(List originally compiled and posted to the NACAC listserv by Tom Dorney at Needham HS.)

First, some general thoughts:

Whenever I get a student who addresses an interest in a particular academic major - like Chemical Engineering - I ask that student:

"Do you know any Chemical Engineers?"

Most times, they don't...I then encourage them to find a couple of "Chemical Engineers" - and ask them where they earned their undergraduate/ graduate degrees -- and what those degrees where in...

Part of the reason why I do this is because I get a lot of students interested in Nuclear Engineering...probably because the two colleges that have produced the largest number of nuclear engineers in New England are my college and our sister maritime college in Maine. What surprises those students is that neither of our colleges offer "Nuclear Engineering!"

I encourage students to have direct contact with people in professions they are considering so that they can learn that there are many paths they can take that would lead them to the same goal...hopefully, that encouragement would lead them to include in their college search criteria that, as opposed to academic interest, has less a chance of changing...criteria like location of college/ size of college/ specific extra-curricular offerings....

Now, on to the list of recommended schools:

Arizona State University

Bucknell

California Institute of Technology

Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee offers a strong

program in Chemical Engineering.

Cornell's College of Engineering offers many opportunities for hands-on learning with remarkable business and alumni connections around the world. Students who study engineering at Cornell spend much of their first two years of undergraduate studies in the common engineering and general study curriculum. At the end of their third semester, they affiliate with one of the 10 engineering majors and/or 12 engineering minors, including Chemical Engineering. For specific information on the Chemical engineering program, please visit the departmental home page. For information on all of the opportunities available through Cornell's College of engineering, as well as information on admission, please visit the admissions home page.

Colorado School of Mines

Georgia Tech has an outstanding Chemical Engineering program at state school cost

Many times over the past several years, there have been postings about the value of a broad-based education as opposed to over-specialization. While I completely understand your student's quest for a Chem Engr degree, there is mounting evidence that a more generalized program can serve students better. A new publication has just come out of the National Academy of Engineering. I encourage you and/or your student to visit the

website, which links you to their recently released study. I want to quote one paragraph (Chapter 3):

"We aspire to engineers in 2020 who will remain well grounded in the basics of mathematics and science, and who will expand their vision of design through a solid grounding in the humanities, social sciences, and economics. Emphasis on the creative process will allow more effective leadership in the development and application of next-generation technologies to problems of the future."

To add to this point, consider the article written by Richard Freeland in the latest issue of the Atlantic Monthly called "The Third Way,"advocating "a course of study that integrates liberal education, professional education, and off-campus experience." If your student sees value in this approach, then Harvey Mudd College is surely a school for him to consider. Just look at our mission statement and our curriculum and you can see why HMC has it right: Harvey Mudd College seeks to educate engineers, scientists, and mathematicians well versed in all these areas and in the humanities and social sciences so that they may assume leadership in their fields with a clear understanding of the impact of their work on society.

Lafayette College

Lehigh University

Rice University 

Stanford, but the student should also have some broad interests outside of engineering. They like "engineers who read books." Small, but top-notch Chem. Eng. Program. Silicon Valley a big plus too.

Texas A&M University College Station, TX Top 25 undergrad

The University at Buffalo has a great college of Engineering and a strong Chem E department

The University of Delaware has one of the top ranked Chemical Engineering programs in the nation, extensively supported by the DuPont Family/Corporation. Excellent Chemical Engineering programs. Check out the department's website or the admissions office site.

The University of Houston has a strong Chemical Engineering program - offering Bachelors, Maters and PhDs in Chem. Engr. In addition, Chem. Engr. offers a masters and PhD in Petrochemical Engineering.

The University of Iowa, a Big Ten institution, offers a strong College of Engineering, including Chemical & Biochemical Engineering. More

can be found on the department's website.

University of Michigan

The Univ. of Tulsa has a GREAT program for undergrads and through the PhD 4,000 students (2500 of those are undergrads), private, great location, Div. 1, also fantastic scholarship opportunities for National Merit winners.

In Virginia, check out Va. Tech, Univ. of Virginia, Va. Commonwealth and Old Dominion.