Electrochemistry Science, Engineering, and Technology Summer Minor
The UC Berkeley Summer Minor in Electrochemistry provides an integrated five-course pathway in electrochemical science and engineering through the Summer Electrochemistry Academy. Students build core foundations in electrochemical thermodynamics, kinetics, electrostatics, and transport; learn to analyze and engineer electrochemical devices; and complete hands-on laboratory and team-based project work.
The program is hosted by the Center for Electrochemical Science, Engineering and Technology (CESET) through the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. It is designed for undergraduates seeking preparation for research or careers in batteries, fuel cells, electrolyzers, corrosion, semiconductor manufacturing, electrosynthesis, electrified chemical manufacturing, and related technologies.
The minor is well-suited for students across chemistry, chemical engineering, physics, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, and related disciplines.
Summer Minor Scholarship!
Minor Requirements
The minor consists of five approved upper-division courses totaling at least 15 units.
At least four of the five courses must be completed at UC Berkeley during Berkeley Summer Sessions. One academic-year substitution is permitted.
All courses applied to the minor must be taken for a letter grade unless an approved undergraduate research substitution is used in place of CHMENG 188 as described below. Students must earn a minimum 2.0 GPA across courses applied to the minor and complete all requirements before graduation.
Course overlap with a student’s major or other minors/certificates is governed by the student’s home college rules.
Current Summer Minor Course Sequence
CHM ENG 186/286 Fundamental Electrochemistry — 3 Units
Terms offered: Summer Session A, first six-week session.
This course develops foundational concepts in electrochemical thermodynamics and electrostatics, electron-transfer kinetics, and mass transport in electrochemical systems. Topics also include electrochemical instrumentation, practical electrochemistry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
Prerequisites: Undergraduates are generally expected to have completed junior-level coursework in their major. Students finishing the typical second-year science and engineering sequence may email for approval to enroll.
CH 195 Organic Electrochemistry — 3 Units
Terms offered: Summer Session A, first six-week session.
This course covers electrochemical methods and strategies used to evaluate technologies at the interface of organic chemistry and electrochemistry. Topics include electrochemical testing and spectroscopy for organic materials, organic electrosynthesis, and translational challenges associated with emerging industrial applications such as grid-scale storage and carbon dioxide removal.
Prerequisites: Minimum two semesters of organic chemistry. Two semesters of physical chemistry are preferred. Some background in electrochemistry is preferred. Concurrent enrollment in CHMENG 186/286 is strongly recommended for students without substantial prior electrochemistry background.
CHM ENG 187/287 Electrochemical Device Engineering — 3 Units
Terms offered: Summer Session D, second six-week session.
This course examines electrochemical devices and reactors with emphasis on voltage and current distributions, mass transport, hydrodynamics, geometry, and performance metrics such as conversion efficiency and energy efficiency. Applications include batteries, capacitors, fuel cells, electrolyzers, metal plating, and electrosynthesis.
Prerequisites: CHMENG 186/286 Fundamental Electrochemistry.
CHM ENG 188/288 Electrochemical Projects Laboratory — 3 Units
Terms offered: Summer Session D, second six-week session.
Students work in teams to solve open-ended research and development projects in electrochemical science, engineering, and technology. Projects may come from industry partners, national laboratory partners, and academic research laboratories. Example areas include electrolysis and fuel cells, interfacial electrochemistry, batteries, and electrosynthesis.
Prerequisites: CHMENG 186/286 Fundamental Electrochemistry.
Instructor approval required: Students seeking to enroll should email a brief statement of interest, a short resume, and a transcript to electrochemistry@berkeley.edu.
CHM ENG 189/289 Battery Science and Engineering — 3 Units
Terms offered: Summer Session D, second six-week session.
This course develops a unified framework for understanding and engineering batteries from atomic-scale materials physics to cell performance and manufacturing approaches. Topics include ion and electron transport, concentrated electrolyte theory, structure and defect chemistry in battery-relevant solids, interfacial structure and charge transfer, and battery characterization, diagnostics, manufacturing, and recycling.
Prerequisites: CHMENG 186/286 Fundamental Electrochemistry.
Approved Academic-Year Substitutions
One academic-year substitution is permitted within the minor.
CHMENG 176 Principles of Electrochemical Processes, when taken during the fall or spring semester, may count as the approved academic-year substitution.
In addition, students may satisfy the CHMENG 188 Electrochemical Projects Laboratory requirement through approved undergraduate research taken for credit during the academic year in a science or engineering department at UC Berkeley.
To use the undergraduate research substitution for CHMENG 188, students must complete, or be concurrently completing, at least two terms of research in the same laboratory and at least 6 total units of approved undergraduate research credit. Three units count toward the minor, but eligibility for the substitution requires the larger underlying research commitment.
The research must be electrochemistry-focused and approved in advance by the Director of the Electrochemical Science, Engineering, and Technology Minor or the Director’s designee. The research may be carried out in an electrochemistry-focused laboratory at UC Berkeley or Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Eligible research courses may include departmental undergraduate research, honors undergraduate research, independent research, directed undergraduate research, or senior honors thesis courses. Approval is based on the technical content and educational scope of the research rather than on the course number alone.
To receive minor credit through this substitution, the student must submit a fully referenced written report of at least 10 pages, double spaced, excluding references and appendices. The report must describe the research background and motivation, project objectives, methods, results or progress to date, analysis and interpretation, and conclusions or future directions.
Undergraduate research units used to satisfy another laboratory-course substitution or equivalent degree requirement may not also be used to substitute for CHMENG 188 in this minor.
How to Register
Students should declare the minor before enrolling in their first summer course intended to satisfy the minor, or no later than the beginning of their expected graduation term.
Students may enroll in one or more Summer Electrochemistry Academy courses, provided they meet the prerequisites. If you are unsure whether you meet the prerequisite requirements or would like to discuss your preparation, please email electrochemistry@berkeley.edu.
For the projects laboratory course, CHMENG 188/288, instructor approval is required before enrollment.
When students are finishing the final requirement for the minor, they should submit the program completion form for departmental verification and transcript notation.
Who Can Participate
The summer minor is open to currently enrolled UC Berkeley undergraduates in good academic standing.
Summer Electrochemistry Academy courses are also open through Berkeley Summer Sessions to students from other universities, including international students, as well as non-traditional students and industry professionals. Non-UC Berkeley students may enroll in Summer Electrochemistry Academy courses, but the UC Berkeley summer minor itself is for UC Berkeley undergraduates.
Questions: electrochemistry@berkeley.edu