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In 1886, the Case catalog announced the introduction of a new course of study, "Chemical Technology." This was the first appearance of chemical engineering at Case. The first chemical engineering degree was awarded in 1909, but the curriculum was not officially called "Chemical Engineering" until 1913.
The Case Chemical Engineering program was one of the very first in the country. Similar developments took place throughout the 1880s and 1890s at Tulane, the University of Illinois, MIT, and the University of Michigan. It was not until 1922 that the American Institute of Chemical Engineers could even agree on a definition of chemical engineering. When the AIChE instituted accreditation in 1925, the Case program was one of only 14 to be approved.
Those responsible for the founding of chemical engineering at Case were Professors Charles Mabery and Albert W. Smith. Mabery, an early leader in petroleum research, was department head from 1883 to 1911. Smith, department head from 1911 to 1927, was a key figure in the early history of the Dow Chemical Company. It was under his leadership that chemical engineering emerged as a separate course of study.
For many years, the Department was integrated with chemistry in a Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. In 1962, the chemical engineering activities were separated from Chemistry and called the Chemical Engineering Science Division of the School of Engineering. In 1972, it became the Department of Chemical Engineering.
The Department is housed in the Albert W. Smith Building, located on the Case Quad. The building, which had a $2.5 million renovation completed in 1978, is modern and well equipped.
Today, the department comprises 15 faculty members, 40 graduate students, and over 100 undergraduates, with a supporting technical, administrative, and secretarial staff. The graduate and undergraduate student bodies are drawn from all regions of the United States and a number of foreign countries.
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