Chemical and Materials Engineering Department is the integration or cross-discipline of traditional chemical engineering and materials departments. With the progress of technology, the principle manufacturing procedures of a number of high-tech industries, by utilising both synthetic and manufacturing technologies, have successfully turned raw or semi-manufactured materials into useful and high-priced materials and components, which are finally assembled as finished products. These high-tech industries of semiconductors, electronics, opt electronics, compound materials, biomedicine and energy have created a great demand of chemical and materials engineering talents. The traditional chemical engineering departments have been aiming to equip students with synthetic and manufacturing skills rather than academic knowledge of materials whilst the conventional materials departments have been dedicated to develop students' technical know-how for materials structure, basics, nature and application rather than the academic knowledge of synthesis and manufacture. Chemical and Materials Engineering (CME) Department at National Kaohsiung University, the integration of traditional chemical engineering departments and materials departments, was established in response to the demand for high-tech talents.

Industries of chemistry, materials, semiconductors, opt-electronics and biology are regarded significant not only for the time being but also for the future in Taiwan . These industries, developing and progressing by leaps and bounds, are eager for chemical and materials engineering talents to devote themselves to the team of production and R&D. Our Department aims at producing students equipped with expertise of both chemical engineering and materials engineering. The following three topics have been identified as our primary developing direction:

Nano and Molecular Engineering

Both information semiconductor industry and opt-electronics industry have become increasingly crucial in the domestic market. Due to the establishment of both science-based industrial parks and technological-based industrial parks, a great demand for chemical engineering and materials technology talents by the opt-electronics and semiconductor industries is to be expected. Thus, our Department has formulated a programme of materials technology, which narrows the focus to the production and application of nanomaterials, opt-electronics materials, semiconductor materials, and electronics-specific chemicals.

Biochemical Engineering
Over the past few years, scientific researches have made biotechnology another dazzling industry in the next generation as fundamental genetic engineering and microbiology keep burgeoning. Biochemical engineering contains comprehensive domains of human life: medical technology, health and medication, food nutrition, agricultural production, pollution prevention and energy. The foundations of biochemical engineering are laid by fundamental biochemical engineering courses, so our Department intends to cultivate students' talents for biochemical engineering application so as to lift the level of biotechnology as well as incubate distinguished biotechnology talents for the new and expanding industry in the country.

Curriculum
Enhancing the fundamental teaching methodology which unites nano and molecular engineering, materials science, biotechnology and chemical engineering.

Integrating chemical engineering courses with materials engineering laboratory experiments; combining nanoengineering with molecular engineering and merging materials science with biotechnology; uniting theories and practices to cultivate clever and deft students for experiment and research.