chemical and Paper Engineering academic advisors as early as possible. The faculty advisor is Dr. Said Abubakr. An academic/faculty advisor is available to assist in individual program planning, recommend electives appropriate to a student’s educational objective, discuss employment opportunities, and to help solve academic problems. Substitutions and transfer credits must be approved by a departmental faculty advisor. The academic advisor for Chemical Engineering, Paper Engineering, and Graphic and Printing Science is Tammi Smith, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Advising Office. Academic advising appointments may be made by calling (269) 276-3270 or by accessing the web at wmich.edu/engineer/advising.

Work Experience
Industrial experience is encouraged through employment by paper, chemical processing, printing, or related companies for at least one of the three summers, as well as through employment in WMU’s outstanding pilot plants. The pilot plants and laboratory facilities are among the best in the world. In addition, co-op experience through a contiguous academic semester is encouraged. The department assists the students in obtaining summer internships as it is a required curricular component in two of the three programs. Industrial internship is a required part of the curriculum in Paper Engineering, and Graphic and Printing Science programs. It is provided with elective credits in the Chemical Engineering program.

Additional Information
General information regarding advising, scholarships, and special programs of interest to students in this department may be found in the beginning of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ section of this catalog.

Students graduating with a major or minor in any of the departmental programs, must earn a grade of “C” or better in all CHEG and GPS and PAPR prefixed prerequisite courses or their equivalents.