The School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering at Oregon State University has its roots in one of the oldest and most respected chemical engineering departments in the western United States. OSU's undergraduate program in Chemical Engineering was first accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) in 1917. The school currently has more than twenty faculty members who pursue a variety of research and teaching activities.

The chemical engineering curriculum provides students with a background of fundamental knowledge that prepares them for responsible positions in research and development, design, technical service, plant operation, technical sales, and management in a wide variety of government, non-profit and industrial organizations. It places major emphasis on mathematics, chemistry and engineering sciences in addition to courses in design and analysis. Traditionally, the department has achieved prominence in research areas fundamental to chemical engineering, including mass transfer, heat transfer, chemical reaction engineering, fluidization, and thermodynamics. In recent years excellence is being established in several emerging areas, including biochemical engineering, high-temperature ceramic materials, thin film technologies, environmental control, waste minimization, polymer processing and rheology, and computerized process control.

The excellence of the program is evident in that over the past three years a large majority of the students have either received offers of employment or decided to pursue a graduate education. Graduates of the school of CBEE work in design, production, R & D, sales, and management positions all over the world. Particularly successful graduates include Linus Pauling (two-time Nobel Laureate), Robert Lundeen (former CEO of Dow Chemical) and Dale R. Laurance (current COE of Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation).